The Cost of Reinvention—What No One Tells You About Starting Over
Natanya Wachtel, PhD.
NewSolutionsNetwork I evrmore.io | Philter Labs | CHOPRA Foundation I WomenWhoCreate | Advocate | #GAMEMINDSET I National Science Foundation I Podcast Host I DEI Champion | Mycology Superfan I Psych+Hip Hop
Reinvention Looks Glamorous From the Outside.
?? The bold pivot. ?? The fresh start. ?? The moment you burn everything down to rebuild something better.
But what no one tells you?
?? Reinvention is brutal. ?? Reinvention is expensive. ?? Reinvention is an identity crisis. ?? Reinvention will break you before it makes you.
Because here’s what people don’t talk about:
I know—because I lived it. More than once.
Rebuilding a Body. Rebuilding a Business. Rebuilding a Life.
My body—this machine I had relied on, pushed through, counted on—stopped working.
?? Paralysis and bedridden and gaining weight every day to 298 lbs
?? A hiatal hernia, hiding inside, wreaking havoc.
?? Brain swelling for years that blurred my thinking, my focus, my clarity.
?? Steroids flooding my system, trying to fix what felt unfixable.
?? Cells mutating and doing strange and terrible things in different areas of the body
It’s a strange thing, when the one thing you never question—your ability to move, to function, to get up and just—disappears.
I was trapped inside myself in a way I never expected.
And the hardest part? The world kept moving forward.
My family still needed me. My work still needed me. The expectations, the obligations, the responsibilities—they didn’t pause just because I did.
So I had two choices:
1?? Let this define me.
2?? Find a way back.
I chose the fight.
But healing wasn’t just about my body. It was my entire way of thinking that had to change.
I wasn’t just getting better—I was becoming someone else.
??♀? Standing again felt like an act of defiance.
?? Walking was reclaiming my independence.
?? Dancing was taking my life back.
?? Skating was proof that nothing—not even my own body—would decide my limits.
And just when I thought I had won the hardest fight of my life, I stepped into a new battlefield:
Rebuilding my business.
The Fantasy vs. Reality of Reinvention
People love the idea of transformation. They love a before-and-after story.
But what they don’t see is the mess in between.
The uncertainty when nothing makes sense.
The disillusionment when your old world doesn’t fit, but the new one isn’t built yet.
The losses that stack up faster than the wins.
I hemorrhaged a lot of money trusting people I shouldn’t have.
I walked into rooms thinking they operated like I did—on integrity, on accountability.
Turns out?
They didn’t.
?? People took money and disappeared.
?? People made contracts and just… didn’t honor them.
?? People saw my background and thought I was an easy mark.
And me? I blamed myself.
Because when you’ve already “made it,” you assume you won’t stumble again.
You assume you know how to win.
Until you step into a new game with new rules and new predators.
Sound familiar?
No One Tells You That Reinvention Is an Identity Crisis
Starting over isn’t just about learning a new skill set.
It’s about unlearning everything that made you feel safe.
?? One day, you feel like a visionary.
?? The next, you feel like a complete fraud.
?? One moment, you’re on top of the world.
?? The next, you’re staring at your bank account wondering if you made a mistake.
I was working with a $54M media budget.
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Then I was working with $50K.
That shift? That was an identity crisis.
Because it’s not just about losing money—it’s about losing who you thought you were.
I had built my life on knowing how to figure things out.
And suddenly? I didn’t.
That’s what they don’t tell you about reinvention.
It’s not just about changing careers…
It’s about changing who you are.
The Cost of Reinvention Is High—But the Cost of Staying Stuck Is Higher
Why do most people quit?
Not because they aren’t capable.
But because the in-between phase will break you if you’re not ready.
This is the phase where:
? Your old credibility doesn’t transfer.
? You’re explaining yourself to people who don’t get it.
? You start questioning if you should just go back.
I still want to believe people are good.
But now?
?? I hold back a little more.
?? I give less up front.
?? I validate first.
This is what reinvention really looks like:
?? Learning the hard way.
?? Losing money before you make it back.
?? Questioning yourself more times than you can count.
But if you make it through?
If you push past the self-doubt, the exhaustion, the people who don’t believe in you?
?? You come out unbreakable.
The New Solutions Network: Reinvention With Support, Not Suffering
This isn’t just a personal journey—it’s a business one.
I built The New Solutions Network because reinvention shouldn’t be a solo mission.
?? We help businesses rethink their models.
?? We help people rebuild after failure.
?? We connect innovators, creators, and disruptors who refuse to stay stagnant.
Because reinvention isn’t just about survival.
It’s about becoming who you were meant to be.
And trust me—I know what it’s like to rebuild from nothing.
To relearn movement when your body won’t cooperate.
To retrain your mindset when the rules change overnight.
To redesign your life when the old one no longer fits.
So if you’re on this path, if you’re rebuilding, if you’re stepping into the unknown—we should talk.
Because reinvention?
It’s not for the weak.
But neither are you!
A HEARTFELT THANK YOU to Joseph Bonner and team for this amazing experience and the gifts that keep on giving!
?? Listen to the podcast here:
Apple Podcasts
Business Podcast · 46 Episodes · Updated Semiweekly
?? Read more: From Paralysis to Purpose: Dr. Natanya Wachtel’s Inspiring Journey ?? https://www.foundermag.org/post/from-paralysis-to-purpose-dr-natanya-wachtel-s-inspiring-journey-on-the-founder-100-podcast
#Reinvention ?? #Transformation ?? #Mindset ?? #TheNewSolutionsNetwork #KeepMoving #Resilience ??
Global Senior Leader - Influencer of change & Transformer of lives
1 周Im so going through this right now. This post is right on time. Cant wait to hear the podcast
Senior Director of Development, Rory Meyers College of Nursing, NYU
2 周Yes! It is consistently challenging and so hard. I have done this many times, moving countries and cities. Reinvention can break you at times but it’s a comeback story like no other. Love that you share your velnerabilities.
Creating Change in the Healthcare System as CEO & Founder of Bliss Bio Health Board Chair | Change Agent | Healthcare Enthusiast | Life Sciences | Speaker | Innovation Strategist
2 周Natanya, this post speaks to me in so many ways. Thank you for posting. Currently with "new badges" and "in the middle", at times, I tend to hum the "In the Middle" song by Jimmy Eat World: "It just takes some time, Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride. Everything, everything'll be just fine. Everything, everything'll be alright, alright." It helps me to keep perspective.
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer at PHILTER TECHNOLOGIES
2 周Holy Cow! I can read this over and over again! True true…the shear effort and conviction of reinventing, repurposing, pivoting, and the inherit sacrifices necessary to get to other side, is messy and grueling…but in the end, it’s the most rewarding. Thank you, Natanya Wachtel, PhD., your posts are inspirational.
Leadership & Team Expert for Healthcare, Academia, STEM, and Tech | Author, Assoc. Professor, Psych Today columnist, The Hard Skills show host | Award-Winning Social Impact Firm | Forefront (MG100 Coaches), PCC
2 周A fantastic post - getting through the uncertainty of the messy middle is one of the hardest things and yet so rewarding on the other side of you are willing to travel alongside your fears, anxiety, and low confidence while you are learning something brand new.