From Burnout to Breakthrough - How Self Discovery Transformed My Life + Business

The “before” and “after” points in my life are marked by a journey of deep self discovery. Before this journey, I had life completely backwards. 

Don’t get me wrong, I was living a life that I had built intentionally, and with so much love. I was helping people transition between life phases through buying and selling real estate, and I had co-created a beautiful space for children and their parents. 

But without a true understanding of my energy, strengths, and challenges, I was simultaneously setting myself up for failure. Well, maybe not failure… but a life spent working 10x harder than it felt like I should be working… a life spent constantly spinning my wheels, feeling like I was swimming upstream against the current, starting to resent the idea of growth and success.

And then one day, it all became crystal clear. I was in the middle of interviewing new employees and instead kept finding myself coaching them to chase their dreams, start the business, go back to get that degree. That same afternoon showing houses to an investor, I found myself in the middle of the living room mapping out business plans. And I started to feel something I hadn’t felt in a long time… small seeds of inspiration taking root deep inside of me. And in that moment, I knew it was time to make a change. 

But I quickly realized that I had no clue how to take these tiny, fleeting sparks of excitement and turn them into something tangible. So began my journey of self discovery… perhaps the most revelatory journey of my first four decades, and one that now finds me living a new career that’s fueled by passion, aligned with purpose, and bolstered by the energy and strengths I’m now so attuned to. 

We spend so much of our lives checking boxes, following the path that we think will propel us “forward” the quickest, ignoring our strengths because we fear it will make us too prideful, making decisions based on what other people think of us, or putting their needs before our own… all while ignoring what makes us unique, what gifts we can offer the world, and what we’re actually good at. Research actually says that, although 95% of the population believes that they are self aware, only 10-15% of people are actually self aware. 

I’m certain that I was once part of that 95% claiming to be self aware, without actually being self aware. I like to think I’m now part of the 10-15% but also humbly recognize that self awareness isn’t ever actually achieved, but instead, it’s a lifelong journey that demands of us continuous introspection and self-learning. 

As I reflect on the early stages of this specific journey inward and the tools that made the biggest difference, these are the three transformative tools I would start with if I were just beginning a journey of self discovery: 

Journaling - iykyk. If you’re not a journaler, you’re probably wondering how a “diary” can be so life changing. There’s just something that happens when you open a journal with intentions of honesty and an open heart, and then put pen to paper. It may not happen every time you pick up a pen, but there’s true gold in the moments when your subconscious mind speaks its truth and you’ve lost conscious control of the words as they flow. Start by asking yourself how your life or career make you feel. What frustrates you? What lights you up? Why do you do what you do? What legacy do you want to leave in this world? 

The Working Genius - Hands down, my favorite personality tool if you want your business to flow with ease. Here, I discovered my love for beginnings. New businesses, new solutions to old problems, new revenue streams. I learned of my gift for “invention.” And through this tool, I also learned to accept that I do not love the details. When I’m caught up in the details or smaller tasks of a project, I burn out really quickly. I love com ing up with the ideas, but if I really want to thrive, I need some help with the details. 

Astrology / Natal Chart - They say that astronomy is a study of the universe, while astrology is a study of your inner universe. Through my natal chart, I learned to embrace my love for learning, and that my natural strengths lie in teaching, coaching, and mentoring. I learned that when I’m living in my comfort zone, I’m protecting my privacy, but that if I wanted to live in alignment with my truth and what feels like my purpose, I would need to find a way to share my inner world. A deep dive into your natal chart (try www.astro-seek.com ) - it’s free, by the way - can help you reveal your truths, too. I really believe that each of us can find so much clarity in our lives when we look to our stars. 

The journey of self-discovery isn’t a one-time event—it’s a lifelong practice of checking in, listening to yourself, and adjusting as you grow. For me, understanding my energy, strengths, and natural inclinations completely changed the way I approach success. Now, instead of working against myself, I work with my unique gifts to create a business and life that feels both fulfilling and sustainable.

If you’re feeling stuck, exhausted, or disconnected from your work, start by getting curious about who you truly are and what energizes you. The right tools—whether it’s journaling, personality frameworks, or even astrology—can help you uncover what you’re meant to do and how to do it with ease.


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Lessons from Japan on Grace, Balance, and Ease 

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How My Word of the Year Took Me on a Journey I Didn't See Coming