The Last Three Years That Rewired Me

When I walked into my first job at 23, I settled in like someone hanging a family photo in

their college dorm.

This was it. My place. My people. My future retirement cake.

For almost 20 years, corporate events and yearbooks were my home base—comfortable, familiar, a career sweatshirt I wore well.

Then the last three years said, “Cute plan. Here’s a plot twist.”

What followed?

Awesome things. Not-so-awesome things.

Always both. Always together.

Leaving a Long Career = Identity Reboot

Leaving my nearly 20-year chapter wasn’t a job change—it was stepping into a multiverse. Everything felt unfamiliar… and somehow, my world immediately expanded.

My next two roles weren’t detours; they were master classes.

Chapter One: Manufacturing, Machines, and Technicians Who Could Probably Fix the Space Station

I landed in machinery, manufacturing, and customer service—and weirdly? It was awesome!

The customer service team was fun, smart, and fueled by equal parts empathy and caffeine. The technicians could diagnose a machine just by listening to a noise described as “kind of like a sad robot coughing.” NASA, take notes.

I led SWAT meetings, learned Field Service Lightning, and saw how trust is rebuilt one conversation at a time.

Was it hard? Yes.

Was it meaningful? Also yes.

Both things were true.

Chapter Two: EOS, Traction, Brilliant Marketers… and a Clarifying Moment

My next stop: a marketing agency.

I learned EOS and Traction—finally a framework that matched how my brain works. And the people? Inspiring, strategic, generous.

They sharpened me.

And somewhere in that chapter, I had a very honest moment with myself: I’d learned a lot in my 20-year career and could make tough decisions again. One of those decisions was realizing—calmly, clearly—that this wasn’t my long-term fit.

That’s not drama.

That’s wisdom.

Support Systems + Motion = Clarity

My husband.

My kids (whose unfiltered commentary feels SNL-ready).

My friends who sat with me through spirals.

They reminded me:

My worth isn’t a job title.

It's who I show up as.

This season made me braver, more protective of my peace, and more selective about what energy I allow in my orbit.

You don’t learn those things from stability—you learn them from motion.

And Now… the Role I’ve Been Rocking Since April

On April 1 (no joke), I stepped into a new role that finally feels like home again—just not the home I expected when I was 23.

It’s creative.

It's energizing.

It stretches me.

I’m building digital marketing systems, designing omnichannel journeys, and working with kind, brilliant humans that match my energy and determination. We're having fun!

My brain basically whispered,

“Here. This is your lane.”

Here’s what I’ve learned:

You can love a chapter without staying in it.

You can honor the good without denying the hard.

You can carry forward what made you better and release the rest.

The last three years didn’t break my story—

they expanded it.

New job. New season. New chapter.

Same heart—just a little wiser, a little funnier, and significantly less convinced I’ll retire where I started.