For Amanda Holt, entrepreneurship wasn't part of the original plan. She spent years in high-level technical support for major companies — including government-related work — building a career she thought was solid. Then AI changed everything overnight.
"AI took my job," Holt said plainly. "They wiped out our entire department."
Fortunately, she and her husband, Josh, had already begun selling handmade soaps, lotions, herbal teas and body care products at local farmers markets. It started as a side project, a creative outlet on weekends. When her corporate career disappeared, they made a decision.
"We decided to just go all in on this," Holt said.
That leap of faith eventually became Mae & Monk's Apothecary, now located inside the historic Mitchell School building in Victoria, Texas. Rather than expanding elsewhere, the Holts intentionally focused on serving their hometown first.
"We wanted to support Victoria first," Holt said. "The only way we could afford a shop is if Victoria supports us."
The couple soon became familiar faces at farmers markets and festivals throughout the Crossroads region. "People would joke, 'Mae & Monk's, they're just everywhere,'" Holt said with a laugh.
Today, Holt balances operating the apothecary with work as a mobile notary, wedding officiant and studies to become a death doula — continuing a family tradition rooted in funeral service.
"In my family, we have a tradition that we call death watch," she said. "We make sure no one dies alone."
Her story isn't just about losing a job to AI. It's about rediscovering what matters: community, craftsmanship, and the kind of human connection that no algorithm can replicate. What started as a layoff became a pathway to a more meaningful, locally-rooted life — proof that sometimes the end of one career is the beginning of something better.