This may be surprising, but in the spirit of self-disclosure: I didn’t always know I wanted to be a therapist.

When I was in college trying to figure out my career path, two of my loved ones were diagnosed with cancer within a few weeks of each other. Like for most, this was life-changing and not part of the plan.

So, my new plan was to make meaning from those experiences by working in healthcare to support people through similar unexpected hardships. After spending six years supporting patients in oncology and emergency healthcare settings, I ultimately became burnt out working in the field I thought was my calling. Feeling lost and dejected, I went to therapy.

After many tough conversations with loved ones, my therapist, and myself, I decided to pivot. I got clear on my personal and professional values, and recognized that busy hospital settings couldn’t fulfill the value most meaningful to me: Relationship. I pursued clinical licensure to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (fancy words for “therapist”) in 2021 and never looked back.

It’d be easy to tell myself I made the wrong choice in the first chapter in my career; that I “wasted” time, or “should’ve known” it wasn’t a fit for me. It’s harder to accept that it felt right at that time, but wouldn’t be forever. That being said, I wouldn’t change a thing. Without those years in healthcare, I may not have had the opportunity to connect with my values in such a meaningful way that led me to opening my own therapy practice.

This wasn’t my original plan, but if you’re reading this now, you probably know life doesn’t always work out how we think it will.