What if Courage Isn’t a Bold Move but a Relationship With Yourself?
- Feb 17
- 4 min read
Anne-Sophie Gossan, founder of Inner Spark Coaching, supports individuals going through career transitions so they find meaningful direction, reignite their spark, and thrive. She brings calm, clarity, and deep empathy, and asks the questions that unlock their truths while holding space for both vulnerability and growth.
Most women don’t realise they’re already being brave. Not in the dramatic, movie-moment way, but in the everyday decisions or reflections they make behind the scenes of a career disruption. The courage to stay. The courage to leave. The courage to admit you’re no longer who you were.
The hidden psychology of career disruption
Career disruption, whether chosen or forced, is one of the most identity-shaking experiences a woman can go through. A recent article from Harvard Business School shows that women are still significantly less likely to apply for roles unless they meet every listed qualification, a pattern driven more by internalised self-doubt than actual capability.
And according to McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace report, 43% of women consider leaving or downshifting their careers due to burnout, misalignment, or lack of support, not lack of capability.
But here’s the part we don’t talk about enough, "Career disruption forces a woman into a new relationship with herself. Not the professional mask she wears at work."
Not the version she thinks she “should” be by now. But the version who is asking harder questions:
What do I actually want now?
Who am I without this title?
What am I allowed to leave behind?
What am I allowed to want next?
These questions aren’t signs of instability. They’re signs of courage.
Courage isn’t a moment, it’s a habit, a choice, a discipline
We’re taught to imagine courage as a single, dramatic act. But in career transitions, courage looks more like a series of micro-agreements with yourself.
The courage to be visible to yourself
Before you can be visible to others, you have to stop hiding from your own reality. This is often the hardest part because it means acknowledging the gap between the life you built and the life you want.
“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” – Brené Brown
The courage to connect
Not networking. Not “putting yourself out there.” But telling one trusted person the truth about where you are. Women Google things like “How do I know if it’s time to leave my job?” or “What if I don’t know what I want next?” long before they say them out loud.
The courage to back yourself when everything feels uncertain
Identity shifts create cognitive dissonance, the psychological discomfort of being between selves. Psychologist William Bridges calls this the “neutral zone,” the messy middle where the old identity is gone but the new one isn’t formed yet.
Most women interpret this wobble as a sign they’re failing. It’s actually a sign they’re finding their way.
The courage to act before you feel ready
Every major career study shows the same pattern: women wait for readiness, men act on potential. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s the decision to move with it.
Why this matters now
We’re living through a moment where women are rewriting their careers in real time. The pandemic cracked open long-held assumptions about work, identity, and ambition. Burnout is no longer a private shame but a global pattern. And the desire for meaningful work is no longer a luxury. It’s a non-negotiable.
The women who navigate this period well aren’t the ones with the perfect plan. They’re the ones who build a relationship with themselves that can hold uncertainty.
A relationship where courage isn’t a performance but a practice.
So here’s the real question
Not “What’s my next career move?” But, “What part of me is trying to come forward? And what courage does she need from me today?”
Because once you’re in relationship with yourself, the next step becomes clearer. Not easy. But clearer.
If you’re in a career disruption right now, here’s your invitation. Choose one act of courage this week. Not a big move. Not a reinvention. Just one small agreement with yourself.
Tell someone the truth. Admit what’s no longer working. Say the thing you’ve been keeping quiet about. Write the idea you’ve been holding back. Let yourself want what you want. Because courage grows in action.
If this resonated
You can explore more reflections, tools, and stories here.
And if you want support navigating your own career disruption, contact me for a free session. No pressure, no strings, just meaningful connection.
Read more from Anne-Sophie Gossan
Anne-Sophie Gossan, Transformational Career Coach
Anne-Sophie Gossan spent 25+ years in the corporate world navigating high-stakes environments and career transitions. She spent years building a career and a home, juggling the demands of raising two boys while holding down a very demanding job.
When redundancy struck, it shook her confidence and identity in ways she hadn’t anticipated. She decided to qualify as a coach and to create Inner Spark Coaching: Reimagine Your Story, a safe space where her clients can reclaim the unstoppable version of themselves that’s always been there.
Through coaching, conversation, and deep transformation, she guides individuals into their next chapter with clarity, confidence, alignment, and renewed purpose.
