How I Learned to Trust My Body and Change My Life: Leaving a Career That No Longer Fit

A threshold story about listening to your body, trusting your intuition, and stepping into a new life aligned with your truth.

In this first episode of Conversations at the Threshold, I share one of my most personal crossings — leaving a decade-long teaching career to follow the quiet wisdom of my body.

This episode explores what it’s like to stand at a threshold, how fear and desire can coexist, and why trusting your body is often the first step toward a life that truly fits you.

If you’ve ever felt pulled toward change but weren’t sure how to begin, this episode is for you.

In this conversation, we explore:

• How my body signaled it was time to leave teaching before my mind could process it
• Why fear isn’t a sign you’re not ready
• Releasing perfectionism and embracing the beginner mindset
• The role of embodiment practices like movement, meditation, and self-devotion in navigating life transitions
• A simple Equinox-inspired ritual to honor your own threshold

Episode Transcript

Welcome to Conversations at the Threshold, a sacred space for the messy middle, the tender becoming, and the brave act of choosing yourself. This is where we honor the in-between, reclaim our truth, and cross into what’s next.I’m your host and feminine embodiment Coach Taylor Holiday, and I’m so honored to share this space with you.

Welcome to the very first episode of Conversations at the Threshold. I have been wanting to create the space for a long time. A place where we can explore the moments that change us. The moments where we’re asked to pause and to listen more deeply and to truly choose who we are becoming.

I just want say thank you so much for joining me on this journey. I really, really look forward to the conversations that will unfold in this space. It feels incredibly meaningful to be sharing this first episode today on the spring. Equinox, one of my favorite days of the year. The spring Equinox symbolizes balance and renewal and growth.It’s the moment when day and night are equal, when things in nature are coming back into balance. For me, it feels like the earth is coming alive again after a long winter, and there’s something so magical and hopeful about this time of year.

I’ve always noticed a shift in energy, both outside in the world and inside myself. It’s when I start to feel more alive, more present. And more naturally balanced, and the Libra in me is always seeking balance, so the Equinox feels especially meaningful.

My hope is that you will also connect with the seasonal energy by exploring what you’re ready to release and what you’re ready to step into. So my question for you is, what is it that you deeply desire? Most of us are very clear on what we don’t want. What is it that you deeply desire for yourself and for your life?

One of the ways I like to celebrate the Equinox is through ritual, and I’ll be sharing that with you at the end of today’s episode.

In this first episode, I wanna share with you one of my most recent thresholds, , a moment where I was asked to reclaim myself, to step more fully into my power, and honestly, to really choose a different way of living.

One of the most recent thresholds that I’ve crossed has been changing careers. I taught first and second grade for 10 years, and before that I taught preschool. So everything job related prior to now has been working with young children and right around COVID when we started teaching online, which was a complete and utter shit show, I felt so much stress like everyone else in the world, of course , and for me there was a lot of physical tension and a deep frustration.

I had become certified as a meditation teacher and an embodiment coach just following my own passions. And I started to sense that teaching no longer matched the woman that I was and the woman that I was becoming.

I felt trapped and there was such a deep, almost paralyzing fear about leaving something that I’d worked so hard for, my degree, my steady paycheck. Such a huge part of my identity was wrapped up in teaching. And as someone who at the time really did not push herself out of my comfort zone, I remember thinking, how the hell am I going to move out of a career that I thought was going to be lifelong?

And so through my embodiment work, I began to really understand that the frustration wasn’t something I needed to suppress or feel guilty about because there was a lot of guilt about possibly leaving teaching and my students behind. But I came to understand that the feelings that I was experiencing, I didn’t need to hide them. I didn’t need to downplay them or push them away. It was information. My body was showing me that I was ready for more, and it was showing me through the tension and the sense of being out of alignment.

There was just such a sense of dis-ease constantly, and as a highly sensitive person, as an empath, I really began to understand how crucial it was for me to allow myself to feel deeply, even when it was uncomfortable. Being able to allow myself that grace and letting my body really guide me through emotion and sensation, helped me to eventually make really aligned and empowered decisions instead of decisions made out of fear. Right, of staying in this career that I knew wasn’t right for me anymore because I was afraid.

My body was already telling me before my mind knew that I was ready for more. Even though it was so scary, I felt the frustration, the tension, this, deep desire for growth and to use this new skillset of embodiment of meditation that was already transforming my life.

