Keeping up with work was also hard.
I worked West Coast hours from the East Coast for extended periods so I could help take care of my mom. I was trying to balance keeping the lights on at work with researching clinical trials, preparing meals that fit Mom’s restricted diet, and taking notes at important doctor appointments. As I hustled from the intensive care unit to the hospital parking lot to take Zoom calls, it became obvious that things just weren’t sustainable.
I said goodbye to my mom five months ago now.
After a courageous two-year battle with cancer, she passed peacefully, surrounded by our entire immediate family. But I miss her terribly.
Losing my mom had a big impact on me. I realized how short and precious life is and I started to question how I was spending my time. I no longer felt compelled to work long hours and miss precious time with my family. Moreover, Lindsey and I felt very far from our Midwest and East Coast families.
Because Leo is too young to be vaccinated, the only way we have felt comfortable seeing our family is by making a 2,800 mile drive (which we’ve done six times since COVID hit). I also felt driven to get back to doing work that had a more direct positive impact on other people.
That’s when I discovered The Adventure Project, and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.
I remember first reading about TAP’s mission to combat global poverty by creating jobs and empowering entrepreneurs. Following the wisdom of an old saying, the TAP community teaches people how to fish, which is a much more sustainable approach to uplifting struggling economies than simply giving people fish. I thought the potential for impact was even greater and more sustainable than my previous work in Peru.
My excitement about TAP grew when I read Becky’s “Making it Work” blog post, in which she described her own challenges working 80-hour weeks and parenting during the pandemic. Her experiences shaped TAP’s new policies around flexible schedules, remote work, and pay transparency. Needless to say, that resonated with me. BIG TIME.
And so after interviewing with Becky, the team, and the board (plus a great deal of personal reflection), I decided that it was time for another change: I accepted an offer to become TAP’s Chief Growth Officer. After years engaging with nonprofits as a donor, board member, fundraiser, and community-builder, I am thrilled to switch gears from the Silicon Valley tech scene to advance a cause I care about deeply. I started full time on January 10th and couldn’t be more excited for this next chapter.
If you share an interest in The Adventure Project’s unique approach to poverty alleviation, please connect with me on LinkedIn and/or shoot me a note at michael.pelehach@theadventureproject.org. I’d love to hear from you!
