Finding Joy in the Unexpected

I've been contemplative over the last couple of weeks so this blog post is going to be a little different- more personal in nature.

In November of last year, I received news that changed the course of my career. After 20 years in administrative roles, including the last decade focused on Human Resources, I was told that I had done my job so well that they no longer needed me.

At first, it felt like standing at a crossroads. The path I'd been traveling for two decades suddenly ended, and I had to decide what came next.

The truth is, consulting had been on my mind for quite some time. Long before it became my profession, it was something I was already doing naturally. I was the person friends called with HR questions. The one who somehow found a way to bring employment law, workplace issues, and policy discussions into everyday conversations.

For those who know me well, this will come as no surprise. I can talk way too much about Human Resources, but underneath all those conversations is something deeper; I genuinely enjoy helping people.

Throughout my career, I've always loved being the bridge between employers and employees. I believe the best workplaces are built when both sides understand each other, communicate effectively, and work toward common goals. Helping create those connections has never felt like work to me.

Today, as a consultant, I still get to be that bridge. The difference is that I now have the opportunity to support a wide variety of organizations, each with their own unique challenges, goals, and stories and no two clients are the same.

One day I may be working with a remote-first company navigating employment laws across multiple states. The next, I'm helping a nonprofit strengthen its people practices. Then it's an aviation company, a retail business, or another growing organization trying to figure out its next steps.

What I've discovered over the past several months is that the real work of consulting isn't just about policies, compliance, handbooks, or HR strategy-it's about learning about people.

It's about understanding what makes each organization unique, what keeps leaders up at night, what employees need to be successful, and how I can help bring those pieces together.

Every client teaches me something new, every conversation broadens my perspective, every challenge presents an opportunity to learn and that has been an unexpected joy.

When I look back on that moment in November, I realize it wasn't an ending. It was an invitation. An invitation to build something of my own, to serve others in a new way, and to fully embrace work that aligns with my strengths and passions.

Life doesn't always give us the transitions we would choose. Sometimes the doors close without warning. Sometimes our plans are rewritten for us but finding joy isn't always where we expected. Sometimes it's found in discovering opportunities we never would have pursued otherwise.

Today, I'm grateful for the road that led me here. I'm grateful for the clients who trust me, the businesses that allow me to be part of their journey, and the chance to spend each day doing work that I genuinely love.

Most of all, I'm grateful for the reminder that sometimes our greatest joys are waiting on the other side of an unexpected crossroads.

And as it turns out, I still get to talk way too much about HR. The difference is now people hire me to do it. 😉🌲