They put up with what’s been plaguing them for longer than they’d ever recommend to someone else.
It happens because they’re trying to replace what’s been lost instead of redesigning what comes next.
- Some roles once fit.
- Some stories once served.
- Some identities were once absolutely central.
When seasoned professionals get stuck, it’s rarely for lack of skill.
But over time?
➜ What once carried you starts to drag you down.
Letting go can feel impossible – especially when you’ve spent years persevering with ways that used to work well.
But there’s a quiet edge we reach…
where the ache of staying outweighs the fear of letting go.
I saw it recently in two completely different conversations.
- Both with leaders – one seasoned, one rising.
- Both thrust onto a brutal career crossroads.
- Both trying to replace what they’d lost like-for-like.
But deep down?
They knew that wasn’t going to work. Not this time.
They weren’t stuck because they lacked clarity.
They were stuck because something had been ripped away and something else was quietly calling.
Neither felt ready.
➜ Both were defaulting to self-sufficiency.
➜ Thinking they should figure it out alone.
But that self-sufficiency is often just a different form of delay.
What they needed wasn’t more time. It was a strategic accelerator.
- Not indulgence.
- Not dependence.
- Just the kind of support that moves you forward when going it alone has quietly stopped working.
Moving on isn’t weaker than moving up.
And neither is putting support in place.
It’s wisdom.
It’s inner leadership.
It’s smart and solution-focused.
It’s the moment you stop knitting yourself into something that’s no longer yours.
If you’re holding on harder than you want to, not because it’s right, but because it’s familiar, please think of this as your sign.
➜ You’re not broken. You’re becoming. And maybe the best time is right now.
➜ What if letting go isn’t the risky thing but the only safe thing left to do?
If this landed with you and you’re quietly wondering, could I really let go of what’s no longer working and build what’s next with intention?
That’s exactly the kind of conversation I hold space for.
You don’t have to know what the answer is yet.
You just have to know you’re ready for support.
