508: From Soul Crushing to SoulCycle: How Steph Made the Leap to Work She Loves

Steph Strine 00:01

I was always doing that when I was not at work. When I would leave work, I would either be going to teach a class or going to take the class, my life very much revolved around fitness.

Introduction 00:12

This is the Happen To Your Career podcast, with Scott Anthony Barlow. We help you stop doing work that doesn't fit you, figure out what does and make it happen. We help you define the work that's unapologetically you, and then go get it. If you feel like you were meant for more and ready to make a change, keep listening. Here's Scott. Here's Scott. Here's Scott.

Scott Anthony Barlow 00:42

We all have a place where we feel comfortable and natural interactions, where we're excited about life, and happy to be ourselves. But what if you could feel like that all the time, even when you're working? I've heard people say, "I feel like I have to be a different person at work." Or, "I feel like I'm living two different lives." Many times through my years working in HR operations and interacting with clients at HTYC, I've heard this over and over again. Well, it turns out work doesn't have to be this way. To thrive at work, you must first figure out where you feel most like yourself, and where you can be more of who you want to become.

Steph Strine 01:24

I have a lot of friends that have pivoted out of corporate jobs. And you know, they now do yoga retreats, or they do instructing full time. And I see these like actual physical examples of people doing what I wanted to do. And I'm like, "Well, I can't do that."

Scott Anthony Barlow 01:39

That's Steph Strine. Steph had known for almost nine years that she felt most alive and most like herself in fitness studios. But it never allowed herself to believe that she could actually build a career in fitness. Steph is a former Marine Corps officer. And when she got out of the service, she was hired with Amazon where she quickly moved up the ranks. And as you can imagine, her life had always been very structured. So it took a lot for her to step off the traditional career path and go after what she truly wanted. So you're gonna hear my conversation with Steph and I want you to pay attention to how she articulates her realization that she could make a living doing what she most loves. And how she completely upended her life, or at least felt like upended in it, to go after that exact thing that she wants. Steph's story is inspiring, not only because she got outside her comfort zone and broke the mold on what her life had always been, but now that she knows she's on the right track, she's continuing to blaze a path toward what we call her unicorn role. Those roles that you didn't think were possible. Here's Steph talking about her initial effort to carve her own path by joining the Navy.

Steph Strine 02:56

I grew up in Cornwall, New York, which is in the Hudson Valley area. So it's about an hour north of New York City. And I went to the Naval Academy, I have a very big military family, both my parents went to West Point. And so I shocked everyone when I went to the Naval Academy. But yeah, I really... I'm grateful for the experience that I had. I was an active duty marine for about seven and a half years and then transitioned out and did operations at Amazon for my first, almost two years, out of the military. But a lot of my focus in my career has always been about people, I was an administrative officer. So I did a lot of, like, the behind the scenes stuff that, you know, to get the Marines out the door, the stuff that would keep them up, and if they didn't get their paycheck and stuff like that. So my focus has really always been on people. And then to kind of couple that with, I played soccer growing up like since I was five. I was playing competitive soccer. And so I was always like, I go and I played soccer at the Naval Academy. And fitness was always like a passion of mine, but I never really thought that I could do anything with it. So a little bit more of that later, but…

Scott Anthony Barlow 04:06

Yeah, and I really want to dig into that because fitness has not always been there as a theme for you, it seems like, but now it's a much more central theme. And we'll talk about how you transition into that in a little bit. But I'm really curious, what made you, aside from having a military family and everything, what made you decide to go into the Naval Academy?

Steph Strine 04:32

I made a list. I'm very organized and I like a set of, like, structures. So the military for me was something that was very familiar, but why the Naval Academy? Definitely the soccer piece like at the time. That soccer team was performing super well. I really resonated with, like, the team when I went and visited and hung out with the girls on the team. I made a list, like, growing up of what I was looking for in a college, and Annapolis actually hit more than West Point. And my mom still works at West Point too. So I was like, I just kind of want to do my own thing. And so that was kind of the why behind, I would say, like, soccer first. And then it was, I wanted to carve my own path, which I can see now is like, very, very, it's a theme that's like, woven throughout a lot of my career story.

