One Year Since I Walked Away

December 11th marks one year since I quit my job. It wasn’t a dramatic exit. No big announcement. No grand gesture. It was a quiet decision made after months of reflection, clarity, and the realization that I had outgrown a place I once loved.

But the story of that day didn’t begin on December 11th. It started much earlier, during a season when everything still felt steady.

Back When Everything Still Felt Good

Only a few months before I resigned, I genuinely enjoyed my job. I liked the work. I liked the people. Even being one of only three women in a mostly male company, I felt comfortable and supported by my team. There was no drama in my department, and I had no thought of leaving.

So when I met with my boss to share that my husband and I hoped to start trying for a baby in January 2025, my goal wasn’t to stir anything up. I simply wanted to prepare. I asked if the company would consider enacting FMLA and offering some maternity leave support, even if it was a small amount. As the breadwinner of my family, unpaid leave came with real financial challenges.

He asked me to write a proposal. So I did.

I spent time crafting a thoughtful letter outlining my needs, the reasoning behind them, and how we could find a solution that worked for both sides.

Shortly after, the environment began to shift, and the level of respect I had once felt from my boss noticeably changed.

When Things Quietly Began to Change

Over the next several weeks, I noticed small changes in how conversations went, how decisions were made, and how my role was being managed. None of it happened overnight. It was gradual. Subtle. But noticeable.

Leadership began leaning more heavily on managers, and I often found myself navigating unclear expectations and communication patterns that felt increasingly unpredictable, especially in how my boss communicated with me. I also began receiving feedback in ways that felt different from before, especially as my outside business became more visible. I had always been open about it, and it had never been an issue, but the tone around it shifted.

There were also new expectations around how I presented myself professionally, and those expectations didn’t feel applied evenly across the team. It wasn’t unmanageable, but the inconsistency made it difficult to know where I stood. While I understood the desire for a polished appearance, the standards felt inconsistent across roles, and I struggled to find clarity on what was expected. It created a sense of pressure that hadn’t been there before.

None of this made me angry. It just made me pay attention.

So I started documenting things. Not out of spite, but because I needed clarity in a season where I no longer felt fully supported or understood by my boss, and writing helped me prepare for conversations and quarterly reviews that were becoming harder to navigate. I wanted to show up well in my role, and writing things down helped me do that.

October 17th: The Day I Hit an Emotional Wall

I’ll never forget October 17th. After a particularly difficult period at work, I sat in my car and cried. It wasn’t because something dramatic had happened. It was because the tone of my relationship with my boss had shifted so much that I no longer felt valued in the role I once gave everything to. It was the accumulation of weeks of feeling misaligned with an environment that used to feel so natural for me.

That moment wasn’t anger. It wasn’t resentment. It was simply clarity.

I realized I wasn’t thriving anymore, and frankly, I wasn’t being treated with the professional respect I had earned over nearly five years. And that meant something needed to change.

The Decision to Invest in Myself

On October 24th, I reached out to a business coach. I didn’t do it out of frustration. I did it because I knew I needed direction, support, and structure for where I wanted my business to go. I wanted to learn how to market myself, refine my offers, and build a brand that felt intentional.

I invested in a 90 day program that started on October 25th and later extended another 30 days. That program changed everything for me.

One assignment asked us to write a one page vision describing our ideal life.

When I finished writing mine, I cried, not out of sadness, but because I saw clearly that the life I wanted required more flexibility, more creativity, and more autonomy than I had at the time. It wasn’t about my workplace being “bad.” It was about recognizing that the role I was in couldn’t get me to the future I was dreaming of.

At the same time, my business was gaining traction. I had a strong revenue month earlier that fall, and the coaching program helped me see the potential for something sustainable and long term.

Still, I wasn’t ready to leave yet.

I kept telling myself I needed a clear sign… something undeniable.

December 11th: The Sign I Had Been Waiting For

That morning, I attended 1 Million Cups to network. I arrived at work about an hour late, planning to skip lunch to make up the time.

Shortly after arriving, my boss asked to meet with me, joined by another team leader. He had printed my Calendly calendar and asked for clarity around my availability. I explained the system: my calendar was open from eight to five, but only one meeting could be booked per day, typically during my lunch hour, something I had structured based on advice from my coach when managing a full time job.

He asked additional questions about my work from home days and about managing both roles. He questioned my ability to do both despite the reality of my schedule — waking up at 4am, working for ABJ before sunrise, working my full time job until 4pm, and then continuing ABJ work until 8pm or later. The overall message became clear with his questions: the company didn't trust me and didn't respect the business I built. To make him feel warm and fuzzy and "handle this situation", he requested me in-office five days a week and they planned to change my position from salaried to hourly.

It was also painfully clear that my boss no longer respected me, and that realization made it impossible to stay. I wish things had ended on a better note, but they didn’t.

That was the moment I knew.

I kept telling myself I needed a clear sign, something I couldn’t ignore. And in that meeting, I felt God hand it to me plainly, even if it wasn’t the sign I expected.

The role I was being asked to step into no longer aligned with the direction my life was heading. I valued the salary I had earned through education and dedication, and I knew the schedule shift would not work long term for me.

I walked out of the room, called my mom, and asked, “Am I overreacting?” She told me no. She told me to trust my intuition.

And for the first time in months, my intuition felt crystal clear.

I sat at my desk, opened my laptop, and typed my resignation letter.

It was short, respectful, and to the point — simply stating that I was leaving to run my business full time. No explanations. No back and forth. Just clarity.

I took the leap.

Even though:

• My husband was also self-employed

• We were in the middle of building a home

• We didn’t have the financial safety net most people wait for

I trusted myself anyway.

We still had a house to build, which made the timing feel even crazier, but something in me knew it was the right leap at the right moment.

And that decision changed our future.

What Followed After I Walked Away

January arrived, and I hit the ground running. I rebuilt my business from the inside out. I structured it. I marketed it. I refined my offers. I followed the systems I had learned through coaching.

My business grew fast and strong.

The four figure months became consistent five figure months. Recurring revenue climbed. Clients came in with clarity and consistency. And the pressure that once lived on my chest disappeared.

One year later, I now pay myself more than I ever would have been paid in my previous role.

Our home build accelerated too. When I was working full time, our move in date was projected for October 2026. Now, we’re on track to move in May 2026.

I used to think leaving would delay our future. Instead, it accelerated it.

That feels like a pretty clear sign I made the right choice.

And the best part, the part that still makes me emotional when I think about it?

If I hadn’t left, I never would have experienced maternity leave the way I did. I got to be home with Jett every day, soaking in moments I would have missed behind a desk.

Not rushed. Not stressed. Not handing him off at six weeks old. I got to watch him grow in real time. I got to soak in every smile, every stretch, every new milestone. And I still get to work from home and be present in his daily life in a way I once thought was impossible.

I am so close to stepping into the future self I wrote about in that one page assignment. Once we move into our home, I know I will step fully into her.

I’m now standing inches away from the future self I wrote about in that assignment, the one I never could have become if I stayed.

One Year Later

Leaving didn’t just give me a new career path. It gave me my life back.

This past year has been full of growth, clarity, purpose, and peace. Not because I left out of anger, but because I left with intention.

I loved the season of my life where that job served me. And I’m grateful for the moment I realized it was time for something new.

I walked away not to escape something, but to become someone. And one year later, I’m proud of who she has become.