Dear Sophie: Thank you so much! And thank you! I'm so glad it resonated with you and I'm totally cheering you on as you are scripting you future as well!
I really valued how you framed the reinvention of oneself, like a spiral. It always includes what we have developed before, either deepening into it or expressively seeking to distance ourselves from it. The sweet spot may be someplace between them.
Dear Jeffrey: I'm so glad it resonated with you! It was one of these articles that I kept writing and re-writing for a week (lol) - so I'm so happy to hear that it landed with you!
If anything, it made me eager to hear more. What was it you found, are you still doing it, how can future writing help you shift identities even when you are not sure if they are going in the best direction, etc. We need more!!
Dear Jeffrey: thank you for the "we need more!" it made me smile! and I'm sure there is more...as I'm shifting and experimenting...and I'm sure some of it will be surprising to me and my readers...
Thank you for sharing your thought process as you navigated this really challenging, potentially life-changing decision, Magdalena. It might not have been the right opportunity a few years ago, but if it excites you now and aligns with who you’re becoming, it’s absolutely worth breaking a promise you made to yourself when you were a different person.
Identity is a strange thing, it's powerful, but also a double-edged sword. Lately, I’ve been trying to hold mine more loosely and stay open to it changing. I’ve noticed moments where I made decisions just to stay consistent with who I thought I was, instead of choosing what felt right and allowed me to explore, stay curious, and grow into something new.
Identities aren’t meant to be rigid. They’re meant to evolve as we do.
Dear Daria: You very welcome! and I wish I could say it was easy (lol) - it wasn't - both the transformation and writing openly about it. However, it does feel like a million dollar win!
Wow! What a powerful post! I wanted to jump through and hug you and pat you on the back and I don’t even know you and I’m not a hugger!!! Congratulations for listening to the empowering part of your brain and shutting down the limiting beliefs that were holding you back!! THIS is the bold alignment I’m trying to enable in people, and you are as well. You might like the post I just shared and I’m putting this one on my restack list!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Dear Melody: thank you so much for your lovely hugs and for making me laugh! Lol! I so greatly and deeply appreciate you! Thank you so much for shining the light on "empowering our brains and shutting down the limiting beliefs that hold us back" Cheering you on! and off to read your post!
My post speaks to the futility of changing jobs as a fix for discontentment and why that doesn’t work because it doesn’t solve the root cause of misalignment. It’s the exact opposite of what you’ve done with your career decisions, so it’s definitely for a different audience but I thought it might be nice validation that it’s NOT what you’re doing. You’re an example of honoring alignment above all else!
There's so much truth in here, Magdalena. Thank you for sharing your story.
I love how you reframed this for people feeling bad/guilt/shame about doing something they swore they'd never do. I've been there — and it's so interesting how my identity wants to creep back in.
Dear Jacqueline: Thank you so much! Isn't it super fascinating how old identity - the one that we thought we got rid of/pruned away wants to creep back! Definitely very sneaky (lol)!
Love this: Your Next Chapter Doesn’t Owe Your Past an Apology.
I’m also going to say that your present and future don’t need to apologize for your past. A lifetime of journaling has given me compassion for past versions of myself and your future journaling method has been revolutionary in moving forward from now.
Thanks Magdalena for sharing your wisdom. I also hope you were able to continue your biking late into the fall season. Cheers.
Dear Carol: Thank you so much! Love your take of self compassion via journaling! That's such a great way to work through the past chapters! Cheering you on in your future writing! And I switched from biking (got to cold) to swimming - which I keep forgetting to post about :-)
Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, isn't it? For me, the question remains: how come you went back to corporate? Did it bring the hope of a different environment this time around? Do you think you're more ready to tackle typical corporate dynamics better? Is it the pay, the stability?
