March 31st, 2026
Women's History Month

Wow. it may not have been the perfect month (when it came to writing nor when it came to living), but it came pretty damn close thanks to the people, the yoga, the learning experiences and the LOVE i encountered.

So much has happened, not only in March but thus far in 2026 and the Year of the Fire Horse - a time for sprinting head first into life and the potential for adventure that it holds. We rang in the new year, barely stayed up until midnight if i recall, and welcomed michelle and seb to be our first visitors of the year around our dining table. We went to phoenix, we celebrated my birthday, we took time off and did Disneyland! We took mini adventures often, including but not limited to San diego and Equinox for couples yoga.

We got a new job! i got an interview IRL and i got a verbal offer and i got a true offer. i negotiated my compensation and gave notice to the company that raised me from a girl and a student and a CSM and an expat to an adult, a teacher, a professional and an auntie. I applied my new name to nearly all of my records and then i entered a new career chapter in enablement. Enter: Gainsight. A portfolio company managed by majority private equity, it's a customer intelligence platform that helps power insights, customer learning, community and product intel for other B2B companies. 

The new job feels like merely a tiny tip of the iceberg of true transformation that i have undergone in 90 days. At the end of 2025 -- the year having been a glorious season of adventure and trust and taking the leap, thanks to my wedding to mike -- i was at a low point of professional confidence due to feedback from my manager. Despite positive career experiences and learnings over the course of the prior year, i felt criticized and dismissed, often isolated and abandoned. Looking back, I see that I internalized the feedback and dynamic both as reflective of not just my quality... but my WORTH at Linkedin and as a professional.

Many said i shouldn't let this happen. Friends reasssured me that this treatment and these feelings should NOT discount my contributions, my talent nor my capability. Somehow, i still felt broken & inadequate. i couldn't muster the clarity of action needed nor embody the character of the consultant i know that i am. I dreaded work some days; I wasn't sleeping well or at least -- wasn't falling back asleep when i was ruminating in the wee hours of the morning, work on the brain. Ultimately, my manager's suggestions that i wasn't in the right role (and that i was somehow similar to her the year that her boss told her SHE wasn't in the right role and "just couldn't win" no matter how hard she tried) -- led me to get help, reach out, and start making moves.

What did I do? I confided in a first-friend from my company that i was struggling; I got mentorship and perspective from another director and the aforementioned friend, who told me to start aggressively looking. While the reasons she encouraged this are "neither here nor there," i feared being fired or offered a performance management plan that would damage my chances to excel at Linkedin. I leaned back into the advice I had learned from my coach months prior and sought out times I had felt in my self-energy: when had i last felt both creative and calm, curious AND confident? Talking to my community helped remind me of those times... 

I interviewed for an internal role in a new business unit, energized by the idea of returning to customer advisory. Next, i reached out to friends and former colleagues who had open roles at their companies. i received referrals from numerous friends, former expats and simple colleagues from LI who knew my positive perception and a bit of my work. i went on to interview for two new companies after applying to many. i became excited by the idea of a new opportunity and a new challenge -- and i realized that i was invigorated by the business "case" scenarios that were put in front of me for my interview assignments.
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i couldn't have guessed that after two interview processes at Christmas time, i'd end up conducting final interviews (both to a panel) at two interesting tech companies. One was in person at the intersection of analytics and real estate. One was virtual, fully remote at an insights platform targeting those in my former role: customer success. More important than any of the steps in these interviews, i was busy cultivating a new mindset around my value throughout the process. i was meditating more often, returned to journaling and reflecting hard in order to anchor on my past experiences and accomplishments. I spoke positive affirmations. I practiced my "elevator pitch" which required me to practice & rewire my internal self-talk. I refreshed my resume, wrote cover letters and let AI help me curate my top achievements in the recent six years of doing sales and revenue leader enablement.

The end result? Besides the job change, I remembered what i'm good at it, what i love and what lights me up. <-- These ARE NOT in order of importance, I realize now. I realized that what energizes me most are the same tasks and projects that i love: assessing skill gaps, architecting learning experiences, and building first time stakeholder partnerships from the ground up -- through trust-building. i love thinking about sales, about our products and about the customer journey. i love centering everything i build and do around "customer value" and how we can identify+articulate it. Call me cheesy, but i think it's the Apple loyalist in me that was transformed into a real customer advocate; that and our amazing products' capacity to change other's ability made me BELIEVE in a technology's potential to change a company or personal trajectory. I believe. So i have conviction. My conviction helps me know deeply; my deep knowledge helps me teach.

