For 25 years, I lived a life that looked perfect on paper.

I built a highly successful corporate IT career. I led teams of up to 40 people, directed multi-million dollar projects, and earned a healthy six-figure salary. I had the house, the car, the vacations, and the respect of my peers.

And yet... deep down, I felt trapped, resentful, and empty. I kept telling myself to be grateful for what I had, but something vital was missing.

Then, my appendix burst.

For the first time in my adult life, I was forced to stop. With absolutely nothing to do in that hospital bed, I looked at the life I had built and realized I no longer loved it. Seeing myself doing the exact same thing for the next 10 to 15 years felt like a prison sentence. 

So, I gave my notice.

The Messy Middle of Expansion

Walking away wasn't easy. For months, I wrestled with immense guilt for wanting more when I already had so much. I felt foolish for leaving a life that everyone else considered "amazing." But a quiet voice inside kept saying: “It’s time.”

When I first stepped out of that world, I was excited. I did it and I was going to succeed! … Then, a few months in, I started to panic. Old patterns of worry and control tried to pull me back into the hustle. It was only by recognizing these patterns every time I got triggered, and directly clearing those deep, hidden blocks at the source that I was able to sustain my forward momentum. Every time I cleared a block, I stepped into a more expansive me, the one who was able to build this spacious new life in France.

I didn't have a perfect plan. I had a decision. And then life started answering.

• Our house sold in three weeks, for $400k more than we'd hoped, in a market that was heading down. Every other house on our street sat for months and sold under asking.

• Our investments rose that year. We sold them to buy our apartment in France, and a few days later the market crashed.

• Most expats spend six months in an Airbnb looking for a home. A month after we arrived, I met a woman who offered us hers.

I call these synchronicities. I couldn't have planned any of them... but I could notice them, trust them, and keep moving.

Today, I live a life built entirely on my own terms in the South of France. My body wakes me up naturally, not an alarm clock. My days are filled with fresh food from the local farmers markets, long walks in nature, and space to simply breathe. I still work, but now I take clients just three evenings a week. The rest of the time belongs to living.

Every single day feels like a vacation day. But this isn’t luck, and it isn’t a fantasy. This is simply what happens when you stop aggressively protecting what you have and start reaching for something more.

Why I Created Wayfinder

When I made my transition, I tried every strategy, podcast, and self-help methodology available. I quickly realized that those who are smart and analytical tend to treat their life transitions like a corporate bottleneck: we try to spreadsheet and push our way through fear, only to accidentally recreate our old corporate stress all over again.

Release! and The Wayfinder Approach came from my own search for answers. I read about quantum physics, studied the science of energy and the heart, and looked up research on happiness and psychology. I learned different energy modalities, connected with the Divine, and learned to listen inside me by meditating every day for 5 years. I've since guided 182 Release! sessions with clients at this same threshold.

I created The Wayfinder Approach because I know how terrifying it feels to stand on the cusp of change. I know what it’s like to worry about losing your hard-earned reputation or being a beginner again...

Hello. I'm Michelle, the Wayfinder. I help those who've outgrown corporate find the path to the life that's truly theirs. It's a path that's faster and flows with ease, because we clear what's in the way energetically, at the source, so the change lasts.

Your beautiful life is waiting. Let's find your way there.