How I left my six-figure consultancy career to leap into the unknown

Finding clarity by aligning head, heart, and gut.

This letter is intended for anyone who feels stuck.

After nine years of growing as a business transformation consultant and becoming part of the leadership team at the firm, I felt stuck. I can rationalize a dozen reasons for how I ended up feeling that way – changes in the fundamentals of the firm no longer fitting with what I value, changes in the nature of the work no longer fitting with what gives me energy, a shift to little interaction with people I enjoyed working with, me not speaking my truth when I should have, etc. And I can rationalize why I remained stuck there longer than necessary – essentially fear: fear of letting people down, of losing people’s approval, of disappointing myself, fear for my finances and how that would impact my family, and fear of the unknown.

Reaching the decision to leave was not easy and took time – over a year. There were so many layers within my psyche that I needed to bring to the surface and untangle in order to gain clarity. Figuring out the reasons I listed required me to first answer simple questions like: What are my values? What gives me energy? What kind of people do I admire? What people (and who) do I enjoy working with? What are these emotions that I am feeling, and that are holding me back from speaking my truth and from taking a course of action that meets my needs? Simple questions, but not easy to answer.

Ending the collaboration with the firm felt like ending a relationship where there’s still love, but you both know you’re no longer the right fit for each other.

In the end, what allowed me to pull the trigger was when my head, my heart, and my gut all reached the same conclusion, leading to a deeper knowing that allowed me to move forward with self-confidence.

The head.

As mentors usually do, they show up when you most need them. The mentor who showed up in my time of need had unfortunately already passed away. But I had a wonderful conversation with him through the work he left behind. Charlie Munger provided me with a very simple framework that inspired intellectual clarity.

I realised that a shift had taken place over the past year within all three basic rules, and they were no longer true for me.

The heart.

I accepted my situation as it was, no longer resisting it. I allowed myself to mentally make the decision to leave. I visualised the worst-case scenario of how it could play out in reality – what it would mean for my reputation, my finances, and whatever plans, hopes, and dreams I had for the future. I allowed myself to feel all the emotions that boiled up, accepting them fully and, to my surprise, realising that sadness, anger, and fear actually felt exhilarating, energising, and inspiring a deep faith in myself that I can navigate any situation life throws at me – as we all can – with joy. In the end, life is just a game. Play the games you love to play with non-attachment to the outcome of your actions.

The gut.

I would arrive at the office and could feel my entire nervous system tensing up. The playful part of me felt blocked. The joyful person I usually am was gone. At times, I could feel tension building up in my jaw, which I recently learned is a sign of suppressed anger, frustration, or unspoken words. I would sit in meetings and feel my muscles building up this weird tension instead of being in a relaxed state.

Sometimes the body really screams at us, and all we need to do is listen, resist the urge to find explanations for the ‘why’, and act. It took me a while to understand that.

The decision

There was no big plan for what I’d be doing next before making the decision. There was no ‘let me show them’ or ‘let me stick it to them’ moment. There was only clarity obtained through my head, heart, and gut. A sense of knowing that I’ll be okay no matter what the future brings. An immense gratefulness for the past years at the firm and all the good it brought into my life.

After a few long and heartfelt conversations, we concluded the collaboration and agreed on the practical details, ensuring as little impact as possible on the client I was working with.

Am I being foolish? Only time will tell.

Looking forward

The past month has been exciting. I’ve been catching up on some extra quality time with Silvia and Tommaso, and I’ve been running a bunch of experiments as I explore different tracks:

• Opportunities for working abroad in places like Hong Kong or Singapore;

• Further deepening my expertise as a business transformation consultant and data management professional, but in collaboration with other firms;

• Buying and growing a small business (many boomers reaching retirement age offers opportunities);

• Starting my own venture from scratch – whether it’s developing a habit tracker app that doubles as living room art, launching a tree worker business, opening a local Vivobarefoot shop, creating plant-based high-protein meals, offering guided hiking and nature tours, or conducting business research for investors focused on businesses active in data management;

• Starting a business as part of a franchise, such as in business coaching or fitness.

The business coaching franchise option looks like the most attractive track for now. In the next letter, I’ll share some details on why that is, as well as what tracks I’ve decided not to pursue and why.

Key for me right now is not to rush into any decision based on fear, as fear is the worst counsellor. Key is not to compromise on any of Charlie Munger’s basic rules. Key is to leverage the skills I have been building over the past decade. Key is to move into an activity where the economics make sense so it serves my life. Key is to add value and create a situation where I can pay forward the luck that I have enjoyed.

If you’ve stuck around this long, thank you for reading. I hope this article helps bring clarity to your journey.