The things i forgot about? The things that helped me teach (and build) like nothing else included my network! My knowledge network and the people who know things -- from over 10 years at the same incredibly tight-knit company -- were the ways through which i could always be a CONDUIT of peer and social learning. Starting over has shown me the power of ones network... not just her knowledge or "know how." The book by sally helgesen and marshall goldsmith calls it the "perfection trap" and several other phenomena; all that matters is that we recognize the risk of waiting until you've attained all the knowledge you can before you act, build and cultivate collaborative partnerships.

Now that i've taken the leap and been in role six weeks? It's time for me to settle in and form a point of view. i've asked questions and i've listened; i met with partners and now need to broaden my network to those on the "front lines." i need to humble myself, listen to calls and make time to observe our customers in "the flesh." that means shadowing sales, setting up more coffee chats and never forgetting: to have a growth mindset, i must commit to always be learning.
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How? The only way to always be learning is by forming a habit. The only way to build a habit is to set intentions, establish clear goals, and create the conditions for attainable action steps (all according to my takeaways from "atomic habits" and anything you read about building a culture of learning). People need access, permission, time, and exemplary role modeling. i can be that role model. i can block time to learn. ​

Here's to learning all over again. 

XOXO, 
Abroad Down in SoCal 

Dear leapfrogs,

If you're looking at the year on your wall calendar in disbelief: join the club. It's March of 2026 -- two years since my last entry -- and nearly ten years since I decided to take the leap and start applying for jobs down under. Not only that; this year marks 20 years since the international trip across the pond that opened my eyes, helped me see the world... and likely started it all.

Any big changes naturally spur reflection, so it makes sense that I've been thinking about when the first time was that I really "took the leap." What do I mean by that? In hindsight, they were times that I chose a new path, ventured into the unknown, and decided to take a chance on both myself and the world -- in order to try something new and uncover new possibility. Were they extreme? Not always. Were they deemed brave or bold? Not at first. As I got older and more experienced, however, carving new paths became more trying -- and more rewarding. I realize now that each leap was a combination of knowing and growing that both built my inner trust and strengthened my courage, flexing muscles like adaptability and "growth mindset." 

Ever since I decided to pursue my dream of living abroad, after choosing LA-based opportunities for college and my first job, I've had a fascination toward what allows us to make a bold choice, take the "road less traveled" or even simply pivot from a common barrier to progress: the status quo. Taking the Leap was born, an idea and a platform (and a someday podcast!) that will highlight stories, codify wisdom, connect fellow leapfrogs and curate inspiration so that more of us can cultivate the courage to make bold moves. 

In January, I took the first step toward this goal and recorded my first "podcast" interview in years - this time with my fellow expat and Sydney soul sister Becca. I started the interview by talking about my goals for the podcast, my aims for our conversation, and the birth of my love of leaps: the road less traveled. Then i asked her all the questions I had planned, giddily surprised each instant with what unveiled itself (beyond my intentions or envisioning). I asked her when she first leapt, what she thinks "taking the leap" means, when she last leapt, and when she will again. I asked Becca how she prepared, what tools and mindsets she embodied. Finally, I asked her when she feels the most brave and what leap she'll take next in 2026. 

In February, I spent a lot of time thinking about my imminent "next play." As I embarked on a new job at a new company (for the first time in ~12 years), I swore to myself that I'd document my experience. I'd "walk the walk," be brave, and curate how I was feeling mid-leap. 

Now that it's March, I'll reignite my original platform for blogging and reflecting to the world. I'll begin by sharing my latest realizations: when I first, and next, and last took the leap. 

When do I feel brave? I know that I feel brave when i'm doing something i've never done; doing something that scares me; going after something that sounds difficult and challenging but also sounds interesting or energizing to tackle.
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When was the first time I took a leap? The first time that comes to mind for me was in the fifth grade, when i was no more than a tiny little nugget. I was already involved in asb, our associated student body, and i remember that it was a fun space to hang out with my friends and plan fun things for the school. it was suggested that i run for student body president. i didn't know what would happen or whether i'd be cool enough for that, but i remember making posters and writing a speech about what i would do or what i would promise were i to be elected. 

What that foggy memory reminds me is that taking the leap is "going for something" -- putting your heart and your ego out on the line in order to showcase that you want something, with the incentive being the chance to DO THAT THING. Have that opportunity. Maybe it's putting ourselves in the arena. It's vulnerable because there's a risk that you miss, or fail, or flop. But what we know as adults is that there is often risk present but often no chance of "failing." The worst that might happen is that we'll learn a shit ton, maybe lose money, maybe just maybe risk rejection or embarrassment. The only thing that you can guarantee is that you'll learn. Nothing else is promised. Well, that -- and that you'll likely grow and transform in the process.

