I find this quote genuinely powerful. Not in an abstract, motivational-poster kind of way — but because I've lived it. If you're new here, I talk a lot about careers, purpose, and the moment people finally figure out the work they were meant to do. This quote sits right at the heart of that.

I am an example of this trade-up. It wasn't graceful. It wasn't planned. It hit me twice, at two very different points in my life. The First Hit The first time was before I fell pregnant with my first child. I experienced severe burnout — the genuine, stop-you-in-your-tracks kind. It forced me to stop and really question what mattered. (I talk more about this in Episode 1 of The Inkling Effect Podcast, if you're curious.) With enforced time off to think, I started asking myse