Stability Is Increasingly Rented. Agency Is Owned
Why I Chose a Portfolio Life
For most of my career, I believed security came from achievement. I also believed achievement would bring validation, that if I worked hard enough, earned enough, and accomplished enough, I would finally feel certain of my place and my future.
The next promotion.
The next title.
The next seat at the table.
As one of the few women, and often the only woman, in executive leadership rooms, I worked hard to earn every opportunity. I led large-scale transformations, managed billion-dollar budgets, and sat in rooms where decisions shaped organizations and people’s lives.
Like many leaders, I assumed those accomplishments created security.
What I eventually learned is that titles create access. They do not create security.
Ownership does.
When I stepped away from the traditional corporate path and began building what many call a portfolio life, I was met with more than a few questioning looks. To some, it appeared I was stepping away from ambition.
The reality was exactly the opposite.
I wasn’t retiring from leadership. I was expanding how I lead, how I create value, and how I define success in this season of my life.
One lesson I share in The Only Woman in the Room is that many leaders, especially women, spend years building excellence inside systems they do not fully control.
We become identified with the title, the company, the role, or the institution.
Then one day the organization changes.
Leadership changes.
The market changes.
Or life changes.
Suddenly, we discover that what felt permanent was actually borrowed.
That realization can be unsettling. It can also be the beginning of building real agency.
Building Agency Before You Need It
A portfolio career is often misunderstood.
It is not doing a collection of random things.
It is not chasing side hustles.
And it is certainly not about staying busy.
It is a deliberate strategy to diversify how you create value, how you earn, how you contribute, and how you lead.
Because in today’s economy, even the safest roles can disappear overnight.
The definition of stability has changed.
Research from MBO Partners found that 72.7 million Americans participated in independent work arrangements in 2024, representing approximately 43% of the workforce. The number of independent professionals earning more than $100,000 continues to grow.
This shift is not happening in a vacuum.
Professionals are recognizing that a single employer, a single title, or a single source of income no longer provides the certainty it once did.
For women, the stakes can be even higher.
Career pauses, caregiving responsibilities, relocation, health challenges, and systemic barriers often create disruptions that are absorbed quietly and personally.
Building optionality becomes more than a financial strategy. It becomes a leadership strategy.
Because optionality is not a personality trait.
It is something you build intentionally, over time, until your next decision is driven by purpose rather than panic.
What a Portfolio Life Has Given Me
Power
Not power over people.
Power over choices.
When you have options, you negotiate differently. You ask for what you need. You walk away from misalignment. You make decisions from clarity rather than fear.
Authenticity
You stop shaping your identity around what an institution needs you to be.
Your work becomes a reflection of your values, strengths, and priorities rather than a job description.
Impact
You gain the ability to apply your expertise where it can create the greatest value.
You stop waiting to be chosen and become intentional about where you contribute.
Resilience
No single organization determines your future.
When one opportunity changes, your entire life doesn’t stop with it.
Peace
Perhaps the most unexpected gift.
The confidence that your identity is larger than any title you hold.
For me, a portfolio life has not meant focusing on just one thing. It has meant creating space for several different pursuits that I genuinely enjoy and choosing how I spend my time based on my interests, values, and goals.
Some seasons have included writing, speaking, consulting, mentoring, and learning new skills. Each experience has contributed something meaningful, and together they have created a richer and more fulfilling professional life.
The freedom to make those choices has been one of the greatest benefits of building agency. Rather than being defined by a single role, I have been able to explore multiple interests and make decisions that reflect who I am and what matters most to me.
The Freedom to Define Success on Your Own Terms
Last year I lived this firsthand.
I launched a book.
Started writing regularly.
Expanded my speaking work.
Built a consulting practice.
And I learned something quickly:
There is no single right way to build a portfolio life.
What made the difference was not following someone else’s formula, it was being intentional about what mattered most to me and making choices that aligned with my goals, values, and energy.
When I was launching The Only Woman in the Room, I wasn’t simultaneously trying to optimize every aspect of speaking, consulting, writing, and business development.
A Few Lessons That Helped Me
1. Work in Seasons
Identify the one thing that deserves your creative and strategic energy right now.
Allow other priorities to operate at a maintenance level until their season arrives.
2. Accept Help Earlier
Many high achievers wait too long to ask for support.
Whether it’s professional assistance, family support, or help from trusted colleagues, people often want to contribute.
They simply need to know what you’re building.
3. Ask Clearly
One of the most underutilized leadership skills is making specific requests.
“Can you review this?”
“Can you make an introduction?”
“What are your thoughts on this idea?”
People are far more likely to help when they understand exactly how.
4. Protect Your Calendar
Every yes has an operational cost.
Treat your time the way you would treat a balance sheet.
Invest it intentionally.
The Bigger Lesson
Many exceptional leaders struggle with reinvention because they built excellence inside a structure that was never designed to fully belong to them.
They mistake the title for the source of their value.
But the title was never the value.
The value was always the person.
The skills.
The relationships.
The judgment.
The leadership.
The ability to create impact.
A title may open a door.
But ownership creates freedom.
In this season of rapid change, the leaders who thrive will not be the ones with the most impressive business card.
They will be the ones who have built the greatest capacity to adapt, contribute, and create value beyond any single role.
That is what a portfolio life represents to me.
Not more work.
More agency.
And in a world where stability is increasingly rented, agency may be the most valuable asset we can build.
If this resonated, I’d love to hear from you.
What are you building in this season of your life?
And what is one thing you need to say no to in order to make space for it?
If you’re new here, subscribe for reflections on leadership, reinvention, resilience, and building a life of impact, on your own terms.