That label people love to throw around when you start setting boundaries at work—the one that makes you feel like you're being "difficult" or "high maintenance"? Let me tell you what that really means: you're done sacrificing yourself for the comfort of others. After coaching countless brilliant midlife women through career transitions, I've witnessed this pattern repeatedly. Accomplished professionals who've spent decades being the "yes" person, the go-to problem solver, keeping everyone else happy while slowly losing pieces of themselves. The truth is, people-pleasing might feel like kindness, but it's actually a mindset that keeps you playing small. And at midlife, when you've accumulated decades of experience and wisdom, playing small starts to feel like a betrayal of yourself.

You know that Sunday night feeling? That subtle (or maybe not too subtle) knot in your stomach when you think about Monday morning? You've been telling yourself for months (maybe years) that you should be grateful for your job. It pays the bills. It's stable. Your family counts on it.

But underneath the pros you can list off about it, there's this other voice. The one that wonders if this is really all there is.

It's 2:47 AM, and you're wide awake, staring at the ceiling. Your mind is racing with the same familiar thoughts: Why didn’t I change careers years ago? What if it's too late to change careers now? What would my husband say about me changing careers now? Who do I think I am to want more in my career?

Now, I know what you might be thinking. "Dawn, what in the world does energy have to do with my career?" Trust me, I had the same question when I first studied this concept at IPEC, my coach training school. But let me tell you, it's been nothing short of revolutionary in my own life and in the lives of my clients.