When a Ski Trip Injury Led Me to Build Two Products in Eight Weeks

I don't usually share personal stories. But if you've been thinking about starting something and keep putting it off, this might be the push you need.

Eight weeks ago, I went on a ski trip to Aspen Snowmass. What was supposed to be a simple vacation ended with an accident and a compression fracture in my lumbar spine.

I was very active before the injury. Suddenly the things I had planned for the winter — skiing, running, everything I'd looked forward to — were off the table. Evenings and weekends that used to fill themselves were empty.

So I decided to use the time intentionally.

I'm a marketer by day with no engineering background and no experience building websites or mobile apps. But I'd been curious about AI-assisted building for a while. I wanted to see what I was capable of creating on my own, outside of my full-time job.

I started with a web app and built it from concept to production in under 10 days, using tools like ChatGPT and Claude to help modify code and integrate APIs.

Then I kept going and built Waylena — a networking tracker app for professionals who want to be more intentional about their careers. The problem isn't that professionals don't network. It's that there's no simple, dedicated place to capture what happens in those conversations and follow up before the moment passes. I believe the problem is real, so I decided to build the solution myself.

Something I didn't expect from this process: building has made me a sharper marketer. Wearing many hats changes how you think about strategy, prioritization, and what actually matters to users.

What started as a difficult stretch turned into something I'm genuinely proud of — two products and a new identity.

Eight weeks ago I would have said I'm a marketer. Today I describe myself as a marketer and an AI product builder.

Sometimes the hardest moments open doors you didn't plan for. The only way to see where they lead is to start building.