When Reinvention Costs You Everything but Gives You Yourself Back

Weekly Dose of Work Recovery Vol. 1.15.25

In late 2022, I asked myself a question that seemed simple: What do I most enjoy doing in my work?

It was meant to focus my energy on the work I loved. Instead, it spiraled to a season of difficult decisions, pain, and what many call a dark night of the soul. 

At the time, I was COO and Managing Partner of a thriving law firm I had co-founded—profitable, growing, and wildly successful from the get go. But as I reflected on what truly lit me up, I realized that the delta between what I desired for myself and the environment I was in was too wide a gap to bridge.

Leaving the firm was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made, but it was also one of the most liberating. The reinvention that followed was transformative—though far from easy. What began as a question turned into a season of rediscovery, one that taught me the true courage it takes to rewrite my life on my own terms, with my integrity leading the way - unapologetically.

For leaders navigating their own reinvention, stress often comes from trying to control the uncontrollable. Here’s a simple exercise that helped me stress less during my journey:

Make two lists—one of things you can control, and one of things you can’t.

Focus only on the essentials, and let go of the rest—including the opinions of others who aren’t on your path. It’s a powerful reminder to center your energy where it matters most, freeing you to move forward with clarity and confidence even when others are committed to misunderstanding you and you don't have a roadmap for where you're going next.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to join us for a Speaker Series on Reinvention. I’ll be joined by four inspiring voices as we share what reinvention means to us, the lessons we’ve learned through powerful (and sometimes painful) pivots, and the missteps to avoid if you're embarking on your own journey in 2025.

This is your chance to explore how reinvention can help you lead with less stress and more authenticity.

• Save Your Spot Now → January 22 Speaker Series: REINVENT

This Week's Did You Know?

As of Q4, 32% of US companies are requiring full-time in office requirements for corporate employee. How did the WFH or even hybrid policies as the “new normal” vanish so quickly? And is the pressure by corporate and commercial real estate to blame, in part? Who knows, but if you've been forced back to the office 5 days a week, I bet it's not a welcome change. 

Here are a few of the major companies forcing RTOs: Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Dell, IBM, Tesla, Meta, Salesforce, Snap, X, Zoom, BlackRock and more. 

You know who's not forcing RTO? Spotify who made quite a splash with their HR chief saying their employees are not children and they will let them keep working remotely…

Links & Resources We Love Right Now

• A listen: This podcast contained so many new insights - How to Avoid the Busy Trap on The One You Feed podcast with author Chris Bailey.

• A learn: How most Americans have our understanding of the welfare and the child protective systems all wrong. Invisible Child by Andrea Elliott is a true masterpiece and should be required reading for every adult.

• A shoutout: LAFD, first responders, and the hundreds who are working tirelessly in impossible conditions that continue in LA. This is an organization I donated to in an effort to help from afar CA Firefighters Foundation.

• Something I love: Getting my heart broken by my football team, the MN Vikings, yet again. It builds resilience every. single. season. to be a Vikes fan. Until next year…