The Transition Trap: What No One Tells You About Reinventing Your Career

When I finally resigned in January, I thought I’d feel elated.

By the time I officially left in May, I expected a sense of euphoria - like I’d won my freedom back after years of being “on.”

What I felt instead was… anxious.

Not because I regretted my decision. But because I wasn’t prepared for what came next: the silence.

The Quiet No One Warns You About

For months, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d missed something in the handover. I kept worrying about my old team. Were they okay? Were they in good hands? I’d built so much of my identity around being the “safe pair of hands” that leaving them felt almost disloyal.

Physically, my body ached. It was like years of tension were slowly unspooling through my back, shoulders, and chest. There was no one asking for me, no diary filled with back-to-backs, no inbox overflowing with requests.

And that’s when it hit me:

I wasn’t needed anymore.

After years of being the go-to person, the fire-fighting “fixer,” I was left alone with one person: myself.

And to be honest, I didn’t know what to do with her.

The Loss No One Talks About

The hardest part wasn’t leaving the job. It was leaving the identity.

I used to be the “FUF” - the f***-up fixer. The one who got parachuted into messes and always knew what to do. The more complex the situation, the more I thrived.

Until I didn’t.

When I stepped away from that world, I realised I wasn’t just quitting a job - I was severing ties with a version of myself that had been running the show for years. A version of me who knew her worth through solving other people’s problems.

Now… what was I?

Fantasy Novels and Fact-Checking My Fear

I escaped into fantasy books for a while - not out of laziness, but out of necessity.

I needed space to build up resilience again. To recover. To remember who I was without the noise.

What helped me settle wasn’t a five-step plan or a vision board. It was getting back to facts:

Why did I do this?

What was I craving when I made this choice?

Am I still safe, even if no one is asking for me right now?

Yes, I was.

And yes, I am.

When the Fog Began to Clear

Things started to shift when I began coaching - quietly at first. Just a few pro bono sessions to find my feet.

But something clicked.

I started to feel that sense of purpose again.

Only this time, it wasn’t tied to title or urgency or a leadership scorecard. It came from helping people in a way that aligned with who I am now. Not who I used to be.

That’s how I knew: I wasn’t just walking away from something. I was building something.

Slowly, yes.

But intentionally. 7

And wholly mine.

What I Want Every Woman in Transition to Know

If you’re in the middle of it—the in-between, the murky middle—I want you to know this:

👉 You are safe.

👉 You can trust yourself.

👉 You made this decision for a reason - and that reason is aligned with your purpose.

Keep the faith.

Keep taking baby steps.

The life you’re building may not be fully visible yet, but it’s there.

And it’s yours.