An Honest Guide for Senior Professionals In the last few weeks I have had quite a few conversations with people who have left or are planning on leaving their corporate careers. Former colleagues. Old Google network connections. People who found me through LinkedIn. Prospective clients referred by people I used to work with. They are reaching out because they are standing at a crossroads and they are not sure about which way to go. Some of the profiles are: A Senior Di

A few months ago, a client came to our second session. She'd always been composed, strategic, the kind of person who thinks three steps ahead. That day, she was exhausted. "I quit," she said flatly. "Sent the email this morning. No backup plan. Just done." She'd been at the company for six years. Senior role. Respected. Good at what she did. From the outside, everything looked fine. But when we unpacked it, nothing had been fine for months. She'd been drowning in admin work t

Ten years ago I was on the terrace at Google’s San Francisco office telling a friend, “I’m not starting a company.” She felt the same. We were happy at work, growing fast, earning well —and quite frankly would have no idea how to make that leap. Fast-forward to now: We both run our own businesses — and we’re happy we jumped. We wouldn't have it any other way. I coach a lot of professionals at that same edge. One of them — let’s call her Amy — who inspired this article, was

I grew up in a monocultural environment. Most of my friends were Turkish, from a similar middle-class background, and I attended Turkish...