Career Pivots: What If Something That Looks Perfect on Paper No Longer Feels Like You? | Emily Paulsen & Meghan Houle
Have you ever felt like something in your life no longer fits even though it's not necessarily bad? You've done everything you thought you were supposed to do, and then you're genuinely surprised when some piece of that vision doesn't feel like you anymore.
Meghan Houle spent decades building a successful career in luxury retail recruitment. She ran a multimillion dollar flagship business for Louis Vuitton for almost six years. On paper, everything looked perfect. But something shifted. I sat down with her to talk about career pivots, personal evolution, and what it takes to trust the pull to change.
The Permission We're All Waiting For
One day, Meghan was on break at Louis Vuitton during Tax Free weekend in Massachusetts. The mall was chaos. She called her parents from the bathroom and said she thought she should do recruiting instead. They told her to go to sleep, wake up, and call them back.
She didn't need their permission. But she was brought up to climb the ladder, chase the big shiny jobs, get to the top tier. Louis Vuitton was the top. Where do you go from there?
The real question isn't about permission from others. It's about giving yourself permission to say out loud: I need to do something different. Even when the thing you're leaving looks good. Even when people will ask why.
Meghan's philosophy became clear to me early in our conversation: unless those opinions are paying your bills, do what you want.
What Success Actually Looks Like
The definition of success is expanding. It's no longer just about chasing titles or the allure of certain brands. People are chasing more purposeful things. Balance. Flexibility. Self-care. Whatever that means to you.
Meghan looks at the people she admires now and notices they're calm. They're present. They remember what you said the last time you saw them. They have spaciousness and capacity in their lives. They have abundance with money or hobbies, but they also just seem like they have mental peace.
How do you achieve that type of success instead of just hitting an income number or a title? How do you let go of goals that maybe you're learning don't actually matter to you? It's about recalibrating your priorities.
Flow, Not Force
Meghan is always of a mindset of flow, not force. The forcing is what creates frenzy. People get in this mode of needing to move, needing to do this, applying to all these jobs, throwing their resume around, bankrupting themselves going to mastermind meetings.
Take a breath. Sit down. Sit with yourself. We don't give ourselves in an overstimulated world an opportunity to ask: what do I want to do with my life? What is next?
When Meghan asks people in her coaching business that question, nine out of ten people say: I don't know, Meghan, what should I do? She can't tell you what to do. You have to get there. Spend some time journaling. Give yourself time to have clarity.
There's so much shame around making a move and worrying it won't be received well. Who cares? It's your life.
Simple Tools That Actually Work
On the days that feel the brightest where Meghan is up and having a great day, to the days where she's like "oh goodness gracious, not today," she has a practice that stays consistent: gratitude journaling.
Every morning. It can take two minutes. Write down five things you're grateful for. Use a piece of paper and a writing instrument. Not your phone.
On some of the toughest days, sometimes it's just: I have a healthy body. I can go to the gym today. Maybe it's just one thing you're grateful for. I got out of bed.
These little mindset shifts matter. We're overstimulated. We don't want to watch a masterclass or listen to another app. Keep it simple.
Meghan gets up every day and says: "It's going to be a great day." Even in the bowels of fundraising when everyone's saying no. Even when your tech doesn't work. It's going to be a great day because you decided it was going to be.
Jealousy as Information
Sometimes jealousy is a powerful indicator. Don't see it as a negative thing.
Why am I envious of that person? What is she doing that I wish I was doing? Is there something in my life that I want to change or evolve?
It's having the space and time to listen to ourselves and hear what we want. And then having the courage to try.
Nothing breaks your heart more than meeting someone who is clearly incredibly unhappy and they've just agreed that "it is what it is." Your life is happening right now. Don't miss it by staying stuck.
Building CONCÈ
After 13 years, Meghan recognized that hiring is out of control. The software systems are built for the masses. Nobody is helping companies navigate an interview process from start to finish under one tech stack.
That's why she founded CONCÈ, a hiring platform built on authenticity and purpose. What are you really great at? What's something you love where you see a problem you could solve? Nobody's you.
Curious About Making a Pivot?
Meghan shared practical wisdom on trusting the pull to change even when everything looks perfect on paper. Here are a few places to begin:
Say out loud what you need, even when it's scary. Tell someone who can actually help you make a change.
Release shame around your journey. Resume gaps, career pivots, unconventional paths. Just own your story because it's your story and it makes you you.
Practice flow, not force. Give yourself space and time for clarity instead of forcing moves in a frenzy.
Start a gratitude practice. Every morning, write down one thing you're grateful for. On the toughest days, it might just be: I got out of bed.
Pay attention to jealousy. When you feel envious of someone, ask what they're doing that you wish you were doing. That's information.
Get into rooms with people who've done what you want to do. Even when imposter syndrome shows up. If you're in the room, you belong there.
Remember: your life is happening right now. Don't miss it by staying stuck in something that no longer feels like you.
Let's Stay Curious Together
What stayed with me after talking with Meghan was the reminder that we spend so much energy trying to look good on paper. We chase titles, brands, achievements that we think will make us feel successful.
But success is actually calm. It's presence. It's having spaciousness in your life. It's waking up and genuinely believing it's going to be a great day.
Meghan gave us all permission to do what we want. To own our stories. To choose flow over force. That permission might be exactly what you need to finally make the change you've been thinking about.
You can listen to Episode 63 of Curious Life of a Childfree Woman wherever you get your podcasts, and find more reflections on Instagram @curiouslifeofachildfreewoman.
Let's stay curious together.