The next time i took a leap was by agreeing to a college tour and interview for a scholarship that was taking place out of state, in the rainy pacific northwest, on my birthday no less. The risk was that i wouldn't get it (though i had been accepted to the school), or that i wouldn't like it and wouldn't enjoy the people. But i loved making new friends! I had traveled abroad again the summer before and i knew that i had family there to drive me to the scholarship interview. So i took the leap. The biggest memory from that trip, aside from the birthday cake that they presented me when I first got out of the car on campus, was the moment in the interview itself when they asked me how I would feel living and studying so far from my family "when I was so close to my younger sisters" -- who I had just told them about. Little did I know that five minutes into the interview (designed to tell them whether I was a right candidate for this scholarship), I would be in tears realizing that they weren't the right candidate for my first home-away-from-home when it came time to leave for college. I'd miss home too much. 

The most recent time that I took a big leap? ​When I pursued a role overseas and interviewed for, accepted and moved for a job abroad in Sydney, Australia. I had always dreamed of moving with a company or taking a chance to teach English in another country, ever since that second trip abroad to play soccer in high school. I had loved the experience of playing sport on the other side of the world, witnessing through the process the universal nature of humanity, young adulthood and womanhood on the sports pitch (when I heard a young coach yelling at a player -- though in a foreign tongue, i knew EXACTLY what he was yelling and wrote as such in my college application essays). We're all the same, but I wanted to test my resolve and see the world in order to gain a more global perspective.

When the time came to explore such a chance, after three years at Linkedin and a point of comfort and confidence that granted the courage to apply, I knew that I wanted to try an emerging market where English would get me by in both business and client services. I interviewed any colleague who would meet me, and explored at least three roles before the right one took a chance on me. By then I KNEW I had to take the chance and take the leap before too much of life passed me by.

I don't know for sure that they would have, but I had a feeling that life's milestones such as boyfriends and mortgages, aging parents and niece/nephews all would only give me greater reason not to go. So I went for it, at the ripe age of 28, because I thought that "if I don't do it now, I might not ever have the courage!" The first time I uttered that out loud, a distant colleague at the time reminded me that that wasn't necessarily true - I could always go for it and take the leap at any time.
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What that moment on the 16th floor of our downtown SF high-rise begged me to ask was this: What was I waiting for? I wanted it. Now was the time because my heart was yearning for it. On a nearby couch over one year prior (in 2016), my mentor and manager had asked me "Cory, what would be the ONE next role you'd kill for if I told you you only had one more in your career here at Linkedin?" I took the glaring clarity in my heart and listened to it, ran with it.... because it told me that I wanted to move abroad with the company and platform I loved. It was time to move with LinkedIn... and it was time to become a broad abroad... down under. 

one year, two months and fourteen days ago - i arrived at formosa cafe on santa monica boulevard in hollywood for my first date with mike. it wasn't our first meeting; that had taken place in September 2008, when he joined the university residential student community as a building chairman while i was an executive board member, running shit. our second meeting had happened fifteen years later when, on january seventh or so in 2023, mike and i matched on Hinge. "Mike C." his profile said. I knew his last name - it was on the tip of my brain! but mostly, I knew that he was mike from URSC. mike from a cappella. mike from the "voCals."

i walked into the restaurant and told the hostess that i was meeting someone; she said that he hadn't arrived yet so i snuck straight through to the powder room in the back. i touched up my chapstick; peed and checked my hair. i had wanted to look nice but also not like i had tried too hard, so i was wearing my favorite "go to" date dress, a short number with cap sleeves and a criss-crossed blouse in the front that showed my neckline but also left something to the imagination. i had on gold hoops to match my sydney opera house necklace - which mike would go on to notice and then mention the next day.

finally, i wore my black steve madden boots - for both height and confidence. i didn't remember how tall mike would be, but i did remember that he was warm and earnest. not too cool to go to the annual pacurh conference with the rest of ursc's finest nerds. i also knew from his steady stream of 2023 voice memos that he was keenly curious about me, prone to making up songs and singing / dancing around his flat, and single despite our decade each of dating since wrapping at usc.

my favorite things about mike that night would end up being my favorite things about him today. he spoke with love and admiration of his mother, sister(s) and the powerful women role models he had grown up around. he thought that it was so cool that i had lived in Australia (so cool!!) and the island country-continent was at the top of his travel bucket list. he told me not only that he loved learning new things, but that he was always keen to learn other people's views on things in order to best understand the full 360-degree perspective on a matter. finally, i loved that he rolled with the punches (and checked the menu in advance for mocktails!) when i told him that i wasn't drinking [during dry January], then told the server that this was because we were expecting our first baby together [just to mess with him].

after hours of talking, not ordering and barely pausing the breathe, i took the leap. i looked over at adjacent mike in our corner-booth and asked him:

A few days later in January, I agreed to a coffee date with the cashier who had checked me out at my local Trader Joe’s. 

