After the Checklist

I’m hearing something across generations.

Young adults say:
“I did everything right… and I feel stuck.”
“I don’t like the corporate job I worked so hard for.”
“I’m scared to pivot because it feels like failure.”

Midlife women say:
“My kids are grown.”
“I don’t love my career anymore.”
“I’m too young to retire… so what now?”

Expectant moms tell me:
“I want to parent differently than I was parented around achievement.”

And parents in the thick of raising teens? They’re often too busy running the schedule to see the long arc. But here’s what connects all of it:

We were handed a checklist version of success.

Good grades.
The right college.
The stable job.
The impressive title.
The busy, productive life.

And many of us followed it. But what happens when the boxes are checked… and something still feels empty?

What I’m Hearing from Young Adults

Not laziness. Not entitlement. But:

“I don’t know what I actually want.”
“I feel behind even though I’m ahead.”
“I’m afraid to disappoint my parents.”
“I feel stuck in a life that looks good on paper.”

This is happening. And it’s not because this generation lacks grit.It’s often because achievement became identity. When success is the only measure

Pivoting feels like failure.
Rest feels like weakness.
Uncertainty feels terrifying.

What I’m Hearing from Midlife Women

For decades, many women built identity around:

Achievement.
Motherhood.
Being needed.
Holding everything together.

Then roles shift.

Children grow up.
Careers evolve.
Menopause brings perspective.
Retirement feels too far away.

And the question quietly surfaces:

Who am I beyond performance and caretaking?

This isn’t crisis. It’s recalibration.

Why Parents in the Thick of It May Not See It

When you’re raising children in today’s culture, you’re managing:

Activities.
Academics.
Sports.
Social pressure.
Screens.
Comparison.

It looks responsible, supportive, and normal.

Until years later, when your child says:
“I don’t know what I want.”
“I’m exhausted.”
“I feel empty.”

This is not about blame. It’s about awareness.

Why I Created the Beyond the Checklist Book Club

This book club is for:

• Parents who want to raise ambitious kids without tying identity to achievement
• Parents of young adults feeling stuck
• Women in midlife asking “What’s next?”
• Adults reflecting on the pressure patterns they inherited

We are not anti-success or rigor. We are anti-empty success and chasing meaning with appropriate rigor.

We explore:

• How achievement becomes identity
• How pressure gets internalized
• How to redefine success in a way that allows individuality, growth and flexibility
• How to build resilience without fear

Because when we expand the definition early, we change the long-term trajectory. If you’ve felt that quiet question, "There has to be a healthier way?"  This is that conversation.

If this conversation resonates, this is exactly what we explore inside the Beyond the Checklist Book Club. Sign up here.