This week I experienced my first day wearing my bald head to work…my first day truly owning my appearance on this journey towards healthy. No wrap. No wig. No hat. Just me. And I’ll be honest: wearing a bald head feels weird. Not bad. Not scary. Just… different. Exposed in a way that’s strangely freeing.

 

And standing in that moment, I felt something settle in my chest: how you look is only a small piece of who you are. We spend so much of our lives trying to “look like ourselves,” but sometimes the truest version of you shows up when the familiar pieces fall away…like my signature red hair.

 

Many of you know me as the President of Jae’s Place. This is a role I hold with deep pride and deep responsibility. My mission is clear: to help fuel creating Boot‑Check Moments. Moments of connection. Moments of courage. Moments where someone feels seen, heard, and cared for. Moments that remind people they matter.

 

Just days after our auction…one of the most powerful nights I have had the honor of being involved with…I received my breast cancer diagnosis. The timing was surreal. One moment I was helping celebrate the impact we created together, and the next I was navigating a chapter I never expected. And here’s the part that surprised me: even surrounded by love, even with a strong community, even with a mission that keeps me grounded… I still had moments where I felt scared and alone inside the news.

 

And I’m not the only one. Research shows that nearly 60% of people who receive major life‑changing news (medical, financial, relational) struggle in silence for weeks before telling anyone how they’re really doing. Not because they don’t have people. But because they don’t want to burden them. Because they don’t want to “make it a thing.” Because they’re still trying to understand it themselves.

 

That’s why Boot‑Checks matter.

 

This morning, as I stood in front of a wall of cowboy boots, I felt more like myself than I have in weeks. Not because of the red hair I didn’t have, but because of the honesty of it all. And yes, what you wear can absolutely elevate your mood. And my Jae Boots give me a little extra fire. A little extra courage. A little extra reminder that I’m still me, and I’m still here.

 

But this message isn’t about boots or baldness. It’s about showing up for ourselves and for each other.

 

Every one of us has someone in our life who might be carrying more than they’re saying. Someone who needs a moment of presence. Someone who needs a real conversation instead of a quick scroll‑by or a rushed “How are you?” At the Jae Foundation, we call that a Boot‑Check, an intentional pause to check in on yourself or someone around you.

 

So here’s my invitation today:  

Make a Boot‑Check phone call. Today. Not tomorrow.

 

Not a text. Not a quick emoji. A real call. Slow down long enough to ask the honest question. Long enough to listen. Long enough to create a moment that matters.

 

We don’t change the world in sweeping gestures. We change it through small, consistent acts of courage and care. One step at a time. One conversation at a time. One Boot‑Check at a time.

 

Thank you for being part of this mission, for leaning in, for showing up, and for choosing connection in a world that desperately needs it.

 

Let’s keep going. Together. It’s Boot-Check Time!