Stuck in the Story: How I Rewrote the Narrative (Again and Again)

Here’s something a lot of coaches won’t say—but I will:
I get stuck in my own story.

And honestly? So does everyone. Because stories aren’t meant to be fully known from the beginning. They’re meant to unfold, evolve, and sometimes reroute. So here’s the honest version of all the ways I’ve felt stuck in mine—and how those moments shaped what I’ve built today.

I’ve changed paths more times than I can count.

I started college as an International Relations major, then switched to Business with a focus on Entrepreneurship. I graduated still unsure of what I wanted. People told me I had a future in higher ed, so I followed that path and got a master’s degree in it. But when I finished, I still didn’t feel clear.

So I kept going. I earned a doctorate in International & Multicultural Education, focusing on Racial Justice. I was proud of that moment—but I graduated during the height of COVID, making barely any money, still unsure what came next.

I worked in afterschool programs, human resources, and eventually started supporting people who wanted to open their own businesses in early childhood education. There were plenty of side hustles in the mix, too.

I bounced around feeling like everyone else had a plan for me.
It seemed like everyone had a plan in general—except me. I was just trying to keep up in a world that offered very few blueprints for someone like me.

Eventually, I sat down with my story.

I started asking better questions.
Not “What job should I do?”
But What matters to me? What makes sense to me?

And I realized:
At the core of everything I’ve done, I’ve always loved helping people.
Whether I was coaching, training, teaching, or facilitating—I always found a way to make the work about connection and storytelling. Even when the job wasn’t designed for that, I brought it in anyway.

I also realized that I don’t like working for other people.
Not out of rebellion—just truth. I wanted to build something that aligned with my values, not someone else's KPIs. And just keeping it 100—I hit a point where I was like, “If I’m gonna make somebody money… it should be me.”

I didn’t want to keep molding myself to fit systems that weren’t built with me in mind. I wanted to build something of my own.

That something became Abundant Stories.

But let me be real with you: I failed to start this business so many times. I started it, stopped it, changed the vision, changed it again. I’d get inspired, lose momentum, then return with a new idea.

I got stuck in the story of Abundant Stories.

But that stuckness wasn’t a setback—it was a mirror. It slowed me down enough to see what I was actually doing. I was talking about the brand more than I was building it. I realized I wasn’t operating from my values—I was operating from fear. I was trying to create something just to make money, not to create meaning.

So I stopped. I cleared the page.
I asked myself, What kind of business would feel like me? What kind of work actually lights me up?

And I started again.

That’s what Abundant Stories is now.
Not a perfect business. Not a finished product.

But a space to grow.
To reflect.
To pause and rewrite when you need to.

And if you’re stuck right now? That’s okay.
You're not failing. You’re just in a plot twist.

And the good thing about plot twists?
They always lead to something new.
Your next chapter is coming—and you get to write it.