I spent years trying to climb a ladder that wasn't leaning against the right wall. I was hungry to grow, yet I wasn't even trusted to send an outbound email to a prospect without a manager's hovering eye.

After jumping through the hoops of a grueling three-round interview process elsewhere, only to be told they chose an "internal candidate," I pivoted. I took a job in a warehouse.

The irony? The pay was better, but the politics remained. I quickly realized that in that world, your "friends in high places" mattered more than your hard work.

That was my wake-up call. I understood that my life wasn't supposed to look like a series of permissions and glass ceilings.

Today, I've stopped looking for a seat at someone else's table and found an opportunity that finally aligns with my worth. I'm grateful for the setbacks - they led me exactly where I needed to be.