I hate my job! Now what?

“I was a chiropractor. I went to school for… maybe seven years… And I had this wonderful practice that I built from the ground on up.” Then one Friday afternoon, in a pink and gray blouse, standing at the big picture window of the Wellesley office she’d spent 10 years building, Jacqueline looked out at the parking lot and thought: “I hate this. And I’m stuck… I have so much more to give.”Dr. Jacqueline Bouley is a retired chiropractor and the founder of Livewell with Jacqueline, an online health and nutrition coaching practice based in Scottsdale, Arizona. She works with women who have done everything right and still feel stuck, teaching them to build strength, eat enough protein, move daily, and finally stop living on a diet roller coaster. Her signature approach, the Great Unlearn, helps women walk away from diet culture and towards results that last. Jacqueline is no BS, real as they get. She’s a cheerleader with a side of tough love, and she believes progress does not require perfection.In this episode, Jacqueline tells the story of closing her chiropractic practice for good in March 2020, why she stayed two years longer than she wanted to, and how she carried the same gift for caring for women into an online coaching business that’s still growing six years later.In this episode:“What’s the part that kept me there was guilt.”“Anytime I’ve ever bet on myself, I’ve never let me down. I built that business with $1,800 in my hands.”“I was the person who gave myself permission.” Her 10-year rule, and how COVID became the sign.“It’s already within me. I know exactly what I need to do… Stop looking around.”“There is not an information issue here in 2026. You already know all of it. You’re just not taking action.”“It’s not failure, it’s feedback.” For all the firstborn, eldest millennial daughters.What you create in the first year, six months, even two years is not what you’re gonna have six years later.You can’t read the outside of the jar from inside the jar.“She’s not gonna let me let myself down.” Why we hire a coach.“Life is gonna life on you.”“What’s the cost of inaction? Being stuck for another year.”Questions to sit with:What’s the part of it that kept you there? What did you like about it?If I’m always going to be with me, what are the baselines that I have to set for myself? What are the standards?What do you love about your work now?What’s the cost of inaction?Find Jacqueline on Instagram @livewellwithjacqueline.Work with Sarah and see all the ways to get support at sarahdecker.com.Follow along on Instagram @sarah.decker.coaching.If this episode found you at the right time, share it with someone who needs it.

You got the job. Now what? When you land the new role, make the pivot, or start your own business, three things will help you grow into it. Be who you are. Set your boundaries early, and set them tighter than you plan to keep them. And have a strategy for your first 90 days.In 2013 I left a stable W-2 job with a 401k and paid vacation days to grow the tutoring business I still co-own. It wasn’t big enough to support my family yet, so I started consulting on the side. I had no idea what I was doing. I emailed my first proposal with an hourly rate that made me want to throw up a little bit. They hired me. The pit in my stomach went from “they’re never going to approve this” to “my God, I got the job. Am I actually the expert they think I am?”I knew I could do it. My imposter syndrome was very real anyway.That memory came back recently when a client landed a CEO job at a nonprofit. Her email boiled down to “my God, I got the job.” She was so proud of herself and so in disbelief at the same time.This one is for you if you’ve been working 10 or 20 years and you’re stepping into something bigger. A career pivot. Your own business. Going back to work after caring for a family member. You cracked the pot and got replanted in a bigger container, and for a while you look really small in it. (I used to say “bigger fish tank.” Then I did the research. Fish don’t actually grow to the size of the tank. If you find a study that says they do, please send it to me. I said it for years.)In this episode:My first consulting proposal and the number that made me want to throw upBe who you are: trust your gut, trust your strengths, and stop trying to chameleon into the roomWhat does the new version of you wear? (Coming from a woman who recorded this in her walking clothes with greasy hair.)The advice from my student teaching days in a Chicago public school: be really strict until Thanksgiving, then ride that the rest of the yearWhy boundaries are easier to loosen than tightenSchedule send, and how available you want to be between four and sevenAsking your family to adjust (rotisserie chicken night instead of casserole)Finding what’s valued: the KPIs, what your boss cares about, and a quick win you can name right awayThe list of things that need to wait a yearQuestions to sit with:What does your head say? What does your heart say? What does your gut say?What’s going to make you feel like this new version of you?When do you and don’t you talk? How do you talk? What kinds of questions do you ask?What are you trying to accomplish in the first 90 days?What are the things that need to wait a year or more to touch?Work with Sarah and see all the ways to get support at sarahdecker.com.Follow along on Instagram @sarah.decker.coaching.If this episode found you at the right time, share it with someone who needs it.

