Introduction

Have you ever felt like you were living in a comfort zone that was slowly holding you back? I recently went through a major shift in my life and career that has allowed me to truly step into who I am—and it's been a wild ride.

Let me take you through my story so we can all learn a little about facing change, handling anxiety, and embracing growth. This story is all about mental health in the workplace.

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When It’s Time to Make a Change

I can't help but think of that scene from The Lion King when Rafiki says, "It is time." For me, that moment came on September 23rd, 2024, when I resigned from my job—or, rather, I got fired. Now, that might sound like a bad thing, but honestly? It was a blessing in disguise. I’d been struggling with anxiety and trying to fit myself into a role that just didn’t suit who I had become.

You see, I had grown far beyond the job that initially hired me as a ‘fitness instructor.’ Over time, I evolved into a corporate wellness professional, passionate about wellness and helping teams thrive. However, the company didn’t want that version of me; they were looking for someone who would stick to teaching fitness classes. Essentially, I outgrew my position, and they were doing me a favor by letting me go.

The Dangers of Comfort Zones

We all love comfort zones, don't we? They’re familiar, predictable, and safe. But sometimes, they can become prisons, holding us back from reaching our true potential. I had been with the company for 12 years—practically an entire identity built around that job. I saw myself as part of the organization, and in doing so, I placed a lot of importance on it. Way too much, in fact. And for those of you familiar with Reality Transurfing, you know that placing too much importance on something can distort your perspective and hold you back.

So, let’s learn this together: don't stay in a comfort zone just because it’s comfortable. Recognize when it’s time for a shift, even if it feels scary or disruptive. I stayed in my job out of comfort and loyalty, and it took being fired for me to see that staying put was limiting my ability to expand my vision and make a bigger impact.

Letting Go and Moving Forward

The moment I was let go (um, resigned), I went through all the emotions—shock, fear, anger, relief—and then finally, gratitude. When I connected the dots looking back, I realized that being fired was something that happened for me, not to me.

Letting go of any resentment was the key to moving forward. Resentment holds us back, so rather than dwell on the negatives, I chose to see the experience as a favor that freed me to grow and to fully be myself.

And for those of you who are experiencing something similar—maybe a job loss, a big change, or a shakeup in your life—remember this: things happen for you, not to you. It’s an opportunity to move forward, even when it doesn’t feel like it. And trust me, I know it is more difficult than it sounds!!

Identity, Recognition, and Self-Worth

During my time at the company, I realized something profound: my need for recognition and validation from my job was a source of discontent.

For all the years I was there, I never had a formal job review or received the kind of acknowledgment I longed for. Even when I got a cost-of-living raise in July, it felt empty—no “thank you for your hard work” or acknowledgment of my contributions.

So, I learned to appreciate myself and my own efforts. And this is a key takeaway: If you're looking for external validation, you might be waiting a long time. Recognize your worth and reward yourself for the work you do. Your self-worth should never be tied to someone else's opinion.

Being True to Yourself

The turning point for me was realizing that I was trying to force my corporate wellness vision onto a company that didn’t share that passion. In hindsight, I was trying to run a wellness program where it wasn’t wanted. My mission was clear in my heart, but it wasn't aligned with theirs.

So, the message here is to be true to who you are and find a place or platform that supports your mission and allows you to thrive. If you’re in a situation that doesn’t allow you to be who you truly are, it’s okay to recognize that and find a new path. Don’t shrink yourself to fit a space that’s too small.

Navigating Through Anxiety and Fear

One of the biggest challenges I faced was the anxiety of the unknown. For the last three weeks leading up to my resignation, I was in a near-constant state of anxiety, waking up in the middle of the night with worry. Was I doing the right thing? Would I be okay?

Mental Health in the Workplace

Anxiety often comes from a fear of change or the unknown. But here’s the truth: growth happens outside your comfort zone. I had to remind myself to lean into faith, to trust the process, and to let go of that fear. And while anxiety might not go away overnight, the key is to feel it, process it, and keep moving forward. As hard as it was, going through that anxiety ultimately led to healing and growth.

Revising Your Story for a Better Future

A powerful technique that helped me was revision—something from Neville Goddard that allowed me to look at my situation with kindness and love. Instead of focusing on the idea of being fired, I reframed my story as one of resignation. I let go of the idea that I had to "stick it out" in a place that didn’t align with my values, and I resigned to pursue my greater vision.

For anyone struggling with a difficult change, try this: Revise the story in your mind. Shift your perspective so that you’re not the victim of your circumstances, but instead the author of a new chapter. You have the power to shape your narrative and move forward with strength and confidence.

