We need to talk about your personal expectations (for yourself and others). 

More directly, and not to hurt your feelings: Why are they so high!?

And when you or others don’t meet them, you think more self-discipline is the answer. 

It’s probably not. It’s more likely that you need clearer systems on how you work and more clarity on why you’re doing it–with some real good value-aligned boundaries around all that to protect your time, energy, resources, and wellbeing.

That chronic burnout lifestyle of the old me? That was a lack of internal boundaries. My exhaustion, resentment, anger, poor health habits, injuries…all from zero internal boundaries.

A lot of folks I talk to who feel stuck at the edge of the big career question–Should I stay, go, or make a shift? What if I told you that you can feel different inside the work you have rather than leaving.

Helping clients plan sabbaticals with creative intention and true rest comes up often with my coaching clients. I think back to my own sabbatical before stepping into a department chair role. I’m so grateful I took that year (even with partial pay) because it took months just to unwind from the constant overing and hustle. Only in the second half of that year did I learn what a sabbatical is really meant to be: active, creative rest.

When Susan joined Stay, Go, or Transform Your Career, she was at a breaking point. Here’s her story.

After almost three decades in her academic role and institution, Susan felt emotionally and physically exhausted, isolated, and trapped by decades of “shoulds” that no longer fit. She was a few years from retirement and questioning if she could stay or should pivot out now. If she stayed, she felt “hijacked by academic culture,” weighed down by unfinished projects, and deeply disconnected from her own sense of worth and possibility. If she left, she felt unsure of her transition into the next chapter of retirement or a non-academic next career. 

Here’s something I’ve learned over the years of helping folks connect to their innate creativity, whether it’s related to career paths, research projects, writing endeavors, or living a more alive life.

Using your imagination isn’t just something you do when you’re being “creative.” It’s a resilience skill you can cultivate.

(And it might be exactly what you need right now.)

As I wrap up the Summer of Resilient Joy Creativity Lab workshop series with my clients this week, summer reaches its peak.

Pleasure, nature, and slow are part of our healing, not luxuries or rewards.

Yet, if you grew up like me, you’ve been taught to treat nature time like a reward or something you “earn” when the work is done. Or that Nature is separate from your real day-to-day life and something to be conquered or controlled. Or in a nicer way, maybe a place you go to vacation or relax or exercise. 

But I want to offer another perspective: Nature isn’t an escape from your life. It’s an essential part of it.

As I write this, I’m preparing for something I’ve never done before: a 5-day, 250-mile bike ride through southern Nebraska with Tour de Nebraska. When you read this, I’ll be camping in Curtis, getting ready to bike out 42 miles on Wednesday to Elwood. (Send me some resilient joy vibes, will ya?)

It’s something I’ve been building toward for the last six months, not just physically (although lots of that), but mentally, emotionally, and yes… creatively. Because if I’ve learned anything about Resilient Joy, it’s that even the good things - the things we choose with intention - will stir up self-doubt, fear, or old patterns.

If you’re feeling creatively flat, anxious, or like your energy is scattered in twelve different directions, you’re not stuck - although I hear us saying that we are all the time. You’re likely just disconnected from your body. And honestly? That makes sense.

We live in systems that reward overthinking and disembodiment. Many of us were trained, especially in academic, clinical, or leadership environments, to live from the neck up.

Maybe you saw it coming. Maybe it hit you out of nowhere.

A layoff, a funding cut, a toxic new leader, or a quiet realization that your work no longer fits the life you want. Career shocks come in many forms. Some are loud and sudden. Others build slowly, until one day you can no longer ignore the signs.

Whatever brought you here, I want you to know: you are not alone. And you are not starting over.

You are starting from experience.

We all hit moments in our lives and careers when we need support. But not all support serves the same purpose or leads to lasting change.

Advice tells you what they would do.
Mentorship often shows you the path they took.
Courses offer frameworks, but not always the clarity to apply them.
Therapy helps you heal patterns and process emotions.

Mentorship coaching, the way I practice it, offers something different.

The first half of 2025 has been a shit storm. Dumpster fire after fire. And if you're exhausted and scattered, all the while feeling fired up, you are not alone. Or maybe that just describes me, ha.

As a counterweight to that, this June and July, I’ll be sharing weekly insights, prompts, and practices all summer long to help you build what I call Resilient Joy. I’m inviting us back to the practices that help us reset, not out of obligation, but out of care. Not to get more done, but to come back to what matters.

One of the most powerful things about this work—coaching, Creativity Lab, and community sessions—is witnessing someone remember who they are.

This month, I want to share the story of one of my clients, a healthcare professional who came to our coaching space feeling stuck, scattered, and ready to “rage quit” her job. What unfolded over a few months was more than a career pivot in the traditional sense. It was a creative reawakening.