Scott Anthony Barlow 05:19

I could see that. What did your family think when you first told them, "you know, I'm thinking Annapolis."

Steph Strine 05:24

So yeah, it was blasted in like the newspapers where I grew up, it was like strike picks and navy, not army. So my mom was devastated, to say the least. But she got over it. She has, like, more Navy apparel than I do now. But you know, I mean, they're excited. I mean, at the end of the day, like it was a great school. And yeah, so I mean, would they have loved to have another West Point graduate? Sure. But there's plenty of my family. And so I happily go to the Navy, not the other side. So…

Scott Anthony Barlow 05:54

That's amazing. And it sounded like that really was a better fit for you.

Steph Strine 06:00

Yeah, I was talking about this today with a friend. And I used to be like, it's still kind of trickles in, but like people pleasing. And I think the easier choice would have been to, like, go to West Point and just follow in my parents footsteps, but I just knew that it was the right choice for me. And yeah, I couldn't imagine life any different, I wouldn't have been able to be a Marine Corps officer, it would have been a little bit more challenging too at West Point, you know, it wouldn't have unfolded the way that it did.

Scott Anthony Barlow 06:27

When I heard you say just a few minutes ago that you were in for about seven and a half years or so, what caused you to realize it was time to go time to make a change?

Steph Strine 06:41

A couple of things. Along this period of years that I was in the Marine Corps, I gotten sober. And I had something that happened personally to me that I wouldn't be able to say in the active duty any longer. So that was one thing. And then after I finished rehab, I kind of just had a new perspective on life, like most things when you do something incredibly crazy like that, and flip your entire life around. And so I knew it was time because I wasn't like, I wasn't invested in what we were doing. And that's also been a theme. And my story is like, I just knew that there were people that were more passionate about it, and they were going to charge the next wave of whatever the Marine Corps was to develop into. And not just, it wasn't my time anymore. And I knew that it would also be unsettling to me to stay in an environment that I knew I couldn't grow in because of the things that have led me up to getting sober. And like I'm not ashamed of it at all to why it happened. And for me, it's happened in a very amazing, beautiful way. But I just also knew that, like, there's life outside of the military as well. And if I can stay sober, then I can do anything.

Scott Anthony Barlow 07:53

How has going through that type of experience, and then going through rehab, how has that changed your perspective on life?

Steph Strine 08:02

It was very humbling. I mean, as someone that, like I mentioned, is very list oriented. And like, that was not on my list whatsoever. It was not there at all. So it was very unexpected. I think the biggest thing that I learned was like life is very precious, I'm very fortunate to, like, kind of be alive today. And I have a lot of friends that unfortunately passed away from substance abuse or overdose. And like, that was kind of the biggest kicker for me to leave Amazon too, was like, I have one life to live. And if I don't do this, I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life no matter what way it happens. So I think that was one of the biggest things I learned was just how precious life is and then humility at the end of the day. Like, personally, for me, I believe that we all kind of want the same things, like to be supported, to be protected, to be loved and to feel cared for in some sort of capacity. And like that's what I've found in my sobriety is the complete opposite of addiction is connection. And those were the two things that I think I left that experience with that I take with me still to this day.

Scott Anthony Barlow 09:08

That's awesome. That is amazing, actually. And I'm really curious, because you mentioned that some of the same reasons that you left the military also are some of the same reasons that you left Amazon, or at least some of the realizations that you know, pretty much have one life. And I'm curious, what some of the differences were too. So let's start out, let's go back for a little bit here and tell me a little bit about when you transitioned out of the military, how did you end up at Amazon?

