When One Door Closes, Build Your Own Doorway Fifteen years after college, freelance graphic designer Katrina was enticed by the security of a job offer from a global Fortune 500 women’s clothing retailer. Her vision of stability quickly unraveled.On her first day, instead of orientation, she found an empty office with a desk and computer. […]

Lynn made perhaps the most terrifying decision of all: She leaped from the security of her teaching position after eighteen years, without the safety net of another job or even a clear vision of what came next. “I was going through the motions,” she confesses. “Eighteen years of teaching had put me on automatic pilot. […]

By every conventional measure, Dana had achieved remarkable success as an insurance agent, consistently exceeding financial goals, earning luxury vacation awards, and memberships to exclusive country clubs. He had everything society told him he should want, yet an unwavering spiritual void lingered. While building his insurance career, Dana volunteered with his church and discovered a […]

When Integrity Costs Everything As a forty-something corporate executive, Cheryl’s reputation for competence and professionalism was legendary. After eleven years of dedicated service, she was terminated without notice. The catalyst? Her diligent compliance oversight uncovered concerning unethical practices by the newly appointed CEO. Through the aftermath of her firing Cheryl experienced a range of emotions: […]

Sue, a fifty-year-old vice president of sales, worked for a company that sold discounted member services to employer groups. She had a sales team, a title, and a paycheck. What she didn’t have was a company she could look in the mirror and feel good about. When management told her they were cutting costs by […]

As vice president of operations for a national company managing group homes for developmentally disabled adults, Daniel faced an unimaginable convergence of professional and personal catastrophes. Just four months into his role, a resident murdered an employee during the night shift. In the ensuing political firestorm, which involved statewide media coverage and government investigations, Daniel […]

For four years, Marcie flourished as marketing director at a prominent nonprofit religious organization. She had cultivated deep relationships with her boss, colleagues, and an impressive network of influential donors. When the beloved CEO retired, Marcie felt secure in her position, perhaps dangerously so. That security evaporated in seven brutal days. The new CEO summoned […]

Hindsight is a brutal teacher. Looking back at my Round the Clock disaster with clear eyes, I can now identify at least a dozen warning signs I chose to overlook before I took the job and throughout the short duration of my tenure there. The truth is that most toxic jobs don’t blindside us completely. […]

Career books and self-help experts love to talk about reinvention. They talk about networking, polishing your résumé, personal branding, and “turning setbacks into opportunities.” What they rarely talk about is grief. Because getting fired is grief. Literally. Bruce Feiler, author of Life is In the Transitions uses the term “lifequate” to describe a pivotal event […]

When you’re searching for a new job, it’s easy to believe you have to figure everything out on your own. You spend hours updating your resume, networking online, preparing for interviews, and trying to stay optimistic through uncertainty. But one of the smartest things a business professional can do during a career transition is find […]