When systematic career change methods meet authentic self-discovery, magic happens faster than you expect.
“I was good at content marketing, but I wasn’t passionate about doing it long-term.”
That’s how Ruthie Bowles described her successful marketing consultancy when we started working together. She’d nearly hit six figures in her first year – impressive by any measure.
But success without fulfillment is just expensive misery. Rather than continuing to struggle with the wrong fit, Ruthie needed a systematic approach to career change that would help her discover work that truly energized her.
Sound familiar?
The Hidden Problem: When Expertise Becomes a Prison
Ruthie had what I call “competency trap syndrome.” She’d built a thriving business around skills that came naturally to her – analysis, planning, strategic thinking from her military background. The work paid well, clients were happy, and from the outside, everything looked perfect.
Here’s what we discovered: Ruthie wasn’t lacking business skills or marketing knowledge. She was lacking a system for aligning her natural strengths with work that actually energized her.
After frustrating experiences with high-ticket coaching programs that promised fast success but delivered cookie-cutter solutions, Ruthie was ready to give up on entrepreneurship altogether.
This is where systems thinking changed everything.
The Breakthrough: 50 Ways to Freedom
Instead of trying to fix what was “wrong” with her marketing business, we used executive coaching to find what was right:
✓ Comprehensive brainstorming (50 ways she could make money)
✓ Strengths inventory (what energized vs. drained her)
✓ Hidden asset discovery (skills she’d forgotten or dismissed)
✓ Market validation system (testing ideas before full commitment)
During our brainstorming session, something magical happened. Ruthie remembered narrating an audiobook “just for fun” back in 2019.
“Wait,” she said, “I actually loved doing that.”
The Transformation: From Forgotten Fun to Disney Deals
What happened next shows the power of systematic exploration over random pivoting:
Within months: Ruthie landed meaningful audiobook projects Major breakthrough: Secured a deal with Disney’s publishing arm
Current status: Booked months in advance, expanded into diversity consulting
But here’s the real transformation: Ruthie stopped working against her natural energy and started working with it.
She went from competent but unfulfilled to passionate and profitable. From surviving her business to thriving in her calling.
Why This Approach Works for Mission-Driven Leaders
Ruthie’s story illustrates perfectly why a systematic approach to career change is so effective for leaders with complex brains and multiple talents:
We don’t assume you need new skills. You probably have plenty. We don’t assume you need more motivation. You’re already driven.
We assume you need better systems for discovering and leveraging what already lights you up.
The Momentum Community provided what Ruthie had been missing: “An incubator for my ideas, and a safe space to give something a go and get feedback.”
Instead of one-size-fits-all programs, she found personalized support. Instead of pressure to fit a narrow formula, she found space to experiment and discover her unique path.
The System That Makes Sustainable Success Possible
What made Ruthie’s transformation lasting wasn’t luck or timing – it was systematic approach to authentic career building:
1. Comprehensive Asset Inventory
Identifying ALL your capabilities, not just the obvious ones
2. Energy Alignment Analysis
Understanding what work energizes vs. drains you
3. Market Testing Framework
Validating ideas before making major commitments
4. Community-Supported Experimentation
Safe space to try, fail, and iterate without judgment
As Ruthie puts it: “The principles are what last through time… Momentum allows for diversity, experimentation, and the ability to implement principles without being too married to tactics.”
Your Turn: What’s Your Hidden Audiobook?
Ruthie’s “audiobook moment” – that forgotten skill that became her calling – exists for you too. It might be:
- A project you loved but dismissed as “not serious business”
- A skill you developed for fun that could serve others
- A way of working that energizes you but seems “unconventional”
- A combination of your experiences that creates unique value
The question isn’t whether you have hidden assets. The question is: Do you have a system for discovering and developing them?
Ready to Find Your True Calling?
Ruthie’s transformation didn’t happen because she suddenly became a different person. It happened because she applied a systematic approach to career change that worked WITH her natural strengths instead of against them.
If you’re successful but unfulfilled, skilled but not passionate, competent but not energized – you’re closer to your breakthrough than you think.
The Momentum Community provides the same systematic support that helped Ruthie pivot from marketing consultant to Disney narrator. A place where diverse perspectives, principled strategies, and authentic experimentation create conditions for discovering work you actually love.
Ready to discover what lights you up? Executive Coaching for Women combines strategic thinking with authentic support to help you build a career that’s both successful and sustainable. Learn more about how systematic self-discovery can transform your professional life.
[Join the Momentum Community] | [Book a Strategy Session] | [Read More Success Stories]
Ruthie Bowles now thrives as an audiobook narrator and diversity consultant, working with clients including Disney’s publishing arm. Connect with her at nomarketforthatbook.com or find her on social media. The Sappari Group has been helping leaders align their natural strengths with meaningful work since 2004.
