When Growth Feels Like Loss — Coaching Through the Grief of Letting Go
“No one tells you that becoming who you're meant to be might mean saying goodbye to who you’ve been.”
We often celebrate growth as something clean and exciting—new titles, new clarity, a fresh direction.
But the truth is, real growth often feels like grief.
You may find yourself in the in-between: no longer who you were, not quite who you’re becoming.
That space can feel disorienting, heavy... even painful.
And it makes sense. You’re not just moving forward. You’re letting go.
The Tender Truth Behind Growth
You don’t have to lose a loved one to feel grief.
Grief can show up when we leave a job, shift a role, or shed a version of ourselves that once brought comfort and meaning.
Maybe you’re no longer the go-to person at work.
Maybe you’ve outgrown an identity that once anchored you.
Maybe what used to matter deeply now feels… distant.
And while it may not be visible to others, you feel it.
You feel the ache of releasing what no longer fits—even if it was never meant to last forever.
This Is Not a Setback. It’s a Threshold.
Grief in transition doesn’t mean something’s wrong.
It means something mattered.
What you’re letting go of shaped you. It held you. It served you—until it didn’t.
Now, something new is quietly asking to emerge.
This moment isn’t the end of your story.
It’s the pause between chapters.
How Coaching Can Help You Hold That Space
As a coach, I often sit with people in this sacred middle ground.
Not rushing them out of it. Not pushing them past it. But helping them honor it.
Together, we:
Acknowledge what’s ending
Make meaning from what’s been
Create language for what’s rising
Move gently, with self-trust, toward what’s next
You don’t have to grieve and grow alone.
Three Soulful Prompts for Times of Transition
If you're walking through one of these in-between seasons, I invite you to reflect on:
What am I releasing, even if it’s hard to admit?
What part of me is quietly longing for space to grow?
Where might this loss actually be opening the next door?
You’re Not Lost. You’re Becoming.
Sometimes we need to mourn the old before we can fully step into the new.
Sometimes the pain is just the stretch marks of growth.
If you’re here—on the edge of something different—know this:
You are not broken. You are unfolding.
And you don’t have to do it alone.
💬 If this speaks to where you are, I’d be honored to walk with you. Let’s talk about what you’re releasing—and what might be ready to rise. Let’s Talk