How Losing a Job Became the Start of Something Bigger
· 2 min read
Losing a job doesn’t have to be the end. Here’s how I turned loss into growth, building Neurodazzled® and a life aligned with my values.
2025: A 9 Year in Numerology
Numerology teaches that every year carries its own energy and lesson. For me, 2025 is a 9 year, the closing of a nine-year cycle. A 9 year is about completion, release, and preparing for a new beginning. It asks us to let go of what no longer serves us so the next cycle can start clean.
When I look at my life now, the timing feels exact. Leaving Apple was the closing of a major chapter. Creating Neurodazzled®, building new spaces for dialogue, enrolling in the University of Metaphysics, and dedicating future profits to animals and elderly people are all part of honoring what I’ve learned while stepping into something more aligned.
The 9 year is not always easy. It brings endings and challenges us to surrender. But it also clears the path for beginnings we cannot yet see. For me, 2025 is not about comfort, it’s about courage, closure, and making space for what comes next.
This year has been one of the most challenging and transformative chapters of my life. When I left Apple after so many years, I knew I had to move forward with intention. I could have waited for things to happen, but instead I chose to act — to build, to create, and to take ownership of what comes next.
From Loss to Creation
I poured my energy into new projects that matter deeply to me. Neurodazzled® was born from my lived experience with neurodivergence, with the aim of building products and a community where difference is celebrated rather than hidden. Hot Flash Lounge started as a conversation around menopause and midlife. It is growing into a space where women can feel seen, supported, and even laugh through the harder parts.
Returning to Study
Most recently, I enrolled at the University of Metaphysics. This step is about more than study; it’s about giving structure to a lifelong search for meaning, compassion, and tools for inner growth.
Giving Back with Purpose
I am also committed to giving back. A percentage of any profit we make through my ventures will go directly into helping animals and supporting elderly people — two causes that mean a great deal to me.
Choosing Transparency Over Pretending
I am fully aware that being transparent about these choices might stand in the way of securing a traditional role. But I am no longer willing to be a contortionist, twisting myself into someone I am not. If it is meant to be, the right company will see me for who I am and will want to collaborate with me because of what I bring to the table. I am ethical, goal-driven, and committed — but I am not a clown, and I am not a fake.
What I’ve Learned
None of this came easily. There were days I wanted to quit before I even began. But what I’ve learned is that starting again is always possible. Even after a loss, it’s possible to build something that feels aligned and true. And sometimes the biggest challenges are the very things that push us into the work we are meant to do.
If this story resonated with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Share your own experiences of starting over, and let’s build a conversation around resilience, purpose, and creating work that feels true. Follow me here on Medium. I’ll be sharing more about Neurodazzled®, ethical entrepreneurship, and the journey of turning endings into new beginnings. Blessed Be. Natalie