Success Looks Different When You Call The Shots
Fresh out of college with a graphic design degree, I watched my classmates chase their “dream jobs” as (poorly paid) designers while I chose advertising production. Mostly because I never wanted to ask my parents for money again.
I spent the next decade climbing. Department revenue, management influence, titles, company car, salary increases. All the boxes checked.
But I started to feel like something was missing.
I was producing other people’s creative work—and developing new business presentations for Fortune 500 companies from information passed to me on a napkin, and often from thin air. Running circles around male bosses who looked at me like “why is she talking?” during meetings. Even when I was running a major piece of the business, I felt like a middle manager.
The moment everything changed
In my late thirties, something shifted. I went from “I’m not sure what's good” to “I could do better than what others are doing.”
That confidence didn’t come from external validation. It came from getting tired of producing other people's work when I knew I had something valuable to offer.
I started my own design studio with my husband and ran it successfully for 17 years. Every client came through referrals. We never advertised.
But here’s what really mattered: I called ALL of the shots.
This mirrors what's happening everywhere. Nearly 8 in 10 workers now express interest in entrepreneurship, with 29% wanting to be their own boss.
Authority vs Autonomy
I had authority in corporate roles. Budgets, teams, influence at the leadership table.
But autonomy? That only came when I stopped asking permission to do meaningful work.
The difference is profound. Authority means working within someone else’s system. Autonomy means building your own.
According to the Kauffman Foundation's 2023 State of Entrepreneurship report, women represent 36% of new entrepreneurs, continuing a steady upward trend. Many cite the same reason: corporate jobs simply aren't inspiring anymore.
Success that honors who you are
Now I help others define success on their own terms. Whether they’re building tech companies, starting a small business, or making career pivots, the work starts the same way.
Many people don’t connect that true success comes when your success aligns with your values.
My values never changed. I’ve always liked being helpful and working behind the scenes. But it took decades to find ways to honor those values while building something meaningful.
The corporate ladder wasn’t broken. It just wasn’t mine to climb.
What’s your version of calling the shots?
Success isn’t about fitting into someone else’s framework. It's about building one that actually works for who you are.
Research shows that values-aligned success creates deeper satisfaction than external metrics ever could.
The question isn’t whether you’re successful by traditional standards.
The question is whether your definition of success aligns with your values and lets you call the shots in your own life.