This week I let the (LinkedIn) world know about my decision to resign as CEO from the business I founded ten years ago.
It’s been a long - and very non-linear - path to get here. No amount of characters in a LinkedIn post could convey the depth of thought, fear, and internal unraveling that’s happened behind the scenes. (Thank god for Substack!)
As I’ve shared here before, this past year has been one of pregnancy loss, shifting identities, changing priorities, and learning to listen more closely to the signals my body sends me. It’s been a year of transition - and somewhere along the way, I finally allowed myself to consider that maybe time was up on this career chapter of life.
Over the past six months, I’ve worked closely with my leadership team to create a plan and prepare them for the next iteration of the business - without me in it.
It’s bittersweet. The past decade running the business has been the biggest container for growth and I’m a better person for the experience. It has been full of memories, friendships, personal growth, creative work, abundance, travel and adventure. It gave me a version of life I couldn’t have dreamed of when I started.
But it also brought stress, heavy responsibility, frequent burn out and, a pace that, over the last year, I could no longer sustain. So when I hit “post” on my LinkedIn update, which I received so many kind words on, I felt a physical weight lift off my shoulders.
Finally. Everyone knows.
Relief flooded in.
The weight of responsibility lifted.
The fear of letting people down dissolved.
The life in limbo felt a bit more grounded.
And it feels really good.
I feel light.
Giddy, even.
Of course, what comes next is filled with uncertainty:
Uncertainty around if and when we can grow our family.
Uncertainty around future income, career, identity.
Uncertainty around what my days will look like once this holiday in Ireland is finished.
But beneath all of that uncertainty is a deep inner knowing - a quiet, anchored sense of alignment.
It feels as if I am exactly where I’m meant to be.
It took my brain a long time to catch up with what my body already knew. There was so much rationalising, bargaining, fear-mongering. But now, with my brain and body finally on the same page, I feel calm, certain, clear.
I know this is the right move for me for this next season of life.
And I have a feeling that the next season might just be the best one yet.
If you're sitting with a life decision - whether it's about your work, a relationship, a relocation - my advice would be to start to quiet the noise in your brain and listen to your body. The brain is a master negotiator. It will offer endless reasons to stay stuck.
But your body knows. It already holds the answers.
Speaking from experience, the scariest part is simply acknowledging that change might be necessary. Once you’ve done that, the path starts to unfold in ways you never expected.
And yes, it may come with a rollercoaster of emotion - what real change doesn’t?
What will be there to guide you is the sense of inner alignment and the knowing that you’re doing the brave thing.
I believe this more than anything:
Fortune favours the courageous.
✨Sparkly Recommendations ✨
A brief recap of another quiet, restorative week in Dublin with my family. The sun has, uncharacteristically, not stopped shining - I don’t know what’s happening, but I am enjoying it immensely!
📖 What I Read: Dr Tim Spector’s Food for Life cookbook. I’ve heard him speak on the Diary of a CEO podcast previously about gut health and the microbiome and the book is filled with plant-forward recipes that we tested out this week. An accessible, science backed book filled with delicious, healthy food.
🎬 What I Watched: Nothing - perfect!
🎧 What I Listened To: How to giggle: A guide to taking life less seriously by Hannah Berner and Paige de Sorbo. If you know you know on this one - reality TV stars turned podcasters, they host a hugely popular podcast called Giggly Squad and this is their first book. I just googled the target demographic and was told: “women in their early twenties.” Well, that’s me told.
🍽️ What I Ate: Anyone visiting Dublin, add this to your list! Tang is an ethical Middle Eastern restaurant with a focus on organic produce and sustainable practices. The service is really friendly and the food was outstanding. Good vibes, excellent philosophy, reasonable prices and delicious tastes!
Thanks for reading!! If you’re new here, I write essays about slow success, life transitions, and finding meaning in the mess. As well as recommending some of my favourite things every week! ✨
Always follow your heart!!
Well done and congratulations. Your life is now available for other opportunities, adventures and challenges that the universe would like to offer you.