The Courage to Begin Again: What Happens When Your Next Chapter Isn’t Your Choice

We spend much of our professional lives building toward something. We develop our expertise, invest in relationships, and work hard to establish ourselves. Over time, our careers become part of our identity, shaped by the work we do and the people we lead. But sometimes, life changes the plan. An organizational restructuring or an unexpected job loss can close a door we never anticipated would close, leaving us facing a question we may not have considered in years: What comes next?

After spending four years leading a design system team at Ford, I found myself facing that question. I had invested so much in building a design system, supporting designers, and helping product teams work more effectively. It was work I cared deeply about, and the people I worked alongside made it especially meaningful. I miss my team, the collaboration, the shared challenges, and the satisfaction of watching something we had built together come to life. While some days I feel ready to embrace what comes next, other days I’m reminded of just how much that chapter meant to me.

I’ve realized that moving forward doesn’t mean you stop missing what you’ve left behind. We don’t have to turn every unexpected change into an immediate success story or pretend we have all the answers. Sometimes, we simply need time to figure out where we want to go.

This chapter has brought more time with family and opportunities to create special memories. Recently, I designed a beautiful baby shower for my niece. I loved bringing the theme together, thinking through the details, and watching a vision become reality. For a while, that creative energy felt wonderfully familiar, reminding me how much I love solving design challenges and turning ideas into something tangible. But when the celebration passed and the project was finished, I found myself looking for the next thing to work on.

That experience helped me recognize that my passion for creating hasn’t disappeared. What I miss is having an ongoing challenge, something meaningful to build, and a team alongside me to share in the work. I’m still discovering what that next opportunity might look like, and I’ve come to understand that we don’t lose what we’ve learned or who we’ve become simply because a chapter ends. But knowing what we’re capable of doesn’t always make it easier to decide what comes next.

Perhaps my next chapter will involve applying my experience in a different environment, helping other leaders navigate complex challenges, or pursuing a direction I haven’t fully imagined yet. I’m learning to leave room for those possibilities without feeling that I need to have everything figured out today. For me, leadership has always been about more than delivering results. It’s about creating the conditions for people to do meaningful work, helping teams find clarity, and recognizing the value each person brings. Those principles remain important to me, and I want whatever comes next to reflect them.

If there’s one thing this transition has taught me, it’s that our definition of success can evolve. The goals that motivated us earlier in our careers may not be the only ones worth pursuing today. We can take pride in what we’ve built while remaining open to new ways of contributing. If you find yourself facing an unexpected transition, give yourself the same grace you’d offer someone else. Allow yourself to miss what mattered, and pay attention to the things that still bring you energy, even if that feeling is fleeting. You don’t need to turn every spark into a plan or know exactly where it will lead.

I’m learning that the courage to begin again isn’t about having complete confidence in the future. It’s about trusting the experience we’ve gained, staying open to possibilities, and being willing to take the next step even when we can’t yet see the entire path. We may not have chosen the moment that changed our direction, but we can choose to keep moving forward.

Our next chapter doesn’t have to be a repeat of the last one. It simply needs to be a chapter we’re willing to write.