1.5.26

Why Clarity Became My Work

In 2013, I found myself feeling deeply directionless.

For nearly a decade, I had poured my energy into a wide range of paths—trying to become an actress, playing drums, working celebrity events, editing photos, managing restaurants, and even starting an arts nonprofit. On the outside, it looked like I had drive, creativity, and ambition. On the inside, I felt conflicted. I had so many interests and desires, but no clear sense of where to truly put my efforts.

I wasn’t lacking motivation. I was lacking clarity.

At that point, I decided I wanted to go back to school to become a therapist. It felt like a way to bring meaning, stability, and service together. Before I applied to a master’s program, someone very close to me offered something that would quietly change the trajectory of my life: they suggested I complete the Highlands Ability Battery.

We went through the assessment together, and what emerged was eye-opening.

The results showed that becoming a therapist might not fully align with how I’m naturally wired. At the same time, the assessment validated so much of my past—why I had been drawn to creative fields, why music came so naturally to me, and why I had often felt conflicted rather than settled. For the first time, my zig-zag path made sense.

What struck me most was how relieving it felt to have something concrete to reference—a document that reflected me. When I later looked at programs, roles, or career options, I wasn’t guessing or forcing myself into what I thought I should want. I had a map.

Ultimately, I enrolled in a master’s program in Coaching and Leadership—a far better fit based on how I’m naturally designed.

Little did I know, the virtual coaching space was about to explode.

As COVID hit, the need for support, guidance, and care skyrocketed. I began working with a telehealth provider and, over time, supported well over a thousand individuals. Again and again, I heard echoes of my own earlier experience. People felt misaligned. Unsatisfied. Unsure if they were in the right work, the right role, or even the right industry. Outside of work, many didn’t know what truly lit them up—or where to invest their limited time and energy to feel fulfilled.

Something clicked for me in 2025.

I realized that while coaching people through their thoughts, emotions, and inner narratives was powerful, there was something missing for many of them—clear, actionable guidance. Not more introspection. Not more self-help content. But clarity.

That realization led me to become a certified Highlands Consultant.

Now, alongside coaching, I help people understand how they are naturally wired and how to make decisions that align with that design. I often describe it as giving people a map—one that helps them decide where to place their time, effort, and energy so they can use it well.

This work is deeply personal to me because I’ve lived the before and after.

I know what it’s like to feel capable, creative, and motivated—yet quietly unsure if you’re building the right life. I also know how life-changing it can be to finally understand yourself in a way that brings relief instead of pressure.

I believe each of us has the power to carry out our purpose in this lifetime. And real clarity is what makes that possible.

That belief is why I’m here. And why this work matters so much to me.

-SJ