Episode 3: Career Growth, Personal Growth, and Learning to Lead with Purpose

Career growth and personal growth often begin with one powerful moment, when someone sees potential in you before you see it in yourself. That moment can change everything.

Looking back at my own career journey, this was the chapter that reshaped my path and revealed my purpose as a leader. It didn’t start with a polished résumé or a perfect plan, it started with messy days, quiet doubts, and the unexpected spark that launched me into the world of HR and eventually into leadership coaching.

It began with me kneeling on the floor of a small childcare room at a local nonprofit, handing out Goldfish crackers and singing “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” for the hundredth time.

This was joyful, messy work that left me smiling and exhausted. And what made it even more meaningful was having my daughter with me. She was little then, playing happily nearby while I worked, reminding me that even while rebuilding myself, I was still showing up for my kids.

But late at night, when the house was quiet, the doubts crept in. Is this it now? Did my career just… stop here?

And then someone noticed me.

“They didn’t just see what I was doing. They saw how I did it.”

They didn’t see just the job I was doing, they saw how I showed up when I was tired, how I connected with people, how I quietly took on responsibility and handled it well.

They believed I could do more.

That moment was the spark.

It pulled me into HR, not because I had all the answers, but because someone trusted me to figure it out. And that trust became fuel. Every time I doubted myself, I went back to that moment and thought, if they believe I can do this, maybe I can.

Pause and reflect:
Has someone ever called out potential in you that you didn’t even recognize yet? What did that unlock in you?

Starting out in HR wasn’t smooth or structured. There was no neat system waiting for me, no roadmap taped to the wall. It was just me, a stack of forms, and a coffee that never stayed hot because I kept forgetting it even existed.

And just as I started to find my footing, the world shut down.

Suddenly my new role wasn’t about building anymore. It was about holding everything together. Navigating closures. Figuring out layoffs. Rewriting procedures on the fly. Trying to be calm when everything felt chaotic.

At one point, I had to furlough my own husband. We handled it with humor; he joked about being “laid off by his own wife,” and I reminded him it was technically a “temporary workforce reduction.” But underneath the jokes, it was hard. These weren’t just employees. They were people I cared deeply about.

“Leadership doesn’t always start with a title. Sometimes it starts when you raise your hand for the work no one wants to do.”

And still, I needed proof for myself. I needed something concrete that said, You belong here. During the midst of a global pandemic, I pursued my first credential.
Late nights. Highlighters running out of ink. Acronyms swirling in my brain while the world outside felt upside down. It was intense. But my kids saw it. They saw me choosing growth in the middle of uncertainty, and they watched me push through doubt and fatigue. They saw that learning doesn’t stop just because you’re an adult.

When I passed, it wasn’t just relief. It was pride. They had seen the whole thing, the effort, the struggle, the persistence. And I hope some part of them tucked that away as proof of what’s possible.

Pause and reflect:
Who’s quietly watching you right now, and what might they be learning from seeing you keep going?

A few years later, I felt that quiet nudge again. It didn’t come as a lightning bolt. It came as a whisper.

It’s time.

I didn’t overthink it; I trusted the shift.

I saw the job posting, polished my résumé, applied, interviewed, and within days, the offer was on the table. My husband was out of town when I called him, nervous and exhilarated. He didn’t hesitate. “Go for it,” he said. “You’ve got this.”

That simple vote of confidence gave me the final push.

“Sometimes signs don’t show up as feathers. Sometimes they show up as people who hold the door open.”

Automotive HR was nothing like I had known. It was faster, louder, more demanding. Like going from riding a bike with a basket to driving a race car while reading the manual out loud. But just like before, someone saw me. Not just who I was, but who I could become.

And I’ve carried that reminder ever since. Signs don’t always arrive as feathers or lightning bolts. Sometimes, they show up as people who hold the door open and say, I see you. Step through.

This became the place where I truly hit my stride.

I earned more credentials. I built systems that actually worked. And I stepped into leadership in a way that felt exhilarating.

But something even deeper shifted. Someone recognized my ability to see people clearly, to understand their strengths and draw them out. That recognition opened a door I hadn’t even known was there.

Because the truth is, coaching wasn’t new to me. I had been doing it all along in small, quiet ways. Mentoring friends through career changes. Helping family navigate big decisions. Coaching a middle school girls soccer team. Encouraging people when they couldn’t quite see what I saw in them.

I dove in fully. Trained. Became a certified leadership coach. And suddenly, the entire path of my life made sense.

“Real leadership isn’t about control or authority. It’s about presence. It’s about belief.”

Real leadership isn’t about control or titles or authority.

It’s about presence.

“Courage often looks like walking through the door while your hands are still shaking.”

Childcare gave me my start. Nonprofit taught me how to build from the ground up. Automotive sharpened me as a leader. Coaching lit the fire that had been there all along. And through it all, the people who saw me, who believed in what I could become before I believed it myself, reminded me I was never walking alone.

This Week’s Savage Challenge:
Think of one person in your life, a coworker, friend, or family member, who quietly shows up every day without realizing the difference they make. Reach out. Tell them one strength you see in them. Be specific. Because sometimes, your words are the spark someone has been waiting for. The proof that they are capable of more than they realize.

Live bold. Ignite your path. That’s the Savage Way.