Sarah opens in September 2020, mid-pandemic. Fresh mascara, a brand-new ring light, and real nerves before a sales call. A few minutes in, the man on the other end explains he expects her to connect him with a list of employers ready to hire. She’s a coach. Not a headhunter. That call taught her to get very clear about what her business does and doesn’t do. Six years later, three of her business-coaching clients brought her the same question in one week: should I be offering this?From there she walks through a simple framework for deciding what belongs in your service business, why saying no is so hard when you spent years playing by someone else’s rules, and why you’re allowed to keep changing your answers.If a client keeps asking for something that isn’t yours to give, this one is for you.WHAT YOU’LL TAKE AWAYWhy Sarah still offers a free 30-minute consultation, and who it protectsWhy she won’t write your resume for you, and what that has to do with your next interviewThe two questions every service business starts with: what are your superpowers, and what does the market need and pay forWhy the work you keep avoiding is useful informationHow to spot scope creep, from bending over backwards for a sale to problem-solving for clients when it isn’t your jobWhy your business is allowed to change as you doIN THIS EPISODE00:44 September 2020: a ring light, a sales call, and “I’m not a headhunter”03:09 What that call taught me about my business03:54 Why I still offer free 30-minute consultations04:29 “Can I just send you my stuff?” Why we do your resume together06:18 Three clients, one question: should I be offering this?06:53 The parent coach and the scope of the work07:45 Why saying no is hard when you’ve always played the game08:50 The parts of entrepreneurship I don’t love09:37 Step 1: Know your superpowers (and the work you avoid)11:44 Step 2: Know what the market needs and will pay for12:36 Your energy doesn’t lie13:42 Road bumps: contorting yourself and solving problems that aren’t yours16:33 We let kids reinvent themselves. Why stop at 22?18:04 The life events that change us, at home and at work19:54 My business keeps changing with me20:23 Let’s talkYOUR REFLECTION QUESTIONSThese look simple on paper. They aren’t. Give yourself real time with them, and let your answers be different than they were five years ago.What are you uniquely good at? What comes easily to you?What work do you keep avoiding, even though you’re good at it?What do your clients know they need, and what do you know they need?Where are you saying yes right now to something that isn’t yours to do?MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEA free 30-minute consultation with Sarah, to see if you’re a good fit: sarahdecker.comGoogle Drive, where Sarah and her clients work on resumes, business plans, and websites togetherEpisode 2, How to Know It’s Time to Quit Your Job and Start a Business, if you’re still deciding whether to build your own thingWORK WITH SARAHIf you’re building a business and can’t tell where the line is, I’d love to chat. Whether you want to get unstuck or build something of your own, you don’t have to do it alone.Work with Sarah and see all the ways to get support at sarahdecker.com.Follow along on Instagram @sarah.decker.coaching.If this episode found you at the right time, share it with someone who needs it.New here? Start with Episode 1, then follow the show so you don’t miss what’s coming. And if you’ve got a second, leaving a review helps another woman find her way in.

Nobody can promise you it’s going to work. Anyone who says they can is lying to you. But there are ways to know when an idea is ready for you to act on.Sarah opens with hot coffee, a rare good night’s sleep, and a nod to everyone else who’s been awake from 3 to 5 a.m. lately. Then she goes back to the other kind of sleepless nights: the ones before her two biggest career leaps. Sixty-hour weeks for $45,000 a year in the career she got a master’s degree for. A trapeze hanging in the middle of the living room during the pandemic, and the phone call that became her first coaching client. From there she walks through the four signs she uses, for herself and her clients, to tell 3 a.m. worry from an idea that’s actually worth the leap. The four signs:When you’re thinking about the idea (3 a.m. or on a walk)Opportunities are showing up without a fight Your energy Your strengths are at the center of itIf there’s an idea that won’t leave you alone, this one is foryou.WHAT YOU’LL TAKE AWAY●     Why the thinking you do at 3 a.m. is rarelythe thinking you should trust, and how to find the place where you can●     How to tell when doors are opening for an ideainstead of being pried open●     Where your first clients actually come from(hint: not strangers on the internet)●     What your energy is telling you, even if youdon’t want to start a business●    Why the best version of your idea puts yourstrengths at the center, not your hustle●     The one next step Sarah wants you to take withan idea that won’t go awayIN THIS EPISODE00:37      Hot coffee, a goodnight’s sleep, and the 3 a.m. club01:42      Leap #1: sixty-hourweeks, $45K, and the Sunday scaries02:46      Leap #2: a trapeze inthe living room and my first coaching client03:31      “How do I know it’sgoing to work?” The honest answer04:39      Sign 1: When you’rethinking about it (3 a.m. vs. the walk)07:06      Sign 2: Theopportunities start showing up08:09      Where my firstcoaching clients really came from09:22      Sign 3: Your energywill tell you everything11:31      Not starting abusiness? The job-description test12:39      Sign 4: Yourstrengths are at the center16:03      Your next step: givethe idea a real appointment17:35      The cost of staying19:07      Let’s talkYOUR REFLECTION QUESTIONSWalk yourself through these, ideally on a walk. Then take your answers to someone who’ll ask you the harder questions.1.  When do your best ideas actually show up? When did you last go there on purpose?2.  Where are doors opening for you right now without a fight?3.  What do you keep going down the rabbit hole on, even when nobody asked you to?4.  If this idea were built around your strengths, what would youstop doing first?MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE●     Voxer, where a lot of Sarah’s best thinkinghappens with colleagues, her coach, and friends●     Sexton Test Prep & Tutoring, the tutoringcompany Sarah co-owns and went all in on after her first leap●     Episode 1, September Is the Real New Year, ifthe Sunday scaries part hit home●     A no-commitment chat with Sarah about the ideathat won’t leave you alone: DM her on Instagram or visit sarahdecker.comWORK WITH SARAHIf there’s an idea that won’t leave you alone, it deserves at least half an hour. I’d love to hear about it. Whether you want to get unstuck or build something of your own, you don’t have to do it alone.Work with Sarah and see all the ways to get support at sarahdecker.com.Follow along on Instagram @sarah.decker.coaching.If this episode found you at the right time, share it with someone who needs it.New here? Start with Episode 1, then follow the show so youdon’t miss what’s coming. And if you’ve got a second, leaving a review helps another woman find her way in.

