What do you do when the work you love starts to drain everything out of you?

For Paola Vita, the answer came during a walk from the South Bronx to Manhattan — and it changed the entire trajectory of her career.

In this episode, Marie sits down with Paola Vita, nonprofit fundraising consultant and coach, whose career journey took her from drug counseling and Outward Bound to education reform, to leading a capital campaign as Chief Advancement Officer, and finally to building her own consulting practice in Maine. Three major leaps, zero straight lines.

Paola opens up about hitting a wall after years in program management, what burnout actually looks and feels like from the inside, and how a mentor's well-timed conversation led her to say yes to a role she had zero experience in. Her second leap was a completely different story — a deliberate five-year plan built around one simple question: what do I actually love most about my work?

You'll hear Paola talk about:

• Why the fear of failure shows up the same way every single time

• Her belief that there are no mistakes — only choices you lean into

• The "talk to 5 people" strategy before making a big leap

• How to use the "where do I see myself in 5 years?" question as a personal GPS, not just an interview answer

Whether you're deep in burnout or cruising along just fine, this episode is a reminder that your next pivot doesn't have to be a crisis. It can be a plan — and it's never too late to make one.

Connect with Paola Vita: Find her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paolavita/ or reach her at PaolaGVita@gmail.com | Take Root Consulting & Coaching

And if your career GPS is saying "recalculating," visit MoveToJoyCoaching.com.