Four years ago, I was stuck.
I had been at adidas for seven years, relentlessly clawing my way up the corporate ladder. Each day felt like a rinse-and-repeat version of the last. I poured my energy, heart, and passion into new ideas that ultimately needed approval from an army of risk-averse gatekeepers.
My breaking point came while working on a partnership with Beyoncé. Her team’s instruction was clear: Beyoncé is a force of nature who doesn’t follow the herd. She is one of a kind, and this collaboration should be too.
Beyoncé wanted something new, something that had never been done before.
I created a pitch that was truly unique. No brand collaboration had ever done this before. It brought her unique passions together with her star-studded style. When I shared it with my boss, she responded immediately: “That gave me goosebumps.”
Excited, we started sharing the idea up the chain of command. Each share received the same praise, and I was giddy that we were going to create this groundbreaking collaboration. But then, one internal gatekeeper slammed the door on the idea.
Many leaders say they want innovation and new ideas, but they’re often too terrified to actually try anything new. Their words show the type of leader they want to be, but their actions show the type of leader they are.
This was the last idea I poured my heart and soul into at adidas. I resigned two months later.
For seven years, I kept trying—giving pieces of myself, my creativity, my passion, my inspiration. Sometimes those ideas were given a green light, and my soul would dance. But over time, the red lights started piling up, each one dimming that dance a little more.
This last project killed the last of my creative soul that was willing to die in this particular cage.
Professionally at adidas, I had achieved everything I had set out to achieve. I had built the Global Purpose Strategy for an iconic $24 billion company. I will forever be grateful for that experience and the trust that was placed in me. But the truth is, I hadn’t realized how much of myself I had sacrificed along the way. How many of my dreams I had given up to the whims of gatekeepers. And I decided I wanted to place my dreams in my own hands and see how far I could take them.
I was ready to give myself the green light.
Going out on your own isn’t for everyone. But if you’re in a place that doesn’t value your spark, then one thing is for certain: it’s time to find another place.
After leaving adidas, it took me a while to bring my spark fully back to life. To discover all the surprising ways and places it had been snuffed out. To start igniting it, protecting it, and playing with it daily—and learning how to not let others blow it out.
As a coach, I help other people do the same. Other people who are like the four-years-ago Kathy, feeling stuck, dimmed, and not sure how to fix it.
If you’re looking in the mirror and wondering, “Is this all there is?” click here to book a session with me.
Never forget, your spark is the most precious thing you have.
Your spark is what lights the path you’re meant to be on.
Let’s reignite that spark together. Book a coaching call here.
P.S. As I left adidas and the gatekeepers behind me, I wrote this poem called “Beautifully Unwritten”. I hope this sparks something in you too.
Today I take action.
Turn the page
and start writing
the next chapter.
Opening the door
to new characters
and plot twists.
Surprise collaborators
and unexpected
messengers.
Today I leave behind
the old gatekeepers
and rule makers.
I have no use for them.
Today, their role
in my story
ends.
Today
the pages are blank,
waiting expectantly
to be filled.
A pivotal moment
in the hero’s journey
as I become the heroine.
No longer anchoring my worth
to the very thing
that has trapped me.
No longer attaching myself
to someone else’s dream.
Hoping to will it into
becoming
mine.
The next chapter
lays beautifully
unwritten.
Eagerly waiting
to see how big
my untethered dreams
will become.
