I’m Shayla, the founder of What If Network, and honestly, WIN has been an experiment of its own.
It has been a real-time process of figuring out what it is, what it’s for, and what feels aligned with who I am and what I want to put into the world.
What If Network did not start exactly like this. It began with a different name and a different purpose, centered around supporting families that included individuals with disabilities. We even hosted an online conference with topics designed to support those families.
After that, the focus shifted.
I started thinking more about resilience and preparedness planning, which led me to run a pilot membership around that idea. I learned from the experience, reflected on what worked and what didn't, and eventually found myself moving in another direction.
And now, we’re here.
Still evolving. Still learning. Still figuring out what fits.
What I know for sure is this: What If Network is a place where curiosity gets to exist.
It is not about being perfect or locking yourself into a five-year plan before taking one step. It is about trying something, paying attention to what happens, and deciding whether it is something you want to continue or simply something you are glad you experienced.
That is the heart of it for me.
Curiosity. Ideas. Trying different things. Not putting yourself in a box.
It is about allowing your boundaries to expand little by little, giving yourself opportunities to discover who you are, what you enjoy, what you do not enjoy, and what actually fits your life.
Most of us have roles and responsibilities that take up time and energy. Between everything we have to do and everything we hope to accomplish, it can sometimes feel like we are behind or not doing enough. But exploring something new does not always require a major commitment or a complete change in direction.
Small steps still count.
As you begin to see more articles, resources, and digital products from What If Network, that is the lens behind them. I want to encourage people to be curious, explore possibilities, and take small steps toward things that interest them without feeling pressured to turn every experience into a lifelong commitment.
Sometimes the win is simply being able to say, “I tried it.”
I had to remind myself of that after hosting the online conference. I completed it. I accomplished something I had set out to do. But afterward, I noticed that what I felt did not quite match what I thought I was supposed to feel.
Part of me expected finishing the conference to automatically mean, “Okay, this is it. This is what I’m meant to keep doing.”
But that was not what happened.
I had to realize that doing something successfully does not mean you have to repeat it. Sometimes it simply means you explored something, learned from it, and now have the opportunity to decide what comes next.
And that is enough.
Gardening has taught me the same lesson in a much simpler way.
When I garden, I experiment all the time. I tried growing broccoli once. It was nice to do, and I learned from the experience, but it was not something I felt particularly drawn to continue.
Sunflowers were different.
My family and I visited a sunflower patch near where we lived, and that experience gave us the idea to try growing them ourselves. The first year, we planted seeds, and only one or two sprouted and bloomed.
But we kept trying.
Now it has been a few years, and I still get excited about the whole process. Planting the seed, seeing that first little sprout, watching it grow, and waiting for that full bloom.
It genuinely brightens my day.
And I think that is the point.
Something can begin as a simple “let me try this” moment. You do not necessarily know whether you will enjoy it, whether you will be good at it, or whether it will become something you want to do again. You just give yourself the opportunity to find out.
And sometimes, you discover something that brings you joy.
Does that mean you have to do it forever?
No.
You can keep doing something for as long as it brings something good into your life. And if one day it no longer fits, you can make a different choice. That does not erase what the experience gave you or make the time you spent exploring it any less meaningful.
You still tried it. You still learned something. You still discovered something about yourself.
Curiosity can also be personal or shared. Some things you may want to explore on your own, while others might be more enjoyable with friends or family. Sometimes the experience itself becomes an opportunity to learn more about the people around you.
You learn what they enjoy. You learn what you enjoy.
Maybe you discover something everyone wants to do again. Or maybe you walk away with a funny story and decide that once was enough.
Both can be worthwhile.
That is what I want What If Network to be about: creating room to explore what is possible without the pressure of having everything figured out.
Trying things. Paying attention. Learning more about yourself along the way.
I think there is something meaningful about staying open to possibility, especially when life can make us feel like we need to have a clear answer for everything we choose to pursue.
Not every interest needs to become a passion. Not every idea needs to become a business. Not every experience needs to lead to something bigger.
Sometimes, the experience itself is enough.
And sometimes, there is a lot of joy in simply finding out: “What if I tried?”