Liosuelo

So…I am in a bit of a conundrum since moving back to the U.S. Lately, I find myself wanting to work more on site rather than remotely. I can’t believe I just wrote that.

I have been lucky that my consulting career has always been remote. Honestly, I stumbled into consulting by accident. I was a yoga teacher, and a private student of mine, a major contractor for the New York City government, offered me the chance to subcontract under her. She saw abilities in me beyond teaching yoga and being a spiritual coach, so I took the leap. It has been almost a decade now! (wow)

My specialty is operations & strategy , and over the years, I have also served as a chief of staff of sorts to various leadership professionals. I work closely with CEOs, helping them break down their businesses and rebuild them, navigating personal boundaries, limitations, and blocks, all to make their businesses the best they can be. Which can sometimes be draining because it involves being a therapist of sorts. However, it is mostly fun and I think I am really good at it! I have found a career that suits one of my many personalities.

Yet, I crave something more…

Consulting doesn’t encapsulate all my passions and interests.

(That said, in another life, I could easily see myself as a civil rights attorney, activist, journalist, documentarian, or photographer. But, my deepest wish and goal is to pivot toward being a writer, telling stories, writing books, and exploring narratives that matter to me. ONE DAY!)

My tension is that consulting remotely has afforded me freedom, but it is increasingly isolating. Living abroad for the past six years, remote work made sense. I could take meetings from a café in London, a library in Mexico City, or after a long hike in South Africa. Now, back in the U.S., in a small town in the middle of America, things feel different.

I live in a nice, modern apartment, yet I do not feel entirely connected to anything. I am rebuilding friendship groups, which has been hard in Tulsa. Life feels mundane, predictable, and a little boring. I understand now why Americans work so hard and play so hard. Our lives are safe, organized, and relatively easy. We give our all at work from nine to five and then seek entertainment to fill the rest. I appreciate the ease, the convenience of ordering something online and having it delivered the next day. Part of me misses the challenges and unpredictability of life abroad.

I find myself craving connection again, especially the kind that comes from meaningful work rooted in community, not the dynamics of a top consulting firm. I am not sure if I fit into corporate America. Soul-sucking, mundane jobs can drain creativity, while on site work can connect me to a community. Jobs I have considered, such as working at a local botanic garden, as a farmhand planting trees, or with a local nonprofit, feel heart-centered, but they do not pay what consulting does.

Yet I am leaning toward connection over income. I would rather take less money and live a life full of relationships and engagement than earn more while sitting alone on my computer. Remote consulting has taught me discipline and focus, but it is lonely. Online connections, fleeting as they are, cannot replace the energy of shared experiences, seeing people in person, laughing, collaborating, and feeling rooted in a space.

I have noticed that my life has shifted in ways that make me crave this even more. Reducing screen time, taking fewer contracts, spending time with my thoughts, listening to audiobooks, going on long walks, reading, and working out have created calm and space. I can no longer waste away on my phone or computer. I want real connections. I want a job that tethers me to a place, where I can see people grow, connect, and build community.

Of course, there is the practical side: the paycheck. The work I excel at comes easily and pays well. New on site roles may not (especially in the fields I feel currently drawn to), which is humbling, but perhaps that is the lesson!

After all, when I had my high paying pharmaceutical job, I was probably the unhappiest I had ever been. I do not remember the money I made or spent. Earning less, but doing work that feels meaningful, seems to offer more value than money alone ever did.

So here I am, debating. Remote work has been a blessing, offering freedom and flexibility. Now, freedom feels different. I want a life tethered to people, a community, and a place, even if that means trading a high paying remote schedule for presence, connection, and fulfillment.