Today, as we remember the lives we lost and the lives that were forever changed on September 11, 2001, Glossy shares a piece that falls outside of our usual focus: Twenty-five years ago, Summersalt co-founder and CEO Lori Coulter documented her experience at the World Trade Center Marriott that morning, which is shared in full below. Among other impacts, the experience has since changed the way she thinks about uncertainty in areas including business, she shares. Editor’s note: The following article contains graphic descriptions that may be upsetting to some readers.
Twenty-five years ago, shortly after returning home to St. Louis after September 11, I wrote down my experience in detail, mainly to process it and move forward.
I was 26, attending a conference breakfast and staying at the World Trade Center Marriott when the first plane hit. I escaped the hotel, watched the second plane strike the South Tower from roughly a block away, ran as the building began to collapse and eventually left Manhattan on the Staten Island Ferry.
I wrote it all down. Then I set my emotions aside and moved forward.
I intended to edit the account and archive it for my family. But for years, I could not bring myself to read the entire document. It remained largely untouched: immediate, unpolished and raw.
