Journey to 365

In December of 2023, I started a little personal challenge to walk or run 10K steps a day for as many consecutive days as possible.? I didn’t have an end in mind or an idea of when I would be “done”.? I just got started, and waited to see how far I would go.

December 2023 was a weird time for me.? The future of my career in a Broadcom-post-VMware world was uncertain.? I was unhappy with the evolution of my job – it had gone from a role that I loved and looked forward to every day to toxic drudgery that I dreaded.? Colleagues who I interacted with daily were gone from VMware, and the doors of my Dell network were closing as the relationship between the two companies underwent seismic shifts.? I felt alone, uncertain, unsatisfied, and well – STUCK.

So, I started my personal 10K step challenge. I walked my local trails, through Washington DC, Harrisonburg, VA, Nashville, Boston, Park City, Breckenridge, Fayetteville, and more.? I persisted in great weather and terrible weather (I even put on my ski clothes to go for a walk in Austin because it was too cold for anything else I own!).? I started running again after taking a break from an injury and started training for a half marathon.

But what started as a personal challenge actually turned out to be a personal journey.? You see, all that time walking or running was incredibly valuable time to think and reflect.? To figure out how to get UNSTUCK.? To consider my future and contemplate the different possibilities.? To get inside my own head and understand what I did and didn’t want to do with my career.? To explore new potential paths and opportunities, many of which I discovered while talking to people in my network and meeting new amazing people from worlds and career paths outside of tech.? To rediscover myself, who I was and who I wanted to be.? To choose a new path forward for myself as an Executive Leadership Coach.

365 days.? That’s how many days of 10K steps EVERY DAY as of the writing of this blog.? One full year journey to think and reflect and learn and grow and chart my path forward.

And I couldn’t be happier with my choices.? It was a huge decision to leave my career in tech and all the things I knew to start my own business.? It has been incredibly challenging and frustrating and littered with little mistakes and crises of confidence.? But more importantly, it’s been incredibly rewarding.? The challenges have tested me, and I keep proving to myself I CAN DO THIS.? I am learning and growing in ways that I thought were behind me in my career.? And the satisfaction of helping other people and organizations navigate their challenges… It’s like nothing else I have ever experienced in my career.? This is my JOB!? I get to do this every day!? Now that is just AWESOME.

Now, it’s actually been 380 days.? Am I done?? I don’t think so.? But my thoughts have shifted away from “how can I help myself” to “how can I help more people and organizations”.? It’s wonderful and powerful and humbling and so gratifying.

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A New Path Forward

If you’re feeling stuck—whether in your career, your leadership role, or your organization—I know how it feels because I’ve been there. Taking those first steps to reflect, recalibrate, and move forward can be daunting, but they’re also transformative.

If this story resonates with you and you’re ready to explore how I can help you as an executive coach, I’d love to start a conversation. Together, we can chart your path forward.