POV: The Unexpected Gift of Being "Fired" & the magic that comes from alignment

Mar 7

August 13th, 2023

There was a time not too long ago when I was still working my corporate job and I was dreaming about quitting. It was something I had been wanting to do for a LONG time, I was so unhappy and I knew it, but I stayed—one foot in and one foot out, for far too long. The funny thing is, being one foot in and one foot out is always harder then going all in on yourself. Finally, I had everything planned: the meeting with my boss, the exit strategy, and all the courage I could muster to walk away from a corporate job that I knew was no longer serving me. But instead of that pivotal conversation, something completely unexpected happened… I got fired.

Wait—what?! Yup, you read that right.

And honestly, it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. Here’s the story:

I had been struggling for a while. Deep down, I knew my corporate job wasn’t fulfilling me anymore. I had already been building my coaching business on the side, working hard to grow it while clinging to the perceived “safety” of my corporate paycheck. I told myself I’d leave when I hit a certain milestone—“When I have X number of clients per month, or when I make enough money to replace my corporate salary, or when the universe gives me a sign.” I even asked for a very specific sign—a red parachute.

The truth? I was scared. I wasn’t just afraid of leaving the stability of a well-paying job. What I hadn’t fully admitted to myself was that I was also terrified of failing. I wasn’t afraid of taking the leap—I was afraid of leaping toward my true desires and not succeeding. It wasn’t just a fear of the unknown; it was the fear of not fulfilling my purpose. Deep down, I knew it, but it was buried under layers of doubt and insecurity.

I had long outgrown my corporate job. The last three years had been full of new management that, to be honest, didn’t seem to trust or respect me. I felt micromanaged, never good enough, and the constant criticism played into my old “I’m not enough” story. It was demotivating, exhausting, and ultimately—soul-sucking. Even though I had the tools to work through it, the mental battle wore me down day after day. I had talked to my husband about how miserable I was, how desperately I wanted to quit, but I kept telling myself I needed a “plan,” a “safety net,” before I could take the plunge.

Then, one Sunday night, something shifted. I realized that the next day was Monday, and the familiar dread hit me like a ton of bricks. For the first time, I truly felt how the thought of going to work made me anxious—my body was telling me that this stress wasn’t just about my job; it was about my health.

I woke up Monday morning, still half-asleep, and heard a voice in my head: “Today is the day.” My next thought: “….the day to what?” (insert confused face), and then I heard: “To quit”. had asked for a sign—my red parachute—but now I felt like I was being guided in a different way. So, I made a decision: I was going to release my grip on what I thought I needed and trust the process. I wasn’t sure how things would unfold, but I knew I was done living in fear. I tried to book a meeting with my country manager but he cancelled it—he was too busy. I was let down, and I started to doubt again—Am I really making the right decision or am I crazy?

Driving in the car on the way to the office, I started listening to a podcast, with Glennon Doyle and Brene Brown, and they were taking questions from listeners—that’s when I heard the question that broke me open. “How do you know when it’s time to quit anything? A relationship? A job? Anything.” Brene said that if ever you’re asking this question, you already have the desire to quit, so the real question was — what do you fear (that’s keeping you from doing it)? And that’s when I really thought about it and recognized my deeper heavier fears. That’s when I realized that what I was really afraid of was going on in on my purpose, and then failing, because it would confirm my deepest fear and wound — that I wasn’t good enough. I realized in that moment how ridiculous that was because if it was really my purpose, if my higher power put me on this path then there is NO WAY I could ever truly fail at this, I just needed to trust I would be supported.

I spoke to my higher power at that moment and said: I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. I’m sorry I didn’t trust myself, or you..but I’m ready to fully surrender — whatever happens happens and it may not make logical sense to anyone else but it doesn’t have to. I feel in my bones that it’s right— I KNOW this is what I need to do, so I’m ready.

My meeting was scheduled for the next afternoon, but needing one last dose of courage, I turned to my oracle deck—I shuffled the cards and said: Help me prepare for what’s on the other side of this call, what do I need to know? and then I pulled out Peaks of Joy. As I looked at the card, tears welled up in my eyes. The message felt like a cosmic hug. The card depicted a woman courageously leaping into the unknown, her red garment billowing behind her, almost like a red parachute. The message read:

“Joy is yours today! No matter what your inquiry is, you will be happy with the results. You’re coming closer to a sense of achievement, and you’ve worked hard for it. You’re surrounded by true companions and events that are synchronistically arranged to bring you to the next level of your life.

The world is singing a beautiful harmony. Life is exhilarating and hopeful. Let gratitude fill your heart and remember to share your happiness. Joy is contagious!”

It was the confirmation I needed. This was my red parachute, just not in the way I had expected.

I got on that call and waited, but instead of my country manager showing up, it was HR that showed up with my manager. And that’s when I knew. They had beaten me to it—I was getting fired. In that moment, I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. Less than 24 hours earlier, I was planning to walk away with nothing, but here I was—being given an unexpected severance package to fall back on while I pursued my dream of coaching full-time. I had wanted a safety net, and this was the perfect cushion to support me in my leap. But I firmly believe that it wouldn’t have happened that way, if I had not taken the first step, if I had not been resolved in taking action.

Within the next month, things began to unfold even more unexpectedly. I was offered a position as a Performance Coach for a company that allowed me to work from anywhere in the world and coach full time—both for them and for my own business. It was the dream job I hadn’t even been looking for, one that checked all my boxes and exceeded my expectations. And that severance package? It was just the icing on the cake.

This is what’s possible when you stand in your truth. When you align with your authentic self and take action from that place—amazing things happen. Sometimes, things turn out even better than expected. Sometimes, the most unexpected things are the greatest gifts. When you speak your desires into the universe and release the how, you often find that things unfold even better than you could have imagined.

Here’s what I learned: