Talent Career Coaching

A question my business coach asked me recently stopped me in my tracks.

How many years do you realistically think you have ahead of you in your career?

I said probably 30, give or take.

And saying that out loud made me realize I was trying to force a decision like everything depended on getting it right this second, when in reality I've been out of corporate for six years and so much has changed in that time, and I still have five times that ahead of me to grow, evolve, figure things out.

Not every decision has to carry the weight of the next 30 years. Some are just about this season.

Full episode on Making Big Career Decisions on Careers Unchecked this week.

💚 Link in my bio to listen!

What we're actually trying to do when we slow down before a big career decision isn't to guarantee the right answer.

It's to make a choice we can stand behind regardless of how it unfolds.

This week on Careers Unchecked, I'm walking through what that process actually looks like, from someone who is in it right now.

💚 Listen to this week's episode in the link in my bio!

This week's episode of Careers Unchecked is me in the middle of it, sharing what's actually helping.

💚 Listen to this week's episode of Career's Unchecked in the link in my bio!

One client accepted an $89K offer after a layoff (up from $64K) in a role located just blocks from their previous employer.

Another client left a toxic work environment, increased compensation by $24K+, and began building a side business using her new role as the first large client.

One client earned a $35K increase in base pay, achieved two promotions in two years, and successfully stepped into her first people-manager role.

Another increased her base pay by $27.5K, landed her dream marketing role, and gained a more flexible schedule.

One client increased her base pay by $23K, transitioned from an in-person role to fully remote work, and secured company stock options.

Multiple clients shared that for the first time in their careers , they felt they had a true advocate and partner who has helped them rebuild confidence, clarify next steps, and move forward with intention.

You don’t need to have it all figured out.

You do need space to think clearly, with someone who understands the weight of the decisions you’re carrying.

This is your place to do that.

Click the link in my bio to take my free "Am I In Burnout?" quiz💚

I had a system that worked perfectly when I was in corporate. The last 30 minutes of the day were mine, I'd organize everything for tomorrow, write my top three priorities on a sticky note, clean my workspace, and leave. Work stayed there.

Then I became an entrepreneur, and suddenly there was no natural end to the day. Then I became a mom, my husband started on-call shifts, and this last year genuinely rocked my world.

I don't have this figured out. Some days I close things cleanly. Some days I'm answering emails at midnight. But what I keep coming back to is that the signal matters more than the system. Your brain needs to know work is done, and if nothing tells it that, it just keeps going.

This week's episode on Careers Unchecked gets into what's actually happening when work follows you home, and what to do about it.

❤️ Listen to this week's episode of my podcast, Careers Unchecked, in the link in my bio!

There's research from the 1920s that explains why your brain won't let go of unfinished work at the end of the day.

Psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik found that the brain holds on to incomplete tasks much more than completed ones, actively keeping them in rotation so you don't forget. Which means trying to mentally set something aside without capturing it anywhere is fighting your own neurology.

Writing things down before you close your laptop, even without solving anything, signals to your brain that the thought has been captured somewhere safe. That alone is often enough to release the grip, at least for the evening.

This week on my podcast, Careers Unchecked, I'm talking through what actually works for leaving work at work, from the research and from my own life right now.

❤️ Listen to this week's episode of my podcast, Careers Unchecked, in the link in my bio.