Earth Experiences #10: I'm Going Back to Work

I'm doing the thing I said I'd never do again

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A wise friend of mine once said, “I avoid using the words ‘never’ and ‘always.’ They inevitably come back to haunt me.” (I’m looking at you, Angela C.)

In the chaos of my extreme emotions, however, I tend not to heed her words of wisdom.

Case in point: Remember when I said I’d never, ever, ever work for Corporate America again after I was burned so badly last time?

Plot twist: I’m going back to work for Corporate America.

My experience with my last full-time job left me reeling and feeling more unworthy, incapable, and valueless than I’ve ever felt in my life. It drained me of hope, confidence, and a trust in the goodness of mankind. I went into that job full of excitement and a willingness to change my small corner of the world. But at every crossroads, I was beaten down, rejected, belittled, silenced. None of my work was good enough. None of my words were right. Eventually, instead of doing the job I was hired to do, I became a cog in the machine, trying to contribute in whatever ways I could—none of which really had anything to do with what I do best: Write. Edit. Create.

Eventually, I was pushed out of my position by a loud, white man who came in and took over as loud, white men are wont to do. He spoke in his loud-white-man voice and held loud-white-men meetings that I was not privy to. He shouted his loud-white-man words into the ears of the higher-ups, and I was ultimately shoved out of every meeting or Slack conversation or email string that would have informed what I was hired to do. When I left the company, he instantly deleted me from all his social accounts. It was brutal. It was ugly. It was cruel. And it left a horrible taste in my mouth for Corporate America and the way it discards people like unwanted trash.

When I was ousted at 52, I was left with an uphill battle to wage. Women over 40 are considered over the hill if they’re not in the upper echelons of Corporate America. Women over 50? We’re invisible.

I sent out over 500 resumes in the following six months.

500.

That’s not an exaggeration. Looking for a job was my full-time job until Julie said, “Just write. Just do that. That’s what you were made to do.”

So, that’s what I did. And in that time, HURRICANE LESSONS was acquired, and I was published in both the Huffington Post and the New York Times. I will forever be grateful for those days and hours and minutes of being given the green light to just create.

Nothing but create.

It was dreamy.

But the money that comes from being a writer trickles in slowly, and unless you publish your way into Colleen Hoover, Kristin Hannah, or Liz Gilbert levels of success, it’s challenging to pay the bills. (And HURRICANE LESSONS doesn’t come out until Spring 2026, so there will be no royalties for a while.)

I’ve worked with a creative agency for over a decade and a half now. They send me lots of one-off writing and editing gigs, and I really enjoy the experience of working for so many varied organizations. My agency also tells me I’m one of their top go-tos when they need a writer/editor because everyone loves working with me, and I consistently get stellar reviews from my employers.

So, when my agency sent me their most recent posting for a Senior Copyeditor position, they said, “We think you’re perfect for this job. But if you take it, we have to remove you from all your other projects because you can’t work over 40 combined hours for all your companies.”

I love the organizations I’m currently working for, but the hours I’m working are minimal. And the company my agency presented to me is a household name with a 40-hour a week contract.

Of course, I had to apply.

A week after interviewing, my agency called to tell me I was their number one choice by a landslide. I’m currently going through background checks and drug testing (which is why I’m being evasive about the company name), and my start date will be scheduled when all the background information is compiled and complete.

I’m excited and overwhelmed and honored and thrilled about the income. The hourly contract they presented comprises the highest salary I’ve ever made in my 30-year career. The people I interviewed with were kind, laid back, whip-smart, and lovely. It’s a well-established and highly-reputable company, so the necessary processes and procedures are already in place. (In contrast, my last company was a startup, and they hired me way before they were ready to use me.)

Of course, dedicating 40 hours a week to a job means I’ll have less time to devote to my own writing. But I wrote PARTING GIFTS when I was working full-time and raising four kids. And I wrote HURRICANE LESSONS when I came out, got divorced, moved multiple times, worked full-time, and lost both my mom and my sister.

So, I guess what I am saying—primarily to myself—is that I have proven I’m capable of holding multiple things simultaneously. I intend to make this an “and” conversation, not an “or” conversation. I can work a full-time job AND continue to write books. I can earn an excellent salary AND continue to build my Substack. I can find time for a steady job AND pursue my creative endeavors.

And the greatest lesson of all in this adventure?

Never say never.