Steph Strine 09:41

Yeah, so it was... I had all these, as per usual, I had a plan. I knew exactly when I could get out. I was like I'm going to start an internship with a skill bridge like most military transitioning officers or enlisted do and then the pandemic happened. And I was like, "I do not want to do a virtual internship", like, that's just not for me. I was in San Diego at the time. I think I was like a little bit over a year and a half sober. So it's still kind of like navigating, like this new life that I was living. And I got out in September of 2020. And I wanted to stay in San Diego. San Diego was opening and closing nonstop. And so, Amazon kind of came about in a very strange way, like I was unemployed for about four months, which was very, very challenging for me to kind of deal with for someone that was like, I'm a transitioning military officer, I went to service academy, like I'm a female, I'm also minority like, but it was also the pandemic, and we had no idea what we're doing, right? And then on top of that, trying to stay in San Diego, which is one of the nicest places to live. I made it quite challenging to transition out with those things that I was looking for. All of you said, I also was limiting myself, like I said, I did human resources in the military. And so I was just gravitating towards, like, I'm gonna go to these HR specialist roles. And I'm going to look at these, like HRBP roles, just because like, that's how my brain thought that I could only exist within this box. And I was getting my masters around that time, that transition to virtual as well. And someone had just been like, hop on an Amazon webinar and just like, see what positions are offering whatever. And I was like, yeah, okay, like, I could never work at Amazon. I've never been like a data driven gal. I've never loved, like, math or science or anything. And so I just didn't really think there was a place for me at Amazon. But, you know, there's a military pathways program there. They look for transitioning veterans within their first year that are about to have their master's degree. And so seems like a pretty good fit at the time for someone that was also in dire need of income. And yeah, I went for it. I was like, you know what, if anything, like it'll just be a learning experience and see what happens. I'll learn a lot about all the orders that I buy off at Amazon. And that's how it kind of came about. And then, so I started in January of 2021. So I had about like four and a half months leading up to me starting my first job out of the military.

Scott Anthony Barlow 12:14

So tell me about then, when you got to Amazon, I heard you say just a minute ago that, "I never thought I would be the type of person who would go to Amazon necessarily not data driven, not interested in math, not interested in science, necessarily". And in some ways, the polar opposite of how you viewed yourself at the time. So what parts of that once you actually got to Amazon, what were the parts that actually surprisingly worth it for you? And then what were the parts that you discovered, were definitely not a fit? Tell me a little bit about both sides.

Steph Strine 12:48

So, first couple of six months at Amazon, I absolutely loved it. I was having the best time, I had a great boss, he taught me so much about the business. And the cool thing about the Pathways Program is that you get additional guidance from seasoned leaders at Amazon. And so I really enjoyed that time that I got to have with my direct manager because I was able to, like, very much ask the questions that maybe I was not afraid, but like simple questions that an Amazon manager should know. But as someone that's completely new, had no idea. And so I would say, like, that piece was something that I really, really enjoyed in the beginning was the ability to make mistakes and not be micromanaged by that boss specifically. And then it's very structured. I mean, when you think about it, I'm sure like most people, like, I order a lot off Amazon. And so, like, it is nonstop. We have a 24 hour or they have a 24 hour operation and customer fulfillment. And so it is a well churn machine that is operating all times. And that comes with a lot of steaks. So they look for people that can be there for 12 hours at a time, and kind of put their life on pause during the holidays, like I didn't work... I mean, I don't know, I worked every single holiday for the past two years. Luckily, I left before the peak of last year, but like that was a huge piece of that I was not used to, I mean, we got holidays off all the time in the military. And so that piece was a little bit challenging. But you know, at the end of the day, what I found was that like, there's people that work in the Amazon facilities and that until they make it completely automated, it's going to be a people driven business. And for me, like I mentioned, like, people are my passion. And so that leadership piece came to me very easily. I was, like, very good at building relationships, like, cross collaborating with different stakeholders in the fulfillment center that I was working at the time. I was able to help promote and grow, not only like Amazon Associates, but also the managers that reported to me. So that piece for me was really easy. The piece that was really challenging was towards the end, because I started working nights. I moved from a fulfillment center to a delivery station. And for us to start getting vans on the road, we had to start working at like midnight.

