Today is the first day of my new job.
And if I’m being honest… I wasn’t entirely ready for my “sabbatical” to end.

Not because I didn’t want to work again.
But because somewhere in those five months, I found a version of myself I don’t want to lose.

Believe me, I could get used to not working.
It’s just not in the cards for me. Not yet, anyway. 😉

While I kept my job search front and center, I also made the most of the time I had. And somewhere along the way, I realized this season wasn’t just about finding my next role. It was about finding my way back to myself.

Here’s what I learned:

Perfect.
I am enough. I am exactly the mom my kids need.

Even when it doesn’t feel like it—like when my daughter and I are butting heads.

I stopped trying to be everything to everyone.
Want help decorating for Spirit Day? Nope.
Did I feel a little guilty? Slightly.
Did it impact my kids’ experience? Not at all.

Let It Go.
Release what doesn’t serve you.
I purged closets, drawers, cabinets—anything I could. My career coach called it growth. Clearing space.

But it wasn’t just stuff.
I let go of obligations that didn’t matter.
I let go of showing up out of guilt instead of intention.

I even started to curb my Facebook doom scrolling—which, it turns out, also helped curb my Amazon habit a bit.

There’s still more to release—but I don’t have to carry everything all the time.

Hakuna Matata.
Not everything is a crisis.
Nothing is a problem until I decide it is.

I finally decided my health deserved attention—not because something was wrong, but because I wanted more for myself.
I found a new doctor so I could have a more honest conversation about perimenopause. I started learning about nutrition. I’ve even started to lose some weight.

And in a completely different lane, I started paying attention to something I’d always loosely followed but never really invested in—credit card points and travel.
I learned how to use them more intentionally so we can travel more on the same budget.

None of it was urgent.
But all of it made my life better.

For the first time in a long time, I had the bandwidth to focus on me.

Two Steps Forward.
Progress over perfection.
LinkedIn is a completely different world than it was 16 years ago. I don’t love it—but I showed up anyway.

I researched companies I was interested in and followed people who worked there.
I commented more. I reached out. I even randomly connected with people without overthinking whether they’d accept or not.

Some did. Some didn’t.
But that wasn’t really the point.

An object in motion stays in motion. Growth is messy and uncomfortable—and every small step counts.

Lean On Me.
You aren’t meant to do this alone. Connection comes first.

So I leaned in.
I took two random weekday trips to NYC to see a Broadway show with a friend.
I started going to dinners with moms from my daughter’s class.

These weren’t just social plans—they were an investment in a community I’ll be part of for the next seven years. A group of women navigating this stage together, raising daughters, figuring it out as we go, and having people to lean on along the way.

And I made time for the in-between relationships, too—coffee dates and lunches with friends who aren’t in my inner circle, but who still matter. The kind of connections that are easy to let slip when life gets busy.

And somehow, I found connections in places I never would have expected.
That’s the magic.

Pivot.
Change the plan, not the purpose.
For years, when asked about my five-year plan, my answer was basically, “Can I just do this for a little while?”

Now, I have a vision. I want to become a career coach—to help other working moms navigate their own paths.
Not exactly what I studied (TV Production, for the record), but it feels right.

Still You.
Mothering is a role. You are still whole.
You have dreams, needs, and a name beyond “Mom.”

And you’re allowed to go after what you want—even at 47. Especially at 47.

My hope is that I carry this version of myself into this next chapter.

The lighter one.
The one with more space, more clarity, more intention.Because while today is the first day of my new job…
I don’t want it to be the end of what I found along the way.