06/01/2026
Lunch with 26 Berthoud Strangers | No. 5
Some people collect things. Cathy collects chapters.
Growing up as one of ten kids in Maryland, I donāt think she could have predicted the life that followed. A chance opportunity led her into technology, which led to a career spanning software, telecommunications, defense contracting, and project management. Along the way she moved across the country, reinvented herself more than once, raised a family, and somehow gathered enough stories to fill several lifetimes.
What I loved most about our conversation wasnāt any one accomplishment. It was her willingness to keep saying yes to what came next.
A new job? Why not. A move across the country? Letās do it. Retirement? Not an ending. Just another chapter.
On day one of retirement, she went to a dispensary, bought herself a beautiful b**g, took one absolutely heroic rip on her back porch, had to be escorted to bed by her husband, and never touched one again. Gummies only from that point forward. Honestly, a completely reasonable conclusion to reach.
Today, sheās living in Berthoud, traveling the world with her husband, hiking with an incredible group of women, and continuing to approach life with the same curiosity that has guided her every step of the way.
The more we talked, the more I realized Cathy is proof that the most interesting lives are rarely the ones that follow a straight line.
Thanks for having lunch with me, Cathy. I left with a smile, a handful of great stories, and a reminder that itās never too late to start a new chapter.
āThe most interesting lives are built one unexpected chapter at a time.ā
- Jessica
