The In-Between Season: Back “Home”, But Not Staying

There’s a weird kind of feeling that comes with being in between, and that’s exactly where I am right now. I’m back in Wisconsin, back where I grew up, back where I built a life. I’m back coaching track, working at the restaurant, seeing familiar faces, driving the same roads I’ve driven a thousand times before.

And in so many ways it feels really good. It makes my teacher heart happy to be around the kids again, to be back with my colleagues and friends, and to step into something that once felt like my entire life. 

But at the same time? I know I’m not staying.

Behind the scenes, I’m building something completely different. I’m building a life that is aligned with what I want my future to look like. I’m applying for my Portuguese visa, apartment hunting in Parede, trying to find a place that feels like home from thousands of miles away. I’m planning a life that doesn’t exist yet, but feels so right.

So I’m here, in Wisconsin, but I’m also already there. And that in-between space? It’s exciting, it’s uncomfortable, it’s a little messy, and if I’m being honest,  it’s also kind of confusing.

One minute, I’m fully present — coaching, working out, grabbing dinner with friends, enjoying being back “home” in Wisconsin. The next minute, I’m imagining my life in Portugal, walking by the ocean, building my routine, living in a place that felt like home the moment I arrived.

It’s like my heart is split between two places and I don’t fully belong to either one right now.

But I’ve realized something about being in this in-between season. It’s not something to rush through. Instead, it’s something to trust. Growth doesn’t happen when everything is perfectly settled and figured out. It happens right here in the uncertainty, the waiting, in the “what’s next?” phase.

This doesn’t just apply to life either. It applies to business too, because business has in-between seasons all the time. That phase where you’ve outgrown your old way of doing things, but haven’t fully stepped into the new version yet. How about the phase where you’re showing up, putting in the work, staying consistent, but the results haven’t fully caught up yet. Or the phase where things feel a little unclear, a little messy, a little “what am I even doing?”  Does any of this sound familiar?

I know what you’re thinking, it’s easy to think something is wrong in those moments and to feel like you’re behind or doing it wrong or that you should have it all figured out by now. But what if this is exactly where you’re supposed to be?

Because just like I’m building a life that aligns with who I am now, you’re building a business that aligns with who you’re becoming. And that takes time. It takes trial and error, it takes refining, it takes showing up before everything feels perfect.

This is where your brand becomes really important. When life (and business) feels transitional, your brand can be the thing that grounds you. It gives you consistency and clarity, and it gives your audience something to recognize and trust, even while you’re evolving.

Your brand doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should feel like you. Aligned. Intentional. Cohesive. Something that grows with you, not something you have to constantly rebuild.

Right now, I may be in between places, but I’m not in between who I am. I know what I’m building, I know what I want, I know the life I’m creating, even if I’m not fully living it yet. And that’s enough.

So if you’re in an in-between season too, in your life, your business, or both, take a breath. You’re not behind. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just in the middle of becoming.

And honestly? That’s where the magic happens.

If you want some support in this stage, I’m here for you.