and what comes next when you realise it.

Freshly Reframed: Coaching-inspired reflections and prompts by Freshly’s in-house coach Izzy Abidi - combining professional coaching with the art of storytelling to support individuals through their story arcs across transitions, confidence, career and leadership.

You followed the rules. Climbed the ladder. Got the title.

Now you’re wondering what’s next - and you’re wondering why you’re wondering what’s next.

Career transitions often get sold as big leaps. Bold pivots. Reinventions. The kind of things that are announced with a LinkedIn post that starts with “Some personal news...”

In reality, transitions are slow-cooked meals. Quieter. Not leaps but nudges. A long process of paying attention to what doesn’t feel good anymore. Of noticing where your energy comes back online. Of letting something go, even if you’re still scared about what might replace it.

Here are some things that aren’t said enough, especially on online platforms.

You’re allowed to outgrow things that once fit you.

You’re allowed to change direction without having a ten-year plan.

You’re allowed to want more ease, more alignment, more truth.

Here are some thought-prompts for the space between the before and the after - the bit no one posts about.

1. When the ladder’s up against the wrong wall, it’s totally okay.

You can be really good at something - and still not want to do it anymore.
Maybe you chased the thing that made sense at the time. Or the thing that looked good from the outside. And it worked. You made it. But now you’re here, looking around, wondering if this serves you anymore.

There’s a kind of quiet sadness or guilt that can come up in realising you’ve built a career that doesn’t fit anymore. Not because it failed - because it succeeded… and it still doesn’t feel quite right.

💡Reminder: all the work you’ve put into getting where you are is never wasted. It can often be crucial ingredients for whatever your next chapter is.

2. Not a leap, just the next step

Career transitions get romanticised as big, bold leaps. Brave moves. Announcements with glossy rebrands.

In reality, most shifts start small. You might not even realise you’ve experienced small shifts in other areas of your life before.

A conversation that leaves you buzzing. A mundane task that drains you more than it should. A side project that starts to feel like the real work.

It’s rarely cinematic. It’s often awkward. These small nudges matter.

They’re how you find the next right thing - without needing to name the whole picture (or post about it) yet.

💡Reminder: start to pay attention to what you’re not paying attention to.

3. Powering through the awkward bit in between

This is probably the hardest part. You’re no longer fully the person you were and you’re not quite the new version either. You feel like you’re walking out of the house half-dressed.

You’re using a job title in emails that you wish you could change. Still showing up to work that no longer fits. Something has shifted - and you can’t un-know it. It’s weird. You feel like a fraud in both directions. As odd as it feels, this is the most powerful place to be in, because you now know.

💡Reminder: This in-between is where the real change happens. It’s where you build the next version of yourself, from the inside out.

4. Allow me to re-introduce myself (again)

One of the strangest parts of shifting paths is figuring out how to talk about what you do, especially when it’s in motion.

People ask: “So what do you do?”

You freeze. Because the old answer feels false, and the new one doesn’t exist yet.

This is where you start fumbling through new language. Trying on different ways of describing what matters to you now. It might sound messy at first, but that’s how clarity begins.

Practice will help you figure out what feels good and true to yourself.

💡 Reminder: Let the first few pancakes not be perfect. They are still edible and all the right ingredients are there.

5. You’re allowed to change your mind

In today’s world, where we are asked our social media handles before we are asked anything else, it’s easy to attach weight to titles, positions, personal brands and systems. These systems can create mental barriers when we want to change. The reality is, there are no rules. You can change your online bio or title to whatever you want, without even announcing it.

Just because something used to light you up doesn’t mean it has to forever.

Just because it’s working on paper doesn’t mean you’re obligated to keep it going.

You’re allowed to shift.

You’re allowed to listen to what your body or mind has been telling you for a while.

You’re allowed to want different things than you used to.

💡Reminder: Changing a title is not failure. It’s evolution. It’s as human as it gets.

Remember, a “crisis” doesn’t mean you failed.

It means you’re listening to yourself. You’re winning.

You don’t have to have a name for it yet, so you casually call it a crisis and laugh about it with your friends. Or give it a name you enjoy: transformation, game, ferris wheel.

Keep moving toward the version of you that feels most real and if you need a little help from professionals or friends along the way, lean into that.

Acknowledge that the weird in-between is powerful. The awkward self-introductions are the slow shift of identity you’ve been wanting for a while.

💡 Reminder: most career transitions don’t start with a breakthrough. They start with a small, subtle truth you can’t ignore anymore.

If you’re in this space-between, we’d love to hear how it’s showing up for you. What’s your version of the quiet shift?

This article is dedicated to the ones in transition - the people quietly rebuilding their careers from the inside. High-five. Keep going.

💌 Know someone quietly navigating a transition? Feel free to pass this their way.

Small reframes can shift everything - the art is noticing them Try one of these prompts with a friend or teammate and see what comes up.

More coaching tools and reflections at Freshly Reframed or book a free conversation through our Coaching page.

Or, speak to Izzy directly.

Book a call with Izzy

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What If You Built a Career You Don’t Want Anymore?