Hi, we’re celebrating today!
It’s been exactly 2 years since I left my full-time job to focus fully on my coaching practice 🎉
Today’s piece is for those who romanticise quitting their job to pursue something of their own. Enjoy:
Why quitting your job is so easy to romanticise
“Hi Karolina, I’ve been following your work and your story is really inspiring - I’d love to quit my job and build something of my own as well. How did you do it??”
I receive messages like this every week.
And I get it, I’ve been there too.
When we romanticise quitting, we think: “I’ll finally work on my own terms. No more working with difficult people. No more coming to the office just because someone said so. No more corporate politics!”. It’s tempting, isn’t it?
(And in many ways, the reality can be even better than the fantasy, once you navigate the hard parts!)
This seems to resonate with people who are:
highly capable
often underestimated
quietly bored or burnt out
resentful towards corporate politics
not on board with the company’s values or what/how the company is selling
frustrated by limited opportunities
scared of blowing up a life that looks “good on paper” - even though something inside them knows they’ve outgrown it
When I chat to these individuals about their desire to quit their job, I see a pattern: most people are driven by one of two forces - push or pull.
Push vs pull: what’s REALLY driving the urge to quit
Here’s a framework that I like to use:
🟡 PUSH
You want out:
Out of a job that drains you.
Out of a responsibility that takes more than it gives.
Out of a team that makes you feel under-appreciated.
Out of being the engine behind someone else’s success.
(If that’s not you, I’m sure you can think of a few people in this situation)
🟡 PULL
You’re drawn towards:
Towards an idea of your own.
Towards more meaningful work.
Towards a more flexible lifestyle - to travel or build a family.
Towards coaching, consulting, freelancing, or a life that feels aligned.
So why did I quit my job and decide to run my coaching practice full-time?
For me, it was a mix of both forces:
Push: I did my Master’s studies and spent my career in marketing - and yet, my passion for it started fading. I could have stayed and grown in my role as a marketing leader but I wasn’t excited about it anymore.
Pull: Before handing my resignation, I spent 6 months in formal coach training (early mornings, late evenings and most weekends) and very quickly realised I’d like to do this full-time some day.
In a nutshell: Push felt really, really scary. Pull felt exciting and warm.
If it wasn’t for the pull part of my motivation, I would probably still work in marketing - because there was no crisis, no urgency. It felt safe and familiar.
And here’s the part I believe we don’t talk about enough: not everyone who feels the push is ready for the pull. Push creates urgency, but pull requires clarity. And, in my experience, clarity doesn’t come from wanting out - it comes from pausing and taking the time to figure out what you choose to move towards.
(For the sake of transparency, in the past, I did quit two jobs because of the push factor alone:
One, 10 years ago, when a manager called me an idiot in front of the whole team - I quit that same evening out of self-respect.
Second, when I got an “exciting salary raise” but in reality… it was lower than the inflation rate. I knew I could earn more money elsewhere (spoiler: I did) so I decided to quit a few weeks later.)
The hardest part of taking the leap
People ask me “What was the most difficult part of leaving full-time employment?”
For me, it wasn’t the decision to quit - I felt confident about that. It wasn’t the uncertainty of taking the leap - I made sure I had the resources and runway to figure it out. And it wasn’t doubt - I never seriously questioned my choice.
The hardest part was admitting that I had outgrown the career I had spent almost a decade building. A Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s degree, years of experience in marketing - and then choosing to step away from that identity to do something different.
For many people, going solo means continuing the same career in a different format - freelancing, consulting, running an agency. In my case, it was a double leap: working for myself AND pivoting into a new profession.
A reality check before you take the leap
So if you are considering quitting your job to pursue your own thing, here’s the unromantic but essential reality check:
Are you willing to make less money before the new thing grows? (if you need immediate cash flow, this is not the right time)
Are you willing to sit in the discomfort of being a beginner?
Are you willing to commit to this and give it most of your attention for a while?
This is important: timing matters - and it’s okay if your timing isn’t “now”.
10 or even 5 years ago, there was no way I’d start my own business. I didn’t have the resources, nor the clarity about what I could offer. Right now, it’s the perfect fit, but who knows what the future holds? Maybe I’ll get replaced with AI and I’ll have to look for something else anyway ;)
It’s also worth saying that sometimes the answer isn’t quitting - it’s staying and developing the skills that make work more sustainable. Communication, boundaries, emotional regulation, navigating difficult dynamics. Quitting to find another job or going solo won’t magically fix those challenges - they often just show up in different forms. That’s why clarity matters more than escape.
Looking back, I don’t see quitting my job as an act of bravery - I see it as an act of honesty. Honesty about what no longer fits, what I had outgrown, and what kind of life I wanted to build next.
Working for yourself is a beautiful thing. If that’s what you want, I want that for you too!
I’ve been considering expanding my coaching practice to offer a limited number of mentoring sessions each month - not to push anyone into quitting, but to create a space to think clearly, ask the uncomfortable questions, and make grounded decisions about what’s next.
If you’re interested or know somebody who might be, get in touch. And who knows, maybe soon we’ll be celebrating your anniversary of taking the leap 🫶
Speak soon,
Karolina
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