The WTF moments of change

I was chatting with a friend recently about the disorienting nature of change—the kind that leaves you saying, “What just happened?”

Sometimes, we don't even realise we're in the middle of a shift until it's already underway. It's like change sneaks up on us, catching us off guard, and we're left wondering where it even came from.

Most of my biggest life changes have started with this kind of unsettling disorientation. 

It's that feeling that something is off— different or unsettled—but you can't quite put your finger on what's different or how to find your footing again. It feels a little spinny. 

Other times, it's like getting blindsided by something you never saw coming. But once it's there, you can't unsee it—it's impossible to go back to how things were.

2 examples

As a young woman, I was ambitious and driven (still am to some extent). I dreamed of a career full of adventure, travelling to distant places, living and working abroad, and putting off settling down for as long as I could. But in my mid-20s, my priorities shifted in a way I never anticipated. 

After losing my parents suddenly in a car accident, I was overcome by a profound and sudden desire to create my own family.  It felt immediately true, but also, I didn't see it coming.

It became my focus for the next decade. I was 26 years old, I found my partner for life and married him within 9 months! And 9 months after that we were pregnant with our first child then had 3 more kids in the years following. 

I felt it in my body first.

Similarly, I had an intense experience in 2020 where I immediately knew I needed to uproot my family from the home we'd lived in for 17 years and move. I did not see that coming. We'd built that home and we'd raised our 4 kids there.  I wasn't looking to move, and it didn't make logical sense to me or my husband.  

In fact, SO many of my changes have not made logical sense to me.

Professional examples: getting out of a career in clinical research after spending 8 years to get to the position I was in, travelling the world, and setting up clinical trials with perks galore!

More recently I left a job I loved to start my own business in coaching. 

People love to glamorise the before-and-after of change, but the beginning? It's often a chaotic mess, where all you have are fragmented glimpses of something new taking form. 

I think that's what makes change so scary—we can't see the full picture right away. And honestly (frustratingly), we're not meant to. That's just not how change unfolds. 

At its core, my work is about helping people learn to trust those inner nudges—the ones that don't always make logical sense. It's about working with the fragments and navigating the uncertainty. 

If you're feeling unsettled, disoriented, or like the ground beneath you is spinning, I see you. It's possible you're standing at the threshold of a change that hasn't fully revealed itself yet.

P.S. If the change you sense is of the career variety, I'm here. If you're more of a "I'll take the reins, just gimme some structure" person, there's this, and if you sense you need some deeper support and some 1-on-1 love, there's also this. Not sure which? Book a clarity call - I'd love to chat.

P.P.S. Feeling stuck because you’re unsure what’s next? You’re not alone. Career change isn’t just about landing a new job—it starts with uncovering what’s holding you back.

In my FREE masterclass, "Get Unstuck: The First Step to Career Change," you’ll discover:

✅ The 6 universal fears that keep career changers stuck

✅ 2 simple yet powerful strategies to challenge and reframe those fears

✅ How to take action—even if you don’t have it all figured out yet

Don’t let doubt keep you in limbo. Watch the free masterclass now!