In 2025, I made the difficult decision to resign from my full-time job as Online Connections Lead at a large local church. I didn’t have another position lined up when I left, and even though I felt unsure about which opportunity to pursue next, my three years in this role certainly gave me unique skills, but I wasn’t sure how to land my next gig with them.

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Fortunately, at the time, I also had a side hustle at a media company, coordinating and producing feature articles for a local magazine. Over time, that position lost its luster, too, and I was left wondering, “What should I do next?”

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After many applications to a wide array of jobs, including large publishers, a cancer research organization, and several remote writing, editing, and proofreading roles, I’d had very few interviews, and I was feeling pretty down.

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During this time, one way I kept my sanity was by maintaining my six-day-a-week workout habit at my neighborhood YMCA. It was my refuge and my happy place. I knew where to go and what time to show up to connect with my workout buddies, share my day’s job-hunting woes, work out, sweat, and leave.

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One evening, while waiting in line for my Barre class, I shared my frustrations with a kindhearted personal trainer, who asked, “Why don’t you work here?”

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I guess I hadn’t considered looking for employment in the very place I loved to spend my time. She took me to the front desk, introduced me to the Membership Supervisor, and over the next two months, I applied for two roles, interviewed, and received an offer for my current role as Membership Lead. I’ve just completed my fifth month, and I couldn’t be more fulfilled.

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If you are “in between jobs” right now and feeling extreme frustration, pay attention to how you’re spending your days. The time you invest each day might reveal the path you should take as you step into your new role. Maybe it’s as close as taking a couple of steps forward.