The Invisible Phase of Career Transitions

When we talk about career transitions, we often focus on the visible milestones: the decision to change direction, the new role, the first clients, the successful launch.

But those milestones rarely tell the whole story.

Over the past year, I have been building my coaching practice alongside my work in the cultural sector. Looking back, there are tangible signs of progress: clients, workshops, corporate facilitation opportunities, and the steady momentum that comes from consistent effort.

What those achievements don't capture is what I have come to think of as the Invisible Phase: the period where an old professional identity no longer feels fully true, while the new one is still taking shape.

It is an uncomfortable place to be.

You are no longer who you were, but you cannot yet fully claim who you are becoming. The transition is happening, but much of it is occurring beneath the surface.

In my experience, this is where many career transitions become challenging—not because people lack ability or commitment, but because this phase asks for qualities we are not used to exercising.

The Loss of External Validation

One of the first things I noticed was how much of our professional confidence is reinforced by external structures: titles, responsibilities, expertise, and recognition.

During a transition, many of those markers disappear. You may be working hard, learning, experimenting, and building something meaningful, yet the validation that once came naturally is often absent.

That can feel surprisingly unsettling.

Our Preference for Clarity

We often say we value growth, but what we frequently reward—in ourselves and in others—is clarity.

We want to know where we are headed and how to explain it. Yet meaningful transitions are rarely clear from the beginning. They emerge through experimentation, reflection, and gradual refinement.

The challenge is resisting the urge to rush the process simply to regain certainty.

Spaces That Allow Becoming

One of the most meaningful aspects of my own transition has been leading the Lean In Women in Transitions Circle.

What makes it valuable is not simply the support, but the permission it offers. It is a space where being in-between does not need to be justified or rushed. Where people can explore what comes next without feeling pressure to package it into a polished narrative.

Those conversations have reminded me that uncertainty is not a sign that something is wrong. More often, it is a sign that something new is taking shape.

Making Room for the Invisible Phase

Perhaps if we want more intentional and fulfilling careers, we need to make more room for this stage—not as something to overcome quickly, but as an essential part of the process.

Because the real transition does not happen when the new title appears.

It happens much earlier: when you are willing to stay with what is not yet fully defined, trust the process before there is visible proof, and continue moving forward anyway.

The Invisible Phase may not look like progress from the outside.

But often, it is where the most important transformation takes place.