Navigating the Emotional Hodgepodge After Corporate Life

Leaving behind the structured world of corporate life can feel like stepping into uncharted waters. For many women senior executives, this transition often comes with an unexpected reset, filled with a rollercoaster of emotions. While it often begins with a sense of loss or uncertainty, this reset has the potential to be the start of an inspiring new chapter, one that redefines success and fulfillment.

If you’re grappling with questions like, “Who am I without my title, my authority, the respect of my clients and my colleagues?” or wandering in a phase of indecision, you’re not alone. This blog provides insight and some real-life examples to help you understand and overcome these feelings, redefine your purpose, and reimagine your life after a career in corporate work.

We’ll explore the emotional complexities of this shift and begin to explore some strategies for remastering your life and work. A period of intentional reset can help you craft a meaningful Executive Encore in which you can thrive.

Understanding the Emotional Hodgepodge
Definition: An "emotional hodgepodge" refers to a situation where one's emotions are mixed, confused, and difficult to sort out. It's a state of experiencing a chaotic blend of feelings, making it hard to understand or express them effectively.

• Mixed and Confused Emotions: Sometimes, instead of feeling just one clear emotion, you might experience a mix of different feelings all at once, such as joy and sadness, or anger and fear, all tangled together.
• Difficulty Sorting: These emotions can feel intense and complicated, making it challenging to determine which ones are taking the lead or what’s causing them.
• Potential for Discomfort: This emotional mix can be uncomfortable, leaving you feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, anxious, or burned out.
• Impact on Behaviour: When emotions are all over the place, it can affect how you interact with others and make decisions, sometimes leading to unpredictable actions or inaction.
• Related to Stress and Trauma: This emotional whirlwind often comes from stressful events, trauma, or other situations that stir up strong feelings.
  Making the transition from a corporate career to life outside the office can bring on a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s normal, and exploring those feelings can help you better understand yourself and be compassionate with yourself in this exciting new chapter.

Loss of Identity - Who am I now?
One of the most common feelings is the loss of identity. For years, your professional title, achievements, and networks have been integral to how you define yourself, whether you realized it or not. Detaching from this identity can be tough, especially when so much of your self-worth has been shaped by your work experience and environment. Your self-regard has evolved through every success and scrape in your progress. 

But it’s also an opportunity to challenge the belief that a role or title defines you. Who are you beyond your title, credentials, and awards? What values, skills, and unique traits make you who you are? Consider how your work experience and environment have moulded your values.

Aila's Personal Story*
Consider Aila, the sole woman on an executive management team in a nationally acclaimed sales and service organization within a high-profile industry. Aila once told me she envisioned retiring "someday in the future," never expecting how quickly that day would arrive. When it did, prompted by unexpected events, she was struck by a mix of freedom and fear. We often discussed the concept of linking one’s identity to their work or title. She firmly believed she wasn’t susceptible to that trap. Yet, she eventually came to realize that her understanding had been shallow. The truth was far more complex than she had imagined.

“The first few months were horrible. I found myself adrift with a deep sense of loss, searching to rediscover my identity now that I was no longer a prominent member of an executive management team with influence and authority.” Jane shared. “It took a while to reconcile the loss of my former identity, driven mostly by the corporation, and to embrace my new identity, driven solely by me. I needed to step back to discover that my hidden or suppressed passions had value. I began to see that my cumulative professional knowledge and skills could make an even greater impact, outside the corporate world.”

Freedom and Its Paradox
While stepping away from the daily grind may initially feel liberating, it can also be disorienting. The structured schedule that defined your life is gone, and in its place is the question, “What now?”

Many Executive Encore workshop participants proudly declare their joy at being "set free" from the structure imposed by work. No more early morning alarms! No more project deadlines. However, after a group coaching conversation, they realize that without structure, their time becomes everyone else’s playground, leaving them to juggle demands and feel more lost than ever.

Freedom, it seems, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!

But, here’s the magic: This newfound discretionary free time, when planned well, can help you to finally shape your days and your life into something that screams, “Yes, this is totally me!”

Facing Uncertainty with Grace
Life often presents us with moments of unpredictability, where the path forward isn’t always straightforward. It can be challenging to determine the right course of action, but approaching uncertainty with patience and trust in your competence and capacity can make all the difference. Reassuring yourself that you have navigated uncertainty before and developing your self-trust with every promise you keep to yourself will expand your self-compassion when needed.

The Executive Encore Redefines Purpose
Your corporate career may have come to an end, but your story doesn’t stop there. Enter the Executive Encore, a vibrant chapter where you blend your wisdom, experience, and passion to craft a new purpose-driven life.

The traditional idea of retirement is outdated. Grabbing coffee with fellow "retirees" only to head home to sit on the couch, or the porch, or the rocking chair on the porch and ask, "Now what?" probably is not the life you dreamed of after many years of hard work.

This isn’t about stepping back, wandering, or settling in. It’s about levelling up in a way that clicks with your values and dreams. Think of it as a chance to spark joy, sharpen your skills, and dive headfirst into opportunities that make you say, “Yes, this is what I’m here for!”

Your retirement package doesn’t mean you have to retire from life. Instead of viewing this phase as an end, imagine it as a beginning. Use this time to redefine what your Executive Encore means for you. This is an ideal time for an intentional break or sabbatical.

A New Beginning Awaits
Life after corporate work doesn’t mean diminishing who you are. It means reimagining who you can become. This is your chance to reset, recharge, and rise into a brighter, purpose-driven chapter.

Take this time to reflect on your values, leverage your strengths, and forge new connections. Whether you are starting a new business venture, volunteering, mentoring the next generation, or exploring your passion project, this is your opportunity to thrive.

Remember, it’s never too late to align your life with your true purpose. You have the capability and capacity to take on the world in ways you may not have imagined before.

Are you ready to redefine your encore chapter? Share your story or join the Executive Encore community of supportive women prepared to uplift and inspire. Together, let’s turn uncertainty into unstoppable momentum and build the Executive Encore movement!

Read more in next week's blog about redefining purpose, shifting perspective, remastering life and work, and building your new identity.

Additional Resources

Encore Blogs - Blast from the Past

• Navigating Career Crossroads At Any Age: The Value of Sabbaticals and Intentional Breaks
• Set a New Direction: Re-evaluate Your Values and Update Your Identity to Re-ignite Your Mojo
• When Your Values Shift

Executive Encore Video Podcast - Blast from the Past

• The Life-Changing Power of Sabbaticals What Really Fills Me Up?, Jessica Grossmeier, (4 minutes)
• The AMAZING TRUTH About Sabbaticals and Career Breaks, Rebecca Thomas, (3 minutes)

 *A quick note about Aila: While the examples come from real experiences shared by clients, colleagues, and friends, Aila herself is a fictional character. The events and people featured in the Executive Encore blogs are real. Still, some details, characters, and dialogue have been adjusted to enhance the engagement of the stories and to protect the privacy of women who trust me with their stories. The name Aila is used as a female name in multiple cultures. Its meaning and origin in different cultures include strength, from a strong place, noble, long life, and bringer of light.