The Unexpected Identity Crisis After Financial Freedom

identity crisis after financial freedom

I didn’t expect this.

For 30 years, my life had structure — goals, promotions, deadlines, problems to solve, and a ladder to climb. Even when it was stressful, it was familiar. I knew who I was in that world. Then I stepped away.

Financially, we’re okay. We’ve been frugal. We’ve diversified. Even with market downturns, I’m not lying awake worried about money. And yet… I’m lying awake. At 5:00 a.m., grinding my teeth for the first time in ten years, my body burning like a furnace (thank you, perimenopause), covers on, covers off, sometimes moving to the leather couch just to cool down. ...  read more

I Thought I Was a Good Coach. I Was Wrong.

coaching blind spots

For 15+ years, I’ve been writing this blog and coaching people in my free time. I genuinely believed I knew quite a bit about coaching.  After all, I had 30 years of executive experience. I had navigated high-stakes corporate environments. I had mentored dozens of professionals. I had given advice that people told me changed their lives. ...  read more

My Focus 2026: Rebuilding My Life Force in a Season of Transition

As I step into 2026, I find myself in a season of transition — one that feels unfamiliar, a little disorienting, and surprisingly freeing.

I’m leaving full-time work and entering what I like to call my rewirement phase. It’s not quite retirement, not exactly a second act with a clearly defined script. I don’t yet know what my goals will be for the next five years. And for the first time in a long time, I’m learning to be okay with that. ...  read more

Relationship Growth: Choosing Connection Over Being Right

Happy New Year.
I’m sorry I haven’t written for a while.

The last month caught me off guard when a relationship I value deeply became unexpectedly tense—not from anything dramatic, but from a handful of misunderstandings that slowly added up. It wasn’t the kind of conflict with a clear beginning or obvious fault. It was murkier than that, and harder to name. ...  read more

Why Acceptance Speeds Up Healing: A Personal Lesson in Patience

The last two weeks have been teaching me a lesson I’ve resisted for most of my life: acceptance can sometimes get you further—and faster—than force. I’m not a naturally patient person. When something slows me down, my instinct is to push harder, fix it quickly, or work around it. But this time? My body had other plans. ...  read more

Learning to Let Them: Parenting Teenagers and Leadership Lessons

It’s been a whirlwind three weeks since I returned from China. Both of my daughters are in transition — Alexis is applying to high school, and Isabel is applying to college. Lately, our evenings feel dominated by editing, deadlines, and school application talks.

I’m constantly torn between how much to help and how much to let them figure things out. Honestly, this might be the hardest job I’ve ever had. I want to be a good parent — to teach them what I’ve learned about school applications, time management, and handling stress. But I’m realizing that while I think I know what to do, the landscape has completely changed. ...  read more