I moved in with my mother after being fired and divorced

Noting the challenges exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic, I decided to quit my job and devote myself to entrepreneurship full-time. A fellow nurse and I co-founded a healthcare startup in 2019. It was incredibly rewarding.

Then, in 2022, I was tested in ways I never imagined. I lost my job, my home, and almost everything I owned, along with deep formative relationships, my identity, and my entire sense of self.

At the height of my success, I lost everything

My marriage to my partner of 20 years, my high school sweetheart, has been strained by various challenges that have tested our resilience.

After undergoing marriage counseling, I gained strength and clarity and decided to file for divorce.

When we began divorce proceedings, I moved my daughter and myself to my mother for support.

As my marriage ended, I lost my job

During this difficult time, my startup was growing rapidly and the weight of imposter syndrome, combined with the stress of my personal life, took a toll on my work. After my divorce was finalized in September 2022, I was laid off from the startup.

These major losses shook me deeply. I was filled with inadequacy, regret and deep shame and felt like a complete failure.

There were days when even getting out of bed seemed impossible. I was exhausted and often woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat from nightmares.

This spiral made me feel helpless and unable to see a path forward for myself and my daughter. I lost all motivation to do anything: eat, go out, or confront anyone. I withdrew from the world. I felt isolated and consumed by my thoughts, and all I could do was cry.

My darkest moment was when I was convinced that my absence would benefit those close to me. Terrified, I knew I had to change everything to break this cycle.

Taking small steps to heal changed my trajectory

At this turning point, I knew I could no longer do it alone.

I relied heavily on those close to me for emotional support and began therapy. I made small, deliberate changes to regain my confidence. I took long walks. I went to the gym. I cooked. I journaled and listened to the affirmations I had written and recorded, over and over, to quiet the loud, terrifying thoughts and hear a different perspective.

It wasn’t a perfect, linear journey. I knew I needed time and space to allow myself to grieve, and it was a slow and agonizing process.

Eventually, I let go of the idea that I had to feel completely whole in an unreasonable amount of time. That’s when things really aligned and the subtle, incremental changes overlapped.

I lost everything, but I ended up gaining even more

I don’t know if I’m completely healed but I’m not in that dark place anymore. I still live at home with my mother and am slowly rebuilding a life for my daughter and me.

I applied for a few part-time nursing positions at hospitals near me so I could still focus on my daughter. I also started thinking about a video podcast idea about nursing, entrepreneurship, burnout, mental health, therapy, and self-care.

I’m enjoying the little things again, like playing with makeup with my daughter. I perfected my Snickerdoodle recipe and reconnected with my faith. I experience single parenthood better. I finally feel like myself again, but I am deeply, fundamentally changed – in a good way.

Sharing my story helped me connect with others and build a community of support

I first shared my story on LinkedIn. It was uncomfortable to be vulnerable, but I knew I had to share it because the discomfort I felt before clicking the “publish” button was nothing compared to the potential positive impact it would have. could have on someone.

Soon after, the responses poured in. The most beautiful and unexpected result was that my story allowed me to connect with people from all over the world.

If you feel lost and alone, ask for help and keep going because it gets better. After darkness comes dawn.