this time last year... I was holding onto a huge secret that would change *everything*

This time last year I was 48 hours away from announcing my resignation from my first and only full-time job.

I was terrified. I had been holding onto my decision to leave Gateway for months and had just told my boss a few weeks before. It is a weird twilight zone kind of experience to be in when you have decided something that will affect so many.

I was hired before I finished my grad program in 2013. To that point, I had followed the straightest path possible: grade school, college, grad school [that's a whole leg of the journey I could get lost in - for another day].

23 year-old Lauren was so eager to find a career she could feel good about. One that offered her impact, growth, challenge, and structure - she thrived in structure since she had literally always been told what to do and when her whole life.

Fast-forward almost 8 years - 31 year-old Lauren was leaving the one job she never thought she would leave.

In the years between, I had met incredible women who became best friends, I met my now-husband [thanks to technology], I lost my mother to breast cancer, I got engaged + married to my best friend/partner, I started a coaching / consulting business [where TF did I get that idea?! one of my best ideas that ultimately became my bridge to a new adventure], I lost a dear friend to suicide, I started seeing a therapist regularly - and those are just the big moments of love and loss.

My first job served as an anchor through the twists and turns of life in my 20s - and I was CHOOSING to saying goodbye to it. It felt like breaking up with a good thing. Something secure and stable to take a huge leap into the unknown.

I worked another 2.5 months after announcing my resignation. It was amazing and so painful. The closure was priceless - 2 weeks just wouldn't have come close to closing out relationships that have been so important to me for so many years. I learned a lot about patience and being present. I learned so much about slowing down and resisting the urge to rush and force things to happen / move faster.

Since May 2021 - I spent more time with family than EVER. I took more trips than EVER. All the days of PL I *did not take* - I finally took. It was a "working sabbatical" of sorts. I learned a lot about myself. I learned what my superpowers were and what drained me. I fell in love with my extraverted side again. I fell in love with my blend of structure + flow. I found my way to my yoga mat daily to explore what it felt like to be moving even when you feel like you are standing still.

A year later, I feel vibrant again. I am about to celebrate a month at Carolina Code School as well as training folks for fun at TriFit Barbell. I am in flow. I never saw any of this coming. Life is meant to be experienced. To be lived. In whatever way fits you best. And, for me? It is about connection, innovation and movement. I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have been led to because of my sheer willingness to keep Moving Bravely forward.