My Journey: From Unfulfilled to Thrilled

Have you ever felt unfulfilled, like there was something missing? Like there was just more to life? Because, SAME.

For years I felt unsatisfied with my career, unproductive with my free time, and either really in-sync with my health or really… not. So I decided to try to find out why. I wanted to know what that feeling of “more” meant to me and what was missing.

The office life chose me.

About a month into my first “big girl job,” I knew I was in trouble. Coming into an office every day, soul-crushing managers, having to pack a gym bag, going out for lunch (because I was too lazy to pack one) and munching on unhealthy snacks daily… I felt like I was in a ground-hogs-day movie. How could I do this every day for the next 40+ years?? Cue: existential crisis.

I tried my best to find a new role, a different company, anything that would make me happier with my career, but still found myself constantly unsatisfied by corporate job after corporate job. I thought marketing was supposed to be *fun*? The years and money I spent working toward my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees felt totally wasted. The office life was not, and is still not for me.

I knew there was something more out there for me, I could FEEL it in my bones. I just couldn’t figure out what “it” was. I wondered if the daily existential dread of going to work was just a part of being an “adult” (answer: no) or if I had chosen the wrong career path (also no, I love marketing) or if something was just wrong with me (still nope). What I didn’t realize at the time was that it’s all part of the journey that lead me to where I am today.

TO SAY I WAS LONGING FOR A CHANGE IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

This is NOT what I signed up for.

I’ve always been a creative person and all I wanted to do was create (hence choosing marketing as a career path) but much to my disappointment, that was NOT what my marketing jobs entailed. WTF! I felt duped. I had so much creative energy boiling up inside me, and all I wanted to do was write, take photos and make pretty things. Is that so much to ask? I was so sick of my creativity being stifled by cubicle walls and boring projects that I could cry – and may have on multiple occasions.

But when I stumbled upon the world of blogging, my creative wheels started to turn. THIS was the creative outlet I was looking for, so I spent hours on Pinterest figuring out how to create a blog of my own. In 2016, I finally launched my first blog, “Sunkissed in December” as a place to share freely about all of the things I was passionate about (which is like, a lot of things). At the time, it was mostly DIY’s, craft brewery reviews, productivity and self-improvement strategies.

I accepted that while corporate life wasn’t for me, I was going to have to put up with it to pay the bills as I worked on my blog and toward a new career. My blog brought my enough joy and creative outlet to hold me over for now, so it was time to focus on the other aspects of my life that weren’t bringing me joy.

I knew that if I worked on myself and made an effort to improve every area of life outside of work, it would make work a little more bearable. Life is about so much more than your job, but nonetheless, my Capricorn tendencies make it pretty damn hard to not focus on my career.

Now what?

So where was I going to start? I grew up an athlete, figure skating for eight years, playing travel and varsity volleyball, and running varsity track for four years. So I decided to reconnect with the physical side of myself through a variety of workout classes. Physical fitness is SO important for our wellbeing, and I truly believe it’s the catalyst that helps other facets of our health fall into place.

I found that I connected with both the spiritual and physical practice of yoga, and became a certified yoga instructor in early 2020. I was determined to teach at a studio, but of course, the pandemic had other ideas. After months of making my friends practice with me at the beach, in our driveways, and on Zoom calls, I finally landed a job teaching at YogaSix in St. Pete in December 2020. It’s been the most amazing experience to connect with the community at this new studio!

At this point, I had been working on Sunkissed in December for four years and had grown a lot both on Instagram and in my community. I wanted to incorporate more yoga, fitness, mindfulness and wellness topics into my blog, but something still felt off. The brand I had created for myself over the years had evolved and no longer aligned with my original blog/brand, and that’s where we #PIVOT.

I wanted to create a platform for people like me who are feeling unfulfilled, or who want MORE out of life, and where could share my knowledge of creating a mindful lifestyle focused on personal wellbeing. In early 2021, Namaste By The Bay was born!

Where will I go from here?

I’ve always felt called to help others, whether it’s offering advice on what vitamins to take or helping them work through dilemmas (personal, business or health wise!) It’s just in my nature to teach and problem solve. Life and health coaching had been on my radar for years, with a savings account dedicated to eventually getting certified. My good friend has been a holistic health coach and I’ve always envied her business and lifestyle. I mean, how cool is it to be able to have such an impact on changing peoples lives? That’s something no marketing career could give me.

But of course, imposter syndrome is REAL. How could I possibly transition into health coaching? What about the years I’ve poured into my career in marketing? Oh wait, that’s right – that career doesn’t even make me happy. But how would I make enough money to support myself? What if no one wanted to be my client? The list of questions I used to talk myself out of pressing “Submit” on my health coach certification program went on and on.

But when that same friend I mentioned earlier launched her own holistic health coach certification program backed by the International Coaching Federation, I knew I had to be a part of it. Instead of letting my marketing career define my life, I decided to reframe it into something that would fuel and support my dream career of being a wellness blogger and health coach. I felt confident that the years of marketing would only help me succeed, create courses and programs, build a brand, grow my blog, and reach new clients.

So that’s what I’m working on. I’m a few months into my health coach certification and could not be more excited about everything I’m learning or the direction my life is going. It’ll be a challenge and might be scary at times, but it’s better than crying in the car while I sit in traffic on the way to my corporate marketing job, right?

Speaking of corporate office marketing jobs, I quit mine. I knew I couldn’t sustain my blog, teaching yoga, and health coaching while all of my energy was being sucked down the drain at work. Freedom and flexibility are a few of my core values, and that a remote job was the only way I was going to be happy with a full time job and be able to balance everything else. A fully remote Director of Marketing role essentially fell into my lap when I received a message from a recruiter on Linkedin, so I went for it and got the job.

I’m so glad you’re here and I hope you come along for the ride. My plan for this blog and my future business is to be a source of inspiration, information, and to hopefully connect with you! If you’d like to stay in touch, be sure to follow along on Instagram and subscribe to my newsletter!