But of course, my mind wanted certainty. To me, certainty, it felt like safety, and my mind told me that this fear that I was feeling was weakness, and that that meant I wasn’t capable of changing careers, becoming a coach, starting my own business, that fear meant I wasn’t ready, but my body was telling me that you are ready, you’re capable. The tension you’re feeling is showing you that you’re out of alignment and it’s showing you you’re ready for something else. So instead of banishing my fear, which was my usual way of operating, I began to allow it to be my guide and to trust that it wasn’t the enemy that I thought it was.

I began to realize that a lot of the time, fear was wrapped up in desire. And so listening to that wisdom helped me to start trusting myself in a time where I felt deeply unsettled and unsure.

So this career change, oh goodness, has taught me many things. One of the most important lessons was that I didn’t need to be fearless to move forward. And I’m just gonna say that again for anybody that needs to hear that: you don’t need to be fearless to move forward. If I had waited to never feel fear, I would still be teaching. I’d be miserable, and I would be doing myself such a disservice.

I also realized that I needed to release my habit of perfectionism, and I have a feeling I’m not the only perfectionist here. This is something I’m still very much untangling, but this need to do everything perfectly, or to not do it at all was holding me back from stepping into this new part of my life, this new identity.

Moving through these moments of fear, tension of just such self-doubt wasn’t about having all the answers because I certainly did not. It was about showing up for myself, listening to my body, and being okay with being a beginner, which I think the older we get, the harder that is. For me , being a teacher for 10 years, it was really hard to shift gears and be a beginner again. And it’s funny, I used to tell my students all the time, everybody’s learning something new. It’s okay to be a beginner. It’s okay to not know. It’s okay to feel uncomfortable. We all have to start somewhere, but sometimes it’s easier to give advice than it is to take it.

Moving with that fear helped me to see that the changes that I was making were signs of my growth. Years ago, I would not have had the capacity to leave teaching. I wouldn’t have trusted myself enough. I wouldn’t have been as tuned into my body and to my intuition to move forward without certainty.

But I was learning that now I could stay with myself. I could trust myself. I could believe in myself, even when a lot of my coworkers thought I was crazy, they could not believe I was leaving teaching and starting a business. Like what? And the old me would’ve let their doubt become my doubt, but the embodied me knew that they can have their opinions, that’s fine, and I’m gonna do my own thing, and I’m gonna trust my own path.

The shifts that I was making became invitations to step more fully into myself. And to stop playing small, to stop waiting until I felt ready and to really lean into my desires, my passions, my new purpose, which was a way to use my natural gifts to support others in a way that was more in alignment with who I was, with who I am now.

I’ve mentioned as I’ve been sharing this threshold that embodiment became so important for me to be able to make these really radical changes in my life. I love a good self devotion practice and one that has been incredibly transformative for me is movement and dance. And I’m not someone who feels comfortable, uh, dancing in public, most of the time, but through my embodiment work, I learned about non-linear movement . It’s really about allowing your body to move you.

Whether I’m in a good mood or whether I’m feeling like a hot ass mess and completely overwhelmed, this practice is always available. It’s helped me to connect to my body, to honor it, to let it move in ways that aren’t about looking cute or being sexy, because trust and believe I definitely don’t, and it is all the more delicious because I’m not worried about how I look.

It is full on self-expression and it’s something that I do for me, right? It’s not for anyone else. Often I close my eyes so I can fully drop in and I am playing music that moves me, that lets me shake and stomp and twirl and sway and let my body move in whatever ways it needs in that moment. Sometimes it brings tears because I feel so connected to myself in a way that I never have before. And sometimes it brings laughter because joy is truly just emanating from me in a way that I normally wouldn’t allow myself to express. And afterward, I always feel lighter. It’s not that it magically changes my circumstances, but it’s because it’s such an act of love. And of letting myself feel whatever is there instead of pushing it away or shoving it down.

And so I share this practice because if you are finding yourself at a threshold, if you’re finding yourself feeling like you’re old ways of being and living are just not in alignment anymore. Having a self devotion practice, whether it’s dance, whether it’s movement, whatever that is for you, use that as your anchor, as that self devotion practice you can come back to where you ground and where you really pour into yourself. Because change is hard. It can be so beautiful, but it can be really, really hard and overwhelming and scary. And having a self devotion practice that you can rely on is so important as you are stepping into your new era.

So I’ve shared a lot about my most recent, most radical threshold. And right now the threshold that I’m standing at is starting this podcast. Conversations with the Threshold, has just been a space that’s been on my heart for many years where I get to have meaningful conversations with women that I truly admire.

