I found the confidence to reinvent myself by living through the moments that left me no other choice but to grow. It wasn't sudden or effortless; it was intentional.

January 5th 2026, I was told my job was eliminated due to budget cuts. I gave myself 2 hours to feel all the feelings and then I dedicated every minute after that to finding a job. Many people are experiencing the same situation, I knew some personally, that had been looking for months before finding a job or are still looking for a job. I am happy to say, I start my new job Monday, February 2nd! Once I made this LinkedIn official, my messages were flooded with people asking how did you find a job so fast? Here is what I did that worked for me: 1. Reach out to colleagues, fb friends, hiring managers, recruiters, influencers and more directly! Share your story, in private messages and emails, text, phone calls, letting them know what you are looking for and ask them to keep you in mind for any roles that you could possibly fill. Sure, posting one paragraph on your LinkedIn is good, but it's a generic post that everyone else has done. Unless someone is actively monitoring your page, it doesn't get read. 2. Remote work is good but maybe it's time to get back in the office. Most of our deepest connections with persons related to point 1, were made in the office not remote. Right now, the market (IT and for me Healthcare IT) is heavily saturated. Be willing to do what others won't, put on real pants and drive to the office. 3. Hire a professional resume and interview coach. Yes, there are AI options out there that are free, but (in my case) the person I hired changed my entire mindset and approach during our initial phone call. AI could not accomplish what this actual person did. She was also able to create a resume for each type of role I was applying for, and I could edit those according to the specific job description. The cover letter used AI option on a certain platform generates the same words on all cover letters, and your cover letter will look no different than the 500 submitted before you. 4. In my case, I found AI filtering out my submissions b/c my degree was in Psychology but the jobs I was applying for wanted an IT, computer science or healthcare admin degree. Somehow, I knew I had to find a way around these obstacles. I had the premium membership for LinkedIn, and with that came an option to send the hiring managers or recruiters messages directly. I would create a personal style cover letter along with my resume directly to that recruiter or hiring manager. The personalized cover letter would speak to what my resume couldn't, this was an opportunity to tell my story and to stand out from the rest. I would state why my degree was a key to the success in my career and how that could be beneficial in this role. The reason I did this was to get a second chance to be seen in case my application was filtered out b/c my criteria on paper didn't match. 5. Be open to contract work. My initial approach was to do contract until the market opens up. This was my first time considering contract and this was my first time reaching out to recruiters directly. This was the biggest game changer for me, as I learned these recruiters can also find full time roles in some cases. The recruiters provided great feedback and advice as to improvements for interviews and specifics that could be beneficial on the resume to get more traction. To keep my mind focused on getting a job I did the following: 1. I continued to get up at the same time as I would if I was still working. I did this to avoid sluggish mindsets and behaviors. I didn't want one lazy day to lead to two unproductive days that would lead to weeks of uncertainty. 2. I would dress as if I were going into the office, hair and makeup done. The reason for this came from reading about the great depression. During this time of mass unemployment, men and women would wear suits and dresses every day, even if they were homeless because they wanted to be ready at a moment's notice for an interview. The same rule would apply to me; I wanted to be ready for any potential Webex or teams meeting that could be requested on the fly. 3. I would share leads with other colleagues that were looking for jobs. If there is a role that is not right for you and you know someone who would be great in that role, share it. Reach out to others that are in similar situations and form a co-op where you can share leads and resources. 4. I found that many managers and directors that were actively seeking people to join their team were active after business hours. Actively monitoring for post during 6 to 9 pm, was beneficial because if they were posting after hours then it let me know they were online and more likely to connect with and express interest.

Always be yourself, and don't ever apologize for it! Don't ever give up!

Confidence is built by taking action before everything feels certain. Reinventing myself wasn't about becoming someone new, but about finally owning who I've always been and being proud of the journey.

I let go of the idea that confidence comes first and learned it's built by action. I stepped into unfamiliar roles, survived discomfort, and proved to myself—repeatedly—that I'm capable. Confidence followed because evidence beats self-doubt every time.

I was at the lowest point of my life. A recently divorced mother of 3 children under the age of six. Thankfully, I was able to find strength in God which encouraged me to show up Everyday. Although, I moved forward in fear, eventually I found the confidence in myself to accomplish my dreams!

I quit a very toxic job after only a few months. It was a traumatic experience. Everyone said I was acting irrationally and that I was hurting myself professionally. I was and it did. Having no income and no job, I arranged for my family to go on a trip to a dude ranch! Why not? It was a needed break, and very focusing. I mean when you're on a horse going 30 miles an hour across a field you can't worry about not having a job! I got help negotiating a severance and moved - eventually- into one of the most productive periods of my professional life. It turns out people admired me and my decision as evidence that I would not allow myself to be in a situation that was toxic. It took a long time to recover, but I did.

I didn't reinvent myself all at once. I did it the way I've done most things—piece by piece. For a long time, my confidence came from roles I knew well: teacher, conductor, caregiver, the reliable one who showed up prepared. When those identities shifted—or fell away—I had to ask a harder question: who am I when I'm not needed in the same way? Writing changed that. Becoming an author wasn't about starting over; it was about finally saying the things I'd carried quietly for years. On the page, I found a voice that didn't need permission or applause. It didn't have to be perfect. It just had to be honest. Confidence didn't arrive as certainty. It arrived as courage—the courage to tell the truth, to be seen, and to trust that my story could help someone else feel less alone. Reinvention, for me, wasn't becoming someone new. It was claiming the woman I already was.

Reinventing myself after a crossroads where my belief in my own abilities was at its lowest took courage and absolute trust in the women around me encouraging me to take the next step. They knew I could, and eventually, I knew I could too.

After my first role supporting C-Suite leaders in the electronic manufacturing industry, I realized that to be the most effective partner, I first had to be my most authentic self. I didn't need to change my career path to reinvent myself, I just needed to change my approach. I began by rebranding my identity, stepping into the name I actually go by, and bringing a new level of intentionality to my work. I kept the high-stakes confidence I earned in the boardroom but traded the 'auto-pilot' for a life centered on what I truly enjoy. Now, I still support top-tier leaders, but I do it on my own terms and with a renewed sense of purpose. By prioritizing my own happiness and living authentically, I've found that I'm not just supporting a vision, I'm helping lead it with a clarity I never had before.