Change is eternal, our need to adapt perpetual. Uncertainty and angst are the order of the day. No one is immune, and every person and organization is recalibrating mission and purpose with the urgency of the displaced.

For the past 25 years, I have been an entrepreneur and small business owner navigating the torrent of change and upheaval that defines the technology sector. Simultaneously, like many, my business has been buffeted by the same random, extreme, and unpredictable life forces that have tested us all. Along the away, I learned and adopted an important survival philosophy that has kept me motivated and committed to the positive and the constructive, while preserving my sense of purpose as well as my sanity. I call it pragmatic idealism.

s a 23-year-old entrepreneur, I’ve grown up with tech as a solution. Given that I’m only a couple of days older than Google, it might surprise you that what I’m about to suggest is not tech-related. Instead, it goes back to our core, real-life human connection.

I’m sure we’ve all felt technology has helped us communicate with relatives who live far away or make new friendships with people from different time zones. However, while technology connects us to those geographically distant, it often disconnects us from those close to us.

The pandemic has been one of the most relevant examples of how technology has enabled us to connect with loved ones, find other single people just around the corner who are up for dating, and even order food to be delivered to our doors in minutes. But that’s just the tip of the connection iceberg.

moved to Ghana, West Africa, prior to my senior year of undergrad to participate in an education abroad program. I was leaving the comfort that I knew to live in a new culture for an entire year. I traveled farther than ever before to a continent I had never seen. I didn’t know any Ghanaian people, but when I arrived I was warmly welcomed. Ghanaian students and university staff made me feel at home, and I quickly moved into a space of trust and open-mindedness, ready to absorb, adapt, and learn.

e all have moments when our credibility is on the line, and this was one of them. I was visiting a long-term client’s office, where just two hours prior I had presented a training on conflict and accountability to the entire human resources team. I winced as I heard a highly visible, veteran employee named Drew express his opinion about senior management in a highly unprofessional way. My wince was especially deep because Drew had uttered the comments in front of a set of new employees who had just joined the team. It was one of those moments when, if the wrong ears had been around, there was a good chance Drew would have been shown the door before the end of the day. I knew if I was going to maintain my integrity and credibility I would need to confront Drew about his comments and hold him accountable for his behavior.

he horror that struck a quintessential town in New England rippled across the globe. The loss of innocent young lives and the adults giving service for their futures was, and remains, incomprehensible. From that point on as a parent, that sick feeling inside of “Will my son be safe?” when dropping him off at school never faded throughout the years. The tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary School hit close to home; two children of high school friends were inside during the mass shooting.

eddy was a gangster. There is no other way to put it. And he was proud of it. When I showed up for my first day as a volunteer at the county juvenile detention center, I knew I was outside my comfort zone. I had no idea that Teddy was going to extend that comfort zone throughout the better part of a decade and take me hundreds of miles away from home.

When I met Teddy, my job wasn’t fulfilling. It paid for my student loans and other bills, but I was searching for an outlet that could truly make a difference. That’s why I started volunteering with young people. I love teaching and coaching.

fixated on fitting in, wearing a bland outfit so as not to draw attention to myself. I worked at staying quiet, not saying too much, sitting at a table in the back of the room.

As president and CEO of a professional services company for the last seven years, I was at a meeting with other CEOs to talk about potential partnerships. As the knot tightened in my stomach, the thoughts that ran through my head were, “I don’t fit in. Nobody looks like me. Are they going to take me seriously?” I prayed to the CEO goddesses. “Please make another woman walk into the room.”

My reaction to functioning in this way was to put my head down and bear it. Over time, these self-denigrating behaviors made me angry. Angry that I needed to adjust myself to be heard. Angry that I needed to fight for a seat at a table that I had earned…over and over again. When I decided to leave my CEO position and go out on my own, these formative experiences became the fuel that drove my consulting business. I wanted to help other women to function as the leaders they could be using all their skills and all their strengths, and to stop the conditioned behaviors that sabotage their success and happiness.

The Great Reveal

f I had a nickel for every time I told a client, “That resignation was avoidable,” I would have a lot of nickels.

Many pundits have claimed that COVID has caused “the great resignation.” I disagree. While COVID has disrupted a variety of issues around the globe, I believe much of the existing turnover was avoidable. The data offered prior to 2020 from the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), Quantum Workplace, Gallup, Aon Hewitt, and similar reporting agencies all suggest that significant workplace vulnerabilities have been prevalent for years. COVID simply served as “the great reveal.”

Burnout

Prior to 2020, about 60 percent of surveyed employees were burned out and 30 percent were feeling unusually high levels of stress at work. For the previous 10 years, data suggests nearly half of the workforce worked more than 45 hours per week. Finally, data suggests that while many employees expected their employers to support a balanced work/life environment, a large percentage felt they were denied reasonable consideration to meet the proposed objective.