Scott Anthony Barlow 15:13

So then, tell me a little bit about what led up to this... let's call it deciding that fitness is going to play a bigger part in your life and your work.

Steph Strine 15:25

I got my 200 hour yoga certification when I was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. For those that have been in Okinawa, Japan, you know, it's, like, very small, I didn't know what it was when I first got there. And so when I got there, I was like, "Oh my God..." There's a lot to do, but I was 23 and super naive. And I was like, "Oh my gosh, I have nothing to do. My life sucks." And I decided to get my 200 hour yoga certification from someone that was teaching on base, it's the best thing I ever did. And I started to teach when I was a second lieutenant on base. I taught at a local CrossFit gym in Okinawa. And then when I got back to San Diego in 2016, I started to teach at core power yoga. And I was always doing that when I was not at work. When I would leave work, I would either be going to teach a class, or going to take a class. My life very much revolves around fitness. And that was the case for about almost, let's say, like, eight years. It's almost been nine years since I got certified as a yoga instructor. And then got a couple additional certifications throughout. I was also leading, you know, there's a lot of different training that they do. And so I loved it. I mean, it was just something that became a big part of my life. It was like, I just realized, after a long time, of kind of like downplaying my own skills and talents, like, I had this self limiting belief that like, I could never make money doing fitness full time. Like I always, I think it was something that was just kind of like pitch to me growing up is that like, people don't make money in the fitness world or, you know, you can't do that full time, you won't be making the amount of money that you will, which is true, actually, that is true. But at the time, I was making really great money and hated waking up every single day. I found a lot of joy in connecting with clients during class after class, like, it was just that there was a moment where I was just like, "why couldn't I do this all the time?" And that's also something that coaching prompted for me, you know, it's like, I have a lot of friends that have pivoted out of corporate jobs, and they now do yoga retreats, or they do instructing full time. And I see these like actual physical examples of people doing what I wanted to do. And I'm like, "Oh, I can't do that." And as soon as I got introduced to this program that you offered, and kind of just had like a moment of clarity of like, life is very precious and very short, I just knew that I had to go for it. And once I decide on something, I just kind of get the wheels going. And it's actually pretty quite insane how quickly I started to roll once I, like, made that decision of like, "okay, I'm gonna go for this."

Scott Anthony Barlow 18:13

I think that's really fascinating to me because even in the beginning of our conversation, there's this clear pattern of once you decide on something, then it starts to happen pretty quickly for you. And that seems to be the catalyst. So here's what I'm curious about, then, like it took a long time for you to move through those, I think you called them limiting beliefs earlier. But when you were saying, "Hey, I had these real examples of people doing this– creating a career in fitness." And you're like, "I can't do that." What was causing you to think that at that time? Do you recall?

Steph Strine 18:58

A lot of fear. A lot of fear of failing. That's always been a theme for me is like, what if I'm not successful in this? And there's an exercise that you have us do in the bootcamp that I mean, quite frankly, like, changed my life, kind of getting emotional about it, talking about it, but like, reaching out to friends and family about like, this is how it introduced stuff. And almost every single person said things that, like, I just hadn't really internalized or I thought that was like, "Yeah, whatever I do that", like I bring people together, or I inspire people to make changes in their lives since like... Not that I wasn't doing that in the military or at Amazon, because in a sense, I feel like I did, I brought that element. But like, most of the time, I was doing that in the fitness room. And I just had this overwhelming sense of my body. I was like, I am not doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Like I need to go do this now, even if I don't know what it looks like. And as someone that likes to know what things look like, it was a lot of fear. I was like, I don't know how I'm gonna make money. I don't know where am I gonna go. But it was a lot of just like, I really needed to see it. And I read it. And I got it from a lot of people a lot. And I was like, "I can't deny this from people that I trust and value", like even mentors in the military, were saying, like, "A fitness professional", you know, and I was like, "what?" I mean, like, I mean, I guess but it was just... I needed to see it to believe it.

