”I want to do something completely different.”

That was the starting point with a client of mine when we first spoke about their upcoming job search.

They sounded clear. Decisive. Almost urgent.

A new role with less travel, a smaller team to lead.

A big shift.

And for them, it felt like progress just to say it out loud. That’s often what happens early on. Many of us try to solve the discomfort quickly.

But over the next eight weeks, something shifted. Not because they found the perfect job. Not because a new opportunity appeared. It was because they gave it time.

Time to come down from the adrenaline.

Time to step out of the noise of “what’s next.”

Time to properly see what had been working, but hadn’t been obvious while they were in it.

And what came through was much simpler than expected. They didn’t want a completely different career. They were tired.

What they needed wasn’t reinvention. It was rest. A reset. Space to recover. A bit like when you overdo it at the gym. Everything feels wrong, so you assume something big has to change. But often, the muscle just needs time to repair.

What I have come to recognise in my work is that, the space between roles is where real clarity comes from, if you let it.

If there’s one thing I invite you to consider that is: A career break can be the circuit breaker that brings you back to what actually drives you. If you’re in that space right now, be kind to yourself. And be honest. Look at the evidence in your own history. When did you feel energised? What kind of work held your attention? Who brought out your best? Start there.

You don’t always need a new direction. Sometimes you just need to find your way back to what already worked