You can love parts of consulting and still know it is not sustainable forever. What most women are missing is not options, but a clear way to think about them. After coaching dozens of high-achieving women through this transition, I see the same three paths appear again and again: the Strategic Pivot, the Reinvention, and the Planned Exit. Each comes with its own timelines, trade-offs, and long-term consequences for your career, bank account, and life outside of work.

This is not about finding the “right” path in some objective sense. It is about getting brutally honest about what you are optimizing for: stability or freedom, continuity or reinvention, status or alignment. The real mistake is trying to copy what worked for someone else or choosing whatever feels least scary in the moment.

In this article, I walk through what each path actually looks like in real life, who it truly serves, and what it demands from you. More importantly, I give you a practical way to decide which path fits the life you want next, not the one you are trying to leave behind.

Maybe you’ve thought about leaving.

Not in a dramatic way — just in those quiet moments when you’re missing another dinner, catching a 6 a.m. flight, or watching a colleague announce she’s “pursuing other opportunities.”

You’ve looked at job postings. You’ve talked to women who’ve left. You’ve wondered what it would be like to just… stop.

But you haven’t made a decision. Because you’re not sure what the right decision even is.

Here’s the truth: You’re not stuck because the choice is hard. You’re stuck because you’re trying to make it without clarity.

Until you know what you actually want — not what you should want, or what looks good on paper — every option feels like a compromise.

Clarity doesn’t make the decision easy. But it makes it yours.

That’s where my Self Exit Interview comes in. It’s a set of questions designed to cut through the noise and help you make a decision you won’t regret.

Download it. Sit with your answers. See what becomes clear.

Have you ever walked into a client meeting, slides polished and rehearsed, yet thought: “Any minute now, they’ll realize I don’t belong here”?

That’s imposter syndrome. It’s the inner critic that shows up at the worst times—promotion cycles, new client pitches, board presentations. Left unchecked, it drives overwork, hesitation, and missed opportunities.

The good news? You can reset in the moment. Quick tools like a three wins recall, a facts vs. feelings check, or even a simple breathing reset help shift from self-doubt to confidence. Pair these with an “evidence file” of your achievements, and the critic loses its grip.

Imposter syndrome doesn’t mean you’re not capable—it means you care deeply about doing well. With the right strategies, you can quiet the voice and step fully into the leader you already are.

Sarah thought she was being handed the perfect assignment: a local project with no travel and reasonable hours. Six months later, she realized it had been a career detour. While a colleague on a high-profile client was fast-tracked for promotion, Sarah was stuck managing a low-visibility maintenance contract.

Too often, “family-friendly” assignments limit our exposure to senior leaders, stunt skill growth, and quietly place us on the “mommy track.”

The key isn’t to avoid these opportunities entirely but to evaluate them strategically. Before saying yes, ask: Will this project build the capabilities I need for my next role? Increase my visibility? Align with my long-term goals? And can it work for my family?

Your career can serve both your ambitions and your family, but only if you take the driver’s seat. Strategic conversations and thoughtful decisions can turn an assignment into a career accelerant rather than a dead end.

If you're a woman in consulting, chances are you've been praised for being reliable, responsive, and the one who always steps up. But somewhere along the way, helpful became habitual. Obligations piled up. Saying “yes” became the norm even when it cost you your time, energy, or peace of mind.

And when you do try to set a boundary? Guilt creeps in. Not because you’re doing something wrong but because you’re doing something new.

The truth is, real leadership isn’t about pleasing everyone. It’s about aligning with what matters most. That means shifting from guilt-driven choices to values-led decisions.

Start small. Reclaim your time. And remember: you weren’t promoted for being agreeable. You were promoted because you’re a leader.

Your Calendar Isn’t the Only Thing That’s Overbooked — Your Energy Is, Too

For high-achieving women in consulting, every hour is accounted for. But if you’re ending your days feeling depleted and wondering why you’re still behind, the issue may not be time management — it may be energy mismanagement.

In this article, I explore how unnoticed “energy leaks” — like unnecessary meetings, blurred boundaries, and taking on work that isn’t truly yours — silently drain your capacity and dull your leadership edge. You’ll also get access to a free Energy Audit Worksheet to help you identify what fuels you, what drains you, and how to start protecting your energy like the asset it truly is.

Because your energy isn’t just personal — it’s strategic.

Most advice on delegation focuses on efficiency: hand off the low-value tasks so you can “focus on what matters.” But in my coaching conversations with high-performing women, a more powerful truth emerges — delegation isn’t just about clearing space. It’s about sharpening your edge.

When done well, delegation forces clarity: What is uniquely yours to do? What creates the greatest impact? What deserves your full attention?

In this article, I explore why intentional delegation isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s a non-negotiable leadership skill that helps you stop proving your value by doing everything and start amplifying your value by doing the right things.

Think Like a Working Mother: The Overlooked Leadership Edge

In a recent coaching session, something clicked. My client was describing the most effective leader she'd encountered lately — a senior VP without children — and as she detailed this woman's leadership style, I recognized every one of her strengths. Strategic prioritization. Decisive leadership. Systems thinking. Authentic delegation. It hit me: she was thinking like a working mother.

We’ve long positioned motherhood as something that happens to a woman’s career — but what if it’s actually a powerful accelerator of the very skills top leaders need most?

In this article, I explore how the leadership strengths working mothers develop out of necessity — and how every high-achieving woman can start using them now to gain a competitive edge.

Ever feel like if you slow down, you’ll fall behind?
Whether it’s taking maternity leave, pausing for family, or even pivoting into a new role—FOMO can hit hard when you're used to always being in motion.
But what if the fear of missing out is actually a sign you’re ready for something more aligned?
In my latest article, I unpack why high-achieving women in consulting struggle with FOMO—and how to make bold career moves without sacrificing what matters most.
💬 Give it a read—and message me if you’re navigating something similar.

Don’t let guilt rule your decisions.