The Exit I Didn't Choose

I never expected to leave recreation like this.

Not with a gut-wrenching  letter typed through tears as my substantive position needed to be vacated.

Not on medical leave that quietly turned into forever.

Not because I wanted to leave — but because I couldn’t stay. 

For over two decades, I poured myself into my career in municipal recreation.

I managed a large facilities. I oversaw aquatics, fitness, and community programs. I trained leaders, balanced budgets, managed emergencies, and carried it all — the vision, the logistics, the emotional weight — because that’s what good leaders do… right?

Except my body didn’t buy it. 

Behind the scenes, I was living with chronic migraine, ADHD, POTS, MCAS, and EDS — invisible illnesses that don’t care how strong your work ethic is. For years, I coped. Masked. Managed.

 Until I couldn’t.

When the work you love becomes the thing that’s hurting you

There’s something incredibly disorienting about realizing the career you once loved… is no longer a viable option. You are not capable of what is needed and it was contributing to breaking you.

You start to question everything:

• Did I fail?
• Why didn’t I stop sooner?
•  Who am I without this job?

But the real question is: What am I being called toward now?

 When I stepped away from operations, I wasn’t ready to tell anyone. It felt too raw, too final. I wasn’t just losing a job — I was losing an identity. A routine. A sense of purpose. And the stories… the stories wouldn’t leave me alone.

So I started writing.

Not with the intention to publish. Just to process.

But page by page, it became something more.

It became a mirror. A map. A message.

It’s a book for the rec professionals who’ve held it all together behind the scenes.

For the leaders whose health has taken a backseat to hustle.

For the purpose-driven women who’ve been taught to push through, no matter the cost. 

It’s part memoir, part leadership guide, part love letter to a field that gave me so much — and also, quietly, took more than it should have.

From recreation to reinvention

Leaving the field wasn’t the end of my story. It was the beginning of my alignment.

Now, I coach leaders — especially those in fast-paced, people-serving roles — to design systems and structures that support their energy, their goals, and their health.

Because leadership shouldn’t require self-sacrifice.

It should start with self-connection. 

This book is my way of closing a chapter while opening another.

It’s for every leader who’s ever whispered, “This can’t be it.”

It’s for you. 

💌 Your Invitation

If this resonates — if you’ve ever left something beloved, or been forced into a shift you didn’t see coming — I’d love to hear your story.

Reply. Reach out.

Let’s normalize the conversation around burnout, illness, identity, and leadership reinvention. 

And if you’d like early access to excerpts or behind-the-scenes as I write, just let me know.

We heal in community.

We lead in integrity.

And we write our legacy, one brave page at a time.

With heart + highlighters,