In this blog I feature a dear friend, Patrick Moody, who found his way to new, purposeful work. In the Spring newsletter, I will highlight another friend, Joyce Russell, who has done the same.
In Patrick Moody’s case, it was a possible layoff that prompted him to act. When it appears a door is closing, what do you do?
“I left HBO at forty-seven. They were beginning a major layoff, and while I wasn’t asked to leave, I heard the severance packages were generous and I’d already been talking to someone about their start-up in health care, an industry that fascinated me.
I approached HBO about getting a severance package and thankfully they accepted my offer to leave, and I joined the start-up. I’m entrepreneurial by nature and while it was risky, but I loved the challenge. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it work, but the foundation laid there led me to my current job, working in a hospital in marketing, public relations, and community engagement.
I get inspiration pretty much every day from our patients and staff. I’ve met countless patients whose stories of courage, grace and determination are awe-inspiring. And our clinical staff– their fortitude, especially through COVID– and emerging out of that time! You wouldn’t know any of this unless you saw it with your own eyes. It’s been humbling.”
Patrick doesn’t like to talk much about his own health crisis, so I’ll only say he was levelled by something that struck when he was at a work conference in DC a few years back.
“I became nauseous, dizzy, and could barely stand. I was admitted to the ICU at Georgetown Medical Center. After about a week of them trying to figure out why this was happening, they said it must have been an auto-immune reaction, but they weren’t certain. I flew home to LA with the help of my brother, and was admitted to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, with no clear diagnosis. My case remains a mystery.
Today Patrick walks with a fairly severe limp, which he shrugs off. “My challenge is walking; our patients’ challenges are life and death.”
Patrick says that since going into healthcare, he’s unearthed reserves of compassion he didn’t know he had. He thanks to a possible layoff for the rewarding work he does today.
Not all of us can move into new jobs, I get it. We have bills to pay (especially after the holidays!) and we may need to avoid taking the risk, for any number of personal reasons. But if you can, consider this new year as a springboard for new meaningful work. If you listen, something inside may be calling you to a new adventure!
Lovely! Thanks for this post, Susan.