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Over the past three weeks, I’ve had the privilege of attending three very different conferences: Fanatics Fest NYC, the NCPG Annual Conference in Nashville, and The National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago. On paper, they couldn’t have been more different. One celebrated the passion and excitement of fandom. Another brought together the nation’s leading councils, coalitions, clinicians, researchers, and treatment providers. The third represented the largest gathering of sports collectors anywhere in the world.
And yet, I walked away from each with the exact same feeling. Hope.
When I launched Collectors MD a year and a half ago, I honestly didn’t know how these conversations would be received. I knew collectors needed somewhere to turn because, not long before, I had been searching for that place myself. I knew there were thousands of collectors quietly struggling with overspending, loss of control, and behaviors they didn’t fully understand. But I didn’t know whether the hobby would be willing to acknowledge those challenges, or whether the behavioral health community would see collecting as something worthy of its attention.
Over the past month, I received that answer. Collectors embraced us. Clinicians embraced us. Businesses embraced us. Platforms embraced us. Industry leaders embraced us. Perhaps most importantly, the conversation is no longer happening in two separate worlds. The hobby is beginning to prioritize and embrace behavioral health, and the behavioral health community is developing a deeper understanding of the modern collecting landscape.
That’s exactly where Collectors MD has found its purpose. We aren’t trying to change the hobby or redefine behavioral health – we’re simply helping each better understand the other. In many ways, we’ve become the bridge between two worlds that have needed each other for far longer than either one realized.
Throughout all three conferences, I lost count of how many people told me some version of the same idea: “We’ve been seeing this for years – we just didn’t have the language, the framework, or the partner to address it”. It has become increasingly clear that Collectors MD isn’t introducing a new problem. We’re simply providing clarity, structure, and solutions to something many people have already recognized.
What has humbled me most isn’t the growth of Collectors MD itself. It’s realizing just how many people across this hobby have decided this conversation is worth championing and are committed to leaving It better than they found it.
Over the past month alone, we’ve strengthened existing partnerships, formed countless new ones, expanded The Healthy Hobby Initiative alongside The Certified Trading Card Association, earned national media coverage, presented our work on a national stage, met with some of the hobby’s largest companies, and continued seeing #RipResponsibly embraced by collectors, creators, breakers, hobby shops, manufacturers, platforms, and organizations across the industry.
Every one of those conversations reinforced the same idea: collecting and consumer well-being are not opposing concepts. In fact, they depend on one another. A healthy hobby isn’t one without excitement. It’s one where excitement is balanced with education and safety. It’s one where businesses can continue innovating while also helping collectors make informed decisions. It’s one where parents and loved ones have access to the right tools and resources. Where collectors know support exists if they ever need it. Where responsible engagement becomes part of the culture – not because anyone is forced to adopt it, but because it’s simply the right thing to do.
One moment continues to stand out from this past week. As I walked the floor of The National, I couldn’t help but notice how many children were everywhere. They were buying cards, negotiating trades, learning entrepreneurship, building collections, making friends, and creating memories they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives.
That’s what this hobby is supposed to be. That’s what we’re working to protect. If the next generation is going to inherit this incredible community, then we have a responsibility to leave it better than we found it. Not by removing what makes collecting exciting, but by ensuring the systems surrounding it continue evolving in ways that support the people participating in it.
When I first entered recovery, I never imagined it would lead me here. I certainly never imagined I’d spend three consecutive weeks moving between the hobby’s biggest stages, the nation’s leading behavioral health conference, and conversations with many of the industry’s most influential organizations – all centered around one simple idea: helping collectors enjoy the hobby for a lifetime.
Looking back, it’s hard not to feel grateful. Grateful for every partner who believed in us before anyone knew our name. Grateful for every collector who shared their story. Grateful for every organization willing to lead instead of follow. Grateful for every conversation that helped move this mission one step forward. Most of all, I’m grateful because, after everything I’ve seen these past few weeks, I can say something I truly believe: The future of the hobby is in good hands. Not because any one person or organization has all the answers, but because so many people care enough to ask the right questions.
This month wasn’t the finish line. It was another reminder that meaningful change happens through collaboration, curiosity, and a shared commitment to doing what’s right. And after everything I’ve experienced over these past three weeks, I can say with more confidence than ever: We’re only just getting started.
#CollectorsMD
Three conferences. Countless conversations. One shared vision. The future of collecting isn’t defined solely by bigger shows, larger audiences, or more products – it’s defined by the people committed to ensuring the hobby continues to enrich lives for generations to come. Together, we’re building that future.
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