From Desk Job to Freedom:
Megan Seamans
I am thrilled to bring another incredible story from real people who quit their corporate careers to earn a living doing what they absolutely love! We’ll be chatting all about what it took for them to finally take the leap to build a life they're obsessed with. A life fueled by passion, purpose, freedom, and adventure!
This beautiful soul, Megan, was working in a desk job after college that didn’t leave her feeling like she was making a difference in the world. She knew right away that corporate life wasn’t for her, so she decided to start nannying again when she stumbled across a life coach’s Instagram. And that’s when it clicked - she knew this was the field she was supposed to be in. I can’t wait for you to dive into this wise woman’s story!
I'm so excited to be sharing your brave story of how you left your financially secure career to start your own business!! At what point did you know it was time to make a career change, and how were you feeling in your career at the time?
I am extraordinarily grateful that I learned very quickly that a career in the corporate world wasn’t for me. In my early twenties was working a desk job in a medical office on my way to moving up in that company, I found joy in the day to day but I didn’t truly feel like I was making any difference.
I never felt like my soul was lighting up in the work I was doing. I felt like I was just moving through the motions of how life was “supposed to look” according to societal standards and what was expected of me in my family.
AMAZING! So did you know what you wanted to do/what business you wanted to start? How did you figure that out?
I had zero clue as to what I wanted to do, I dove into the entrepreneur world completely blind. Both of my parents are librarians, the farthest possible thing from an entrepreneur. I always have their unconditional support, however they weren’t exactly tools I could use to guide me through owning a business… though I suppose they could have found me a good book or two on the topic!
All of my friends were busy getting their entry level positions in the corporate world. And my Interpersonal Communications degree taught me nothing about finding my true passion post grad.
All I knew was I needed to simply begin. I typed in the famous google search “how to work online” and started sifting through freelancing and dodgy “make up to $1000 a week!” type of posts. The best way to learn something new is to just completely immerse yourself in it, so I joined a direct sales company to learn all that I could about networking, social media for business, and getting myself so far beyond my comfort zone.
While I was there I discovered a passion for helping women move out of fear so they too could live a life far passed comfort. I stumbled across a life coach on Instagram and my intuition knew that was where I was meant to be. After trial and error, loads of research, late nights of studying, immense joy, and probably a few nights of tears I opened the [online] doors to my life coaching practice.
One of my favorite things is when my clients finally figure out what business they're going to start! Sometimes that's the hardest part! So I'd love to hear about your journey of transitioning out of your day job and into your own business - what was that like?
Through that crazy journey of finding my place in the online world, I had to make an income in some way. I decided to nanny like I did all throughout college. I could see the judgement in the eyes of people who asked me, a shiny eyed graduate, “what job are you starting, using your new degree?” And my response was… “I said no to all of the offers, I’m nannying while building an online business.”
I could hear the confusion when my parents would ask things like, “how will you save for retirement… what about health care?” And I didn’t care, because for once in my life I was full of bliss in what I was doing, I felt like I was making a difference every day. I took all of the shame there was in working a part time job and owned having a blast with those babies while I was there so I could carry over that joy into my business.
I’m not going to lie to you though, I am only human, and that means I did have hard days sometimes; days that the judgement would catch up to me, and days I just wanted to flat out give up. Owning a business is by no means easy, sometimes I wondered why I was trading a 20 hour work week for a 60 hour one. And yet every single time I picked myself back up, every single little win… I realized exactly why I was making this journey. The overwhelming feeling of gratitude that hits you when you are living a life on purpose can not be traded for anything in the world.
Total proof that when you combine what you absolutely LOVE doing with what you're naturally gifted at, success is inevitable. What was your biggest struggle in making the change?
My biggest struggle in making the change was fear of being seen. I constantly questioned who might see my work and what they would think of me doing this. Starting as a life coach so young I often battled the “who am I” fear. Who am I to run a business? Who am I to coach on life when I’m not even half way through? My biggest struggles simply existed within my mind, an old story I was living by or a new story I would tell to try and protect myself from doing something scary.
It's amazing how much our unhappiness at work spills over into our relationships at home, with our kids, and into our personal lives. Often without even realizing it's happening. So how did you overcome fear when it arose?
As I said, my biggest struggles simply existed within my mind so the trick for me was getting out of my own head and being okay with being uncomfortable. I think I learned quick that anything new you try holds a little bit of discomfort, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong, it just means that it’s new. I remembered what it was like the first time I got behind the wheel of a car. The first time I was a nervous wreck, I had no clue how I would operate this giant moving vehicle. And if I let that fear get in my way completely I wouldn’t be the fully confident [ticket free, thank you very much] driver that I am today.
When a fear came up for me instead of “what if-ing” all of the negatives, I went through every positive in my brain. And before I stepped into something scary that had me all caught up in my mind with shaky hands and a nervous heart I did something to shake up my environment; maybe that was having a thirty second dance party, or jumping up and down, or going on a walk outside, just something to get me out of just sitting there stewing over what could be. Because trust me when I say this… you absolutely will not and cannot be prepared for the unexpected and when it happens, you’ll know what to do. Trust yourself.
Life is just too short and too precious to spend our lives trapped in the wrong career! Megan, is there anything else you would like to share that you feel would benefit others who are staying in careers they don't love?
There is absolutely no more time to waste in anything less than something that lights your soul up. The fear, the tears, the new starts, it’s all worth it when you find something that is passion fueled. Go live your life on purpose, this is the sign you have been looking for!
WOW! See this goes to show, we all start somewhere and finding your way through your own journey is exciting and scary at the same time.
Remember, you always have a choice… remain where you're safe and comfortable....
or take the leap! Choose YOU. Choose LIFE. That's what I did and I'll never look back..
If you're thinking about taking the leap, watch my FREE masterclass, How to Find Your Purpose! It walks you through each step to figure out what your dream career is, and how to transition into it.
So much love and light,
Erica xx
About Erica
Erica Carrico is an International Life Purpose Coach, world traveler, adventure seeker, free spirit, and mommy of 2.
Through coaching services, speaking, and writing, Erica helps holistic & spiritual professionals who are frustrated and stuck in the wrong career, discover their life purpose and start a soul-aligned business so they can finally earn a living doing what they absolutely love. What they were put on earth to do.
Erica has a BS in Psychology, an MS in Nonprofit Management, life and career coaching certifications, 12+ years experience in business leadership and international recruitment, built a fully-booked soul-aligned business within a year, has traveled through over 50 different countries, and is obsessed with helping thousands of people all around the world live lives full of passion, purpose, freedom, and adventure.
To follow more of Erica’s work, you can find her hanging out on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and LINKED IN.
Frustrated and stuck in the wrong career?
Ready to find your life's purpose and start a business that's in alignment with what you were put on earth to do?
Check out my FREE masterclass to start planning your escape!!
