I loved my job… until I didn’t

My e-community has grown by the thousands since I first began my work as a Next Chapter Coach in 2016! As we turn a page on a new year, below is some of my “story” for those of you who I didn’t know in real life back when I took my first “leap” into my Next Chapter.  

Storytime!  😉

I was Vice President of a national arts consulting firm, leading the interim management practice, coaching leaders in transition, and running executive searches. And for ten of the 12 years, I loved my title, my colleagues, the salary, – and always the client work. I was in a time in my career where I knew I had achieved the “success” I had envisioned.

But there was a big downside.

I was burnt out. I had to travel more than I wanted to. My children and husband always had to help hold down the fort so that I could go help others. My income and schedule were determined by someone else. I was frustrated and unhappy.

I loved my job until I didn’t.

It took me a year and a half of thinking (overthinking), talking to people about what I should do next, running the scenarios… and then on one frustrating day I had an out of body experience as I heard myself complaining.

I was embarrassed to realize that I was thinking and sounding like a victim!

I finally made a conscious decision to STOP complaining and being frustrated and instead, make a change. Take charge of my situation Take a leap.

But even with that decision, I didn’t move!

How could I make a change when I didn’t know what I wanted?

I knew what I DIDN’T want, which IS a good start, but running FROM something is not the same as running toward something.

I’m a practical and responsible person! I have a production and operations background, and always think in terms of “Here’s where we are. Here’s where we want to BE, and therefore here’s how we’re going to get there.”  I didn’t have a plan! I didn’t KNOW where I wanted to BE!

I knew I could “do” many things, but every time I thought of job titles and roles out there, or consulting, or, or… it didn’t excite me – I didn’t want to go from my situation to another similar one – and honestly, all the choices began to be overwhelming.

And, imposter syndrome was kicking in big time: “What do I have to offer that’s unique, and that people will want? What if I fail?” what if all these years I’ve just been lucky in my success? I was also known for implementing other people’s vision and bringing their ideas to life. I’ve helped extraordinary music and artistic directors, artists and thought leaders throughout my career. What if I don’t have any vision or ideas of my own?

Then it hit me: I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to “do,” but I realized I did know how I wanted to feel.  

My process of discovering (and then valuing) what makes my heart sing, is what made where I am now possible.  Curating a life of impact, joy, ease and financial sustainability is not only possible, I believe it is our responsibility.  

HOW to do this, how to make decisions based upon your unique purpose, leverage and monetize what you love, how to lead in ways that feel effortless, how to move from being stuck to creating unprecedented momentum… are all what I coach in The Career (Life!) Breakthrough Academy and in 1:1 Coaching. 

If any of this resonates with you, I invite you to schedule your 1:1 Strategy Call to so we can talk about your specific scenario.  

Cheers to curating a 2023 with the sustainable impact you are meant to have – with joy, ease, momentum, clarity, and financial resources that align with your impact!

Kathryn
Next Chapter Coach
Creator of The Career (Life!) Breakthrough Academy^TM