Life after the Leap
Five Months In: Life After the Leap
Five months ago, I jumped off the traditional career hamster wheel into... well, this. Whatever this is. A non-traditional, non-career? A beautifully chaotic experiment? Who knows! What I do know is that I took a leap of faith—and wow, did it pay off. Let me break it down.
When my contract ended in June, the plan was simple (and probably blindly optimistic): relax, soak up some sunshine, and lean into my photography business. Sounds dreamy, right? But, because life loves a plot twist, less than three weeks later, a new opportunity landed in my lap- or rather, my inbox.
Here’s the thing: I read everything. Medicine inserts, blogs, random peer-reviewed articles, fiction, non-fiction—if it has words, I’m diving in. ADHD plus the internet equals a treasure hunt for my dopamine-loving brain. So, one day, while skimming a newsletter from some company I’ve been following for a decade, I saw it: a tiny blurb about a fully remote, part-time opening.
The role? Assisting financial planners, CPAs, and tax managers with client communications, digital organization, and data entry—basically all the nerdy, organizational, spreadsheet-y stuff I love. Numbers? Data? Fully remote? Say LESS. A few interviews later, they took a chance on me. I started mid-September, and the rest, as they say, is history.
This job has been a breath of fresh air. The team is kind, supportive of my career pivot, and honestly, just fun to work with. My days look so different now. Instead of rushing out the door in a blur of stress, I get to slow down. After dropping the kids off at school, I actually eat breakfast, catch up on housework, or even—brace yourself—enjoy my coffee while it’s still hot. When I’m ready, I log in to work from my cozy home office, Apollo snoozing at my feet. I get to enjoy lunch with Trent most days, and when life throws curveballs—like sick kids or my own low-energy days—I have the flexibility to roll with it. No frantic mornings. No constant stress. Just a life that feels more like... mine. My job now works around my life, not my life trying to squeeze in around my job.
And photography? It’s thriving. I set small, intentional goals for my business from July through November, and I hit every.single.one. To the families and seniors who trusted me with their memories—thank you. I’m wrapping up my 2024 season soon, fresh off a soul-filling photography retreat in Kansas that was everything I didn’t know I needed: shootouts, antique-hunting, deep conversations, and some of the best food and drinks I’ve had in ages.
Of course, people keep asking, “What are you doing with all your free time now?” Free time? What free time? Just the other day, on my third or fourth kid-related pickup/drop-off by 4:45 PM, I called Trent and said, “I wouldn’t even be home yet if I was still at my old job. HOW did we do this before?!” I have no idea.
Life looks different now, but it’s full. Full of work that energizes me, moments that matter, and the kind of balance I didn’t know existed.
Listen, I talk a lot—probably more than I actively listen, though I do try! But one thing I keep hearing, whether from colleagues, friends, or acquaintances, is the same thing: burnout. Everyone is exhausted. In fact, a recent survey found that 44% of U.S. employees report feeling burned out, with teachers and healthcare workers being the most affected. I wasn’t surprised. I spent years in both the medical and education fields, and I felt that burnout in my bones.
For a long time, I just accepted it. “That’s just how it is, just keep swimming.” We’ve all told ourselves this, right? But there it was, persistently- this force telling me to dive off the damn hamster wheel—to try something else. Anything else! Even if it meant starting over. Which, by the way, cracks me up in retrospect. My entire life has been “starting over”! I moved every 2-3 years as a military dependent from birth through High School. Then college, transferring colleges, then grad school, through a series of jobs, friendships, relationships, rentals and homes. Why was I so scared to start over when in reality I was so well equipped to do so? —Fast forward to my full circle moment here, stay with me: Trick or treating this year with my 4-year old dressed as Elsa. It’s about 30 degrees outside and I was worried she’d be cold. The racing thoughts crossed my mind: Do I make her wear a coat? Do I try to put the coat or layers under the costume? Hats? Gloves? Do we drive instead of walk? After much back and forth, she snapped at me and said, “Mom! I’m not scared of the cold. I’m Elsa. Elsa likes the Cold!”— BINGO!
Why was I so scared of the cold- er, I mean to start over? Why was I so scared to take the leap? I’ve come out ahead and thoroughly enjoyed (after settling in) every reset.
The truth was, the life and career choices I was making just weren’t sustainable—not if I wanted to be happy and well-rested. The thing is, no one really talks about how to take the leap or when to take it. So, let me offer some unsolicited advice: You take the leap at the moment where it just might work crosses with the opportunity presenting itself. That’s it. There’s no perfect formula. No amount of planning can prepare you for the leap. You just leap at that exact moment.
Do it scared. Do it crying. Do it blindly.
When I look back at the leaps I’ve taken in my life—and trust me, there have been many—I’ve never taken one that didn’t end up working out for the better. Every jump has been based on little more than a gut feeling and an opportunity. So if you’re sitting there, wondering whether you should spring off the hamster wheel but are scared of what comes next, wait for the opportunity, then bounce when you feel like it might just work. Because it will.
Here’s to taking leaps and finding magic in the landing. ✨
