From Public Service to Personal Power

Five Essential Steps to Navigate What’s Next

When your career has been built around a mission bigger than yourself — serving your country, community, or agency — the idea of leaving that behind can feel disorienting.

For many federal workers (and anyone in transition), the end of one chapter doesn’t just mark a job change. It can trigger an identity crisis.

But it can also be a turning point — a chance to reconnect with yourself and build a future that reflects who you are now.

Here are the five essential steps I walk through in my coaching work with federal professionals — a framework to help you move forward with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

1. Stop and Quiet the Noise

When everything feels urgent, we tend to act from fear. We jump into the first opportunity. We drown in productivity. We try to fix the uncertainty instead of feeling it.

But clarity doesn’t come from chaos. It comes from quiet.

Try this: Block 25 minutes of “clarity time” this week. No distractions. Just you, your journal, and a question: What am I feeling right now, and what do I need?

2. Define What Matters Most

Without your title or agency, who are you?

This step is about reconnecting with your core values, your purpose, and your motivators — the internal compass that will guide you through what’s next.

Try this: Reflect on a time when you felt most alive and proud. What values were at play? What strengths were you using? What does that tell you about what matters most?

3. Let Go of Expectations

Let’s be honest: a lot of what’s holding us back isn’t reality — it’s the invisible “shoulds” we carry.

“I should be further along.”
“I should just go back to what I was doing.”
“I shouldn’t need this much time to figure it out.”

But expectations rooted in fear and comparison won’t get you where you want to go.

Try this: Write down five “shoulds” you’re carrying. Then, rewrite each one as a permission statement. (I give myself permission to explore. To rest. To not know yet.)

4. Create Your Vision of Success

Success may have once meant climbing the ladder, earning the GS level, and getting the clearance. But that definition may no longer serve you.

Now’s the time to redefine success on your terms.

Try this: Imagine your life one year from now. What does a meaningful day look like? Who are you with? How do you feel? What are you doing that lights you up?

5. Get Moving

You don’t need a five-year plan. You don’t need certainty. You just need your next right step.

Aligned action builds momentum — not through urgency, but through trust.

Try this: Choose one small step this week that feels values-aligned. Reach out to someone you admire. Say no to something that drains you. Apply for the job that excites you, not just your resume.

Final Thoughts

This moment of transition, while uncomfortable, is also an invitation.

To remember who you are.
To release what no longer fits.
And to take the next step toward a life that reflects you.

Want support along the way? I created a free workbook to help you walk through each of these steps. [Link to download]

Because the future isn’t something you wait for.
It’s something you create — one intentional step at a time.