The Thing She Quit and Never Regretted

One of the hardest things I intentionally left behind was the idea that success had to mean staying on the traditional executive path. Choosing to build something of my own came with far more uncertainty, but it also gave me the freedom to create work that feels more aligned with who I am and the kind of impact I want to make.

I intentionally left behind the belief that success meant staying in a corporate role simply because I had worked so hard to earn it. Walking away gave me the freedom to redefine success on my own terms, trust my experience, and build something that truly reflects who I am and the impact I want to make.

A win? Learning to quit. Quitting to me has become my super power. I used to think quitting equalled personal failure, and although yes, you should not just quit on a whim. Knowing when to quit, either because something no longer serves you or because you have a bigger calling, is one heck of a win. Don't be scared to quit, it can take you further than you ever imagined.

For me, quitting is a mandatory part of the growth cycle. I have held many titles in my lifetime and every time I quit for a new one, it's came with such advantages. It is scary being in the unknown, but the unknown creates nothing but opportunity. Stay balanced, stay focused, and roll with the punches of life, there will be plenty. If you are in a place you know you need to leave, quit. Walk away from that which is not for you and you will always find something in the next doorway.

Walking away from toxic people was the moment perseverance became liberation. My peace expanded the second I stopped shrinking myself.

As an advocate I feel the need to fix every crisis myself. I decided I needed to quit trying to put out all of the fires myself and provide a pathway for team members and department leaders to provide a solution to problems that arise on their unit before I jump in. This has empowered our teams and allowed me to focus more of my time on patient experience initiatives while simultaneously reducing our patient complaints and grievances.

I stopped being negative and started looking at everything as a positive possibility. Thinking positively produces results.

I intentionally quit confusing perseverance with staying in situations that were no longer healthy or aligned with my purpose. Walking away taught me that quitting is not always giving up, sometimes it is choosing yourself, protecting your vision, and making room for something better.

I intentionally quit a job I had for about 15 years. I was the CSO for a large public company and left. It took courage and faith. I remembered something a mentor told me, "Is it better to regret or leap" So, how do you know unless you leap! Jump in life, believe by faith and know you're going to be just fine! Be encouraged, the best is yet to come. See it first, feel it, grab hold of that which you see and leap!

I practice strategies to help growth. One of them is strategic quitting. It helps increase opportunities for high impact roles as one consciously cuts ties with unpromising paths.

Leadership is not measured by how long you can carry everything. It is also knowing when to set it down.

I intentionally left behind the belief that I had to face each day in my own strength. Now I begin every morning surrendering my thoughts, worries, words, and steps to God, and that daily choice has deepened my relationship with my heavenly Father and brought so much peace into my life.

I believe that it is my calling to help as many people as I can, in any way I can, for as long as I am allowed. As a helping professional, there are hard life lessons that I have learned. That it's ok to say no, and it is necessary to say yes to yourself. The practice of self-care is not selfish; it is critical to your overall well-being. "Self-care is not self-indulgent; it is mindfulness, it is self-preservation." Unknown

I quit working at a small animal hospital after realizing that small animal practice was not where I wanted to be. It turned out to be the best decision because it allowed me to explore livestock production and find my long-term career.

I quit saying yes to everything and trying to be everything to everyone. For years, I confused being needed with being valuable and wore my ability to carry a lot like a badge of honor. Learning to say no, ask for help, and be more intentional about what deserves my energy taught me that boundaries aren't a lack of resilience; sometimes they're evidence of it. I don't regret putting down the things I was only carrying to prove that I could.

I quit believing that perseverance always means staying. I've left good companies, meaningful work, and people I respected not because something was wrong, but because something else mattered more at that point in my life. I've learned you don't have to diminish what you're leaving to justify choosing what's next. Sometimes perseverance means staying. Sometimes it means having the wisdom to know when it's time to go.

The thing I intentionally quit was trying to fit my career into one box. For a long time, I believed professional credibility required following one predictable path: staying in the same industry, carrying the same title, and defining my value through one type of work. My career did not develop that way. I have recruited across healthcare, construction, skilled trades, manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, and professional roles. Each experience strengthened a different part of what I bring from sourcing hard-to-find talent and partnering with hiring managers to helping companies define what they truly need, supporting retention, and telling stronger culture stories. Eventually, I stopped viewing that range as something I needed to explain and started recognizing it as one of my greatest strengths. That shift led me to create Relationship First Recruiting, where recruiting remains at the center of my work and where I use my experience to help businesses find the right people, strengthen their hiring approach, build their employer brand, and create teams that can grow and stay. Today, I can help a growing business fill an important position, strengthen its hiring process, improve its LinkedIn presence, and communicate why the right people should want to join and stay. Quitting the need to fit into one professional box gave me room to build a career that reflects the full value I bring. The right path does not always move in a straight line. Sometimes it grows wider as you discover everything you are capable of contributing.

I intentionally stopped waiting for someone else to recognize my success, because I finally realized that I had spent too much of my life looking for applause that may never come. I learned to clap for myself, to honor every obstacle I overcame, every tear I cried, and every step I took when giving up would have been easier. Today, I am proud of the woman I have become; not because someone else told me I should be, but because I know how far I had to travel to get here. And now, I celebrate myself, my journey, and the strength it took to become who I am.

I stopped believing that perseverance meant I had to keep going simply because I had already invested so much time, energy, and heart into something. Walking away wasn't easy, but sometimes the most courageous decision is admitting something no longer fits and giving yourself permission to choose a direction that feels more true to who you've become and where you want to be.

I quit listening to people who questioned my choices and journey and started listening to my heart and my gut. That decision took me to places and people that lead to my "heart's work". I stopped questioning myself and started believing "I can, I am capable, and I am enough".