Sabbatical Update – Day 243

I’m not as far as I thought I’d be… and yet somehow further than I ever imagined.

It’s been just over eight months since I left Credera. On that day, I told myself I was taking eight weeks off before diving back in.

But I should’ve known—especially after a career spent leading transformations—that real, lasting change takes time. Much more than eight weeks.

You might think from what I post on social media that I have it all figured out. But what you see is the truth… filtered through a more polished lens. A little more clarity. A little more concrete than the full reality.

Here’s what’s real:

I do have clarity on the broad direction—using human performance and identity to drive meaningful transformation.

I do have confidence in my ability to figure it out.

But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still insecure about how all the puzzle pieces come together. Even after eight months, the picture is still fuzzy.

And that’s where I thought I’d be further.

But I’ve also uncovered and created things that weren’t even on my radar 243 days ago. And those things feel true enough to keep me going.

Here’s what I’ve learned—and where I really am:

• It took me four full months to recover from the pace I’d been running at in consulting. As someone who’s always prioritized health and wellness, that was a wake-up call. There has to be a more sustainable way.

• I had more ego tied to title and money than I ever would’ve admitted. Dismantling those beliefs opened up an entirely new realm of possibility.

• I thought I was going to build a business helping athletes transition out of sport. But the mission is too personal to force into a model that doesn’t feel right. That journey brought me back to my story—and from it, a memoir was born. Built for More is my way of serving that mission, not with a product, but with the most honest version of my truth.

• I applied to and started grad school—earning a Master’s in Applied Kinesiology and Physiology through the University of Florida. I can’t quite say “Go Gators” yet, but I’m loving the depth it’s already brought to my understanding of performance—in sport and in life.

• Most importantly, I’ve accepted that this process won’t be “completed” on a fixed timeline. Reinvention isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about walking a new path—and being open to what you find along the way.

I still love to work. I love to lead. I love the scale and pace of big business.

But I also love writing. Learning. Walking my five-year-old to school after a morning workout together.

What comes next won’t be bold and flashy—even if it looks that way on LinkedIn. It will be steady. Grounded. A balanced journey of building new skills, expanding my network with authenticity, and honoring my responsibilities—to my family and to myself.

I never could have predicted this is where I’d be.

But life is full of things we don’t expect.

We just have to be open to the change.