Over the course of my professional journey, I’ve hit my fair share of career plateaus—and every single time, I unlocked new growth by choosing to be intentionally disruptive. By disruptive, I mean I actively pursued challenges that stretched far beyond the scope of my official job title, the specific role I was hired to fill, and the opportunities that were typically offered to people like me—this was especially notable because I was often the only woman putting my hand up for that level of opportunity.
Early in my career, I moved rapidly across different HR teams, building specialized expertise across every subdiscipline until I had a comprehensive, end-to-end understanding of the entire function and felt confident leading teams of my own. That phase of my career was exciting, deeply fulfilling, and genuinely fun; I was thriving, but I still hungered for more growth. So I started advocating for stretch assignments, direct exposure to work alongside the board, and cross-functional projects that would push my perspective beyond HR and into the bigger picture of how the entire business operates.
One of the most pivotal turning points of my career came when I reached the C-suite. I was craving new ways to add value and grow as a leader, so I stepped into an acting COO role—without the formal title to match it. That shift completely opened new doors for me: it introduced me to entirely new categories of problem-solving, fostered deeper collaboration across every department, and gave me the chance to serve the organization in a far more holistic, meaningful way.
Eventually, though, I hit a final plateau—the kind that cannot be fixed with a promotion or a new, exciting project. That’s when I decided to fully live out my personal motto: get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and I launched my own company. As a solopreneur, my reach and impact are no longer limited by the constraints of someone else’s organization. I get to choose which work I take on, which partnerships I invest in nurturing, and what kind of legacy of impact I want to build. My purpose feels re-ignited, my passion for my work has been fully renewed, and my professional story is still being written, one day at a time.
