Entrepreneurship: Stepping out on my own

In 2009, after months of deliberating, I turned my letter of resignation in at PricewaterhouseCoopers to step out into the unknown and venture as an entrepreneur. My career at that point seemed promising with the firm. I consistently received the highest ratings, provided leadership on my team, and knew that I could continue on an upward trajectory if I stayed the course with this job. I had great benefits (the best I’d personally ever had) and even in the aftermath of the 2008 economic meltdown, not only did I have job security; but, I still qualified for a bonus. On top of that, in many ways, I really liked my job. For the most part, I enjoyed what I did on a daily basis. I had great co-workers and worked in an environment where I was both challenged and developed.

So why did I leave to become an entrepreneur?

While it’s true, I did enjoy the developmental work environment PwC provided, what I didn’t enjoy was the sacrifice required to maintain the job in the midst of the cutthroat atmosphere it occurred in, the constant pressure to produce juxtaposed against ridiculous restrictions on how one could work – as though everyone required the same environment + conditions to produce results.

For me to do the job at my highest level (I worked in Ethics + Compliance)  meant I’d pretty much have to surrender every other aspect of my life to make it happen.

(Believe me at the time I wished I could be one of those people who could give what was necessary to get the job done right, and not an ounce more…but that’s so not me. I can’t do things halfway or even to the just enough mark. I am 100% in or opting out altogether.)

I remember telling my Dad prior to handing in my resignation that the job would be perfect if I could simply take myself out of the equation. If I didn’t have any hopes or aspirations outside of PwC, could significantly reduce the number of people I loved and wanted to spend time with, took away my desire to write, and my love of health, wellness + spirituality, I’d be completely happy with this job. If I could be devoid of myself, I’d have no problems with it all.

However, I couldn’t deny that I wanted more + I knew there was a better way to do business.

At PwC I witnessed an epidemic. People were stressed out to epic proportions, addicted to caffeine, living in fear. Fear that no matter what they did, it still wouldn’t be enough, that they couldn’t get out from underneath the massive amounts of work they found themselves drowning in. People swallowed by work, not taking care of themselves, and caught in a manic mode of constant doing without really understanding why they were doing it. And post the 2008 economic meltdown it intensified tenfold. Processes were streamlined, jobs went overseas, and leadership made it known that in tough economic times everyone was required to take on more responsibility. For over a year I actually had held two different jobs with the firm, in two different states. I worked half the week in the Manhattan office, and the other half the week in the Jersey City office, fulfilling obligations for two different roles.

I didn’t mind the hard work though, what bothered me was the wasted time I also witnessed. Time wasted due to a lack of rejuvenation, because of the bureaucratic inefficiencies of corporate culture, and to drama and politics. Sometimes what would normally take three hours, in some instances took three weeks. Sometimes what would take three weeks, six months.

Despite my many trips to my Managing Director’s office problem shooting, or consoling with my coach, I wasn’t growing.

So I created plan B; my own business. I decided to go out on my own + forge my own path. I gave my notice and stayed another quarter to transition my role and complete my projects. In the meanwhile, I got busy with my plans for my business while I saved some more money.

I wanted to help people do business in a way that created optimal results without wreaking havoc on the body. At PwC I witnessed stress consistently complicate results, tear teams apart, and worst of all-cause a lot of illness. Nothing frustrated me more than to see stress be the number one cause of illness and inefficacies.

I knew there had to be a better way. I set out on my own to find it. I went back to school to fully invest in my new chosen career direction, but I needed to make money in the process, so I created an LLC and starting consulting. My first client, a hedge fund. I couldn’t think of a better way to experience the challenges of working stress management into a business setting than to start in the New York City hedge fund world.

In this scenario, I took my corporate background in compliance + married it with the direction my career was headed in health + wellness. I spent a year with Abundance Partners helping them streamline their processes + organize systems. Simultaneously, I coached the managing partner on how to better manage stress so he could get more done without driving his health + sanity into the ground. We talked about astrological alignments and how to use astrology when making trading decisions.

I did this while I went back to school + studied both at Duke University and with my mentors. Now three years later, I have fully specialized my practice and I am blessed to do what I do as a health coach and counselor. I get to help women experience peak performance and optimal success in a way that honors the intricate nature of their endocrine system. Consequently, I get the same, peak performance and success in a way that honors me too. Woot-woot!

In many ways having created my own business, I work harder than I have ever worked before, but it’s different because I work in a way that allows me to honor my own rhythms. Not only do I have a more fulfilling time with my work because this is what I am truly passionate about- this is what I want to do with my life…I feel so fortunate to have the privilege of working so hard at what I love! There is fun work and there is passionate work, but there is no absence of work. Hard fun passionate work… and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

If you want to learn how to do the same, contact me, I am here to help.