2024: A Year of Change, Caregiving, and Career Rebooting

As 2024 winds down, I find myself reflecting on a year that was equal parts challenging, rewarding, and—let’s be honest—a bit of a plot twist.

The year started on a high note: my amazing wife, Loree, retired in February, and we celebrated with a trip to Kauai (where I briefly considered retiring too, but the Wi-Fi wasn’t great). Life was steady, work was fulfilling, and the future looked predictable—in the best way.

Then July hit, and life said, "Hold my beer." Work disruptions threw me for a loop, and at the same time, my father fell ill, and my mom needed extra support. Without hesitation, I stepped away from my job in August to be there for my family. Shortly after, Loree’s sister needed her in Nashville, so we both stepped fully into caregiving roles.

Was it hard? Absolutely. Would we do it again? Without question. Family always comes first, and while caregiving wasn’t on our 2024 vision board, we embraced it with open hearts (and lots of coffee).

During this time, I was blown away by the outpouring of support from friends, colleagues, and connections. If I tried to thank you all individually, this post would break LinkedIn’s word count. You know who you are, and I’m forever grateful.

With my family now in good health, I could refocus on what’s next. In true "can’t sit still" fashion, I started StuTech , a passion project helping seniors in my 55+ community with tech issues. I’ve loved every minute—meeting incredible people, solving tech mysteries ("Is this remote broken or just cursed?"), and even making new friends. Some of these friendships now include happy hour...where we troubleshoot life and tech over adult beverages.

Then, just as I was getting used to tech therapy for seniors, Deanna F. Longtin reached out with an exciting opportunity: helping scale her company, emPowered Workplace Dispute Resolution . Before we even formalized an agreement, I sent over a 90-day strategic plan (because that’s how I roll). Today, I’m wrapping up my second week at emPowered and can honestly say that I feel valued and professionally empowered—something I haven’t felt in years. It’s exciting to be part of something with so much potential.

Professional Highlights from 2024:

?? Launched StuTech to provide tech support and consulting for seniors (turns out, fixing printers is a superpower).

?? Joined emPowered Workplace Dispute Resolution as CSM/COO to help scale operations and drive business growth.

?? Reconnected with former colleagues and built meaningful new relationships across the industry.

?? Developed and executed strategic business plans with a focus on operational excellence and customer success.

As we head into the holiday season, I’m filled with gratitude for everyone who supported me this year. It was a wild ride, but one filled with purpose, love, and more tech troubleshooting than I ever expected.

Here’s to 2025—a year I believe will be a game-changer for those ready to embrace change, collaboration, and diversity.

Wishing you all a joyful holiday season and a New Year filled with growth, success, and maybe even a Wi-Fi signal strong enough for a Zoom call.

All the best,

Stu