The Road Ahead: A New, Authentic Me

Now that I'm on the other side, I can finally be my true self. I can make content that aligns with my passions and fully share my thoughts on corporate wellness, motivation, and life. I look forward to sharing videos, walking talks, and more lessons that can help you make a dent in your own corner of the universe.

This isn’t just a story about job loss; it’s about growth, finding your authentic self, and not being afraid to make a change when it’s time. And if this resonates with you, if you’re going through a transition or looking to be more true to yourself, know that you’re not alone. Growth is messy, change can be scary, but it is always worth it.

So, here's to the new chapter, to being brave, and to embracing change—one step at a time.

About the Author: Kathie Owen is a seasoned Corporate Wellness Professional with over a decade of experience driving wellness initiatives.

With a rich background as a certified fitness trainer and life coach since 2002, Kathie combines her practical expertise in health and wellness with a deep understanding of psychological principles, thanks to her degree in Psychology.

Her holistic approach to corporate wellness not only fosters a culture of health and engagement among employees but also supports organizations in achieving their most ambitious wellness goals.

Kathie's Coaching and Consulting reflects her passion for empowering corporate executives to create thriving workplace environments through strategic wellness programs and employee engagement.

Read More Corporate Wellness Articles Here

Today’s Episode Transcript:

Ah, finally, finally, I can be myself on my YouTube channel. Yes, that's what we're going to talk about today. Today that I'm recording this is September 25th, 2024. And what has happened to me in the past few weeks, I'm going to talk about just to get it off my chest and just to Heal a little bit, you know, let's get right to it. Have you ever heard in your mind that little monkey on the Lion King say, It is time. It is time. And on my YouTube channel, I'm going to put that right there because honestly, that happened to me recently and I gotta say that's happened to me several times in my life when I just made a major transition in my life and some of this that I'm going to be talking about I have used the pruning shears of revision to revise it and I'm going to intersperse certain words that, you know, will make it make sense. But I have to say, on Monday, September 23rd, 2024, I resigned from my job. Yeah, I got fired, but I'm not sad about it. In fact, it's a blessing. Because I had been living with anxiety in this job for a long time. a long time and I wasn't able to be myself and that's why I started this video with I get to be myself and I'm so excited about it because here's what happened. I was trying to be something that they, this company did not hire me to be. Um, I was trying to be the corporate wellness professional that I am and they didn't want that. They wanted a fitness instructor. Basically, I outgrew the job and by them firing me, me resigning. They did me a favor. But in the process, as we all do, I held on so tightly to my comfort zone. I was in a huge comfort zone and I thought I was doing the right thing, but it just didn't turn out that way. And that's okay. Um, I go easy on myself and it is what it is, but they honestly did me a favor because if I had stayed there, I would have stayed there. I just would have stayed there and I wouldn't have been able to expand my business and my horizons and make a difference or like Kendra Hall says, make a dent in the universe. Or Steve Jobs also says that, by the way. But I can connect the dots looking backwards so easily. Steve Jobs also says that. And I have to say it was really a blessing in disguise. But the struggles that I went through before for the last few weeks have been really, really difficult, really difficult. And I would say it's been the last month. They, they, they had planned it. I could connect the dots looking backwards now and they had planned it, but they did me a favor. I hold absolutely no resentment at all. Because resentment is not a good thing. It's, I, actually, they did me a favor because I was not gonna leave. I was not going to leave. I was going to stay there and I wouldn't have been able to do what I, I vision. I have a huge vision, but yeah, I was mistreated. Yeah, I was bullied, but they honestly did me a favor. It was such a blessing because I just would have stayed there. That's not okay. That's not okay. Don't stay in your comfort zone just because it's your comfort zone. That was my lesson and I've done that. So I have been with this company for 12 years, almost 12 years. It was part of me. It was my existence. It was my identity. I identified with this way too much. I put way too much importance. For reality trans surfing people that was important and I put way too much importance on it And I shouldn't have done that. Now should is a dirty word and you know, I say that all the time Let's go let Rusty in. Come on. Come with me. Look at the little guy. He's so cute All right, buddy. Come lay on the couch while mama does her video Man, I look forward to doing real content now. Because what happened was I was held back, held back and I actually got called out for putting content online about the way that, that I had been treated at this job. Yes, it was unfair. Yes, it was wrong. But yes, even more bigger, yes. It was a great thing. It was a great thing. Am I scared? Absolutely. But do I have a whole lot of faith and a whole lot of support in my world? Also, absolutely. It's awesome. I want to state in this video because I know my friends that I used to