Scott Anthony Barlow 20:36

It's kind of a... it's a really funny thing, at least from my perspective over the years, because that type of exercise, and just a little bit backstory for, if you're listening to this, and the exercise we're talking about is one that we regularly use with clients where you might reach out to say, anywhere from 7 to 25 different people that represent a different portions of your world, you know, work, friends, family, all kinds of different things. And you can tell me how you felt about this Steph, but a lot of people are, there's a little bit of trepidation, there's a little bit of fear, because it sort of feels like you're putting yourself out there. And what are these people gonna say, and all these things. So that's something that we see really normally. But also, I cannot tell you the number I've been told, probably over 1000 times now, no joke, probably over 1000 times by different people that we've worked with, that exercise was so valuable, and changed how they thought about themselves. And it sounds like that was the case for you, too. So how did you feel about that before, first of all?

Steph Strine 21:44

Before, I mean, All of you say, I mean, I definitely send it to the right people.

Scott Anthony Barlow 21:53

So here's what's really interesting is like, we're asking people to say what are the really positive things about you. So in hindsight, it's like, well, what am I scared of? Like I'm asking for positive feedback. But when you're actually doing it, it doesn't feel that way at all, right?

Steph Strine 22:08

Yeah, I think more so. And it's something that I've had to do, I'm still kind of learning and growing, but like, I've outgrown, I think some of the things that were taught to me growing up, and so I think a lot of... I had a lot of, I'm a former people pleaser. And so like, I very much valued what my mom and my dad and close family members would think about me pivoting to this, but it was, like, a unanimous, like, you're really good at this. And you need to go do this in a very, like, flowery, nice, like, positive way, not just like, "what are you doing with your life?" It was unanimously like you bring value to this piece of my life. And the majority is through connection and movement. And after? Yeah, it was, like I mentioned, this just overwhelming sense of, I have a lot of people that believe in me, and why don't I believe in myself. And to kind of go back to what you said, of like, once I make a decision, things start going, something that helped me with my coach was literally looking back on things like, "Okay, well, you did this, and you didn't know what it's gonna be like, but it turned out really well. And you got your masters or whatever. Or you didn't know you were doing at Amazon as an operations manager. And turns out, you're one of the top performers at your site. Like, if you look back at your life stuff, like a lot of things that you've done and accomplished have turned out really great. So like not to say that this isn't going to be one of those, but like, why not you?" And that was the question that my coach proposed to me. And I was just like, "wow", I love that session. And I was like, "Oh my gosh, why not? Why can't I go do this?" I couldn't come up with any reason why.

Scott Anthony Barlow 23:56

Was it at that point in time where you realized that you had to make movement when you couldn't come up with any reason why or did it still take a while longer?

Steph Strine 24:04

Nope, it didn't take that much longer. Like I started moving things very quickly. I started working with Happen To Your Career in October of last year. And by the beginning of November, I put in my resignation. As soon as I knew that, that was not my path to be going down any longer, like, I knew that I had to start making changes where I wasn't going to go for it like. And so, with not a lot of visibility onto what it was going to look like, I just started to make, like, controllable changes. So the first was, like, to let them know that this is not working for me anymore. And I was going to leave, small things like getting out of my lease and stuff like that. And I don't know, I started moving very quickly. Luckily for me, and one of my dearest friends that helped me get sober, she reminded me of this is that, like, I have a cool opportunity because I don't have a family, and not to like shame on myself or anything, but like I have the ability to go make these decisions. And I have two dogs that will come with me. It's really hard to have dogs in New York City though, I am learning that now. I don't have to check in with someone else. I'm like, I can make that decision as someone that single. And so I had this, maybe down the road, I wouldn't have had that opportunity if I met someone or I had kids or what, life would be different. And so I was like, I have to go do this now with what I got. And so I started to make those, like, changes pretty quickly. And I was in New York in the beginning of December. So it was about like 60 days, and I moved out of my place in Atlanta, and was in my new apartment in New York.

