Retiring from the Tulsa Remote Ambassador Program

The time has come. After all the blog posts I've written about the Tulsa Remote program, I needed to close the loop in written form.

This week I'm retiring from the Tulsa Remote Ambassador program.

What Is the Ambassador Program?

If you're new to Tulsa Remote, the Ambassador program comes after your first year in the program. You graduate, get celebrated during a special night, and are gifted a ceremonial TR whiskey glass. You're then considered an "Alumni." You no longer receive the stipend money, but you're still able to attend Tulsa Remote events, remain in the TR Slack channel, and more. TR even holds some Alumni-only events periodically.

Once you're an Alumnus, you can also become an "Ambassador." Ambassadors get a special badge and mainly attend TR events, help check in guests, work as connectors to answer questions, give short presentations about their experience in the program, and so on.

And I've enjoyed it. We've had a great time in Tulsa Remote, and I looked forward to conversations with people either considering a move to Tulsa or who had just arrived.

So What Changed?

At the end of 2024, my remote job went away. I spent all of 2025 job searching. Being a TR Ambassador was a great way to distract myself from that often-disheartening process. I enjoyed having a purpose and the social interaction. I volunteered at The Church Studio for the same reasons.

During that time, MsBoyink was working as a hospital nurse. Her 12-hour shifts left me with evenings to myself, which gave me another reason to enjoy TR events.

Then I got a job. And that job is local and in the office. Which means I'm having more face-to-face interactions than I've had in the last five years.

MsBoyink also started a new job with a different division of my employer. Her schedule is now Monday through Friday, 8 to 5. We've been commuting together as her office is only a couple of miles from mine.

Something Had to Give

After a few months of this new routine, I find myself craving quiet nights at home after being around people all day. And MsBoyink is now home with me every evening.

I also started feeling pinched for free time. I have a truck project, some freelance book editing work, and I still want to volunteer at The Church Studio.

Something had to go.

So I decided to hang up my TR Ambassador badge. We're still TR Alumni and will attend the occasional TR event.

Every Season Has Its Time

The older I get, the clearer it becomes that everything has a season and it's getting easier to recognize when the air has shifted and the leaves are turning.

And to be okay with that.