A Head Vs. Heart Decision
- Kristin Delaplane
- Jan 9
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 11
as told by Rachel Radway
In 2014, I was director of a global team at a Fortune 500 company in San Francisco and was totally burned out. Brain fog. Chronic pain. Not sleeping. And where had my sense of humor gone?
I needed a big change.
I wanted to do something special for my 45th birthday. I found a creative/spiritual journey in Peru—a place I’d always wanted to visit. While planning the trip, I realized I didn’t want to come back. I could actually move to Peru. I put my condo on the market, and it sold in six days. A sign.
I quit my job, packed up four suitcases, and flew to my new home.
Once there, I connected with a nonprofit focused on empowering women weavers. I’d always been involved with crafts, so this excited me. But, after a few months, I realized Peru wasn’t for me long-term. A few people suggested I might love Ecuador.
I flew there and came upon Vilcabamba, a small Andean village with a large expat community. I thought this would be a good fit. I bought a little adobe in the mountains with organic terraced gardens and banana trees and settled into doing freelance work online and volunteering for a local artists’ cooperative. It turned out not to be a particularly safe place for a single woman, so, after a year, I was looking for a new home.
Some people I knew were moving to Portugal. It offered quite a bit I was looking for, culture, history and art. After some research, I decided on a place called Vila do Conde. I sold my adobe and flew to Portugal with seven pieces of luggage. Once again, I was trying to make a life in a new place. Once again, after giving it a little over year, I knew it wasn’t going to work. Vila do Conde is very conservative and without being fluent in the language it was hard to have meaningful conversations
I came back to the States and applied to a master’s program, looking to move into a different career. Then, just before I was to start school, a company in Switzerland offered me a job. It was a head or heart decision. My heart wanted the master’s program. My head said, “Take the job. You're about to turn 50. Do you really want to take on massive school debt?”
I went with my head. Off to Switzerland.
Almost immediately I was faced with a toxic work environment. After two months, “I quit,” flew out of my mouth during a meeting. When my stuff finally arrived, I told the movers, “Don’t unpack it. I’m shipping it back.”
I finally found my calling with my coaching business, bringing the learning and wisdom from my experiences and growth to my clients. Those years were an odyssey. At age 45, my starting over began. I’m grateful that at that time I listened to my body and intuition when I needed to make a big change. During those years I mastered the ability to pivot, adapt, and thrive. And most importantly, I have never again gone with my head in a head-heart decision.
Rachel’s Links:
RER Coaching
Comments