Today is June 5, an ordinary Wednesday for some, but a monumental one for my (former) coworkers. For them, it’s the last day of meetings — summer vacation begins tomorrow!

I now fit into the former description. Today has now become just an ordinary Wednesday for me. Summer break is no longer a “thing” for me because I left my 12-year teaching career to pursue my dream: building my own business.

After working tirelessly on my blog, site, brand, and social media most nights and weekends over the past two years, I decided the time was now or never!

I have the passion and drive to succeed as a solopreneur; part of me thinks this is what I was always meant to do. That part of me feels excited, inspired, and ready to take on this new challenge!

The other part of me has buyer’s remorse and thinks this choice was a HUGE mistake. That part of me feels fearful, doubtful, and nostalgic for my old, secure life and scared to death!

If you’re debating on a career shift into the great working-for-yourself unknown, I’d love to tell you that I have all of the answers! But then I’d be lying.

All I have are raw thoughts, emotions, and honesty, which I hope you’ll find relatable and even encouraging.

LEAVING MY SECURE CAREER TO BECOME A FULL-TIME HEALTH COACH: AN HONEST REFLECTION

IT ALL STARTED WITH A BORING LOW-FAT DIET

For most of my adult life, I’d subscribed to a low-fat, low-calorie diet and exercised five to seven times each week. Still, I was 15 pounds overweight, constantly hungry (more like “hangry”), and unsatisfied.

I thought deprivation was a necessary evil to my “healthy” existence until I discovered Vinnie Tortorich.

Vinnie is a celebrity trainer and proponent of a no sugar, no grains (or, as he calls it, “NSNG”) diet. His podcast Fitness Confidential was my window into two worlds: podcasts and satiety.

After trying out his protocol for a month by mindfully eating more fat and less sugar (rather than obsessing over calories), those extra pounds not only melted off of my body, but I also felt more energized, less paranoid about missing a workout, and satisfied with the delicious foods I consumed.

Instead of handfuls of low-fat, low-calorie, nutrient-poor pretzels, I ate full-fat cheese, nuts, and guacamole for snacks. How delicious!

I was addicted to this new, vibrant health, and I wanted to learn more!

THEN MY PASSION BEGAN

That’s when I began a deep dive into the world of podcasts. On my way to and from work (and, if we’re being honest, sometimes during lunch breaks!), I listened to as many health podcasts as possible.

My passion for everything wellness-related had ignited, and I wanted to talk to anyone and everyone about the knowledge I was gaining!

Since most of my friends and family were far less excited than I was, I decided to start my first blog. Having absolutely no idea what I was doing, Google’s search bar became my best friend.

Building the site and writing posts took up a lot of time…but so did my full-time teaching career. (Is it just me, or do jobs always get in the way of fun stuff?)

So at this point (circa fall 2017), my only option was to spend nights and weekends on this blogging “side hustle”.

THE SUMMER THINGS STARTED TO GET SERIOUS

Once the summer of 2018 hit, I had oodles of time on my hands. (Gotta love that teacher life!)

My first blog was rudimentary (at best) since I didn’t understand a thing about SEO, site traffic, or engagement, so I decided to create a new website/brand that could actually go beyond a weekend hobby if I ever wanted it to.

That’s when “The Health Investment” was born!

My goal was to publish two posts per week and also to monetize my site through affiliate marketing. I was making big shifts!

That same summer, I heard Cynthia Pasquella-Garcia interviewed on a podcast about the Institute of Transformational Nutrition. I’d never even heard of a Health Coach—much less considered myself one—but my interest piqued!

ENTER THE INSTITUTE OF TRANSFORMATIONAL NUTRITION

I was already doing informal health coaching through my blog posts and in conversations with family and friends, so turning my passion into a paying career sounded like the absolute dream!

Without thinking twice, I enrolled in ITN.

I remained busy on nights and weekends completing my coursework, writing posts for The Health Investment, listening to more podcasts, and itching to turn all of this into a full-time career.

When I was teaching, planning, and grading, I only wanted to be working on The Health Investment. The desire to break away from my steady, full-time career and build my own business was becoming harder to ignore.