Scott Anthony Barlow 25:50

That's amazing.

Steph Strine 25:51

Some call it crazy, but it is amazing to me. Like two months, I did a lot in two months. But I would have stayed if I didn't go.

Scott Anthony Barlow 26:04

I think here's what is, we'll call it interesting. For me, what I've observed over the years is that those things that we all, or people call crazy, are often things that are not normal. And what is normal is for people to stay in roles and jobs and work situations that really just don't align with what they want, and really are not ever going to be what they actually want. And so what I've learned from that is that if people are calling you crazy, it's probably a good sign that you're leaning into something that is great for you. So kudos to you, because although not everybody in the world will understand it, I think you've done some really amazing work. Can you tell us a little bit about what you're doing right now? And also what the future looks like and what you anticipate you will evolve to as well?

Steph Strine 27:01

Yeah. No, I definitely agree. I think crazy is such a relative term. What I absolutely love doing, and I'm really stoked about that. But right now, I am an assistant studio manager at a SoulCycle on the Upper East Side. I'm also teaching yoga at a couple of studios, one on the Upper East Side. And then coming back to core power yoga. However, and I've been very transparent with the team here about it is like, I realized in my last month at SoulCycle that I think I was kind of selling myself short or kind of I see in this role I see myself like relying on those like old patterns of like, the managerial stuff, which is important, don't get me wrong, because the studio cannot run without the behind the scenes stuff that goes on. But like I know my life's purpose is to be instructing and in front of clients, whether that's on yoga mats, whether that's on a treadmill, I learned that this last week, I auditioned for SoulCycle. And I was like, This is what I'm supposed to be doing. And I left there after like two hours of biking, after auditions, and I was like, so tired but I couldn't stop smiling. Like I don't leave, you know, I didn't leave Amazon that way. I didn't leave my Marine Corps job that way. And I'm not really leaving my assistant city manager job that way right now. So I know that this is just a step in the right direction. New York is really small in the fitness world. So creating those connections period is a great way to just, like, meet people. But what the future holds. I've been doing a lot of auditioning, I have a lot of like instructor roles that are kind of on the horizon right now. And then in the future, I was supposed to be getting my 300 hour yoga certification right now, I was doing a little bit too much, and it ended up just not working out. So I'm actually going to India in November with one of my mentors who introduced me to yoga, another full circle moment. So like, I think the biggest thing for me now, like what the future looks like is like, I'm painting it, I'm creating it. I can also like, change it whenever I want to, I'm not stuck in a place where I don't know. It's quite freeing, but for someone that struggles with a lack of structure at times, I have to create that for myself. And so I try and do that with my dogs. They're very routine oriented. I try and time for myself whether that's like a workout or maybe it's just, like, going to get my nails done or something. I mean, life looks very different now that I live in New York. Very small space, definitely different budget, you know, and that's been interesting to navigate as someone that didn't really have to be so meticulous on that before but I'm making it work and I've been here now for like almost three months. And so hopefully here shortly, I'll just be instructing full time. I don't know where and what capacity, but definitely like, in that career profile, it was like overbearingly, you know, just visible that I need to be doing something that's instructing base. And that's like something I'm invested in. And so that's why I know right now that like, this is just kind of like a stepping stone. It's not my forever job. It's helping me to make ends meet so that I can do the next best step. And so that's definitely a growth for me, because I think I looked at this as like, you know, I don't want to let people down if I'm leaving, it's like, no, like, this is my life and I'm going to do what I want to do. And I know that I want to do fitness, instructing full time. And so it's actually been really empowering to know that, like, to make these decisions on my behalf and not just settle for something because it's giving me a paycheck.

