Why I Quit My Job Without A Plan…
Me at the top of Yr Wyddfa (Mount Snowdon) the day after I finished my job - Freedom!
I quit my job that I'd been doing for 4 years working as a global marketing director at a luxury beauty company halfway through my coaching course and without a plan...
It all started when I had major knee surgery in January 2024, this, not to be dramatic, changed my life. I couldn't move I had to just sit or lie for several weeks. As well as being in pain and worried about whether I would recover, it also gave me the time and space to confront some questions about myself like ‘what do I actually want from my life?’ and ‘am I on the right path?’
As someone with a great career on paper, a nice lifestyle and the ability to do pretty much what I wanted, when I wanted (perks of being single!) it looked great from the outside and it really was great sometimes but I had this constant feeling of ‘is this it?!’ a feeling that I could do, or give more. Covid19 hit the ecommerce and online world hard as we were the only store that was open so work became so intense and it didn’t really calm down even once we came out of the pandemic.
It came down to where I was spending my physical and mental time. Work crept into my personal life and spare time, and because when you work in digital and marketing in a high-pressure environment and websites are live 24/7, social media ads are visible and emails are sent around the clock, and with that, the demands. I felt I could never really switch off. Working sometimes long hours and thinking about work when not at work, it all got too much. I felt totally misaligned with myself and who I wanted to be. I started to not enjoy the work I was doing but got most satisfaction from seeing the team succeed or work through a challenge.
I found no amount of nice trips, shopping or meals out was going to fill that void for me. I knew I needed to make some changes…
I had been having some coaching and I was chatting about my thoughts and saying that I knew it was wise to get something sorted first and my coach asked me, ‘at what cost?’. This was my lightbulb moment. I didn't want to do damage to myself – I know burnout is no joke, and deep down I knew I deserved to feel happier. Of course, it had been building up for a while, but it came down to a simple request to make more changes to a presentation after we had been working on it and revising it for weeks and I just thought ‘I've had enough’.
I don't know that I'd recommend this(!) but I quit the next week without a plan and without a job to go to. Looking back I just needed a break, not a holiday but a proper break. I worked my 3 months' notice and then was lucky enough to be offered to continue on part-time for 3 more months. This was perfect for me because I hadn't sorted out another role so it meant I would have some income still and it gave me some time to myself to create a better balance. I started going to the gym more, having leisurely days, picking up my nieces from school - just doing things I wanted to and enjoying a slower pace of life.
At this point I wasn’t thinking about coaching as a career, I was just doing it as it was a skillset that felt important to me in my role as a leader. During this time I also started volunteering for an incredible charity called Dress for Success Greater London supporting women to have economic empowerment. I was able to practice my coaching skills and style women ready for interviews. The volunteers (the kindest and most wonderful women you will ever meet) and clients (who have been through many challenges and are hopeful about what’s next) have been beyond inspiring and I had a sense of fulfilment I hadn't felt in years!
I started building up my coaching hours working with some amazing people and this is when it finally clicked – this is what I want to do. I loved the feeling of seeing people realise and recognise and learn things about themselves and be able to feel better about a situation that was bothering them.
Despite not knowing exactly what would happen next or where my income would come from, I knew deep down I had made the right choice by leaving and I didn't regret it for one second so that was all the faith I needed.
A longish story but all of these things lead me to my present:
A qualified coach, ready to help women step into their most confident, aligned and authentic selves. I am exploring what is next for me, I know coaching will be a big part of it in some way and I am so excited, despite the unknown!