I'm asking because I've always been against working in corporate; I avoided it for the better part of my career, but ended up there eventually. And now I'm swearing it off *for everrr* and I'm already scared of the prospect of one day going back...! 😊
Dear Monica: love your question! Here is brutally honest answer: all of the above (lol) - let's start with the pay and stability: the ups and downs of consulting was mentally exhausting - so I wasn't as creative as I wished/envisioned. I was constantly chasing/improving my marketing/selling/offer/ skillset via diffrent courses, books, masterminds etc etc (exhausting!) and I wasn't getting the results that I wanted b/c I was spending more on self improvement then I was making. So with stability - I was able to take a breath, cut back on "improving" myself and I actually got much better results...Second, I went from a legacy corporate that was toxic, unhealthy and unbalanced, to a corporate that actually is helping me heal by having a work life balance (I do not bring work home, and I do not work on weekends and I am away from my desk during lunch! - for the first time in my working life - sad but true.) As for fear of going back - I completely relate - my fear came with shame, guilt and ptsd...so stay tuned for my self healing journey via this new adventure in corporate...Hope that helps! Cheering you on! You will do great!
Thanks for the candid answer, Magdalena! I get your point. I want to believe not all corporations are the same, but I haven't seen it with my own eyes (yet). Just like not all start-ups are the same... There are pros and cons on both sides of a career approach, and I think it's best to acknowledge what each side has to offer rather than fully condemn one side over the other. I'm in a phase of life where I internalize much more that when you choose a certain path, it doesn't have to be forever, there are cycles in our long professional life. This is a new(er) mentality vs. our parents' generation, especially in Eastern European countries, and this shift is something considerable to work through.
Dear Monica: thank you so much for your honest response. You are so right and you gave me a great idea of writing about the very diffrent approach/mentality and identity of Easter Europeans - generations of our parents vs our generation and the identity of must work HEARD - otherwise you ceae to exist! I love this - lots to explore on this topic!!
I absolutely loved reading this. You didn't break any promise to yourself. When you said never again, that day you left? That meant you would never be 'her' again. It didn't mean avoiding 'corporate' forever. That would be putting it outside of you. A kind of blaming for what didn't feel good to you. But it was you who chose the role and stayed in it as long as you did. That is where the clarity comes in.. that is what you didn't want to BE ever again. So you chose different.
In my own life I have seen every evolving into new chapters—quite a few—and the new roles, new environment, new connections, new adventures, as accumulation of skills and insights, and discovery of my talents. It all comes together each time. Just like you now mentioned that as integration of the old identity or role into the new one.
I am writing, and made a breakthrough related to this role playing as well. I'll be posting about that sometime today.
It's great to see your honesty so well written: it breathes security and confidence now you've crossed that threshold in your new chapter. That's powerful.
With a smile and a wink, I secretly wonder what would 'become' after that?
Dear Mika: I love, love your smile and a win and secretly wondering what would become...I'm right there with you! lol! And thank you for sharing from your own life the evolving into new chapters and new roles, connections and discoveries of talents! It's a truly remarkable path that is filled with joy and wonder (if we choose that..). Cheering you on! and can't read more about your adventures!
With lots of similar soul searching, I try to see the work that I do as a symptom of who I am, not the root. Corporate or not, you are the same core self underneath and your work is how it shines through and your relationship with work will be a mirror of how you value yourself. It’s so easy to both align an identity with an external “symptom” because we reward it in our culture. Can’t wait to follow you into this next chapter.
Dear Shannon: thank you so much! I'm so glad to hear that you are eager to follow my adventures in my future scripting and identity work aka evolution! I'm cheering you on as well and can't read about your discoveries!
I love the way you have told your story. And congratulations on this bonus chapter!
I also really resonated with your quote “You become dangerous in the best way”.
Dear Sophie: Thank you so much! And thank you! I'm so glad it resonated with you and I'm totally cheering you on as you are scripting you future as well!
I really valued how you framed the reinvention of oneself, like a spiral. It always includes what we have developed before, either deepening into it or expressively seeking to distance ourselves from it. The sweet spot may be someplace between them.
