Career transitions: You hold off big decisions & then they take themselves for you

I’ve spent the last few months navigating a major career transition. Like most of my friends, I started working straight after university with little clue about professions, companies, or what kind of job might truly suit me. I pretty much followed the most “generalist” path and spent a few years in a consulting firm. Then I moved countries, got a job in finance, and once again followed the career ladder without questioning it too much.

I had a young child, I was a single mom, and I needed a stable income. So I went along, collecting increasingly impressive job titles, and enjoyed the comfort and security it provided. Did I feel fulfilled? Yes - but only outside of my job. Did I feel an urge to change, to follow my passions or turn them into income? Absolutely not. My job was demanding, I was constantly catching up on work in the evenings (basically working a double shift, like so many working moms do), but there was never enough discomfort to fundamentally question my choices.

Until 2024 came.

I was ready to return to work from maternity leave - now a mom of a 10-year-old and a baby. Long story short, it turned out there wasn’t really a job waiting for me. The company had gone through yet another restructuring, and I was suddenly faced with some tough decisions. After many conversations, sleepless nights, and a good amount of soul-searching, I decided to leave my corporate job. Depending on the day, it felt liberating, exciting - but also scary and uncertain. But here’s the thing: even though I had accepted, and by all external standards thrived in my job for 10 years, there had been a growing shift in me.

At first it was invisible from the outside, it transformed, becoming simply impossible to ignore. For many, many years, my work felt void of purpose or mission - unless you count the ever-used “shareholder value” mantra that young employees are taught to repeat as their ultimate driver in life. My interests became increasingly disconnected from my job. And while I was told to “aim higher” and “focus on the future,” I felt much more drawn to look inward and identify the road less traveled.

My mid-30s have been transformative in so many ways. I explored big questions in therapy, integrated yoga into my daily life, changed my relationship with alcohol, and even quit smoking (my older daughter finds the fact that I used to me a smoker completely outrageous!). These changes didn’t necessarily transform me, but they taught me to listen more closely - to begin to notice what I want next. And in that way, the decision to change careers became so clear that I simply couldn’t walk away from it.

In its purest form, I lived my version of: What got me here, won’t get me there.

That’s how Moon & June came to be - from an unwavering dedication to building a business that is mission-driven and deeply human. A business that sees its customers through the lens of their layered wellbeing. A company that unites people around shared values, rather than dividing them with empty titles and performative promotions. One that values quality-time, rest, and a sense of wellbeing.

Does it make my day-to-day job easier? Not exactly. But that’s a whole other topic for another day.

Are you thinking about - or already navigating - a career transition? Do you feel a quiet (or loud) calling to follow another path?I hope you're taking good care of yourself. Here are a few things helping me these days as I go through this transition myself:

• This book helped me find words for big ambitions and ultimately follow them more closely.

• I try to switch off from time to time with a good movie - really looking forward to this one, fully set in Poland.

• This album, playing loud in the car.

• A great podcast on navigating career shifts, AI, and what’s coming next - (can’t wait to read the book as well).

• This shirt: workwear that doesn’t make me feel robotic or like I`m pretending to be someone I`m not.