Do you need a wake-up call to start following your dreams? And a roadmap for building a business that supports them?

Then let me tell you about my guest today, Erin Fortin.

In July 2024, Erin was in the prime of her life. She was healthy, active, and focused on building a thriving business. But during a routine jog with her husband, her world went black.

At just 37 years old, Erin suffered a stroke—a moment that stopped her in her tracks and completely reshaped her perspective on what it actually means to make a bold move.

Today’s episode is about that wake-up call. It’s about the shift from feeling invincible to realizing that we don't get a vote on when our time is up. This conversation of building her business is viewed through the lens of the urgent, new philosophy she now lives by: Don't Wait.

Before her health scare, Erin made a massive pivot from a "corporate robot job" as a chemist at Intel Corporation to building a business from the ground up: Erin Fortin Photography.

We discuss exactly how she navigated that transition and the systems required for building a business that could survive—and even thrive—during her six-month medical recovery.

We dive deep into:

• The Wake-Up Call: Erin’s candid story of surviving a stroke and discovering a hole in her heart she never knew existed.
• The "Corporate Robot" Job: How Erin knew it was time to trade her lab coat for a camera lens.
• The Math of the Leap: How she reverse-engineered her expenses and runway before quitting corporate life.
• Systems & Scaling: The specific tools and delegation strategies that kept her bicoastal business running while she was in the hospital.
• 📸 The Full-Circle Moment: A behind-the-scenes look at photographing an event in Gloria Steinem's living room.

Erin’s Bold Moves Advice: "We don't get a vote as to when and where and how we go. So do it now. Do it scared. Don't wait."

Like this episode? There's a whole community of Bold Movers over on Substack. Join us and build your bold moves muscle with us! https://kristenrocco.substack.com

Connect with Guest Erin Fortin:

• Website: erinfortinphotography.com
• Instagram: @erinfortinphoto

Connect with Host Kristen Rocco

On Substack: https://kristenrocco.substack.com/

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenrocco/

Take the listener feedback survey: https://forms.gle/hBBKkKFVfbfzCFREA

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Bold Moves: How Did You Know episode: The Real Cost of Low (And how to Fix It) with Confidence Coach Simone Knego