Women who embody their work, who trust themselves, who take chances and let their intuition lead. And so this threshold that I’m at right now is about stepping into my own leadership, using my voice to support and inspire others, and creating a space for stories and reflections that remind you that you are capable of the changes you desire.

And that you’re not alone in whatever it is that you’re moving through. This podcast is about reclaiming our power, remembering our power, and that we are deserving of all the things we desire.

If I could speak to my 2020 self the hot ass mess version , who just couldn’t imagine the version of me that I am today, I would tell her that you’re never going to feel 100% ready to make the changes that you want. You’re going to feel a lot of fear and that’s okay. I’d tell her not to wait for perfect clarity and to focus on your relationship with your emotions, especially fear, and to let these emotions guide you rather than hold you back or keep you stuck.

I’d tell her that often fear is pointing you toward what you deeply desire. And every small step you take through discomfort is gonna bring you closer to who you’re meant to become. Like I said, 2020, Taylor had no idea that she would be starting a business, leaving teaching, creating a coaching program, and starting a podcast. She had no fucking idea. But by moving with the uncomfortable feelings. Here I am. I’m so proud of the woman I’m becoming, and I know it is my purpose to support others in making these powerful, radical changes in their own life.

So if you are listening right now and you feel like you’re standing at a threshold. Again, I’d remind you it’s not about being perfect. Many of us have been taught to aim for perfection and no thank you. It’s not about having all the answers. You won’t. It’s about learning to be present with your body so that you can really understand what’s for you instead of listening to others and what they think you should be doing, or who you should be, instead of repeating old patterns that no longer serve you.

Learning to be connected to yourself is the most powerful thing you can do. When you lean into your body’s wisdom, that intuition that is always guiding you, even if you’re not listening, your body is guiding you through your intuition. Then you can allow logic to support you in taking aligned action.

Don’t wait to feel ready. Don’t wait to feel certain. You only need to be willing to step forward even when it feels scary. That is where the growth and the transformation lives, and you will be amazed at where you end up when you start listening to your body, trusting yourself, and stepping into your power.

So if you feel ready, I’d like to step into our ritual. This is a simple threshold ritual, a way to honor this moment of transition. You don’t need anything fancy. I’m all about a simple ritual, so you’ll need a piece of paper, something to write with, and a safe way to burn your paper, if you choose.

You can also grab a journal. I love Oracle cards, so anything else that helps you connect with yourself, feel free to add in to this ritual. Feel free to pause if you need to grab your things.

And when you’re ready, I invite you to just begin by taking a few deep breaths, feeling yourself grounded in this moment, dropping deeper into your body, becoming fully present.

So first I invite you to reflect on what part of you you’re ready to release. These may be stories, patterns, or habits that are no longer serving you. Take some time to write them down. Let the words flow freely and just know that whatever you write is right.

And after you have written down all that, you are ready to release, you may want to burn this paper safely. You may choose to tear it up. Or you may even wanna bury it to plant seeds for what’s next.

Once you’ve done this, I want you to turn your attention to the person you’re becoming, envision them. How do they move? How do they speak? How do they show up in their life? Write down their words, their feelings, their actions.

You may choose to let your body respond through movement, through dance, or by just simply sitting in the energy of this version of you. Taking a moment to step fully into their presence, feeling their energy and possibilities they hold.

This is your threshold moment, a moment to welcome the person you’re becoming while honoring and releasing the past versions of yourself that have brought you here.

When you’re ready, take a deep breath in out. Notice the energy you’ve invited in, carry it with you as you move forward into the season of balance, of renewal and of transformation.

 As we close this episode, if you recognize yourself at a threshold of your own, if you’re standing in that in between, I invite you to book a free sovereign session. You can find the link in the show notes and discover what continued support could look like for you.

Until next time, trust the timing of your crossing.

Reflection

If this conversation resonated with you, take a moment to pause and notice what your body may already be showing you.

What part of your life is asking for change right now?

Continue the Conversation

Inside Conversations at the Threshold, you’ll experience intimate conversations, guided practices, and devotional audio journeys designed to support your return to your body, your truth, and your sovereignty.

If you recognize yourself standing at a threshold and feel called to deeper support, I invite you to begin with Sovereign Return, my audio workshop designed to guide you back into your body so you can reclaim your sovereignty and begin honoring yourself on a deeper level.

And if you desire to be held more personally in this season, you can book a free Sovereign Session to explore what your next chapter is asking of you.