When "Back to Normal" Feels Bad: Your September ResetJanuary gets all the credit. But if you did everything right and still feel like something is off, your year doesn’t turn in January. It turns right now.In the Season 2 premiere, Sarah opens with the morning after Labor Day that started out perfect and fell apart by ten. Kids off to school, coffee still hot, the fresh to-do list finally open. Then the phone lit up with the school nurse. From there she makes the case for September as your real new year, digs into why “back to normal” is the hard part when the normal you’re returning to is a job you don’t love, and tells the honest story behind why she rebuilt herwhole business this summer.If going back to your regular life feels like too much right now, this one is for you.WHAT YOU’LL TAKE AWAY●     Why September, not January, isthe real new year, especially for women who did everything right●     How to tell the differencebetween a rough week and a real sign it’s time to go●     How to grieve the end of summerand reset at the same time●     What “I don’t even know what I’ddo” is usually hiding●     The story behind Sarah’s ownreset: a new website, new photos, and two clear ways to work togetherIN THIS EPISODE00:00      The morning after Labor Day, and I wasnailing it02:24      Then the phone lights up. It’s the schoolnurse.04:13      Why September, not January, is the realnew year06:28      The version of me that used to dread thefall08:47      What the reset is stirring up for myclients right now10:59      When “back to normal” is the whole problem13:15      Signs it’s the job, not just a rough week15:02      Grieving summer and rebuilding my businessat the same time17:21      The coaching question that stopped mecold: “you’re a business coach”18:53      The relaunch, three reflection questions,and your permission slipYOUR REFLECTION QUESTIONSGrab a pen, or just sit with these. My clients say I ask the hardest questions. Good. That’s what you pay me for.1.    If September is your real new year, what do you want it to be about?2.    What did you outgrow this summer, even if you haven’t said it out loud yet?3.    What would you change if you believed you were allowed to?LINES WORTH SHARING“September, not January, is the real new year.”“When going back to your regular life feels like toomuch, that’s information.”“I don’t even know what I’d do” usually means “I knowexactly what I want, and I’m scared to say it.”“You can have a good job and still want a differentlife.”“You’re allowed to want more. And you’re allowed to gobuild it.”MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE●     Sarah’s newly redesignedwebsite, with new brand photos and every word rewritten: sarahdecker.com●     Two ways to work with Sarah now:get unstuck, or build your own thing●     Yesteryear, this week’s bookclub read. Lots of people hated it. Sarah didn’t. Let her know what youthought.●     Looking for a headshot photographerin the Metro West area? Sarah loves Diana and is happy to pass along her info. Just DM her.WORK WITH SARAHIf any of this sounds like your life right now, I’d be honored to talk with you.Whether you want to get unstuck or build something of your own, you don’t have to do it alone. Work with Sarah and see all the ways to get support at sarahdecker.com.Follow along on Instagram @sarah.decker.coaching.If this episode found you at the right time, share it with someone who needs it.New here? Start with this one, then follow the show so you don’t miss what’s coming. And if you’ve got a second, leaving a review helps another woman find her way in.

