What scared you most back then? At forty, you're not afraid of failing. You're afraid of people watching you fail. Nobody got it. I had a good salary, a boss who liked me and a whole career ahead of me.

I spent fifteen years doing other people's math and never once did my own. One day I realized I knew exactly what every client earned, but I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

I got home with my office box on my lap, and the first thing I did was sand down an old chair. It was the first time in months my head was quiet. The next day I signed up for a weekend woodworking class. I was the only woman in it.

So how did the first paid job come along? My first client paid me with a cake and a referral. The referral was worth more. Half my clients today came through that neighbor. She showed the bookshelf to her whole building.

In woodworking, you measure twice and cut once. In life, I did the opposite. I made decisions on impulse and spent months fixing them. The shop taught me to stop, look again and only then cut.

I charged for the time it took to make the piece and forgot the time it took to learn how. When I started charging for both, I lost two clients and gained a life that fit inside the month.

What would you tell someone who's thinking about making a change? Start small, but start with a good tool. The cheap one costs you twice.