Can Curiosity Conquer Fear?

Why I Quit My Job In A Pandemic, With A Baby On The Way

Jeff Johnson spent much of his youth as a vagabond and a deadbeat. Bouncing between part-time, minimum wage work, he washed dishes, worked food service, and did whatever it took to keep a little money in his pocket and a little gas in his tank.

He was a surfer, a climber, and a self-taught photographer. He was endlessly on the road, and unabashed about documenting it.

In 2004, following mounting success as a freelance writer and photographer, Johnson joined Patagonia, as their very first staff photographer.

He would spend the next five years working full-time, in-house, for one of our country’s fastest growing brands, a once coveted cult climbing brand that had climbed its own way out of a niche and had managed to go main stream.

Johnson would describe it as his dream job. But he would also quit it shortly after, in pursuit of something more.

Through a fellow Patagonia employee, Johnson had discovered long lost footage of an historic 1968 trip between climbers Yvon Chouinard (future founder of Patagonia) and Doug Tompkins (future founder of North Face).

The pair, who had yet to found their respective companies, traveled by van from California to Patagonia, surfing, climbing, and documenting along the way.

Inspired by the found footage, Johnson knew he had to set out - this time by boat - to recreate this journey, to trace the steps of these great men and to discover his own story in the process of retelling theirs.

What resulted was a poignant, powerful, and refreshingly unique documentary, titled 180° South, which was directed by outdoor legend Chris Malloy and quietly released in 2010.

In it, while reflecting on why he would leave such a fulfilling stable job to chase something so undefined, Johnson remarked:

“If I don’t get on that boat, I know exactly  what I’m going home to.  If I do, my future is unwritten.” - Jeff Johnson

---

Last week, I quit my stable, executive-level job with National University System. I gave up the big team, the big budget, and the benefits. I gave it all up so I could launch and build my own education marketing agency - Kanahoma.

While I couldn’t be more excited about what’s to come, folks have understandably been curious about the timing. Why would I quit now, at the peak of a pandemic, in the middle of such a divisive election, all while expecting my first child this January?

The answer is, like Johnson, that I have finally grown to embrace, albeit reluctantly, that the unknown is the greatest adventure, that the stability I once so cherished, was actually just fear masquerading as security.

“Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” –George Addair

The night before I put in my notice, as my wife and I discussed the decision of the day ahead, we talked about what advice we would give to our soon-to-arrive daughter.

Would we tell her to play it safe, to prioritize the illusion of certainty? Or would we tell her to champion her own curiosity, to occasionally chase the wind, and see where life ends up?

So I leap, into what I do not know, but it’s in the unknown where we grow.

---

Editor’s Note:

This is the inaugural newsletter from Kanahoma. If you’re so inclined, please don’t hesitate to forward or share.

I will, I am certain, write much more on education and marketing in the future, but do appreciate your openness to allowing me to - on occasion - write from a place a bit more personal.

Wishing you and yours all the health and happiness.

Seth