Redirecting.work

government, local nonprofits, and most recently, a tech company where she led product initiatives. Her transitions were rarely planned. “I’ve never had a career plan,” she says. “Just a life plan–to be useful.” She stayed long enough—about four years—to get good at her role, deliver value, and then feel the pull toward something new. It wasn’t boredom, but a sense of completion. “Once I’ve added value in a differentiated way, I’m ready for what’s next.”

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That pattern continued until her life shifted: she became a parent. With two young children, Isabel realized that time—once abundant—had become a sacred, finite resource. “I used to work all day and volunteer in the evenings. Now I don’t have that flexibility. All I have is my work time, and so it has to carry more meaning.” Parenthood didn’t change her purpose. It sharpened it.

 

Leaving her tech role earlier this year, she did so with clarity. She had the support she needed—emotionally and financially—to try something bold. “There’s privilege in this pivot,” she acknowledges. “But I wanted to use that privilege for something more meaningful than just earning more.”

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Current Direction: Good Work Strategies

 

Today, Isabel is the founder of Good Work Strategies, a venture focused on cognitive training for high performance at work. It’s where neuroscience meets mindfulness, framed in a way that’s grounded and practical. “We often think of meditation as spiritual or woo-woo,” she says. “But I came to it skeptically. I was in physical pain—and mindfulness-based stress reduction was a data-backed tool to feel better. I’m outcome-oriented. This worked.”

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Her own mindfulness journey—bolstered by a sangha community and teacher training rooted in Tibetan Buddhism and Hatha yoga—led to unexpected benefits. “I became more present with my family. Less reactive. More resilient. And I started seeing parallels between the insights I was gaining and what’s missing in the workplace.”

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Good Work Strategies is her attempt to bridge that gap. She delivers workshops to business and HR leaders, often as part of leadership development or All Hands programming. The sessions blend principles (how attention and the brain function), practices (formal and micro-mindfulness routines), and perspectives (challenging the internal narratives that sabotage focus and clarity). 

 

One story she shares is the Buddhist parable of the second arrow—how the pain we feel is often amplified not by the event, but by the story we tell ourselves about it. “People resonate with that. Most stress in the workplace isn’t about the first arrow—it’s the second.”

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She’s intentionally built in a “buy one, give one” model: for every workshop delivered to a corporate client, she offers one to a nonprofit of their (or her) choosing. “It’s my way of staying aligned with my purpose and ensuring that good work ripples outward.”

 

Still in early stages, Isabel is realistic. “It could fail. But I love learning about this. I love building it. And if I can deliver value—real value—that’s enough reason to try.”

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Advice to Others Wishing to Pivot to Their Purpose

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Isabel’s advice is grounded, humble, and deeply intentional:

• Tell a coherent story. Even if you’ve changed sectors or functions, keep a throughline that others (and you) can follow. “For me, that’s been employee focus—helping people thrive at work.”
   

• Be flexible about your value. “I’m not a master meditator. I’m not an instructional designer. But I’ve led teams. I know the challenges people face daily. That matters.” See where your background fits—even if it’s nontraditional.
   

• Name what you are—and what you’re not. “Authenticity saves energy,” she says. “When I stopped trying to present as an expert in things I wasn’t, I had more room to just be me.”
   

• Build something that matters. Isabel isn’t chasing scale or virality. “I’m trying to build something valuable that improves people’s lives. If I do that, the rest can follow.”

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In a world obsessed with speed and success, Isabel Sapriel offers a quieter blueprint: pivot not for prestige or profit, but to deepen your purpose. In doing so, she’s showing what good work can really mean—and how we might all train our minds to get there.

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