The Gift of the Pause: How Losing My Job Led Me Back to Myself

When I sat down to write this post, I found myself in tears — a reflection of just how far this journey has taken me.

In 2023, I was swept up in the wave of tech layoffs. I had narrowly escaped a few rounds and was running on fumes. By the time it was my turn, I was completely burned out. I didn’t fully realize then how much stress I had been carrying — or how deeply I needed to pause.

Part of me wanted to bounce back into work immediately. But another part simply couldn’t. That resistance, as it turned out, was a gift.

I chose a different path — launching Ranisaa, my first step into entrepreneurship, and soon after, enrolling in the Professional Coach Development Program at the Collective Change Institute.

The past seven months have been nothing short of transformative.

• A journey of unlearning and becoming.

• Of shedding beliefs that no longer served me.

• Of discovering new ones.

• Of finding a community of deeply kind and empathetic humans who I now call my friends.

To the incredible faculty, mentor, coaches, project coaches, and peer coaches — thank you.

You’ve shaped this journey in ways both big and small. I’m deeply grateful for the mirrors you held up, the wisdom you offered, and the laughter we shared.

This wasn’t just a course. It was a homecoming to myself.

Most of all, I want to thank my family — thank you for standing by me through every high and low.

To my husband, Varun Kapoor, and my mom, Kiran Khera — you’ve been my pillars of strength, and without both your support and backing, I wouldn't have had the courage to dream of a different path.