What If You Walk Away Without a Plan?

This week I caught up with a friend and was reminded, again, of how much can change in a person's life in just a few years.

We originally met on an Outward Bound trip in the Yosemite backcountry. During one of our long hikes, she opened up about the intense burnout she’d been experiencing at work. It had been building for years, and she was beginning to realize just how much it was affecting her health.

Before the trip, she and her husband had a serious conversation. She told him the truth about how much she was struggling. They looked at their finances and realized they could manage on one income for a while if she needed to do something that, at the time, felt almost unthinkable: leave her job without a plan for what came next.

Our week in the wilderness was a turning point. No cell phones. No emails. Just trees, mountains, and a little space to breathe.

When she got home, she did something many people only dream about. She actually left the job. No next step lined up, no polished five-year plan. Just a quiet, brave decision to stop walking a path that was leading nowhere good.

Now, this isn’t one of those stories that ends with a dream job and a corner office. After she quit, she spent months mostly in bed, eating kids cereal and doing the bare minimum to care for herself and her family. She was in recovery mode for her body and spirit.

But eventually, she heard about a part-time cashier job at a local garden center she loved. Surrounded by plants, dirt, and goats(!), she slowly started to reconnect with herself and what it felt like to contribute without burning out.

That led to her next chapter: a consulting role. Still part-time, still paced with intention. She’s slowly taking on more clients. But only three at a time. Forty hours a week, max. And she’s clearly communicated those boundaries to her team, who have supported her every step of the way.

She would be the first to say she hasn’t “arrived.” She’s still healing, still learning, still growing. But she’s doing it with far more clarity and care.

Oh, and she still works at the garden center a few hours a month, teaching classes, helping with events, and hanging out with the goats. :) 

I share this story because her courage inspires me. The courage to choose herself. To rest. To not have all the answers. To believe that something better and more sustainable was out there.

And to trust that healing, too, is a form of progress.

Have questions? Not sure where to start? I’d love to help—feel free to reach out! Schedule a Discovery Call with me here.