Scott Anthony Barlow 30:56

I think one of the really fun things about your set of experiences and your story is that it's still rapidly developing. And I think that that is awesome, because a lot of times when people will listen to the Happen To Your Career podcast, and we'll share a story, sometimes it feels like there's some level of finality when they've accepted, like one opportunity or something else. And what gets lost sometimes in a 35 minute episode, is that no, the stuff is ongoing developing. And the thing that I loved and do love about your story is you're actively leaning into this more and more and more, and you're getting more, like, you're getting those moments that sometimes people go their entire lifetime without where you're like, are leaving and can't stop smiling. And I think that the more that you can lean into that, the more you find more of those as well, or understanding a greater level of detail about what you need in the future. And I think the really cool thing about where you're at right now is you're getting a lot of doses of that which you can then incorporate into, here's what the next evolution and the next evolution and the next after evolution after that looks like. So I really, really appreciate you sharing all of that, and everything that comes with it. That is super cool. And one of the things that I wanted to ask you, for other people who are in a similar situation, whether they have transitioned out of the military, or whether they are recognizing that they need to change in one way or another. And they're back at that initial stage where, like, "okay, I need to do something different." What advice would you give that person who's right there?

Steph Strine 32:48

I would say, trust your intuition. I mean, if you're kind of “woowoo’ like me, you get that or trust your gut or, like, you know, what's best for you. And I think, like, that can be as simple as, like, "I know I want to be in this location", and maybe locations really important to you with family or whatever. Or like I know I want to be, you know, IT-driven, or I need to be in that space. Like, I knew what was best for me for a really long time and I just was too afraid to say like, I'm gonna go for it. And I think, especially in the military, a lot of times, or it's been my experience, so I'll speak about my experience, is that a lot of the things that I brought to the table were kind of not muted, but kind of assumed to be like, everyone has those, like, everyone knows how to talk to people. And everyone knows how to have difficult conversations, and everyone knows how to de-escalate. Like, not all people actually know how to do that. So a lot of like those social skills and like those are actually really powerful tools to have. And especially in the military is, like, just know that you bring a lot of value to the table. And to not let yourself get, like, pigeonholed into a specific, whether it be sales or operations is like, yes, we can do those things, but we can also do many, many, many other things that we don't even know exist. And so that would be my advice, follow your intuition. And then also like, you bring a lot to the table, no matter what.

Scott Anthony Barlow 34:30

Hey, if you've been thinking about making a change for a while now, and you don't really know how to best take the first step or get started, here's what I would suggest. Just open your email app on your phone right now. And I'm going to give you my personal email address, Scott@happentoyourcareer.com just email me and put 'Conversation' in the subject line. Tell me a little bit about your situation and I'll connect you with the right person on our team where we can figure out the very best way that we can help you, Scott@happentoyourcareer.com drop me an email.

Scott Anthony Barlow 35:01

Here's a sneak peek into what we have coming up in store for you next week.

Speaker 3 35:07

And I know that the discomfort of the job that doesn't fit right now will be replaced by the discomfort of not having a job at all. That's just reality.

Scott Anthony Barlow 35:19

If you're at the point of burnout, where you're so stressed, you feel like you can't function normally, or you're no longer able to have a life outside of work or maybe just feel completely unaligned with your work, I don't even know if that's a word– unaligned, not aligned or misaligned. And you figured out something has to change. You've probably found yourself wondering, "What if I just quit? What if I just walked in tomorrow and said, I've had enough. Here's my notice." Wouldn't that be nice? Well, maybe. But maybe not. It turns out there's so many considerations when deciding if you should quit your job without another lined up. And that's exactly what we're talking about today. We're going to go over many of the different questions that we have found are helpful to ask yourself to determine is it a good idea? Is it a Good Idea to quit your job without something else lined up? We're also going to discuss alternatives to quitting that most people have never even heard of or never consider.

Scott Anthony Barlow 36:18

All that and plenty more next week right here on Happen To Your Career. Make sure that you don't miss it. And if you haven't already, click Subscribe on your podcast player so that you can download this podcast in your sleep, and you get it automatically, even the bonus episodes every single week, sometimes multiple times a week. Until next week. Adios. I'm out.