Yes, Joe checked me out in more ways than one.

I was impressed with his kindness and his audacity to ask for my number (while ringing me up for my produce). On a Friday in the midmorning, we met at a local coffee and pie shop that I had been to once with my college friends. He was intriguing, extremely tall, and one of those people who’s direct and inquisitive— Enough to be offputting at first, but then just enough to make you think he’s different (from all the other complacent ones). 

We took a walk around North Hollywood and talked about our lives, our spirituality and our respective run-ins with signs from the Universe. He asked whether I minded if he smoked (I did) and, when I made a face, he explained that it was a lesser vice than others in the past.

Things got weird when he asked if I was open to casual (aka sexual) relationship. My physiological response told me that I wasn’t (enter: Cory’s newfound intuition). I wasn’t used to setting boundaries, but  I had become much more clear on what I was looking for. I “took the leap” and chose honesty, texting him a few hours after the date to tell him that we weren’t interested in the same thing,

That afternoon was the day I decided to hit the trailhead, bring my AirPods - and start a personal podcast (aka catalog of personal voice memos) called “take a hike.” It would detail the stories of all my failed dates— or rather, the tales of each man I would come to tell to “take a hike” when we weren’t a match. It would entertain AND serve as a reflection tool on my dating quest. 

Little did I know that there wouldn’t be many more first dates after this one…

in hindsight, january was definitely unexpected. a pleasant surprise, delightful beyond what i could have pictured or dreamed up for myself. it was very full, after december felt very spacious - full of languishing. it allowed so much love to flow in, however, because i made room for it. 

in january, in addition to setting out after fifty first dates and my first four, i also set out to pursue dry january free of alc and coffee. i set an intention to practice thirty-one days of yoga. i aspired to meditate each morning, in bed before rising. and finally, i wrote down an intention to cultivate novelty, awe. trying new things would do it. 

Now? i'd say that i tried and made space and achieved all of it. it wasn't perfect; no, all pursuits were incomplete -- which made them interesting and glorious. i'm basking in the warm glow of progress (not perfection). this might be because one, i did most of it (not all of it!), and two, because i was unexpectedly tickled by what i came across. 

Date 1

date one of 2023 was my second date with A, zoo guy who i met through a set up by a thoughtful friend. he was kind with a warm smile, chivalry and great communication. turns out he worked in tech in a similar role to my first. we had so much in common that at first, it felt uncanny. 

backstory: on sunday december tenth, he picked me up at home in his audi. we had been texting for a month, exchanging audio messages from LA to Singapore and back while he traveled with his family across asia and trying new foods that he'd tell me about. he was curious, ambitious, interesting, and my exact same age. i liked that he was ted lasso for halloween, that he booked tickets for our date, and that we had a kind-hearted mutual friend from my college years. we hugged and climbed into the car, setting off toward griffith park to see the annual Zoo lights at LA Zoo. we walked, rode the archaic carousel, and talked about our families and travels. he was an only child. it felt easy. 

come 2023 and we had postponed our date at least three times due to life. i was sick; he had a family emergency. we hadn't talked constantly but we both loved John Mayer and trying new restaurants. i hoped a bigger spark or flame would sizzle on this night. a weeknight Japanese food outing became a halfway meetup (he didn't offer to pick me up again, i noticed) and he suggested Silverlake, a hip & in-demand spot of which i hadn't heard. i wore my lucky red sweater and a black go-to top that makes me feel sexy but subtle. he greeted me out front - but he didn't seem to notice. 

i don't remember the contents of our conversation (is that a bad sign?). it felt similarly easy and effortless to talk to him, but in that way that a strong conversationalist finds it easy to be curious. he didn't ask me about me! he said a few "how about you?s". i insisted we could split each piece of sushi so that we could both experience the chef's selection; he insisted that i should enjoy the ones I picked and i notice/wondered if he didn't want to share a bite. there was friendship in the place of magic. there was comf yet casual warmth in place of a spark. i wanted fire. 

we chose a dessert that neither of us loved but ate in an effort to be polite. when the waitress brought the bill he didn't reach for it, so i offered to go dutch. he accepted. finally, when we left to part ways at the valet stand -- we quickly-awkwardly hugged when realizing that my car was "up" in line. when i reached home, he had already sent me a text that he was only feeling a friend vibe and wanted to let me know, though i was "a complete catch." 

date 1 of 2023 was complete but my ego (and wallet) were pained from this sticky sushi venture. at least i had tried somewhere new; i had put myself out there. the song that was playing in my head (and in my car the whole way home) was "Music for a Sushi Restaurant." but the zest for life and the longing in Harry's hit is what was lacking. I had to let the search continue.