It wasn't until staying where I was felt like the riskier option that I finally decided it was time to make a change.
And then it took 5 more years.
The moment I knew I couldn’t do this forever
I was in an office on the 47th floor in midtown Manhattan. Great view of the city on one side, rows of workstations with 36" dual monitors on the other. Bright coworkers power-walked past expensive paintings, rushing through projects with tight deadlines and false urgency. Everyone was working 60–80+ hour weeks. I felt no sense of purpose.
It was December 23rd, and I was rushing to finish a project before Christmas. I was running late to the airport, and on the wrong side of Manhattan to make it to JFK in rush-hour traffic. At that moment, the only thing on my mind was "I don't want any of this.
That was the moment I stopped lying to myself.
I'd love to say that's when I walked into the Managing Partners' office and gave my notice. It was not.
And I knew exactly what stopped me
I grew up watching people struggle to make ends meet. That fear drove me to excel. And there I was — making more money than I ever imagined, at a top-tier firm — but working even when I felt dead inside because I was terrified of losing it. In my mind, it was one or the other.
Unfulfilling job that paid well, or financial struggle. No in between.
At the same time, I'd felt pulled toward entrepreneurship for years. Flexibility, autonomy, novelty — these aren't nice-to-haves, they are how I am wired. But I kept talking myself out of it. If this didn't work out, would I derail my entire life?
What I tried first…
Different companies. Different titles. New managers, new cities, new industries.
I eventually found a role with good pay, real work-life balance, and a manager I respected. On paper, it was everything I said I wanted. But I felt like I was slowly dying. I wasn't interested, wasn't challenged, didn't care about the outcomes. I could live that life — but I would never reach my full potential, and I would never do work that felt like it mattered to me. What I needed wasn't someone to help me cope with the wrong career. I needed to design a different one.
Staying where I was became the riskier option — and that's when I finally decided it was time for a drastic change.
I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do. But fear of losing my lifestyle and financial stability kept me from exploring it seriously.
I knew what I was drawn to: problem solving, working 1:1 or in small groups, strategy, big-picture thinking, building real relationships. What I didn't know was what that looked like as a career.
Career assessments pointed me toward therapy, teaching, nonprofits. None of those paid enough, and I wasn't willing to go back to school for years or take a significant pay cut. I couldn't see how to turn what I loved into something that would also support the life I wanted — nothing extravagant: travel, a nice place to live, financial security, no stress about the bills.
Also: Panic Math is real.
I had convinced myself I needed far more money than I actually did. I had never run the numbers. I was just afraid — and fear doesn't do math.
That pattern held until the pain of staying became higher than the fear of leaving. Then the math changed. Coaching kept coming up in my explorations — it fit my personality, my background, my way of working. I started having conversations with coaches and it seemed more viable than I'd assumed. It felt possible. The only question was how to make it happen.
The real reason people stay stuck
In my experience — with myself and with clients — fear and discomfort with uncertainty is what keeps most people trapped. Once you've decided what you want, the challenge deepens. You have to move forward without certainty. The only way out is through.
This is why smart, capable, high-performing people still need support for this kind of change. Most people in their lives won't understand what they're doing or why — and that isolation makes it harder to keep going.
Pushing through the fear is the work. Getting through it is what separates the people who change their lives from the people who spend a decade wanting to.
What the other side looks like
Today, I have a clear vision for my career and life. Not aspirationally clear — tactically clear. I know what I'm building, why it matters, and what I'm protecting.
I no longer mentally prepare myself to get through a day. I'm doing work that uses almost every strength I have, I've built a business around it, and I find genuine meaning in it. For a long time, I wasn't sure that was possible for me.
Getting out of bed on Monday mornings with something to move toward is a lived reality now, not a concept.
What I Built From It
I developed the 4D Career Blueprint around what I actually needed to feel confident leaving a "sure thing" to create a career that fit me.
It's a structured methodology that takes you from clarity, to planning, to execution — accounting for real obstacles and real constraints the whole way through.
If this resonates, let’s find out if it’s a fit. Career design is specific work — not for everyone, and not every situation calls for it. The 30-minute call exists so we can both figure out if yours does.
A little about me, personally
I'm a die-hard University of Michigan fan with an MBA from the Ross School of Business — Go Blue!
I trained at the Hudson Institute of Coaching, one of the most rigorous ICF-accredited programs available. I've never seen any of the Die Hard or original Star Wars movies. (I know, I know.)
Travel is my thing. I need novelty, growth, and adventure to feel alive. Throw me in the middle of a new city and let me get the authentic experience. Barcelona and Vancouver might just be my favorite places on earth.
The three biggest driving forces in my life: growth through exploration, authentic connection, and meaningful work. Exploration gives me fuel. Connection and meaningful work keep me grounded.
I named the business The Altera Collective because I'm building five steps ahead — a practice with multiple coaches who share this methodology. For now, every client works directly with me. Over time, I hope it also becomes a community for people who are serious about building careers and lives that actually fit them.