Who is Lisa?
I just turned 60.
When I turned 50, I ran a marathon. Not because I loved running, but because I read that only 0.01% of the world’s population ever finishes one. I needed proof that I could do a hard thing simply by deciding to do it. I trained for ten months and finished just under six hours. Twenty-six point two miles.
That marathon became proof—not of speed or strength, but of steadiness. One foot in front of the other. Day by day. Mile by mile. (I’ve always preferred jogging or long walks anyway. Those have always been my jam.)
Ten years later, life looks very different.
I retired from teaching after thirty years. I lived through a global pandemic, homeschooled kids, and watched two graduate from high school. I currently work as a Team Lead at the local Wally World—capable, dependable, and quietly unfulfilled. Somewhere along the way, the question shifted from Can I do hard things? to What hard thing actually matters now?
One night, while scrolling Instagram, I heard about a winter solstice ritual: write thirteen goals on slips of paper, burn one each day, and release it to the universe—until only one remains. That final slip becomes the goal you commit to for the year ahead.
I didn’t need thirteen.
Every slip would have said the same thing:
Build my coaching business.
Lisa Hoffman Coaching isn’t a side project. It’s where decades of teaching, listening, mothering, questioning, and growing finally converge. It’s purpose—not flashy or loud—but steady, like a long walk that carries you farther than you expected.
I still live in my hometown. I garden to stay sane. I dream up more projects than I can finish. My house swings between chaos and calm. I walk my dogs every morning. I love books that make me think and movies that make me cry. I get frustrated when ideas feel more exciting than execution—and I’m learning to stay anyway.
At 60, I’m not reinventing myself.
I’m choosing myself.
This year isn’t about burning goals and hoping for magic.
It’s about keeping one slip of paper—
and putting one foot in front of the other.
Sidetracked Sisters is a place where 4 different personalities get together to laugh, joke, poke-fun, and solve the problems of the universe. I think I should have added something politically correct about celebrating family, honoring traditions, blah, blah, blah….but that is really not our style. So come along for the ride. Roll your eyes and stick out your tongue. See what craziness we cook up!
