In Defense of Challenges and a Big Announcement

I’ve always loved a challenge. From racing an Ironman to building a business from scratch to learning how to make bread, I love the process of figuring something out– the thrill of doing a hard thing. For a long time, I chalked it up to my DNA. But it goes deeper than that: tackling big goals is how I figure out who I am, and how I grow.

Every challenge makes you redefine what you thought was possible and rewrite the story of what you’re capable of. That feeling — pushing past your own ceiling — is so empowering. I didn’t realize it at first, but I basically built a whole company around it.

That ceiling is what holds most of us back. I’m not a math person. I’m not that kind of student. This is just who I am. We say it like it’s a fact, but they’re really stories we tell ourselves. And luckily for us, these stories can be rewritten. Most of the time, it takes someone else to give us perspective. Throughout my life, I’ve been lucky to have mentors who have helped me see possibilities I didn’t know were available to me. 

Mr. Dixon, my high school choir director, helped me see talent I didn’t know was there and gave me my first opportunity for leadership. (He also saved me from going down what could have been a destructive path in 9th grade, giving me a new friend group and purpose. I am forever grateful!!) At Vanderbilt, my professors Constance Gee and Leonard Bradley saw things in me I couldn’t see yet and gave me their unwavering support. Professor Gee encouraged me to submit the paper that landed me my first writing award. Professor Bradley even offered me his cell phone number in case I ever landed in jail. (I didn’t.) In my first years of business ownership, Chris Holmes mentored me through the rough early years and later encouraged me to open my second location, helping me fight intense doubt. In my personal life, my triathlon coach, Liz Waterstraat, has helped me realize that this ex-choir gal can also get on the Ironman podium. 

All of my mentors have helped me conquer my own limiting beliefs and have given me the push I needed to go after big goals. I would have played it small without them. 

At The Enrichery, my goal has always been to provide those mentors for kids. Information is everywhere now– free, in three seconds. The rare thing is a person who hears the story someone is telling themselves, shows them why it could be wrong, and stays in it while they do the work to prove it. 

We’ve spent eleven years doing exactly that in Houston– seven locations now, built from one, with no investors or fancy corporate people and just a lot of long days and belief that it’s possible. And now, we’re ready for the next hard thing.

I’m excited (and scared!) to announce that our 8th location will be in the brand new city of Dallas–Fort Worth.

Nobody in DFW knows us yet. Our reputation doesn’t make the drive from Houston. We show up as strangers and earn our place one student at a time, the same way we did the first time. (They say to do the thing that scares you, right?) It’s another huge challenge, and one that we’re excited and ready to take on. 

The safe move is to stay where we’re already known. But somewhere in DFW, there’s a kid who’s decided they’ve gone as far as they can go. They’re wrong about that. I’d like the chance to show them.

So if you’re a DFW family looking for more than a tutor– or a student who’s counted yourself out– give us a chance to change your mind. You don’t have to trust us yet. Let us earn it.

And whatever story you’ve been telling yourself– about your kid, your work, your own limits– it’s worth asking whether it’s really a fact, or just a belief you stopped questioning. Mine got rewritten by the people named above. I’d love for us to do that for a few thousand kids in DFW.

We’ve got a lot to prove up there. We can’t wait to start.

— Sarah Founder & CEO, The Enrichery

Learn more about our future Dallas location and join the waitlist today.