Redirecting.work
Suzie Genevieve:
Everyone's "Mary Poppins"
Two layoffs in five years forced a hard reset. After nearly 25 years at Oracle across development and sales-adjacent roles, Suzie moved to Workday to deepen her sweet spot: program/operations management in service of product leadership. When a consulting-led reduction arrived, she was cut. Again. The pattern clarified what she was up against: expensive geography, a senior individual contributor/operations title not read as yielding “direct revenue,” and, increasingly, the sense of “aging out” in tech. Suzie didn’t interpret this as a lack of value; she saw a misread of it. What she loves and does best is translating executive priorities into clear, meaningful work for teams, then carrying team accomplishments back up the chain with accuracy and heart. That bridge role, she realized, is exactly what many leaders are missing when budgets get cut. That’s the role she serves.
Transition Process
Both times, she cocooned first. The first layoff, she built a mid-day schedule she’d not been able to keep while in corporate – beginning pickleball, line dancing, both with the purpose to show up, meet new people, and interrupt the spiral. The second time, February, 2025, she devoted the entire month to health and reset with exercise classes, acupuncture, and medical check-ins before making any big decisions. She planned to re-enter the market conventionally: apply everywhere, network relentlessly.
Then a women’s transition event changed her trajectory. Hearing others’ reinventions, she caught a phrase. “I’m tired of being everyone’s Mary Poppins.” She felt the opposite spark: “I want to be Mary Poppins.” The metaphor fit her perfectly: arrive where things are chaotic, strengthen people and process with a well-stocked “bag,” restore alignment, and depart once the system is running.
Current Direction
She founded Tapestry 27, a fractional Chief of Staff practice for startups and small businesses (often ~200 employees) that need strategic connective tissue but can’t (or shouldn’t yet) hire a full-time CoS. “Tapestry” signals the weaving of people, processes, and practical tools; “27” nods to research indicating executives can gain ~25–30 hours back per month with a capable Chief of Staff. She stakes the middle: with a promise of 27 hours to be returned. Suzie’s remit flexes by client: operational cadence, program tracking, cross-functional facilitation, decision clarity, and crisp executive communications to and from the team. She builds processes, documents what matters, gets the right conversations in the room, and hands running systems back to owners. As a fractional partner, she taps consulting budgets many firms still retain, even as headcount tightens, creating a path that’s faster to start, easier to pause, and simpler to renew.
Advice to Others Making Career Transitions
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Cocoon with a schedule. Healing needs structure; put commitments on the calendar (classes, movement, and community).
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Anchor on contribution. Define what you want to give first; names, logos, and offers flow from that anchor.
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Don’t let fear drive. Say the doubts out loud to trusted people; externalizing shrinks them and surfaces champions.
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Ask for assistance. Confidence includes “I don’t know yet.” Treat learning new business-building skills as part of the fun.
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Adopt abundance. “There’s plenty of work for everyone.” Refer generously; opportunities boomerang.
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Request feedback (and sort it like gifts). Some you’ll use now, some later, some you’ll repurpose—receive it all with gratitude.
Laid off twice, Suzie didn’t chase a narrower job; she claimed the larger contribution. By naming what she uniquely delivers—calm in chaos, crisp translation, and celebratory advocacy for teams—she designed a business that returns time to executives and dignity to execution. As Tapestry 27 grows, the Mary Poppins metaphor remains her north star: arrive with competence and care, make the whole stronger, and move on when they can fly the kite themselves.