Leap Before You’re Ready!
Reinvention is in our DNA - Why the best pivots can happen before you have it all figured out!
Every seven to ten years, you're literally not the same person you were before. Your cells regenerate, your bones rebuild themselves, your skin renews. Change isn't just something that happens to you—it's written into your DNA. It's how you survive, how you grow, how you become.
And yet, we act surprised when our lives demand the same evolution.
Think about who you were in school. The person navigating social hierarchies and figuring out where you fit. I was that kid who was a little shyer—the only one in my neighborhood with divorced parents, (hello Ireland in the 90’s) learning early that my life wouldn't look like everyone else's. Then college—whole new world, new possibilities, shedding versions of yourself that no longer worked. Your first job, where you learned to be professional, competent, someone people took seriously.
Your personal life follows the same pattern. For me, it was moving across an ocean, building a life in a country that wasn't my own. Maybe partnership, maybe marriage. Perhaps parenthood—where entire parts of yourself you never knew existed suddenly unfold. The version of me that became a parent bears little resemblance to the twenty-something standing in Shannon Airport with just a suitcase and a vague dream.
Every stage reveals something new. Every transition asks you to adapt.
Every stage reveals something new. Every transition asks you to adapt.
This is reinvention. Not some dramatic one-time transformation, but the constant evolution of becoming. We've been doing it our entire lives—our bodies know how, our psyches know how. We're built for this.
I've reinvented myself more times than I can count. From that very shy girl to sitting in board rooms with C-suite holding my own. From entry-level to building a career in talent acquisition, leading and building global teams. From single to Married. From carefree to responsible for tiny humans who need me to have my life together.
Each version built on the one before, but fundamentally different.
Yet through it all, there's a thread—the qualities that make you uniquely you remain constant. The growth, the learning, the experiences? Those aren't replacements. They're upgrades. Opportunities to meet and exceed the potential that was always there. Can I still be shy and a little bashful?… Yes. Can I still find a way to power through, find confidence and lead that board room meeting… Also, yes.
And here's what I know for certain: It's never too late to reinvent, reimagine, or rediscover who you are—or who you want to become.
So why do we resist it so fiercely when it comes to our careers? Why do we cling to systems that no longer serve us, rules that were written for someone else's life?
Sometimes the only way forward is to leap.
I learned this standing in Shannon Airport with a suitcase, a green card, and a heart that felt like it might break open. The timing of that green card approval wasn't lost on me: one door closing, another swinging wide open.
But doors don't walk through themselves.
So I left. No job lined up. No real plan. Just the bone-deep knowing that I had to move forward, even if I had no idea where I was going.
That terrifying leap with no safety net? It changed everything.
The Myth of Having It All Figured Out
Here's what every career guru won't tell you: The people who make the biggest leaps don't wait until they have it all figured out. They jump first and build their wings on the way down.
I've watched it happen over and over. The laid-off executive who uses their severance to launch a business in a completely different industry. The working mom who takes a "career break" and comes back as the most innovative leader her company has ever seen. The 50-something who finally starts the business they've been dreaming about for decades.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
They didn't wait for permission. They didn't wait for perfect timing. They just started.
The Systems That No Longer Serve Us
But here's what's really wild: We're still playing by rules that were written for a world that doesn't exist anymore.
We're penalized for having babies and taking time to care for family—as if creating and nurturing human life somehow makes us less valuable at work. We're expected to juggle conference calls and school pickup like it's totally normal. We're forced back into offices for "collaboration" when we've proven we can be incredibly productive from anywhere.
We are asked to explain a gap in resume as if you can never step off, pivot take a break, change our mind about our careerpath..
The parent penalty. The gender penalty. The age penalty—where we go from "not enough experience" to "too much experience" with no sweet spot in between.
These systems were built by people who never had to choose between a board meeting and a sick child. Who never had to explain employment gaps or justify remote work or prove they're still relevant.
But what if we just... stopped playing by those rules?
We Have Everything We Need
Here's the beautiful truth they don't want you to know: You have access to more tools, information, and opportunities than any generation in history.
And right now? AI is leveling the playing field in ways we've never seen. The tools that used to require entire teams or massive budgets are now available to anyone willing to learn them. You can write better, create faster, analyze deeper, and compete bigger—all from your kitchen table.
You can learn anything online. Build a business from your kitchen table. Connect with people across the globe. Create multiple income streams. Work from anywhere with WiFi.
This moment—this AI revolution everyone's panicking about—is actually the greatest opportunity for reinvention in decades. While others are paralyzed by fear of being replaced, you can be the one who learns to leverage these tools and becomes irreplaceable.
The old gatekeepers—the ones who decided who got opportunities and who didn't—they're losing their power. The barriers that used to exist? Most of them are gone.
The only thing stopping you is the belief that you need permission to start.
You've Always Figured It Out
Standing in that Shannon airport, scared and heartbroken and completely uncertain about what came next, I remembered something important: I've always figured it out.
From shy, timid kid to navigating leadership. From new working mom fumbling to find her way, to Mom of 3 making it happen and embracing the mess. To now, again taking a leap at my own adventure—entrepreneurship. Am I nervous? Yep. Will I figure it out? I sure hope so.
Figuring it out isn't a skill you learn—it's who you are.
You've already proven this more times than you realize. Every challenge you've navigated, every pivot you've made, every moment you chose to keep moving when everything in you wanted to stop.
Your Leap is Waiting
Maybe you're reading this from your own kitchen counter, staring at your own version of embracing change. Maybe it's a job that's slowly crushing your soul. A relationship that's run its course. A dream you keep putting off until "someday."
Maybe you're tired of systems that were never designed for someone like you. Ready to stop waiting for perfect timing that will never come.
The leap is scary. I won't lie about that. But what's scarier is staying stuck in systems that don't serve you, rules that don't fit your life, dreams that keep getting smaller because you're waiting for permission that's never coming.
What Comes Next
This is where our conversation begins. This is where we talk about what it really looks like to rewrite the rules. To build careers that support your actual life. To trust that you can figure it out as you go.
Because the world needs people brave enough to leap before they're ready. To prove that success can look different. To show that it's never too late—or too early—to begin again.
Your leap is waiting. The question is: What's your version of that suitcase and one-way ticket?
If this resonates with you:
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Welcome to the conversation. Let's rewrite some rules together.
Laura
P.S. - Want more? Connect with me on Instagram @LCTalentLab or TikTok @LCTalentLab, Pinterest @LCLifeLab for daily insights on reinvention, career pivots, and building a life that actually serves you.
