A lifetime of career decisions that went against the grain

When I was 28 years old, I’d invested 10 years of training after high school to become a physician, only to find out that I didn’t cope well with sleep deprivation and enjoyed being in the office but not the hospital!

I was embarrassed to admit it and scared because I didn’t know anything else to do with my life. I didn’t want to NOT be a doctor, but I didn’t know how to make my career work for me, and for my new family.

Peers and colleagues made fun of me (to my face and behind my back), and when I had a chance to take a days-only job in an outpatient clinic (long before that was a thing), people said “I thought only bad doctors did that.”

I knew I had to make a change, and I set out to prove them wrong.

Once I took that day job, I realized that I was resting at night, enjoying my work, earning a more stable income and finding time to take better care of myself. I was happy! And I realized I had the COURAGE to make a change that served me.

That courageous decision set me on a trajectory that flouted nearly every expectation I’d learned, yet was completely right for me. Here are just a few of the many subsequent decisions that seemed counterintuitive to others,but made all the sense in the world to me:

• I moved from that day job at the outpatient clinic to an mid-level administrative job at my alma mater. When I told my boss at the clinic about my plans, he said, "but you're not qualified for that role." Turns out the folks at the new job thought I was, and I successfully made the leap.
• Later, and with the blessing of my manager, I took a leave of absence from that administrative job to obtain three new career credentials in two years, in a location several states away, and my spouse and I navigated a commuter relationship (which we happily weathered successfully). I returned and became an interim senior administrator/leader in the same institution, with an upgraded set of skills.
• After 18 months in that interim position, I was recruited away for a parallel role in a permanent position, but one more aligned with what I trained to do. People at my alma mater said, "We didn't think you would ever leave. …" What they couldn’t see but I could was that this more permanent role that was more aligned than ever with my professional skillset and goals.
• Over the course of my career, I have had the challenge of working for two highly toxic, malignant narcissist types. Both times, I surprised these toxic leaders by charting my own course to a more meaningful and healthy work environment, again more aligned with what mattered most to me. Each  time, I moved from "surviving" to "thriving." (More on that — including how you can make a similar shift — here.)
• Twice in my career, I was being mentored, sponsored and expected to step onto the next rung of the leadership ladder, once as a department chair and once as a dean. Both times, for personal reasons that focused on what served me, my well-being and my family, I opted not to take that step. Both  times I was relieved when I made the decision — a powerful signal that I was making the right choice for me.
• After all of these counterintuitive decisions, I had the opportunity to work with my first-ever executive coach. Over time, she got to know me pretty well, and one day, she said, “Have you ever thought about becoming a coach? It’s the part of every job you have ever had that you loved the most. And you are good at it.” I took a long time to decide, but eventually I followed her wise counsel, and I now make my living as a full-time executive and career coach. Along the way, I found that I loved being an entrepreneur, and I reached  the point in my life and career where the only (and best) boss for me was me!

I've had a wonderful and vibrant career as a family physician, an entrepreneur and an executive coach. Each step in this journey has given me the courage to make career decisions and pivots that serve me and my family well.

I love running a successful business, and I tell people that coaching is my second healing profession, and that I have loved both.

I think the moral of this story (using a spoonerism originally and accidentally created by George W. Bush) is, "Don't misunderestimate me." I'm likely to make decisions at any moment in my life that may not make sense to others, but these choices enable me and those I love to thrive.

Courageous career decisions have helped me make my work life WORK for me. And I can help you learn to make courageous career decisions too! Sign up for my More Than Work newsletter to get connected and learn more.

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