This is Part 2 of a full series this month, taking you behind-the-scenes of leaving my corporate job, building and creating a business, and doing what you love. I’m pouring my heart out here, just warning you, and has nothing to do with healthy food and recipes. But don’t worry, those will be back soon! Haven’t caught up yet? Start with Part 1 right here.

Remember in Part 1 I promised you that I would share the exact day when I thanked God (out loud) for placing me in this difficult career situation? I’ll get to that in a minute…it’s a good story. But let’s back up and talk about what took place the two years before this day.

To give you a general time reference, I started working at my full-time corporate job in April of 2015. By October of 2015, I knew something didn’t feel right. I was thrown into a project that just about killed me. I was traveling like crazy, sometimes having to stay through the weekend, waking up in the middle of the night to run distribution tests for truckloads of packages, cranking out spreadsheets at 9 pm at night, working on test plans on Sundays, it was awful. I was running myself into the ground.

On top of my crazy work schedule, my manager was terrible. She micromanaged everything I did, down to my e-mail signature…she called me out once for using an exclamation point after the word “Thanks!”. I was in such a state of shock when she mentioned it to me, that I I just stared at her and didn’t even say anything. An exclamation point?!?! Are you kidding me? This couldn’t be real.

Believe it or not, that was actually a very powerful turning point in my career because it was the first time I realized that someone was trying to change my personality. Telling me how I needed to sign my e-mails to “fit in” to this corporate mold.

Jonah asked me one day “Do you think you should explore other career paths?” And my immediate answer was “NO! This is what I went to school for! I would have just wasted four and a half years majoring in something that I’m not even going to use. Let alone the YEARS before college I spent dreaming of this career?” Wait, did he have a point though?

I sat on this idea for awhile. It finally dawned on me that maybe it was ok to start thinking beyond my current career in Packaging. Step outside my comfort zone and start thinking BIG.

I became more aware of the things I was passionate about. Those being nutrition and wellness. I was obsessed with food blogs, loved reading articles on Mind Body Green and Well + Good, reading nutrition books, trying new workouts, teaching others about how to eat and be well. It was where my mind always wandered off to when I wasn’t thinking about work.

That’s when I decided to research all of the food and wellness bloggers I followed to learn about their backgrounds. And guess what? 95% of them came from Corporate America. They left after they realized that working a 9-5 job wasn’t their passion. Their stories resonated with me. I felt like I had a connection to these people. I decided to take on the attitude, “if they can do it, I can do it.”

In a matter of weeks, I made the executive decision that I was going to make a career change and become a Health Coach. I enrolled in the Insititute for Integrative Nutrition Program and began my year-long school in July of 2016.

The only people that initially knew about this were Jonah, my sister and a couple of my best friends. I didn’t even tell my parents until I was halfway through the program and launched my website! Why? I had spent my whole life trying to please other people. I was ready to start making decisions on my own that made me happy.

That year was an absolute whirlwind. Jonah and I got married in June of 2016 and I started the IIN program just a month later in July. I began working with a web designer in September to create my website, which let me tell you, that is quite the process and a labor of love.

I officially launched Living Well With Nic on February 22nd, 2017 (woohoo!) and graduated as a certified Health Coach in June of 2017. During that year, my corporate job improved a little. I was working on a project that I actually enjoyed (for the most part) and the best part was I had my new website to take my mind off of any work-related stress.

After I graduated from IIN, my “plan” (there’s that word again) was to give myself one year to gain experience, build up my client base, and leave my corporate job in the smoothest way possible.

I started dedicating hours each day to listening to podcasts, reading self-development books, journaling, practicing manifestation, making a vision board, and creating the life of my dreams. I knew that if I wanted to live a full, abundant, purpose-driven life, I needed to learn how to quiet the voices in my head telling me that I was crazy.

Fast forward one year to February 22nd, 2018, my one year anniversary of Living Well With Nic 🙂 I had been going through one of the most challenging points in my career, so I decided to start reading the book The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein. By the way, this is one the top 5 books I have EVER read. It’s one that I refer to on a daily basis.

I clung on to every word in this book. It became my saving grace when I needed it the most.

Now in the book, Gabby talks about the power of numbers and how certain repeated numbers can mean something, such as 111 or 222, etc. Angels and spirit guides talk to us through repetitive number patterns because it’s easier for us to notice with our physical eyes.

It suddenly dawned on me that my Living Well With Nic anniversary is 2/22…222. And you’ll never guess what that means: “it is a divine sign letting you know that a new cycle is about to start in your life.  This new cycle of experiences is about growth and expansion.”

I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT.

It was like I had been given the BIGGEST sign ever. Right in front of me. I truly believe that when I initially launched my website on 2/22 (for no specific rhyme or reason at the time), it was for a greater purpose that I couldn’t see until I opened my heart.

I had never felt so sure about anything.

I could feel myself becoming mentally stronger each day. Every meditation, manifestation, and prayer seemed to bring back my self- confidence that I had lost in my corporate job.

Now, this is when it gets good.

I had to travel to Nashville for a work trip in April, which I wasn’t too thrilled about since it has been my third trip there in the past couple months. Work travel is not as glamorous as it’s made out to be!

I was driving by myself, listening to music, and felt this urge to pray. So I turned my music off and prayed out loud.

There are the exact words I said “God, I am ready for this chapter in my life to come to an end. I have learned the lessons you were trying to teach me and feel ready for a new beginning. I pray that if it is your will, please give me a sign that I’m ready.”

I instantly felt peace and warmth surround me. It was almost as if someone had just given me a big hug. I could feel God answering my prayers. He was telling me that I was ready.

I hopped on an early morning flight on Friday, April 20th, knowing full well that my life was about to change.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story. In this full series on the blog, I’m taking you behind the scenes of starting a business doing what you love. Part 3 coming next week.

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