The Quiet Realization
but the quiet dissonance was growing louder.
It wasn't just about longer hours; it was a profound misalignment with who I was becoming.
I found myself asking: "Is this really it? Am I going to spend the rest of my life like this?"
For almost a year, I sat with that question. I had no clear answers, just a quiet sense of misalignment.
But that was enough. I chose not to become a partner. I stepped away — not toward a new plan, but toward deep inquiry.
I stood at the pinnacle of a demanding Wall Street legal career, outwardly successful but inwardly questioning everything. At 40, I knew something had to fundamentally change.
The "up or out" moment in BigLaw had arrived, and while I could have stepped toward partnership, I understood the true cost: my freedom, my peace of mind, and the space to build a life that truly felt like my own.
I'd spent over a decade renting out my brain 24/7, helping investment banks and private equity funds get richer. The intellectual challenge was there, the prestige was undeniable,
Alongside these analytical pursuits, a profound spiritual inquiry took root. I encountered the teachings of a Tibetan Buddhist master Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche whose words cut through all my frameworks.
For over a decade, I've trained under his close guidance in practices that cultivate a different kind of clarity — one that emerges not from analysis, but from profound internal stillness and insight. Over the years, he also encouraged me to teach meditation, which has shaped how I guide others today.
This combination taught me to see what's already true, rather than what I was told to chase.
My path to this work began with deep curiosity about the mind. I completed a PhD in neuroscience and pharmacology, fascinated by how our brains shape reality, and studied psychology to explore the human experience more holistically.
But science couldn't fully answer what I was asking. And academia didn't align with how I wanted to live — I craved real-world impact.
That's what led me to law, allowing me to deconstruct complex systems and uncover hidden truths in high-stakes environments for over a decade.
The Foundation: Science Meets Stillness
The answer didn't lead me back to a career path — it led me to a way of being. Coaching found me slowly, as a form of integration: a way to serve from presence and support others through the same kind of shift I had lived.
Today, I guide high-achieving professionals through 1:1 coaching and clarity-based advisory work to move forward when they’re feeling stuck.
After leaving law, I embarked on a long pause. No new plans, no new roles.
I returned to music, enrolling in an advanced cello program at Oxford and spending time in London among artists and people living on their own terms. Then I traveled to Nepal, fulfilling a long-held wish to see Everest. I ended up staying several years — volunteering, trekking, spiritual retreats, living simply.
In that stillness, I asked myself: What do I actually value? What kind of work allows me to live in alignment with those values?
Embracing
the
Unknown
And
Who You're Becoming
What I didn't anticipate was the disorientation of building something new without the armor of a title. I wasn't just changing careers; I was shedding an identity.
I no longer belonged to the world that once validated me.
If you're navigating that space — between who you were and who you're becoming — I want you to know: that freeze, that fog, that disorientation... it's not a flaw. It's a profound, necessary shift.
It's the uncomfortable space for integration, for shedding the old to make way for your authentic self.
In this vulnerable space, awareness practice helped me commit to operating from truth, not fear. I stopped positioning myself and simply became a vessel for what mattered more than credentials or plans.
The Space Between Who You Were
I work with high-achieving professionals who, like my past self, are externally successful yet quietly unsettled — simply unwilling to keep moving without asking what truly matters.
My approach combines analytical rigor (from neuroscience and law) with disciplined awareness (from contemplative traditions).
This allows me to help you navigate complexity, ask discerning questions, and cultivate clarity that empowers your authentic truth.
This work isn't about performance or following someone else's blueprint. It's a profound process of returning to yourself, shedding old identities, and building a life deeply aligned with your evolving truth.
How I Guide Your Return to What's True
If this journey resonates, and you're ready to find clarity beyond the noise to build a life that truly feels like yours, I invite you to schedule a complimentary Clarity Call.
It's an opportunity to share where you are, explore what's possible, and discover if this work is the right fit for your next step.
Ready for Clarity and Alignment?
Reflections
from
Clients
— Dr. Ian Henderson, Professor, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom)
LinkedIn
“I came into our conversation not with a performance problem to solve, but with deeper questions I rarely get to explore. What I didn’t expect was how precisely Jenny could challenge long-held assumptions I had taken as bedrock truths.
She guided me to explore ways of thinking beyond the frameworks I’d always relied on. I left with a clearer view of my own perspectives and a renewed curiosity to go further.”
— Yi Cao, Senior Executive, leading international business school (China)
“I spoke with Jenny about several issues that had been weighing on me for a long time. Instead of offering quick fixes, she asked powerful questions that shifted how I saw the situation and guided me toward a deeper understanding of myself. She also helped me realize that meditation isn’t about rituals or chanting, but about how we relate to ourselves with clarity and honesty in everyday life.
Her approach is subtle, grounded, and transformative.”
I’ve recently been invited to share my perspectives on leadership clarity and navigating inflection points on select podcasts, including:
Success Matters Podcast
A conversation on redefining success, making intentional career decisions, and cultivating clarity in high-pressure environments.
Recent Conversations
Five meditative steps to help you pause, reflect, and reconnect with what feels true now, before rushing into answers.
Beyond Success — A Practical Guide to Inner Clarity for Professionals at a Crossroads
Free Guide
I know what it’s like to reach the goals you set and still feel like something’s missing.
If you’re in that space now, this might support your next step.
Here are five meditative steps to help you pause, reflect, and reconnect with what feels true now, before rushing into answers.
Beyond Success — A Practical Guide to Inner Clarity for Professionals at a Crossroads
