When my daughter was in high school, we fired her therapist.
Not because therapy doesn't work. Not because she didn't need help. But because the therapist insisted on something that was deeply counterproductive—an obsessive focus on the negative.
Every session circled the same drain. What was wrong. What hurt. What wasn't working. Week after week.
And guess what? She didn't get better.
At some point, it clicked for my wife and me: if all you do is stare into the darkness, don’t be surprised when that's all you see.
So we made a change. We found someone who helped her see the full picture—yes, the struggles, but also the wins, the growth, the things worth building on. That's when things started to shift.
I thought about that experience a lot this week in Philadelphia.
I was at the Craft Brewers Conference. Same event as last year. Same people as last year. Very different vibe than last year.
CBC 2025 felt like a funeral.
Breweries were closing at a record pace. Margins were getting squeezed. Then came the steel tariffs—an immediate gut punch to anyone relying on cans, kegs, or equipment. The uncertainty was suffocating. You could feel it in every conversation, every panel, every handshake.
No one knew what came next.
Fast forward one year.
CBC 2026 felt… Lighter. Airier. Hopeful.
Not naive. Not delusional. No one's pretending the challenges have magically disappeared. They haven't. Closures are still happening. Costs are still high. People are still drinking less beer. Competition isn't getting any easier.
But the tone has changed.
People are innovating. Adapting. Talking about opportunity instead of just survival.
Indeed, the Brewers Association made a conscious choice not to let this year's conference become a post-mortem. They didn't ignore the hard truths, but they refused to let the industry wallow in them.
Instead, they created space for optimism.
That matters.
Because culture—whether in a therapist's office or an entire industry—is shaped by what you choose to emphasize.
Focus exclusively on failure, and you'll breed paralysis.
Acknowledge the challenges but elevate the wins, and you create momentum.
This isn't about toxic positivity. It's about balance. It's about perspective. It's about giving people something to build on.
The craft beer industry continues to face significant headwinds. Anyone suggesting otherwise is either being disingenuous or not paying attention.
But there's also resilience. Creativity. Passion. And, yes, opportunity.
The light isn't lacking; you just have to step into it.