Burnout at work is affecting more professionals than ever, especially Gen Z and millennials who care deeply about their jobs but feel constantly overwhelmed and exhausted. In this episode of I Hate My Job! Now What?, Sarah explains why burnout isn’t a motivation problem and why working harderwon’t make you more valuable.Instead, she challenges the culture of urgency, overwork, and constant responsiveness, and invites you to shift from measuring success by volume to measuring it by impact. Through real client patterns, research, and career stories, Sarah explores how burnout often shows up when capable people areoperating below their strategic level.If you’re burned out, frustrated, or stuck in a cycle of doing more but feeling less effective, this episode offers a calmer, more sustainable way to think about work—and practical reflection questions to help you work differently.Reflection Questions:Is this a moment for full effort—or is good enough actually appropriate here? Before I say yes, what problem am I really being asked to solve?Who else should be involved to increase the impact of this work?If I’m irritated by this task, is it a signal that I need to reframe how I’m approaching it?Resources & Links: Learn more about coaching at: ⁠sarahdecker.com⁠Follow Sarah on Instagram ⁠@sarah.decker.coaching ·       Share this episode with your work bestie!Chapters: 00:00 Understanding Burnout in Today's Workforce03:01 Redefining Value and Impact at Work06:50 The Toxicity of Performative Busyness09:22 The Importance of Relationships in Career Success15:00 Shifting from Effort to Impact

What if you evaluated your career the same way you evaluate your relationships?In this Valentine’s-themed episode, I invite you to take a simple four-question “quiz” to check in on your relationship with your work. We explore four common career patterns—including outgrowing a role, working in an unbalanced dynamic, going through the motions, and the on-again, off-again relationship so many people recognize.This isn’t a “quit your job” episode—it’s an honest, compassionate check-in designed to help you notice patterns, feel less alone, and reflect on what you want next, at your own pace.Quiz:1.     How stretched do I feel in my current role — intellectually, creatively, or professionally?2.   How trusted do I feel where I work?3.    How energized do I feel by my work most days?4.    How often does the question, ‘Is this still right?’ come up for me?Resources & Links: Learn more about coaching at: sarahdecker.comFollow Sarah on Instagram @sarah.decker.coaching Share this episode with your work bestie!

Feeling pulled in a million directions as the year ends? In this episode, Sarah invites you into the passenger seat of her SUV for five grounding, deeply human reminders that will help you release what’s draining you, honor what you truly need, and walk into 2026 with more clarity, peace, and self-trust.Reflection Prompts: What do you not want to do anymore — and how do you know?What feels forced in your life right now?What makes your body tighten, hold its breath, or feel drained?Where in your life are you tolerating something that has already ended?What are you carrying out of habit that you no longer want to bring into the new year?Where can you choose meaning over obligation this season?Resources & Links: Learn more about coaching at ⁠sarahdecker.com ⁠Follow Sarah on Instagram ⁠@sarah.decker.coachingShare this episode with your work bestie 💛Chapters: 00:00 The Busy Parent's Productivity Secret02:18 Grounding in Overwhelming Times05:11 Identifying What You Don't Want08:41 The Power of Peace and Productivity11:09 Recognizing Burnout and Moving On14:57 Letting Go to Make Space18:23 Choosing Presence Over Performance19:41 Summary

In this episode, career coach and hiring manager Sarah Decker opens the lid on what really happens when someone scrolls your resume over lunch — and what moves you into the yes, no, or maybe pile.Homework: Begin your Master Resume 1. Word Document: Header First and Last Name Email address, Phone Number, City State2. Professional Summary 3. Recent Work Experience Job Title Employer Accomplishments, Experience, Impact (Repeat for all Jobs) 4. Education 5. Skills and Certifications Resources & Links:Learn more about coaching at ⁠sarahdecker.com ⁠Follow Sarah on Instagram ⁠@sarah.decker.coachingShare this episode with your work bestie 💛Chapters: 00:00 A Day in the Life: Balancing Work and Family02:52 The Importance of a Strong Resume06:00 Sorting Resumes: Yes, No, and Maybe Piles09:06 Crafting the Perfect Resume: Key Elements11:55 Navigating Job Applications: Strategies for Success15:07 Understanding ATS: Making Your Resume Stand Out18:12 The Power of Language: Framing Your Experience21:04 Encouragement for Women: Apply for the Job23:55 Creating Your Master Resume: A Living Document27:04 Final Thoughts: The Resume as a Door Opener

In this episode, I share the very real, very messy story of how my coaching business was born in the middle of early-pandemic chaos. It’s a reminder that sometimes your calling arrives in the most overwhelming seasons of your life.Reflection Prompts: 1. Where are you feeling a spark or pull... even in the middle of your fully, messy life? 2. Who has already reflected a skill, talent, or gift back to you that you're not using yet? 3. What is one tiny step toward a shift you could take without blowing up your whole life? Resources & Links:Learn more about coaching at sarahdecker.com Follow Sarah on Instagram @sarah.decker.coaching⁠Share this episode with your work bestie 💛Chapters: 00:00 Navigating Life During the Pandemic03:15 The Unexpected Opportunity05:34 Building a Coaching Business08:33 Embracing the Working Mom Identity10:58 Finding Time for Growth13:12 The Birth of Advanced Professional Coaching15:28 Reflection and Moving Forward16:57 Notes to Past Self