FREEdom: A Path Through Transition

Blue Ridge Parkway in Fall; Credit: Emily Giacomini

As we celebrate Women’s History Month and in light of the large numbers of people taking a step off the work treadmill, either voluntarily or not, I offer insights from my own recent history for a FREEing path into the future.

In the fourth month of COVID, I was pulled into a Zoom meeting on short notice to learn my team had undergone a reorganization and my job (and a few others on the team) no longer existed. Even on that call, I told the HR Director I wanted to finish well in the two weeks they gave me to conclude business. Then I went for a walk to clear my head.

What came to mind was a clear commitment to wrap things up well and leave my teammates in the best possible spot to advance a huge upcoming project. Then, having run at full pace through the pandemic-forced transition of shifting all our in-person operations to virtual, I knew I wanted a rest!

As I walked the neighborhood, in spite of the shock of being laid off, I felt remarkably light. I realized I was spelling FREE with what I was grasping for as I designed my next steps:

F: finish well

R: rest

So what was the rest? I scoured E words in my head: energize, engage, evaluate, explore, elevate, excel and over the next few days settled on two that inspired me, to complete my way forward:

E: explore

E: engage

I shared them with my friends and family, which also served to assuage their concern around my job loss, and I began to move through the plan. It was a relief to have a direction into whatever would be next, even as I felt completely untethered from the routine my life had embraced over four years.

Finish well meant bringing my projects to a place that would make for an easy transition for my peers. I reached out to the team to express my gratitude for the time we had worked together and said good bye to other colleagues in the organization, as well as outside clients. My goal was to feel good about the way I left and I’m pleased to say I succeeded.

Rest was a fabulous phase! I investigated my surroundings, discovering new walking and cycling trails. A kind friend let me stay at her place near Asheville NC for a week and I relished the beautiful small towns, forests and streams. On the way home, I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway for the first time. The clouds came down to meet me on the ridge line as I drove slowly into the surreal unknown along a misty road, enfolded by the drizzling canopy of fall colors overhead.

Once or twice during this time, I grew anxious and was tempted to rush ahead into the next phase, but a still, small voice inside simply said, “Rest!” and I’m glad I did. It was a restorative opportunity to consider the many blessings of my last role and mentally and emotionally prepare for whatever was next.

Explore was about contemplating options for my future. Not being independently wealthy, I knew I’d need to earn a living, so the question was how did I want to do that? While I had enjoyed my work in two similar roles over the previous nine years, I was ready for a change.

I applied a technique I’d often shared with my students and did tons of informational interviews, reaching out to other career and leadership coaches I knew to learn how they had started a business, the challenges they faced and the aspects they loved about their entrepreneurial freedom. I also talked to a few coaches internal to companies to learn the pros and cons of those roles.

Engage was about putting my research into action. After many conversations and some soul searching, I came to the surprising conclusion that I wanted to start my own career and leadership coaching business. Entrepreneurship was something I had never considered although I had a few entrepreneur friends whom I had regarded with a mix of curiosity and bewilderment. Why give up a steady paycheck to risk failing on my own? And yet, the opportunity was intriguing and I made the commitment. I did even more info interviews to learn how to establish a business.

Your path may be different than mine. For example, if you weren’t given a chance to say goodbye to former colleagues, what would it look like to come to peace with that? Even if you couldn’t control the terms of your departure from a particular role, you still have the chance to choose your perspective. Consider making a list of all the things you appreciated about the organization, the work and your colleagues to support you in leaving with the best possible “ending” there.

If FREE fits, by all means use it. If not, what steps appeal for your own transition?

Above all, may you move forward courageously as you create a life you’ll love.