What no one tells you about reinventing your career
It’s not the fear that gets you. It’s the silence.
Welcome to No One’s in the Kitchen. A newsletter about working solo, building far from home, and the power of shared energy to bring our best ideas to life.
Why does no one really write about the moment the applause fades?
You leave a job, a city, a version of yourself behind. You do it bravely. Maybe even boldly. People clap on LinkedIn. Friends say “I’m so proud of you.”
and then….quiet?
This is the part no one writes about. (or maybe they do and I’ve not found them yet!) The part where you sit at your desk, maybe in a new country, maybe with a new title, and think: Who am I now that I’m no longer what I used to be?
When I moved to Australia in January, I thought I was chasing expansion. More space, more nature, more possibility. Incredibly, I found all of that and more. I’m healthier than I’ve ever been, I move slower through my day, and have made the kinds of friends in my 30s that are rooted in something more meaningful.
I’ve also found something else: a deeper kind of quiet. It’s a loneliness that doesn’t come from being alone, but from no longer being understood by the roles I used to play.
the builder in-between
The corporate job I left behind in 2023 made sense to people. I was a Product Manager.
The business I started in 2023 made sense to people. I am a Career Coach.
But now? I’m a builder in the in-between.
Writing. Coaching. Prototyping.
Co-creating micro businesses with my clients. Designing tools that help people articulate their edge. Building digital products that don’t exist yet, but should. Seeding new ideas not because I failed, but because I outgrew the last version of success and don’t have enough hours in the day to do all I want to do (which is objectively, a great problem to have!)
I also want more time to spend with my dog and husband in our new city and not just talk about “work-life balance,” but actually live it.
Reinvention is not one clean pivot. It’s a thousand small decisions to stop betraying yourself. And every one of those decisions can be lonely. It’s also not a rebrand. It’s not slapping a new title on your LinkedIn and hoping someone finally sees you.
It’s an act of reclamation. Of choosing to build work that feels alive in your body, not just impressive on your CV.
Sometimes that means saying no to good money. Sometimes it means turning down work that doesn’t fit anymore, even if you can technically do it. Sometimes it means burning the content plan because your next idea hasn’t dropped in yet, but you can feel it humming.
If I’ve learned anything from the many career squiggles I’ve taken and from the people I coach through theirs, it’s that the path gets quiet before it gets loud.
Loneliness is a rite of passage
The people who feel lost are usually the ones who are done pretending. They’re not looking for the next job. They’re looking for a different life. One where they can breathe. Create. Be known for who they really are.
It’s not easy. But it’s honest.
If you’re in the in-between like me, you’re not behind. You’re processing. Having been here before many times, I PROMISE this is where your new ideas will find you. The bold ones. The weird ones. The ones you couldn’t hear over the Slack pings and status meetings.
Thanks to my move, I'm also in a season of processing. Many of you will be getting a few email updates from me soon with some new ideas I’m working on.
I don’t have a roadmap for you to follow in this post. Exploring the ins and outs of reinvention takes time which is why I work with people for months on end.
But I can leave you with a question: What part of your reinvention still feels invisible? What would happen if you let that part lead?
Reply/comment if you want to share or forward this to the person who needs to hear that quiet isn’t the enemy, it’s the beginning.
When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help:
→ 1:1 Coaching — Feeling stuck, squashed, or quietly craving more meaning in your work? I help people at the edge of a career shift get clear, get noticed, and design work that fits who they are now. Book in a chat here.
→ LinkedIn — I share bite-sized clarity prompts, career strategy, and real stories from the job hunt trenches. Follow me on LinkedIn for weekly perspective shifts (and the occasional spicy take).
→ TikTok — Curious, creative, maybe a little chaotic :) This is where I test ideas, share behind-the-scenes of my coaching process, and help you feel less alone in the in-between. Come hang out.
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Because even when no one’s in the kitchen, you don’t have to cook alone.
“I also want more time to spend with my dog and husband in our new”
Such a simple and clear goal. I resonate with this so much, just wanting to enjoy the simple parts of established life. This was a great read!
The quiet in between can be lonely - and terrifying! It seems like a shift to finding your worth through your own validation, not other people’s based on your title, etc. Thanks for this great read.