The world is in transition, economically, culturally, and politically, yet many of us feel like our careers are standing still. A lot of people, regardless of their career stage or level of success, feel stuck in placein their careers. This sense of stagnation can be unsettling, but it might help to know it’s not just you!

The U.S. labor market looks healthy thanks to the low unemployment rate, but economic uncertainty means many employers are reluctant to take on new hires. Others have frozen hiring entirely, including internal promotions. Economists are calling it the Big Freeze: a widespread feeling of being stuck, even when you’re ready to grow. So we stay put, becoming increasingly demotivated and productive over time.

At the same time, generative AI is both more powerful and more widely adopted than many of us could have imagined just a few short years ago. Research has already found shifts in automation-prone jobs like writing and software development, and some of the positions targeting new grads are disappearing. Job roles and career paths across industries are changing or even being phased out, and the positions some of us will be in five years from now might not even exist yet.

This time echoes the uncertainty many of us experienced during the pandemic, but in a different way. The sudden disruption to our lives that hit in March 2020 led some of us to make bold, life-changing decisions like changing jobs, going back to school, or starting a business. Right now, a wait-and-see approach might be better, but that doesn’t mean you have to be passive as you wait for the right time to make a move.

My experience focusing inward to find my path forward

I experienced my own version of this last year. For Change Coaches, 2023 was a great year, and I began 2024 excited about the big plans in the works for my professional life.

Instead, three big projects for Change Coaches fell through. This was an unexpected and stressful change in my plans for the rest of the year, and understandably, I was nervous! I talked to my coaching partner about how to handle this turn of events and was reminded that sometimes we need to surrender to a situation.

I took that advice to heart. I could have rushed to replace the lost work. Instead, I paused and thought about my path forward. When we come off as desperate, we aren’t really honoring what’s true to us.

With that in mind, I thought about what I wanted for Change Coaches and my work. When the demand for DEI-focused coaching and leadership work grew in and beyond 2020, I was happy to meet the moment and be of service through Change Coaches. But DEI work wasn’t the focus of my professional experience up to that time. It played a role in my coaching work—for example, it was the focus of a chapter of my book Leading Below the Surface—but I never intended for Change Coaches to be a ‘DEI coaching firm.’

By taking the time to check in with myself about where I was professionally and where I wanted to be, I was able to refocus on what I truly wanted to do: shift our work at Change Coaches toward human-centered leadership development. There’s still a relationship to DEI, but it’s about an organization’s broader culture, which allows our coaching to go deep on leadership and make real change.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t end 2024 meeting all of my goals. But the time I took to reflect, and the shifts I made as a result paved the way for Coaching Below the Surface, our newly launched and ICF-approved coach training program, and set the stage for a stronger 2025.

How to develop a practice of reflection

So if you’re feeling stuck, try turning inward. Your next move might not come from hustling harder, but from reconnecting with yourself.

Here are a few tools that helped me when I turned my focus inward during my own period of transition:

  • Journal daily: You can use prompts, free-write, or explore tools like The Artist’s Way but however you do it, journaling is a wonderful tool for reflection and self-discovery.
  • Move your body: Find joy in walking, swimming, weightlifting, or anything that feels good. For me, this came through yoga, which has truly changed my mind-body connection in ways that affect every aspect of my life.
  • Meditate:Make space in your life for mindfulness, whether it’s on your own or with a meditation group.
  • Connect with community: Join a club, volunteer, or just spend time with people who energize you. Last year, I connected with other coaches whose work I respect, and we’ve since become friends. Be open to reconsidering your boundaries between business and your social life if it provides new community and connections.
  • Talk (or laugh) it out: Share your thoughts with a coach, counselor, or trusted friend. Laugh hard when it feels right! For example, I started working with both a business coach and a life coach and have found great value in both partnerships. Consider that the people you need to talk to might not be the ones you already are. Also, a friendly reminder that everything doesn’t have to be serious all the time.

And these episodes of my podcast, Leading Below the Surface, offer valuable insights on the importance of making time for reflection and self-care:

Most of all, focus on the long game. Don’t force change – invite it. Sometimes, a Big Freeze is just a pause before your next bold step.

– LaTonya