"We're eliminating your position."

How I accidentally became a part of the "From Girlboss to No Boss" movement and what I've learned so far

“We’re eliminating your position.”

In that moment, I wasn’t scared. I was relieved. For months I’d been stretching myself thin, auditioning for opera companies, clocking into a full-time job, and trying to share my love of self-care and making things beautiful online. I was chasing balance but living in burnout. Somewhere along the way, I started mistaking survival for success.

I wasn’t succeeding. I was drowning. My audition season was not going as planned. I felt trapped, drained, and unable to carry on the way I was. I didn’t fit in. Not at work, not in the box I was forcing myself into. I felt like a unicorn in a sea of tech bros. Whether it was generational gaps, artistic dreams, or just the wrong environment, I kept brushing up against expectations that asked me to shrink, stay silent, and abandon my softness.

I refused to abandon the person I’d grown to be, but I felt myself slipping away the longer I pushed and crammed myself into a box three sizes too small. My life was not ending. I was simply moving through a season of growing pains that would shape me into the version of myself required for what lies ahead.

In an Elle Woods adjacent way, I didn't let anyone or anything get me down. I decided to start my own business and follow the dream of working for myself in addition to singing. I followed another nudge to get my Pilates certification so I could help people feel as good as I do after taking a class.

Now I live in a space that is large enough for me and for all of my dreams and aspirations. The risks are bigger, and I don’t fully know what’s coming next, but I do things every day to move the needle in the right direction. I’d rather spend my life playing big than staying small, and I’m sure I’ll fall on my face, but I’m really good at getting knocked down and bouncing back up.

Sometimes you need a period of time in your life that knocks you on your ass so you know what you truly care about and what you’re fighting for. Sometimes you need to see bad people, bad things, or have hard things happen to you so you can remember what you're worthy of and what not to do or pursue. Sometimes you’re put in situations you don’t understand, not for your benefit, but to interact with other people who need to hear or see something you carry. You may never know if this is the case, but I believe it to be so.

So I’m staying open to the quiet shifts, the unexpected redirections, and the work that doesn’t always make sense until it’s done. I may not know what’s next, but I know who’s guiding it. And that’s more than enough for now.