Two months ago, I stepped away from my work; not because I was done, but because something inside me shifted. I was no longer energized by the pace I was moving at or the way I was showing up in the systems I helped build. I wasn’t burnt out, stuck wasn’t the word, either. I simply felt called to something else.

That’s what I call a higher-call pivot.

Not a rebrand. Not a new title. Not a small course correction. A strategic redirection based on clarity, not crisis; the kind of shift that doesn’t make sense on paper yet, but made total sense in my gut.

What Is a Higher-Call Pivot?

A higher-call pivot is a conscious decision to let go of what once worked, in service of building what now matters more. It’s not about abandoning your work or your vocation. It’s about evolving, responding to a deeper truth, a broader purpose, a bigger context.

In business, that might look like:

• Letting go of a profitable service to build a more aligned product
• Reorganizing a team to make room for deeper focus
• Stepping back from the day-to-day to reimagine your role
• Saying no to “what’s working” to say yes to what’s actually needed and many more.

Personally, it might look like:

• Taking a sabbatical not because you’re exhausted, but because you’re listening
• Leaving behind a way of working that made you successful but never really fit
• Prioritizing your health, your art, or your family, even if it “slows you down”.

The World Is Changing — You’re Free to Do So, Too

I know things feel uncertain right now. The economy is rocky, AI is changing how we work, what we work on, even how we define value. Traditional playbooks don’t really work anymore and yet, the new ones are waiting to be written.

That’s exactly why now is the best time to pivot if you feel called to do so. At least for me, I know I won’t be able to find the new way by waiting. I have to build it.

So if you’re in a moment of disorientation or discomfort, that’s good. That might be your higher call. And if you haven’t found the new path yet, maybe it’s because you’re meant to make it.

My Higher-Call Pivot: Back to Fractional Work

For me, that pivot meant stepping back into the work I do best — as a fractional COO and Strategic Operations consultant — but with a sharper sense of purpose.

Over the past 8+ years, I’ve partnered with founders across the U.S., Europe, and Australia to build the internal systems that make good ideas executable. The work has included building operating systems, designing OKRs, leading cross-functional initiatives, aligning people with purpose at every level of growth and, more recently, experimenting with how to integrate AI into ops.

This next chapter is about doing that same work — but for the right teams, at the right moments. I’m switching to helping founders build momentum again when things feel stuck or chaotic.

Here’s what I’m focusing on now:

• Designing company operating systems with clarity and accountability
• Helping teams set and track meaningful goals (OKRs, EOS, etc.)
• Automating the obvious, so people can focus on the essential
• Reworking team structure and rituals to serve the business now, not a year ago
• Supporting founders who are in their own higher-call pivots and many more things I have yet to discover.

Final Thought

A higher-call pivot is rarely convenient as it asks you to pause when the world tells you to speed up. It often comes with less certainty, fewer guarantees, and way more questions, and that feels heavy. I surely feel the pressure.

But, in my experience, it also brings alignment, creativity, clarity, and eventually, results that actually matter for you.

So here’s my invitation:
If something inside you is shifting, don’t dismiss it as distraction. Don’t ignore the discontent. That might be your next direction trying to make itself known.

“The objective is not to learn to mimic greatness, but to calibrate our internal meter for greatness.”
— Rick Rubin

Your meter is worth listening to.