This is the “listen+read” immersive podcast experience and includes both the written narrative and audio so you can tune in the way that works best for you.
When The Dream Job No Longer Fits.....
What happens when you start to outgrow the career you once dreamed of?
That’s the question I’ve been sitting with for years — and after mountains of student loan debt, no less.
I never thought I’d be in my 40s, mid-career as a lawyer, out here in these streets trying to pivot. But here we are. I’m a whole beginner again, cultivating a new professional identity and working towards building a soul-aligned business in real time.
I realize I can no longer shrink myself to fit a version of success I simply don’t believe in anymore.
The Shame of Wanting Something Else
It took me a while to get here.
I carried so much shame around the fact that I didn’t have my heart in practicing law anymore.
I didn’t even know what I wanted to do instead. All I knew was: this isn’t it.
And for a long time, I was afraid to admit that to anyone.
I was scared to say it out loud.
Would I be seen as lazy? Ungrateful? Unmotivated?
Did I even deserve to be among my peers when I didn’t share the same enthusiasm they did?
I questioned my own audacity to want more. As if I didn’t have the right to change my mind.
Worse — I believed there might not be anything better out there for me.
Spoiler alert: That couldn’t be further from the truth.
When Ambition Becomes A Cage
As high achievers, we can be so consumed by ambition that it robs us of actualizing our full potential — and seeing what’s truly possible for our lives.
Let’s be honest:
How many times have you dragged yourself out of bed on a Monday, dreading the week ahead?
I already know….
You sip your coffee, open your laptop, and wonder:
“Is this really it?”
It’s not just the Zoom fatigue or the sense of being on a hamster wheel. It’s the gnawing realization that something essential is missing.
Hustle Culture is a Soul Trap
Here’s what I now know:
The cost of hustle culture is steep. The price?
A slow, excruciating breaking of your soul.
And I don’t want to work anymore— at least not in the way I used to.
It’s not because I’m lazy or unmotivated. It’s because I’m waking up to a deeper truth:
Work, as we’ve known it, often suppresses the best parts of who we are.
Your Soul: The Source of Your Creativity
Being creative is part of life. It’s who we are at our core.
And the soul is the wellspring of that creativity.
When our creativity is stifled, our soul lets us know.
We’ve called it “burnout,” but burnout is the symptom, not the cause.
It’s the alarm bell — showing up as stress, insomnia, overwhelm, or even illness. The body definitely keeps the score.
I remember I had a face full of hormonal acne at one point that persisted for well over a year – it was completely not the usual with my skin, yet it never occurred to me that my breakouts were correlated to the stress and overwhelm in my life at the time.
Something I learned only after every test I was given showed I was fine but my persistent questioning of the accuracy of the results prompted the endocrinologist to finally ask me what was going on in my life – and that’s when I broke down in her office.
We’ve normalized sitting in our discomfort in silence. We push through it, We don’t stop to ask:
What is this pain trying to tell me?
This isn’t about hating your job or needing a vacation.
It’s about the suffocation that happens when you’re trapped in a system that only rewards performance and productivity.
The Life You Crave Is Still Possible
When the part of you meant to create, innovate, and contribute becomes detached,
the life you secretly long for starts to feel like a distant fantasy.
But here’s the truth:
You don’t need another degree or a 5-year plan to change.
All you need is curiosity, patience, and an open mind.
“I have an intolerance for a life that doesn’t sparkle.”
Purpose Work > Paycheck & Prestige
The deeper I’ve gone into understanding who I truly am, the more I reject the idea that life is just about working, paying bills, and dying.
My soul craves more. Gone are the days of the ‘girl boss’ hustle.
Our second act demands something richer: More meaning. More impact. More fulfillment. Things no traditional job title could ever satisfy.
A Sparkling Life Is A Worthy Goal
I saw a quote recently that said,
“I have an intolerance for a life that doesn’t sparkle.”
It stopped me in my tracks.
It made me realize how much our work — and the energy behind it — shapes our lives.
It should light us up. It should sparkle.
But by mid-career, especially after we’ve invested so much into our education and identity, we tell ourselves it’s too late to change.
We’re Too old.
Too invested.
Too far gone.
Let me be the first to say: A mid-career pivot is not easy, but it is possible.
What's Holding Us Back
A friend recently texted me about her desire to step into her creative identity professionally — without worrying about the outcome or the income.
It got me thinking: What is it that really holds us back from pursuing a different path? And here’s what I came up with:
- Fear of failure
- Resistance to being a beginner again
- Belief that a pivot equals permanent financial setback
These are the lies that keep us stuck.
Awakening Doesn't Always Make Sense
The path may not always be clear. It may seem illogical to the outside world.
But it will make every bit of sense to you — and to your soul. You have to give yourself permission to explore that.
As someone slowly tip-toeing into that path of entrepreneurships, here’s what’s true for me:
- Purposeful work feels like freedom.
- Creative work feels like magic.
- Letting go of the system we were taught to thrive in feels like rebellion.
Follow The Spark Without The Blueprint
I’ll be honest — I don’t have this podcast or the full creative vision God’s leading me toward all figured out.
But I know one thing:
It’s all intended for me to be of service to humanity. And I’ll make a greater impact through alignment than I ever could by staying on a path that no longer fits.
My pivot out of law has been slow and intentional. I still practice — non-traditionally — to create space for what’s next.
Because here’s what I’ve learned:
Life rewards us when we lean into our creative gifts.
Take The First Step Toward Soul-Led Work
So if your soul has been whispering for something more, start here with these questions:
- What’s one thing you could do for hours and feel energized, not drained?
- What skills or passions do people often compliment you on or come to you for?
- If fear (or money) weren’t a factor, what kind of work would you pursue?
We don’t need to overhaul our lives overnight.
But we do need to make space. Reimagine what’s possible. Reconnect with what lights us up.
What may not make sense to the world will always make sense to your soul.
So trust it. Follow it.
And may we all find the courage to embrace work that truly sparkles.
Because purpose work is magical — not logical.
What creative longing have you been quietly carrying—and are you willing to give it a voice?
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