Great article!!
Dear Jeffrey: I'm so glad it resonated with you! It was one of these articles that I kept writing and re-writing for a week (lol) - so I'm so happy to hear that it landed with you!
If anything, it made me eager to hear more. What was it you found, are you still doing it, how can future writing help you shift identities even when you are not sure if they are going in the best direction, etc. We need more!!
Hoping these ideas may appeal to others, too ;-)
Dear Jeffrey: thank you for the "we need more!" it made me smile! and I'm sure there is more...as I'm shifting and experimenting...and I'm sure some of it will be surprising to me and my readers...
Thank you for sharing your thought process as you navigated this really challenging, potentially life-changing decision, Magdalena. It might not have been the right opportunity a few years ago, but if it excites you now and aligns with who you’re becoming, it’s absolutely worth breaking a promise you made to yourself when you were a different person.
Identity is a strange thing, it's powerful, but also a double-edged sword. Lately, I’ve been trying to hold mine more loosely and stay open to it changing. I’ve noticed moments where I made decisions just to stay consistent with who I thought I was, instead of choosing what felt right and allowed me to explore, stay curious, and grow into something new.
Identities aren’t meant to be rigid. They’re meant to evolve as we do.
Dear Shalini: Thank you so much! I love your reframe around evolving and the fluidity of our identities! Cheering you on in your own evolution!
Thank You, Magdalena!!
OMIGOOOSSSHHHH—Magdalena, all I have to say is: CONGRATULATIONS!!
Dear Yolanda: Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words!
This was an amazing piece, thank you so much for sharing it!!! Many parts I could translate onto my own path 🥰 thanks for being so open!!!
Dear Daria: You very welcome! and I wish I could say it was easy (lol) - it wasn't - both the transformation and writing openly about it. However, it does feel like a million dollar win!
Wow! What a powerful post! I wanted to jump through and hug you and pat you on the back and I don’t even know you and I’m not a hugger!!! Congratulations for listening to the empowering part of your brain and shutting down the limiting beliefs that were holding you back!! THIS is the bold alignment I’m trying to enable in people, and you are as well. You might like the post I just shared and I’m putting this one on my restack list!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Dear Melody: thank you so much for your lovely hugs and for making me laugh! Lol! I so greatly and deeply appreciate you! Thank you so much for shining the light on "empowering our brains and shutting down the limiting beliefs that hold us back" Cheering you on! and off to read your post!
My post speaks to the futility of changing jobs as a fix for discontentment and why that doesn’t work because it doesn’t solve the root cause of misalignment. It’s the exact opposite of what you’ve done with your career decisions, so it’s definitely for a different audience but I thought it might be nice validation that it’s NOT what you’re doing. You’re an example of honoring alignment above all else!
For sure - it’s a great example of identity and how we can prune old identity and create new ones!
There's so much truth in here, Magdalena. Thank you for sharing your story.
I love how you reframed this for people feeling bad/guilt/shame about doing something they swore they'd never do. I've been there — and it's so interesting how my identity wants to creep back in.
Dear Jacqueline: Thank you so much! Isn't it super fascinating how old identity - the one that we thought we got rid of/pruned away wants to creep back! Definitely very sneaky (lol)!
Love this: Your Next Chapter Doesn’t Owe Your Past an Apology.
I’m also going to say that your present and future don’t need to apologize for your past. A lifetime of journaling has given me compassion for past versions of myself and your future journaling method has been revolutionary in moving forward from now.
Thanks Magdalena for sharing your wisdom. I also hope you were able to continue your biking late into the fall season. Cheers.
Dear Carol: Thank you so much! Love your take of self compassion via journaling! That's such a great way to work through the past chapters! Cheering you on in your future writing! And I switched from biking (got to cold) to swimming - which I keep forgetting to post about :-)
Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, isn't it? For me, the question remains: how come you went back to corporate? Did it bring the hope of a different environment this time around? Do you think you're more ready to tackle typical corporate dynamics better? Is it the pay, the stability?
