I've been laid off five times over the course of my career. That's not something I'm ashamed of. Looking back, I realize each one became an unexpected pivot.

Over thirty-five years, those pivots took me through industries as diverse as telecommunications, financial services, media, retail, manufacturing, and the public sector. They stretched me across roles I never imagined I'd hold — from Inside Sales and Customer Service to Technology, Business Operations, Strategic Sourcing, Vendor Management, and software development.

Each opportunity taught me something new. Each one challenged me in different ways. And each one left me asking the same question: Who am I here to help?

What I Thought My Greatest Contribution Was

At first, I thought my greatest contribution was building teams, launching new operations, solving complex business problems, or delivering results. I enjoyed all of those things. I was good at them.

But when I look back now, that's not what I remember most.

I remember the people. I still remember a leader who came into my office convinced they weren't ready for the next opportunity. Months later, I watched them accept a promotion they never would have pursued on their own. I remember sitting with someone through a difficult transition — not fixing anything, just making sure they didn't have to navigate it alone. Those are the moments that stayed with me.

The Layoff That Finally Made Everything Clear

After my most recent layoff, I made one more pivot. Like every pivot before it, I didn't immediately recognize it as an opportunity. It took time to see what had been there all along.

I realized that the work I found most meaningful had never been the projects or the processes. It was helping people discover what they were capable of. For the first time in my career, I stopped treating coaching as something I did alongside leadership and made it the work I was built to do.

Driving Without a License

People often ask about my coaching certifications. The truth is, I was coaching long before I earned them. For years, I like to say that I was driving without a license. The certifications didn't make me a coach. They made me a better coach.

They gave me frameworks, language, and a deeper understanding of the process — but the instinct had always been there. The desire to sit with someone, ask the right question, and help them see something they couldn't see on their own had been part of how I led from the very beginning.

The Path Only Makes Sense Looking Back

Perhaps the greatest lesson of all? Sometimes the path only makes sense when you look back. Every pivot in my career — including the ones that were painful, disorienting, or humbling — was preparing me for the work I'm privileged to do today.

Sometimes the path only makes sense when you look back. Every pivot was preparing me for the work I was meant to do.

Reflection: What pivot in your own career felt like a setback at the time — but gave you something you couldn't have gotten any other way? What was it preparing you for?