As my career gained traction, I carved a niche in equity research. Often the only woman in the room, I worked harder and proved myself daily. The hours were punishing, but my reputation grew. Then came another choice: to leave the safety of large-cap research and follow my passion into small company sales — an unloved corner of the market. Everyone else dismissed it. I saw diamonds among the dross. It was here that I first trusted my contrarian instincts, and they began to reward me.

Citigroup wanted me on the prestige track — selling big companies to big clients. But I loved the thrill of small companies, the ideas no one else valued. Refusing to conform meant leaving. I took the risk, joined Credit Suisse First Boston, and helped rebuild their small companies franchise. Within two years we were ranked at the top. That contrarian stand proved decisive: Goldman Sachs came calling, validating what I knew in my bones — passion would always outperform compliance.

At Goldman Sachs, my instincts and hard work finally converged. I led the small companies team, mentored others, closed deals, travelled internationally, and felt the satisfaction of strength and recognition. I was offered partnership, bought my dream home by the beach, and reached new heights of resilience and confidence. Yet even amidst this growth, a whisper persisted: is success all there is?

The pinnacle arrived: Managing Director at Goldman Sachs. It was the role I had once imagined and more than I thought possible. But alongside achievement came disquiet. I began studying astrology quietly, sensing there was something beyond markets that was calling me. I met my partner and we started trying for a family. The peak was dazzling — but with it came confusion. I had climbed to the top, yet still I asked: what now?

Life brought both grief and redirection. A miscarriage coincided with an unexpected departure from my corporate role, placing me at a profound crossroads. I chose to focus on sustaining a pregnancy, and in time welcomed my boys into the world. Professionally, I joined Reunion Capital Partners with trusted peers, yet my attention was quietly shifting. After years of striving and building, this Illumination stage drew me into meaning-making: I deepened my astrological studies, wrestled with questions of credibility as this esoteric passion grew, and began to sense that my career was no longer a ladder but a crossroads.

Shedding came next. I pursued a Masters in Coaching Psychology, moving from transactions to human potential. I found my teacher in evolutionary astrology, yet wrestled with doubts about how the world would perceive it. Still, I kept weaving: finance, psychology, astrology. I began to realise I wasn’t moving into a new role — I was creating one. This was the hinge: between who I had been and who I was becoming.

The old layers fell away. I established my own coaching practice, completed my Masters in Evolutionary Astrology, and began teaching. We relocated to the Northern Rivers, finding quiet space for family and reflection. Out of uncertainty came integration: the weaving together of strategy, psychology, and cosmic timing into one whole. This was liberation — not an ending, but the birth of This Progressed Life.