work with, and I used to coach, and I used to teach, and fitness and training and all of that. And even the people who so called bullied me, you didn't bully me. You did me a favor and I appreciate it. And I can't stress that enough. Number one. Number two, I want to tell those that I coached because what happened was that it was a huge shock to everyone everybody got scared and I was scared too at the first. I was in shock. I went through the stages of grief and I probably still will because I loved that job. I loved that company. I loved what it stood for. I loved what I could have done there. I had potential but they didn't want that and that's fine. That's perfectly fine. They want a fitness instructor and actually that's what I started as. I started as a fitness instructor there and I was training people and Don't get me wrong. I love that part of the job, but I'm as old as the Superbowl. Go Google it, whatever. But I have to say, I don't want to be training in the gym in a in a couple of years. I just don't. I want to train people. Yes, I still have clients that I train outside of there, but I just, that's not my aspiration. My aspiration is to do something bigger. Having said that, those that I coached, I really want to state this. This is really, really important. Do not be angry at them. Do your job. Do the best you can. Be loyal to them. Be kind to everyone you work with. I'm not a victim. You are not a victim. And I talk about victim victimizer all the time on this channel, and I'll have a link in the show notes and description below to all of my blog posts on victim and victimizer because we are not victims of our circumstances. I wrote my book, the Truth Bubbles Up, and when I wrote that book, if I signed it for somebody, I said, let's. Let's remember we are not victims of our circumstances. That's it. Plain and simple. We are not our circumstances. And things happen to us, but they happen for us. And this happened for me. And if you worked with me, you know, this happened for you as well. And it's not a bad thing. And actually, it's a huge blessing and a favor. I now can Actually talk about the things I want to talk about, which has nothing to do with the victim mentality over there. I will never do that. I won't even go there on camera. I'm human. I had freaking bad anxiety for, I would say for the last three weeks, I've had really bad anxiety. And I mean, even in the middle of the night after this happened, I mean, I saw this coming. I could connect the dots looking backwards and I saw it coming and it is what it is. And it was really, they did me a favor. So at the very beginning of this, I talked about how I did revision on my situation because what I did was to help me look at everything from a kind and loving perspective. I. I revised it to the fact that I resigned from the job. I resigned because I had outgrown it and our priorities were not the same and I get that. I'm not going to tell somebody how to run their business. And that's what I was kind of trying to do. I was trying to force myself into a position that I really didn't need to do. And I felt unappreciated for all I had been doing because as long as I'd been there, I'd never had a job review. I've never had anybody review me. And in fact, I got a raise, um, back in July and my supervisor came out and told me, yeah, you got to cost a living increase. And I was like, okay, no thanks for your service. No thanks for your time. And I just had to reward myself instead of that. And when I look at how communication happened inside there, I could see how they were do Getting tired of my, trying to run a corporate wellness program inside there. They don't want that. That, that was me trying to tell them how to do their business and that's not okay. I never got a job review, so I felt unappreciated and I, that is not okay too. I want to go somewhere where I'm appreciated. I have so many gifts to offer that if I stayed there, I wouldn't have been able to offer the gifts that I have because I, I couldn't run my business. I had, I had to be there 40 hours a week and I couldn't go on customer calls and I couldn't really expand my, my clientele because if I did, I would have been conflict of interest with them and I was loyal to them because that's just the way I am and it's all okay. I want you to know it's all okay and going through the dark night is troubling. It's troubling to wake up in the middle of the night and have major anxiety, but that's not their fault. I'm not the victim. I worked through it. I processed my emotions. I felt them. And in fact, this video right here is healing for me and it's healing for hopefully them and we can all just be better. And everything will be fine. Everything will be fine. So when the little guy goes, it's just time, it's just time. And I've heard him several times in my, in my heart and my soul. He was telling me it is time for change. And guess what? Now I can be myself on my YouTube channel. I don't have to talk bad about anybody and I will never do that. But I will talk about corporate wellness in a way that. makes a dent in my little corner of the universe, and you will see. I look forward to more videos just like this, and in fact, I'm going to do some walking videos where I just talk to you even outside and just kind of You're gonna see a new Kathie. You're gonna see the Kathie that's been held down and pushed back and pushed down for many, many years. And I look forward to um, sharing stuff just like this. All right. Thank you for watching today's video. I trust that you found it helpful. Bye. If you know someone who can benefit from this, please share it with them. And until next time, I will see you next time. Peace out and Namaste.