On August 2, 2016, I was laid off from my last corporate job at Fidelity Investments. I’d been there five years. It was a solid position, and on paper, things looked great. But under the surface, something else had been brewing for years.
I’d always had this quiet voice nudging me toward deep transformational coaching—toward helping others with the same challenges I had wrestled with. I’d done the training and the research. I’d made the plans. But I never took the leap.
Until I had to.
The Wake-Up Call
The layoff came with nine months of severance and a bonus payout. Everything I needed to start the coaching business that I have been dreaming of.
But here’s the part I still don’t like to admit. Instead of seeing it as an opportunity, my first instinct was fear. I needed to find another job—and fast! That’s what we’re conditioned to do, right? Security. Stability. A steady paycheck.
It became clear pretty quickly that a comparable job was not on offer. So I thought, maybe consulting?
For several months I had more conversations that went nowhere. But a close friend cut through the noise and asked me the question I needed to hear:
“What are you doing? You’ve been talking about coaching for years. This is your moment. Take it!”
She was right. And months after my layoff, I finally made the choice.
The Tool That Changed Everything: Pick Now
I now teach my clients a tool I call Pick Now.
It’s simple—but not easy.
We often wait for more clarity, more confidence, more data before making a move. But that fear you’re feeling? That hesitation? It’s not a red light. It’s a sign that you’re on the edge of something meaningful. It’s the last thing you feel before you take the leap.
You already know what to do. So do it. Pick Now.
When you choose—decisively—you invite momentum, clarity, and purpose to follow.
Everything wants these things before the choice. But you get them by makingthe choice.
(I’m convinced that this is why so many “side hustles” never really turn into anything. Mine certainly didn’t.)
What Happened Next
I didn’t pick right away. I was too scared! I did all the things—I hesitated. I tinkered. I dabbled as I looked in different directions.
Nothing moved until I chose.
Once I chose coaching—once I truly committed to it exclusively—everything started to change.
And I don’t just mean financially (though I now make more than I ever did in corporate).
I mean the fulfillment of working with amazing founders and CEOs. The joy of helping leaders scale without losing themselves. The pride in building something that’s mine.
The gratitude of making an amazing living working with others while working on myself.
All because I stopped waiting. And I picked now.
Pick Now. Then Pick Now Again.
I don’t want to suggest that you commit and you’re done. Far from it. The magic of Pick Now is in the compounding. In the power of developing the Pick Now muscle over time.
Every time you Pick Now it gets easier to Pick Now the next time. There is less fear, less hesitation, more excitement. And there is tremendous power in that.
It took a while (years, really) for me to Pick Now the first time. And my coaching business needed me to Pick Now again and again to truly get momentum. But now, every time I feel hesitant or stuck I know that if I just Pick Nowthings will get easer. The relief is palpable, the momentum unstoppable.
The same can be true for you.
If You’re on the Edge, This Is for You
Maybe you’re where I was in 2016. Sitting with a plan you haven’t activated. Knowing what you want—but not stepping into it.
Here’s my message to you: Pick Now.
Don’t wait for the fear to go away. Don’t wait for perfect clarity.
Pick Now. Take the step. Make the call. Launch the thing.
Do it scared.
Fear isn’t a red flag. It’s a green light. It means the only thing left is to take the leap.
Pick Now, and then Pick Now again, and again, and in a month, six months, a year—you won’t even recognize your life.
Does This Resonate?
If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear your story. What’s the thing you’ve been putting off? What would it look like to Pick Now?
And if you’re a founder wanting to explore this with other founders, DM me about in person event in Denver, October 20-21.
#PickNow #LeapOfFaith #Founder #ExecutiveCoaching