What Creating an Aligned Life Feels Like

Doors are now open to coach with me in my signature program, The Career Redesign Experience! 

I’ll never forget my first trust fall.

Standing backwards on the stage in the high school auditorium, 

with my heels hanging just over the edge, 

my arms crossed over my chest…

and my heart pounding.

Below me – assembled in a wobbly, Ashley-shaped oval – stood a small crowd of students huddled together on the ground with their arms outstretched. 

Their one job? Catch me.

At some point, the teacher prompted me to yell, “Ready to Fall!” So, I did.

“Ready to Fall!,” they echoed back in unison.

I dutifully straightened my body, tipped my weight backwards, screamed in terror, and let myself fall into the sturdy, waiting arms of my classmates.

(I hated it. But it was also kind of fun. Does that make sense?)

As a career and life design coach, here’s what I know:

Deciding to take a creative risk to achieve more alignment and authenticity in your life –

Finding a new job

Deciding on a new career path

Starting a new relationship

Practicing a new hobby

– FEELS like a trust fall.

Of course the logical part of us knows that these changes are not actually the same as a trust fall. I mean, you’re not going to hit your head on the concrete if it doesn’t work out.

And yet – this kind of change can feel just as high-stakes, just as risky, as leaning back and hoping our friends from the drama club will catch us.

So, what are we to do about it? The way I see it, you have three options:

First, you can decide to not make the change right now. This option won’t get you to the sense of alignment and meaning you desire, but it also won’t ask you to take on a risk if you’re not ready or able to make it.

Second, you could throw yourself into the change you want as quickly as possible. In a career change context, this could look like ‘ripping off the bandaid,’ rage quitting on a Friday afternoon, or taking some kind of decisive or irreversible action before you fully know what your plan is (not always advisable!).

But good news, my friend – there’s a third option:

Commit to the trust fall, but do it with clarity, intention and support.

The way I see it, this option is about approaching the change you want with a slow, steady and sustainable pace. It’s about change that’s easy on your nervous system, that feels supported, calm, intentional and clear.

It’s about signing up for an experience that will stretch your edges, push you to navigate uncertainty, and likely feel uncomfortable…  

BUT (and this is important): you’ll do it with your support system ready to catch you.

This is the type of change I have come to love in my own career and life. And it’s the kind of change I guide my clients through, too. 

If you’re feeling ready to commit to what’s next – and you’d like to do it with a partner who can guide you through it – let’s work together.

Onward,