I am now officially part of the great resignation. Or, in my case, perhaps it’s best to call it the “great mutual separation”.
If you have read my posts on LinkedIn, you’ll know that my Dad was diagnosed with end stage liver disease during the summer of 2021. For a few months I managed my life as if nothing had changed – except I was crying at the drop of a hat and I couldn’t seem to muster the energy that all my jobs (work, home and #caregiving) required of me. I was smiling on camera but #anticipatorygrief and #caregiverfatigue very much had me in their grip.
After a few months of trying to do it all at 110%, I had a very supportive conversation with my boss and my team at Grokker about my personal situation and how it was affecting my ability to be fully present at work. Disclosure helped. And reducing my work hours by 25% helped too (#caringaccommodations). Given a life expectancy of less than six months, we were all aligned with the position that I should do what I needed to do to help my Dad through his final days.
Fast forward to February of 2022 and the realization that Dad has once again beaten the odds and is still with us (Yay!) — but is now in need of even more care than he was last year.
Something had to give — again.
While I hated the idea of giving up a job (and a team and a company) that I loved, my blood pressure (200+ / 100+ in January) told me that I had to make some serious changes if I was going to be around to enjoy 2022.
AND my heart was telling me that it was finally time to do something that it has been calling me to do for years: be my own boss.
So here I am: a self-employed caregiver. Am I nervous? You bet. I have bills to pay. And I like working with people — what if being #selfemployed is lonely?
But I’m also incredibly excited. I see this as an opportunity to be of even greater service to people doing all the things that I love:
✅ writing
✅ speaking (podcasts, webinars, keynotes, etc)
✅ coaching diverse leaders and execs
✅ being a strategic advisor
And of course, taking care of Dad is priority one for whatever time he has left — however long that may be.
It’s ironic that it took the knowledge of my Dad dying to start living the career of my dreams. And it’s not lost on me that today was the first time that I didn’t have “the Monday morning blues” in a long time. Add to that the added bonus that my BP is down: 130 / 90 and dropping. So I know I’ve made the right choice.
How about you? Anything that you’ve been putting off that your heart is calling you to do? Maybe now is the right time. Feel free to contact me if you want to talk it through with someone who understands.
I am now officially part of the great resignation. Or, in my case, perhaps it’s best to call it the “great mutual separation”.
If you have read my posts on LinkedIn, you’ll know that my Dad was diagnosed with end stage liver disease during the summer of 2021. For a few months I managed my life as if nothing had changed – except I was crying at the drop of a hat and I couldn’t seem to muster the energy that all my jobs (work, home and #caregiving) required of me. I was smiling on camera but #anticipatorygrief and #caregiverfatigue very much had me in their grip.
After a few months of trying to do it all at 110%, I had a very supportive conversation with my boss and my team at Grokker about my personal situation and how it was affecting my ability to be fully present at work. Disclosure helped. And reducing my work hours by 25% helped too (#caringaccommodations). Given a life expectancy of less than six months, we were all aligned with the position that I should do what I needed to do to help my Dad through his final days.
Fast forward to February of 2022 and the realization that Dad has once again beaten the odds and is still with us (Yay!) — but is now in need of even more care than he was last year.
Something had to give — again.
While I hated the idea of giving up a job (and a team and a company) that I loved, my blood pressure (200+ / 100+ in January) told me that I had to make some serious changes if I was going to be around to enjoy 2022.
AND my heart was telling me that it was finally time to do something that it has been calling me to do for years: be my own boss.
So here I am: a self-employed caregiver. Am I nervous? You bet. I have bills to pay. And I like working with people — what if being #selfemployed is lonely?
But I’m also incredibly excited. I see this as an opportunity to be of even greater service to people doing all the things that I love:
✅ writing
✅ speaking (podcasts, webinars, keynotes, etc)
✅ coaching diverse leaders and execs
✅ being a strategic advisor
And of course, taking care of Dad is priority one for whatever time he has left — however long that may be.
It’s ironic that it took the knowledge of my Dad dying to start living the career of my dreams. And it’s not lost on me that today was the first time that I didn’t have “the Monday morning blues” in a long time. Add to that the added bonus that my BP is down: 130 / 90 and dropping. So I know I’ve made the right choice.
How about you? Anything that you’ve been putting off that your heart is calling you to do? Maybe now is the right time. Feel free to contact me if you want to talk it through with someone who understands.
#caregiverlife #greatresignation #heartled