There was a shift at work recently. From the outside, it might not have looked like anything’s changed. But inside, it feels like I’ve been swept up by a storm and dropped somewhere unfamiliar. I’m not in Kansas anymore.

I’m still doing the work I’ve always done. Still showing up, still ticking things off, still holding myself to the same standards I always have.

But the rhythm has changed. So has the weight of it. What used to feel steady now feels more fragile. Some days I feel like I’m holding together a version of my professional self with duct tape and too much heart.

I don’t talk about it much. I’ve been internalising it – because how do you explain this kind of in-between season?

It feels like a failure even though I did everything right.

It feels like I’m being punished for something I didn’t do.

I’m being humbled by this job I’ve poured my heart and soul into.

The Quiet Cost of Uncertainty

Every day now feels like a constant stream of reminders of things I can no longer take for granted:

• The ease of making decisions without hesitation
  
• The confidence in my ability to plan months ahead
  
• The freedom to spend, rest, or dream without worrying
  

There’s a low hum of anxiety that follows me around now.

It’s a strange feeling, this quiet unraveling.

I still look like myself. I still sound like myself in meetings. I’m still bringing the same experience to the table.

But something’s changed beneath the surface.

Reframing the Pivot

I started re-evaluating my career journey. It was bittersweet. It shook my core thinking I may have to start over.

At this age? At this level?

Seriously?

I mulled over it for weeks. And then I came to a realisation:

I will not be re-starting from scratch. I am reinventing with experience.

It doesn’t have to be a dramatic career change (oh trust me, I had plenty of alternate career ideas).

What if reinvention can be quiet?

Maybe it looks like pausing long enough to ask what I actually want.

Or letting go of parts of my career that no longer fit.

Maybe it’s shifting from “what can I achieve next?” to “what can I build that feels aligned with where I am now?”

Maybe it’s using the skills I already have – just in spaces that feel lighter, more me.

Reinvention as a Return to Self

I don’t have all the answers yet. But I do know this:

I’ve spent years helping other people build their online discoverability. and visibility. While I still believe in that work, I’m also starting to believe there’s something more I want to say. Something that’s more aligned with where I am in life.

That’s where Kindred Skies comes in. A space Pearlyn and I created as a soft landing for ourselves, and for anyone else navigating the messy in-betweens.

It’s also becoming a space for reinvention.

Nothing fancy but a slow, honest, deeply personal kind.

The truth is, I’m still in the thick of it.

There are days when I feel quietly hopeful, and days when I feel lost.

But I’m learning that reinvention isn’t always a bold move. Sometimes, it’s just a series of small, brave choices, made in the midst of uncertainty.

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So what does reinvention without starting over actually look like?

For me, it’s looked like:

• Giving myself permission to slow down instead of rushing toward the next milestone
  
• Saying yes to smaller, more personal projects that allow me to feel like myself again
  
• Building something meaningful alongside the uncertainty
  
• Trusting that I don’t have to throw everything away just to grow
  
• It’s not about burning down the old version of myself.

It’s about reshaping what already exists into something that feels more aligned. More sustainable. More honest.

This isn’t the end of my career.

Just a pivot, and a realisation that even in the in-between, when things are uncertain and unpolished, there’s still room to begin again.

Not from scratch.

But from here, a day at a time.

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We’re Pearlyn and Sha — two digital strategists (and moms) who’ve been in this game for over a decade. We help brands connect with modern moms in ways that are strategic and human.

👉 Follow us for more insights on branding, motherhood, and digital strategy.

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