We’ve heard it a million times: “Everything happens for a reason.”
I don’t know if I believe that, but I do believe the Universe has a way of guiding us where we’re meant to be—especially when we finally stop fighting it.
Before I was writing for introverted coaches in the messy middle, I was behind the camera. Literally.
My first business—Joelene Mills Photography—was built from scratch when I was 20-something, stubborn, and completely done with shady bosses and dead-end jobs. So I picked up a camera and started my own thing.
And it worked.
I built a six-figure photography business. I worked with celebrities, was paid to travel the world, and a free “work trip” to Disneyland every year (still go). On paper? Dream job. In practice? Non-stop hustle. At one point I was shooting 69 weddings a year—plus engagement sessions, portraits, commercial gigs, volunteer work, and mentoring other photographers.
Eventually, I burned out hard.
So I pivoted to corporate—because apparently, when your creative career runs you into the ground, the next logical move is a call centre.
And for a while, it was solid. I moved up fast. I trained new hires, coached teams, and ended up in a leadership role at one of the world’s biggest insurance companies. I even had a retirement plan.
But here’s the thing no one tells you:
You can burn out in corporate too.
Especially when the values shift, the pressure builds, and the people around you stop mattering to those upstairs.
I got tired of caring more than the people in charge.
So I left. Again. Not because I was fearless—but because staying felt worse.
And this time, I didn’t try to build something big and flashy.
I started small. Quiet. Intentional.
Because now I knew what I was really building:
A business that fits who I actually am—not who I thought I had to be.
