It was 2009. The global financial crisis was in full swing, and business was not good. I took a pay cut and had to trim my team.
The same week, my husband slipped on the ice, dislocating his kneecap from the patella tendon and wouldn’t be able to walk for ten months. Our daughter was in elementary school and would have to motivate herself to make the bus every single day (she did, by the way). And, we received devastating news that my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
As if that weren’t enough, I was not gelling with the leadership team. Something that had never happened to me before. This meant that the suffering didn’t stop with me; it spread to my team.
One day something shifted. I realized I had a choice about what I did with my one big beautiful life.
I could choose survival, which would mean that every day would be a slog. Just getting through. Or, I could choose to thrive and use this moment, this impossible, overwhelming moment as a catalyst for growth.
To thrive, I knew I needed a new inspired action because doing what I’d always done was giving me what I’d always had. Nothing was shifting. What I determined was that I needed a partner. Someone with no dog in the fight. Someone who could help me see my blind spots and interrupt a pattern that was keeping me stuck.
I found her. Her name is Terry Yoffe. I knew her through She Runs It, an organization I’ve been connected to for years. We grabbed coffee and the rest is history.
Looking back, I can see clearly that this was my Quietly Burning Out season. It is one of six Messy Middle archetypes I work with and it is exactly what it sounds like. Still showing up. Still performing. But underneath, running on fumes and carrying a weight that had become invisible even to me. I didn’t have language for it then. Now I do.
Terry gave me that interruption. And I’m certain she is the reason I chose coaching and more specifically messy middle coaching as my path. Some partnerships change everything.
This week on Thriving in the Messy Middle, I’m joined by my coach, Terry to talk about what it actually takes to navigate a season like this one and why asking for help might be the most courageous thing you do. She shares her infinite wisdom about her journey in this podcast episode.
If something in this landed, I’d love for you to take the Messy Middle Archetype Assessment™. It’s a simple way to name the season you’re in right now. And if you know someone who might be carrying more than they’re letting on, feel free to pass it along.