MAKING THE BIG DECISION

It wasn’t long before my husband and I started to have serious discussions about moving closer to our families in California and Arizona. Flying from our home in NYC to the West Coast almost monthly was getting exhausting.

When thinking about teaching at a new school in a new city, I felt absolutely zero excitement. After working with the same curriculum and some of the best coworkers for eight straight years, I couldn’t imagine reinventing myself as a teacher.

What I could imagine was breaking away from teaching as a full-time Health Coach and wellness writer, which (surprise!) is exactly what I decided to do.

The fact that we’d likely be moving anyway gave me the perfect opening to develop my own business, which I’m grateful for.

But the decision was by no means an easy one; I shed more than a few tears after I’d made up my mind, and I continue to doubt myself. As I mentioned, my coworkers were like family to me, and then there were those steady paychecks!

THE AFTERMATH

Since quitting my job, my emotions and feelings have been all over the map (which I think is to be expected!). That being said, these are some of the big ones that keep showing up for me:

TIME AND LOCATION FREEDOM

It’s so liberating to be able to create my schedule each day.

I can also work from anywhere—my couch, coffee shops, hotel lobbies, park benches, vacation homes—and wear anything I want! So far, this is my favorite part about working for myself.

MINIMIZING STRESS

Where to begin?

There are only so many hours in a day, yet there are hundreds of things I should be doing to advance my business.

Deciding on a daily to-do list and sticking to it is difficult, especially when I want to do everything right now!

The work is never-ending, and the rewards directly parallel the amount of time I put in each day, so deciding on a “shut off” point can be difficult.

GETTING EXCITED

My to-do list may be lengthy, but it’s filled with tasks that don’t feel like “work.”

When I’m writing, posting Instagram stories, creating infographics in Canva, or troubleshooting site improvements, I get lost in a “flow state”.

Sometimes hours will go by and I’ll feel as if only minutes have passed. I’ve never been this excited about the work I’m doing!

It never ceases to amaze me when another day of “work” passes, and I’ve just been having fun!

IMPOSTER SYNDROME

Both consciously and subconsciously, I’ve been comparing the beginning of my business to other businesses’ middles and ends.

Everyone else seems to be thriving, but most of the time, I feel as if I’m at a standstill.

Even though I’m working tirelessly to build something amazing, I still haven’t monetized a real company yet. Thus, at times, I feel like an imposter in the solopreneur space.

LONELINESS

You know those awesome coworkers I mentioned? Yeah, I miss them.

And we can’t forget about the 88 students that would walk in and out of my door each day!

Going from one of the most social professions to working from behind a computer screen is quite an adjustment.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Like I said at the start, I can’t wrap this post up in a nice shiny bow because I still don’t have all of the answers! And, from what I understand, most solopreneurs don’t!

The trick to working for yourself seems to be accepting the constant ebb and flow of things.

Some days, I manage my time “like a millionaire”! Those days, I’m super productive and feel as if I’m making an impressive impact on my company.

Other days, I’m tired and lazy, and the last thing I want to do is motivate myself to get stuff done. Or my site crashes, and I have to deal with that before the other hundred things on my to-do list.

IT’S ALL ABOUT YOUR MINDSET

At least five times a day I say to myself, “Done is better than perfect,” finish one task (like this post, which I could pick apart and revise ‘til the cows come home!), and move on to the next.

Through it all, I’m trying my best to be gentle with myself, to see each day as a new opportunity for progress, and to remember my mission for starting this crazy journey in the first place!

I want to help as many people as possible experience the same balanced and vibrant health that I’ve achieved in my own life!

IN CONCLUSION

All my best to you wherever you’re at on your path!

Whether you’re toying with the idea of a “side hustle” in blogging or coaching, debating whether or not you should build your own business, loving the stability your full-time job provides, or some combination of the three.

Never hesitate to reach out if you want to talk to someone who’s been through it all!

Are you contemplating leaving your full-time gig to pursue your dream? Tell us in the comments!

For more on Brooke, head here!