Part 2 of my four-part burnout series explores the terrifying, sacred space between knowing it’s time to leave and actually taking the leap. This chapter dives into identity, fear, financial uncertainty, rebuilding support systems, and what it looked like to prepare a place to land before walking away from clinical dental hygiene. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is trust that everything is figure-out-able.

I didn’t hate dental hygiene… but I didn’t recognize myself in it anymore. What started as small whispers turned into something I couldn’t ignore—exhaustion, disconnection, and the quiet realization that something was deeply out of alignment.