Part 3: Why Reinvention Shouldn't Be a Solo Sport
🌿 THE NEXT CHAPTER JOURNEY A 3-part series for accomplished professionals redefining what success looks like next
When accomplished leaders reach an inflection point in their careers, their first instinct is often to go inward.
Think harder. Plan better. Figure it out alone.
I understand the impulse. When you've spent years proving yourself capable, it feels safer to retreat into your own head than to risk looking uncertain in front of others.
But here's the paradox: The more senior we become, the smaller our circles often get. And the harder it becomes to find spaces where we can be real, not just impressive.
The Myth of the Solo Reinvention
There's a quiet myth that reinvention is a solo act. That clarity arrives through isolation.
In reality, transformation happens when we bring our questions into the light.
When one leader admits, "I'm not sure who I am without the title," another responds, "That's exactly where I was last year."
And suddenly, both are lighter. Braver.
When we share our stories out loud, we hear them differently. When we listen to others wrestling with similar questions, we realize we're not behind. We're human.
What Real Support Actually Looks Like
Real support means having people in your corner who:
See your fumbling not as failure but as learning
Remind you that reinvention is messy for everyone
Share their own unfinished stories, not just their polished outcomes
Create space for you to think out loud without judgment
Challenge you to act, not because you're ready, but because movement creates clarity
This is especially important for leaders navigating transitions. The fear of judgment, of being seen as uncertain, of having your reputation questioned—these fears keep talented people stuck far longer than necessary.
The Compound Effect of Community
Something remarkable happens when leaders support each other through transition.
The benefits don't just flow to the person being supported. They compound.
When someone shares their struggles openly, they give permission to everyone listening to be human. When someone experiments with a small career test and reports back to the group, they give others a roadmap for testing their own assumptions.
When you witness someone else navigate uncertainty with grace, it rewires your own sense of what's possible.
This is why I co-created Next Chapter Accelerator with Lisa Neuberger Fernandez. Not just to help individuals figure out their next move, but to create an ecosystem where we learn from each other's experiments, support each other's courage, and remind each other that we don't have to have it all figured out before we start.
The Thread That Connects
Over these three parts, we've explored: what happens when success stops feeling like success (Clarity), how to move from thinking to doing through small experiments (Courage), and why you're not meant to do this alone (Community).
These aren't separate steps. They're interconnected.
Clarity emerges through conversations with others who ask better questions. Courage grows when you see someone else take the leap. Community forms when you stop pretending you have it all figured out.
The leaders who thrive through transition aren't the ones who have perfect plans. They're the ones who bring their questions into the light and take the next step anyway.
🌿AN INVITATION
If you've been trying to figure out your next chapter alone, know that there's a different way. The Next Chapter Accelerator exists for exactly this moment.