Her Story

My Story

Choosing the Path That Lets You Keep Moving

By Robin Roberson

Why I chose a meniscus repair over a full knee replacement while launching LEVERAGEUP—and what that choice taught me about momentum, timing, and grit.

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I didn’t move to East Tennessee to slow down—I came for connection. My lifelong best friend, Donna, invited me to “grow old together on the mountain,” and it sounded perfect after years in Dallas where the cost of living kept soaring and I was scraping by. Life had other plans. A deep dog bite. Weekly debridements. Medical bills. The realization that I’m not built for retirement. Somewhere between wound care and mountain sunsets, I remembered: I need to build.

So I did. I launched a local magazine. It worked—but small markets have smaller budgets, and medical costs kept stacking up: dental implants, cataract surgeries, a meniscus repair. Savings dwindled. Just when I needed wind in my sails, a dream opportunity arrived: help build and direct a  philanthropic foundation—LITE: Life Is Tough Enough—and give meaningful money to worthy causes. It was the perfect role for my heart and skill set! A dream come true!

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And then, the delay parade. Contested wills. Assets discovered and rediscovered. Fraud cases unraveling. Federal investigations. Each time release seemed imminent, the finish line moved. We stayed in the “almost there” chapter far longer than anyone imagined. In the meantime, I did what builders do: I created LEVERAGEUP—a magazine and movement for women who are ready to make their next brave choice.

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Recently I faced one of mine: full knee replacement or another meniscus repair (other side, same knee). On paper, a replacement might be the big, sweeping fix. But the recovery would sideline me during a critical moment—right as LEVERAGEUP is launching, right as our community is forming, right as advertisers and sponsors are looking our way. I chose the meniscus repair.

Not because I’m avoiding a hard thing—but because I’m choosing the path that lets me keep moving.

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What the last five years have taught me

• Momentum is a resource. When you’re building something fragile and new, momentum matters more than “perfect.” Choose the option that keeps the wheel turning.

• Timing is strategy. The right solution at the wrong time is still the wrong solution. Shorter recovery now gives me room to grow—if I need a replacement later, I’ll do it when LEVERAGEUP is humming.

• Grit is gentle. Grit isn’t always “push harder.” Sometimes it’s making the practical choice that serves your future and protects your energy.

There’s a new chapter coming—Pensacola on the horizon, a condo by the beach, a new Toyota Highlander Turbo Hybrid that handled the mountain roads like a champ. (If I’d known the beach was next, I’d have picked a Porsche convertible and a silk scarf to match.) The foundation funds are closer than ever to being released, and when they are, I’ll pour everything I’ve learned into building LITE and giving where it changes lives.

Until then, I’ll keep choosing the path that lets me keep moving—one step, one story, one issue at a time.