When Your Health Makes You Rethink Your Career

I'm coming up on four months away from work, and honestly, it's crazy to think about. Part of me feels like I've been away forever, and another part can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. With my return-to-work date approaching, I've been thinking a lot about what comes next. And the truth is, I don't know.

What I do know is that this time away has given me something I didn't realize how much I needed: space. Space to slow down, reflect, and take a closer look at the life I've built and the life I want moving forward.

The Career I've Worked So Hard to Build

For the past seven years, my career has been a huge part of my life. I started at the front desk of a tech company and worked my way into a Solution Engineering role. I've worked incredibly hard to get where I am today, and it's something I'm genuinely proud of.

My career has given me financial independence, friendships, experiences, and a lifestyle I've worked hard to create for myself. And there are so many things I love about my job. I work for a great company, I have a supportive manager, and I've had the opportunity to work alongside some incredible people. Over the years, I've learned so much, had amazing opportunities to speak at events and travel, and been challenged in ways I never had before. These experiences have helped me grow both personally and professionally, and I'm incredibly grateful for all of it.

But over the past couple of years, something has shifted. The role has evolved, and with that has come an increasing amount of stress. I've found myself questioning whether this is something I want to continue doing long-term. I can appreciate everything this career has given me while also recognizing that it might not be what's best for me in this next season of life.

And that's been one of the hardest things to come to terms with. How do you walk away from something you've spent years working toward, especially when it's something you've been successful at?

Sometimes You Don't Realize the Toll Something Is Taking Until You Step Away

Earlier this summer, I underwent a medical procedure related to my CHD. While I've had many procedures throughout my life, this one felt different. It was eye-opening in a way I hadn't anticipated, and it reminded me of the road I still have ahead of me.

The reality of living with a complex heart condition is that even when I'm feeling good, staying active, and living a full life, there is still so much happening behind the scenes. There are appointments, tests, procedures, medications, and ongoing monitoring. There are also decisions I have to make today with my future health in mind. I've lived with CHD my entire life, but sometimes an experience reminds you to look at the bigger picture.

Taking time away from work to focus on my health gave me the opportunity to step outside an environment I'd been immersed in for years. When you're in the middle of your everyday routine, it's so easy to operate on autopilot. You wake up, go to work, manage your responsibilities, deal with the stress, and do it all over again the next day. Sometimes you don't even realize how much something is affecting you because it's simply become your normal.

But when you step away, you start to see things differently. For me, that meant realizing just how much of my mental and emotional energy I'd been giving to work.

Living With CHD Adds Another Layer to Career Decisions

One of the things people don't always understand about living with CHD is how many everyday decisions are influenced by your health. Career decisions are a big one.

Of course, we all have to think about salary, career growth, job satisfaction, and work-life balance. When you have a lifelong medical condition, though, there are additional considerations, and health insurance is a huge one.

Access to specialized medical care isn't optional when you're living with a complex heart condition. I have a team of doctors who know my medical history, and it's crucial that I continue receiving the highest quality care possible. So when I think about making a career change, I can't just think about what I want to do next. I have to think about health insurance, whether I'll be able to continue seeing my specialists, what the cost of care might look like, and whether a new job would provide the flexibility I need for appointments and medical procedures.

And then there's stress. Stress is something everyone has to manage, but living with a complex heart condition has made me increasingly aware of how important it is to protect my physical and emotional well-being.

As I've gotten older, I've become much more intentional about recognizing the things in my life that bring me joy and the things that may be taking more from me than they're giving. That doesn't mean eliminating every stressful situation. That's not realistic. But it does mean asking myself whether certain stressors are necessary, especially when I have the ability to make a change.

What Does Success Really Look Like?

I've spent so much of my adult life working hard, setting goals, and pushing myself to achieve more. I don't regret any of it, and I'm proud of everything I've accomplished. Lately, though, I've found myself asking a different question.

Is the life I'm working so hard to maintain actually the life I want to be living?

As I think about the bigger picture, my priorities have started to shift. I want to have the energy to take care of myself, more flexibility and time for the people I love, and the freedom to continue traveling, moving my body, creating, and doing things that make me feel alive.

Beyond all of that, I've also felt this growing sense that I'm meant to do something more. Something that allows me to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others. I don't know exactly what that looks like yet, but it's a feeling that's been with me for a while and one that's become harder to ignore.

Through Inner Heart Glow, I've already experienced how fulfilling it can be to share my story, connect with others, and hopefully make a difference in the CHD community. That experience has made me wonder what it might look like to create more space for that kind of purpose in my life.

Most importantly, I want to build a life that supports my health rather than constantly feeling like I'm trying to fit my health around everything else.

The Hard Part About Letting Go

I wish I could say that after four months away, I've figured out exactly what I want to do next.. but I haven’t. I have ideas, dreams, and things I want to explore. This time away has given me more clarity about what I don't want, although I haven't quite figured out what the next chapter looks like.

There's comfort in what you know, even when you recognize that it might not be the right fit anymore. There's comfort in a steady paycheck, health benefits, a familiar routine, and a career you've spent years building. Walking away from those things can feel scary, especially when you have a medical condition that requires lifelong care.

However, I'm learning that being grateful for something doesn't mean I have to hold on to it forever. I can be proud of this chapter without needing to stay in it.

… and maybe that's what this season is teaching me. Growth doesn't always mean achieving more, climbing higher, or pushing harder. Sometimes growth means recognizing when something no longer aligns with the life you're trying to create.

So, What's Next?

As I write this in October 2026, I'm preparing for the possibility of returning to work next month. What that return will look like is still uncertain, but one thing I know for sure is that I don't want to return to the same routine and level of stress I was experiencing before. This time away has given me too much perspective to simply pick up where I left off.

I don't have a perfectly mapped-out plan, and that's uncomfortable for someone who has spent much of her life working toward the next goal. What I do know is that something needs to change, whether that's the role I'm in, the capacity in which I work, or eventually pursuing something entirely different. What I do have is a clearer understanding of what matters to me: my health, my peace, my relationships, my purpose, helping others, making an impact, and creating a life where those things have room to thrive.

Living with congenital heart disease has taught me so much about resilience, pushing through challenges, and not allowing my diagnosis to define what I'm capable of. However, lately I'm realizing that resilience isn't always about pushing through. Sometimes it's about knowing when to make a change.

I may not know exactly what comes next, but I do know that I want to be more intentional about the life I'm building. I've worked incredibly hard to get to where I am, and now I'm asking myself what I want all that hard work to make possible.

Maybe, for the first time in a long time, the answer has less to do with my career and more to do with how I want to live, the lives I want to touch, and the legacy I want to leave behind.

Still growing, still glowing,

Courtney