I shared some big news on LinkedIn last week. Professionally, I’m getting ready to close a 14-year chapter. Working for my favorite beauty/hair brand was literally my dream job, and I’m so grateful for the experiences that came with that tenure: the work, the travel, the people I met, the teams I led and participated in. All of it was 100%.

But now it’s time to move on and figure out what I want to accomplish next, and with whom. The thing is, I have a big question mark. I’m not sure. What should be next? What do I want to do?

I think there’s sometimes criticism of the unknowing. When looking at hiring resources and best practices, so much importance is placed on how you position yourself. Experts tell you to be clear on your value proposition. But I’m honestly not sure how to do that yet.

I’ve been fortunate. My career has been expansive. I’ve gotten to do a lot of things. I’ve worked in and led digital for a major industrial business-to-business manufacturing company. I built a brand-sponsored online learning platform for veterinary technicians. I made my entire personality a major food and recipe website, where I managed both the technical roadmap and the content strategy and programming. (And, as a side benefit, got to taste hundreds of cookies in the test kitchen—yum!)

For the past decade-plus, I’ve focused on beauty and hair, producing everything from YouTube hair tutorials to a white-label e-commerce solution. I failed miserably at a metaverse build and saw more than one mobile app die a slow death. I’ve spoken on stage to industry professionals about search engine optimization best practices and to other beauty marketers on the power of user-generated content. I developed an entire website around chakras and a wooden statue. I even got COVID after touching dozens (if not hundreds) of phones teaching hairdressers how to use TikTok!

It’s been a wild ride. So, when I think about the next chapter, I feel like there are so many directions I can take, and I’m not yet ready to choose just one.

If I had to boil things down to a common thread, it’s storytelling. I love to spin a yarn. I’ve also learned throughout my career that the story can take endless shapes. It’s not just a written comms message or a social post; a story can be told through the technology you select or through how you train a team to execute an experience. And stories aren’t just for consumers; they are important narratives shared with business leaders, department heads, and customer service employees. Sometimes when people ask me what I do, I say that I’m a digital translator. I speak technical and can also explain in layman’s terms. My superpower is communicating the right message to the right audience at the right time.

So, as I look toward my future and this next chapter, I know it will focus on that storytelling ability. Honestly, I feel like the options are endless at this point. And that’s okay.

Like I said earlier, I’m super fortunate. I also have time on my side, which means time to take inventory and really examine my past:

– What all have I done?

– Where have I excelled?

– What drove the highest level of satisfaction?

– Where was I most passionate?

Often, with job loss, the person impacted is sent into a frantic forward motion out of necessity because time isn’t on their side. Bills need to be paid. Health insurance must continue. All those little requirements of this capitalist world we live in put us into a panic because we just need to maintain the status quo. Most often, people who face a layoff do not have the luxury to wait for the “right role” and the “best fit.” I’m super fortunate. I have the time. And for that, I am thanking all my lucky stars.

So, what am I going to be doing in the short term?

For one, I’m going to keep the lights on and finish out this current chapter as I transition my role to the new keepers of the work. I have an extended exit ramp—so, yeah, not leaving my day job immediately.

But I’ll also be starting my audit. I’m going to dig through all my PDPs for the past 14 years to refresh my memory of what I’ve accomplished…as well as what I haven’t.

I’m going back into the archives of my brain to think about my previous roles, too.

– Where did I truly drive success?

– What made me happy?

– What was I the most proud of?

I’m going to map out my career history like someone tracking a serial killer: stick all the information to the wall, examine, re-examine, let it sink in.

Out of that, I have confidence the future will emerge. What I want to do? Where I want to go? How can I continue to create? What stories do I want to tell?

I firmly believe there are phases in our lives where we are more passive. Things happen to us, and we go with the flow. But then there are moments where we need to steer the ship. We need to take control. We reinvent. I’m entering that phase now, and I couldn’t be happier about it.