I'm asking because I've always been against working in corporate; I avoided it for the better part of my career, but ended up there eventually. And now I'm swearing it off *for everrr* and I'm already scared of the prospect of one day going back...! 😊
Dear Monica: love your question! Here is brutally honest answer: all of the above (lol) - let's start with the pay and stability: the ups and downs of consulting was mentally exhausting - so I wasn't as creative as I wished/envisioned. I was constantly chasing/improving my marketing/selling/offer/ skillset via diffrent courses, books, masterminds etc etc (exhausting!) and I wasn't getting the results that I wanted b/c I was spending more on self improvement then I was making. So with stability - I was able to take a breath, cut back on "improving" myself and I actually got much better results...Second, I went from a legacy corporate that was toxic, unhealthy and unbalanced, to a corporate that actually is helping me heal by having a work life balance (I do not bring work home, and I do not work on weekends and I am away from my desk during lunch! - for the first time in my working life - sad but true.) As for fear of going back - I completely relate - my fear came with shame, guilt and ptsd...so stay tuned for my self healing journey via this new adventure in corporate...Hope that helps! Cheering you on! You will do great!
Thanks for the candid answer, Magdalena! I get your point. I want to believe not all corporations are the same, but I haven't seen it with my own eyes (yet). Just like not all start-ups are the same... There are pros and cons on both sides of a career approach, and I think it's best to acknowledge what each side has to offer rather than fully condemn one side over the other. I'm in a phase of life where I internalize much more that when you choose a certain path, it doesn't have to be forever, there are cycles in our long professional life. This is a new(er) mentality vs. our parents' generation, especially in Eastern European countries, and this shift is something considerable to work through.
Dear Monica: thank you so much for your honest response. You are so right and you gave me a great idea of writing about the very diffrent approach/mentality and identity of Easter Europeans - generations of our parents vs our generation and the identity of must work HEARD - otherwise you ceae to exist! I love this - lots to explore on this topic!!
I absolutely loved reading this. You didn't break any promise to yourself. When you said never again, that day you left? That meant you would never be 'her' again. It didn't mean avoiding 'corporate' forever. That would be putting it outside of you. A kind of blaming for what didn't feel good to you. But it was you who chose the role and stayed in it as long as you did. That is where the clarity comes in.. that is what you didn't want to BE ever again. So you chose different.
In my own life I have seen every evolving into new chapters—quite a few—and the new roles, new environment, new connections, new adventures, as accumulation of skills and insights, and discovery of my talents. It all comes together each time. Just like you now mentioned that as integration of the old identity or role into the new one.
I am writing, and made a breakthrough related to this role playing as well. I'll be posting about that sometime today.
It's great to see your honesty so well written: it breathes security and confidence now you've crossed that threshold in your new chapter. That's powerful.
With a smile and a wink, I secretly wonder what would 'become' after that?
~Mika
Dear Mika: I love, love your smile and a win and secretly wondering what would become...I'm right there with you! lol! And thank you for sharing from your own life the evolving into new chapters and new roles, connections and discoveries of talents! It's a truly remarkable path that is filled with joy and wonder (if we choose that..). Cheering you on! and can't read more about your adventures!
Thank you, Magdalena! —still smiling—
With lots of similar soul searching, I try to see the work that I do as a symptom of who I am, not the root. Corporate or not, you are the same core self underneath and your work is how it shines through and your relationship with work will be a mirror of how you value yourself. It’s so easy to both align an identity with an external “symptom” because we reward it in our culture. Can’t wait to follow you into this next chapter.
Dear Shannon: thank you so much! I'm so glad to hear that you are eager to follow my adventures in my future scripting and identity work aka evolution! I'm cheering you on as well and can't read about your discoveries!