I Didn't Expect My Next Chapter to Look Like This

If you had asked me a few years ago what my future looked like, I would have given you a pretty confident answer. I had a career I loved, work that felt meaningful, and a clear picture of where I thought life was headed. Like so many of us, I believed I had my next chapter mapped out.

Then life surprised me.

What followed wasn't one dramatic event, but a series of twists I never would have planned. There was a layoff from a job I truly loved. There was the excitement and uncertainty of building a business. There were more than 200 job applications, moments of self-doubt, and countless conversations where I wondered if I was chasing the right thing or simply trying to find my footing again.

Looking back, I realize I spent a long time asking the wrong question.

I kept asking myself, "What's the right business for me?" I researched ideas, tested possibilities, and looked for the perfect answer. But eventually, I realized that wasn't really what I needed to know.

The question that changed everything was much simpler.

Who am I becoming, and what kind of life do I actually want to build?

That shift changed not only the way I thought about business, but the way I thought about every decision moving forward.

As I continued working with entrepreneurs, people considering career changes, and individuals who simply felt stuck, I noticed something surprising. On the surface, everyone's story looked different. One person had been laid off. Another was burned out in a successful career. Someone else had dreamed of starting a business for years but couldn't decide if it was the right move. Others weren't even sure what they wanted—they just knew something had to change.

Despite all those different stories, almost everyone was wrestling with the same question.

"How do I figure out what's next?"

That's when I realized something important about the work I loved most.

I wasn't just helping people start businesses.

I was helping people gain clarity.

Sometimes that clarity led to launching a business. Sometimes it led to changing careers. Sometimes it gave someone permission to stay exactly where they were, but with a completely different perspective and renewed confidence. The business was never the destination. Clarity was.

That's why you'll start noticing a shift around here.

Lettuce isn't going anywhere. In many ways, I think it's becoming more true to its purpose than ever before. Instead of focusing only on helping people find the right business idea, I'm expanding that mission to help people discover the right next step—whatever that looks like.

Because your next chapter might be a business.

It might be a new career.

It might be returning to a dream you've put on hold.

Or it might simply be rediscovering yourself after a season that left you wondering what comes next.

No matter what your journey looks like, I've become convinced that clarity comes first. Everything else grows from there.

That belief is what inspired me to create something I've been quietly working on over the past several weeks.

It's called Finding Your Next Chapter, and I'm genuinely excited to finally share it with you.

This guided journal isn't meant to tell you what you should do. Instead, it's designed to help you slow down long enough to hear your own thoughts again. Through thoughtful prompts and reflective exercises, it will help you uncover what's been holding you back, recognize your strengths, explore new possibilities, and begin identifying your next step with confidence.

Every page was created with one hope in mind—that when you close the journal, you'll feel more hopeful, more grounded, and a little clearer than when you opened it.

The truth is, I don't have every detail of my own next chapter figured out yet.

Maybe that's exactly why creating this journal has meant so much to me.

I'm walking this road too.

I'm learning that clarity doesn't usually arrive all at once. It comes through reflection, honest questions, meaningful conversations, and the courage to simply take the next step, even when you can't see the entire path ahead.

If you're standing at a crossroads right now, wondering what's next for your career, your business, or your life, I'd love to walk alongside you for a little while.

I've made the Finding Your Next Chapter Journal completely free because I hope it becomes the encouragement you need today. (Get Yours Today)

My hope is that it reminds you of something I continue reminding myself:

You're not starting over. You're building on everything you've already learned.

And I can't wait to see where your next chapter leads.