Cocooning or Leaping: Two Ways to Navigate Career Transition

“You won’t land work from online job boards anymore. You have to be out there in person, showing up, being seen.” This comes from a Pivot in Progress story of someone who declined publication — and has since landed a C-level role. On the other side is Resetter, Meg Bear: “Protect your pause. Don’t rush into the next thing — this space is sacred.”

What’s clear is that when careers are disrupted, some step back to cocoon and reset, while others move visibly forward in flux. Both choices are valid — and both offer invaluable insights.

Framing the Two Paths

• Resetters – pause, reflect, and cocoon after a layoff, burnout, or values clash. Their pivot is less about immediate motion and more about inner reorientation and getting clear on priorities for the next stage.

• Pivot in Progress – keep moving while still clarifying direction. They experiment, test ideas, and learn on the go.

These aren’t rigid categories. They blur. Some who cocoon begin to pivot forward; some in motion realize they need to pause.

Advice from Resetters: The Power of Cocooning

• “Protect your pause. Don’t rush — this space is sacred.”

• “Claim the title of explorer. Make exploration itself your role.”

• “Don’t confuse a reset with failure — it’s a redesign.”

• “Let go of shame about being ‘in between.’”

• “Reset doesn’t mean doing nothing — it means slowing down to choose wisely.”

• “Give yourself the space to step back before rushing into the next role. Stay curious, and let conversations open new doors.”

• “Even seasoned leaders need time to pause and reframe. Reflection isn’t optional — it’s essential scaffolding for moving forward.”

Resetters model cocooning — a deliberate slowing down, healing, and inward work that allows a truer next stage to emerge.

Advice from Pivot in Progress: Momentum as Teacher

• “Don’t wait until you’re certain — try multiple things in parallel. Ambiguity is the new normal.”

• “Anchor yourself in what you love — advising, teaching, inspiring, learning.”

• “Clarity comes from motion, not waiting.”

• “Constraints aren’t barriers; they’re guideposts.”

Pivoters in Progress show that momentum itself breeds clarity. By experimenting and staying visible, they create opportunities in real time.

Where the Two Paths Blur

• Shared threads: Both emphasize relationships, patience, resilience, and reframing uncertainty. Neither is static — both involve movement, inward or outward.

• Blurring in practice: Resetting isn’t doing nothing; it can be deeply active, through curiosity and conversations. One executive reminded me: even high-profile leaders must pause. Reflection is not optional; it’s essential scaffolding for wise redirection.

• Cocooning as a universal metaphor: Whether stepping back or testing in parallel, many are in some form of cocooning — tending inner growth, some unseen, until the next phase becomes clear.

  
  

Both Choices Provide Invaluable Insights

There is no “right” way to redirect. Some thrive by cocooning; others by leaping forward and adjusting mid-air. The wisdom lies in recognizing your season: do you need space to heal and reset, or do you need motion to find clarity?

Both Resetters and Pivoters in Progress model courage in uncertainty. They remind us that every career shift begins with trust in the process — whether through stillness or through motion.