The Day the Oxygen Mask Fell

“I’m finally on the plane and right up front. I’ll text you when I land.”

That was the message I sent to my family text thread on my first business trip. I’ve always been a homebody, so I was less than thrilled to be traveling for work. Four days in a hotel with my brand-new boss, nonstop one-on-one time. The thought alone had me stressed. How much small talk can you possibly make in four straight days, plus travel?

As the flight attendants came over the loudspeaker explaining the emergency exits and what to do in case of an emergency, they reminded us to put our oxygen mask on first before helping others. I had only been at the new job for a month, and that message quickly became the theme of the job I had dreamed of landing for so long.

Fast forward eight months and I was on top of the world. I had completely transformed the company’s marketing. I could see profit rolling in. It was a new year, we had hit targets, and I’d completed major projects well ahead of schedule. I debriefed my team and the company. Everyone was on cloud nine. Leadership shared how excited they were about where marketing was taking the business. I was proud of myself.

Two days later, after running a lead-generating event completely solo while still keeping my day-to-day metrics on track, I walked into my office and unpacked my things, putting everything back in its place.

That’s when the oxygen mask fell.

The flight had been turbulent, but I had been making sure everyone else was okay. I hadn’t listened to the flight attendant. And suddenly the air was being pulled from my lungs. That gut-punch feeling you can’t prepare for.

I had watched so many incredibly talented colleagues and friends be “released from their duties” in similar ways. I’d seen the LinkedIn posts: grateful for the last X years, but after a reorg… I truly thought I was safe.

I wasn’t.

I reached for my oxygen mask, but it was too late. The metaphorical plane had crashed, and I wasn’t the pilot or even the flight attendant. I knew I wasn’t surviving this reorg.

I spent the next two weeks picking myself up and having honest, grounding conversations with people I’m lucky to call friends. I mourned what I had labeled my dream job. And then I realized something important: it wasn’t my dream. It was the dream society told me I should want.

That realization led me back to Devin Leigh Marketing as my sole focus. For over ten years, I’d freelanced, helped small businesses, and worked on incredible projects. It fueled me. It filled my happiness cup.

In a dark moment, my sister said to me, “You really need to work for a strong woman.” And it clicked. I am that woman.

I stepped fully into what I love. Because of that, I’m happier. I show up for my clients with real energy and focus. I get to tell their stories honestly, build brands that actually feel like them, and help their voices be heard. All while helping them grow, the same way I grew my own.

I believe people deserve to walk in their happiness. To build lives that support their joy, not drain it.

So there it is. I stepped away from corporate life because life is short, and I want to spend mine helping others.