What happens when the “safe plan” falls apart?

In this episode of Tripoint Conversations, Kristina Lowe sits down with Anora Morton, founder of The Nori Project, to talk about setbacks, identity, entrepreneurship, and what it actually takes to build something from nothing.

Anora’s path started with a full ride to college and a 20-year plan to become a lawyer. It led her through law school, two failed bar exams, public defense work, corporate burnout, and eventually into entrepreneurship.

What began as an idea to modernize food access through smart vending infrastructure became Nori, a company that challenged outdated distribution models and pushed Kentucky’s vending and agriculture industries into new conversations.

This episode covers:
• Failing the bar exam after doing everything “right”
• The pressure of public expectations
• Walking away from a traditional career path
• Starting a hardware based startup from scratch
• Raising capital and navigating accelerators
• Pivoting when the market pushes back
• And why every company has a season

Since this conversation was recorded, Nori has officially ceased operations after accomplishing what it set out to do. As Anora recently shared, it closed not with apology, but with impact.

This is not a story about vending machines. It’s about resilience. It’s about risk. It’s about learning you are not defined by a test, a title, or a single chapter.

If you are in a pivot, questioning the path you chose years ago, recovering from something that did not go as planned, or building something that feels bigger than you, then this episode is for you.

About Anora Morton
Anora Morton is the founder of The Nori Project, a category creating company that reimagined food access through tech enabled vending infrastructure. Through grants, accelerator programs, and early adoption partnerships, Nori introduced new models for distributing healthy food in underserved communities and influenced regional food systems conversations.

You can review Nori’s archived impact at:
https://thenoriproject.com

Follow Anora’s next chapter at:

https://anoraplease.com

Tripoint Conversations is hosted by Kristina Lowe, founder of Tripoint Strategic Group. This podcast explores the real stories behind leadership, pivots, discipline, and the decisions that shape a life and a business.

Learn more at:
www.tripointstrategicgroup.com/podcast