Uncorporate: Trading the Boardroom for the Blank Page

Why I Walked Away from Corporate America

What would it take to make you walk away from a cushy corporate career? Perception is everything. Even though there’s no guarantee you’ll keep your job in any corporation—be it large, medium, or small—it’s often easier to stay and work for the proverbial man than to strike out on your own and do something different.

I spent nearly 14 years in a global corporation, working in corporate medical communications. I was hired because I could manage projects and actually finish them, but over time, it became clear that my loyalty wasn’t to the company—it was to the executive who hired me. When I was forced to move to a different department during a messy reorg, I found myself isolated, marginalized, and, frankly, junior-fied. After a series of events I’ll save for another blog post, I decided to leave it all behind in October 2023. By November 2024, I had started my own company to do what I’d always dreamed of: write and share my stories.

Truth is, I finally rustled up enough guts to admit I prefer to color outside the preordained societal lines. And y’all, I’m not getting any younger.

From Analyst to Author: My Corporate America Journey

Even before I knew what an analyst was, I was one. I’ve always had a knack for picking things apart—be it business situations, relationships, or life itself. I see patterns everywhere, and during my corporate tenure, I turned that into a strength. Working in corporate communications, I learned a lot from collaborating with professionals like social media managers and Emmy-winning video producers. Watching them taught me how to tell a story using more than just words.

But corporate life wasn’t all rosy. While I thrived on analysis and corporate storytelling, I grew weary of bad management, questionable executive decisions, and the prioritization of profit over people. For years, I stayed in the grind because it was easier than facing the uncertainty of leaving.

That changed during an ill-planned reorg where I was sidelined and misled about my role in the “new world order.” When it became clear my services were no longer valued, I made a choice: I walked away. No severance. No unemployment benefits. Just the knowledge that staying would make me physically and emotionally sick.

Embracing the Fear and Freedom of Starting Over

When I resigned, I was furious—at first. Packing up corporate property felt like a release, but once the reality of unemployment hit, I was terrified. "Unemployed" is such a dirty word, isn’t it? But underneath the fear, I felt something unexpected: exhilaration. Freedom. For the first time in years, I had the time and space to learn about things that fascinated me, like writing professionally, setting up an author business, publishing, and even new technologies like artificial intelligence.

The only thing I’ve ever truly wanted to do is write. And now, I finally could.

My Writing Journey: From Church Notes to Crime Fiction

I’ve been writing since I was eight years old—back when I’d sit on the back pew at church, scribbling monologues, poems, and silly stories on scraps of paper. (Don’t tell my mom; she’d have had my head.) To this day, I still have every last scrap of those early writings stored in a box in my attic.

For me, writing is a way to weave together the things I know well with things that fascinate me: the South, psychology, motivation, the complexities of relationships, and crime. My stories are set in small towns or rural communities and told primarily from the perspective of strong female protagonists. I write about the early 20th century because the lack of technology fascinates me; it forces characters to solve problems by hand, word, and action. Sometimes their struggles come from societal expectations they just can’t stomach—something I can relate to.

In the coming year, I’ll be releasing stories that explore themes like resilience and desperation, including a novel about a woman navigating the challenges of divorcing an abusive yet powerful husband in the late 1940s.

Why I Chose Writing Over Corporate Life

Writing makes me feel like myself again. In the corporate world, I wore a mask—hiding my opinions during endless Teams meetings where I couldn’t even turn on my camera for fear my face would give me away. Financially, I’m poorer now, but I’m happier. I’ve lost 30 pounds. I’m free from the artificial stress of constantly bending to someone else’s priorities.

And honestly? Pass or fail, this path is mine. For years, I wrote stories just for myself, calling them "tripe" and insisting no one would want to read them. Then one day, I shared a story with an Emmy-winning producer friend. Her encouragement to “get off my duff and publish” was the spark I needed. Now, here I am—flapping my hummingbird-sized wings as hard as I can.

Welcome to My Crazy Train

So here it is: my journey from corporate refugee to fledgling author. If you want to follow along—whether out of curiosity or camaraderie—you’re welcome to join me on this ride. I’ll be sharing more about my writing, my books, and the lessons I’m learning along the way.

Stay tuned for more stories, updates, and maybe even a little chaos. Find me on [INSERT SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS HERE], or sign up for my email list to catch every new blog post.

Let’s see where this train takes us.