July 2025

In my early days, I was cautious, measured, and loyal. Yet, as I reflect on the shifts in my career, they all occurred after dramatic moments that included a hospital visit of some sort. This is a story of lessons to pause and reflect, courageously shift, and trust in growth. Now, I see other qualities in myself, including bravery, entrepreneurialism, and curiosity. I had the opportunity to share this message at Laurie Kelley’s inaugural “Full Life Salon.”

Lovely women at the inaugural Full Life Salon (April 2025)

4 Musings From My Career Journey

1. 12 Years of Loyalty

As one of the first law firm marketers in the Pacific NW at the age of 21, I enjoyed creating something out of nothing. I was young and thought I could accomplish more than expected. However, after 12 years in the role, “Favero Y2K” came upon our family, which included young children, a whole-house remodel, relationship shifts, and a need for a professional challenge.

This was my first encounter with “The Body Keeps the Score.” After spending a week in bed with a high fever, my doctor said I needed to go immediately to the ER. After many questions and no easy answers, they conducted a spinal tap—still no answers except for an infectious disease that didn’t kill me. After 4 days, I went home to make a change.

My first shift was to a competing law firm that had been pursuing me for a few years, but I was too loyal to consider moving. After Y2K, it was time for more responsibility and visibility with senior leadership. It led to fantastic opportunities: training lawyers, strategic planning, developing a top 10% client interview program, and winning prestigious awards.

2. Mom's Death

In my 6th year at the second law firm, my mom was diagnosed with cancer on her 60th birthday (2 years from my age today) and died 5 months later. We had a close and complicated relationship. I was a primary person in her life. She eventually landed in the hospital on January 1, 2005. At that moment, they told her she had 2 weeks to live. She decided to go home with hospice and not stay in the hospital. I began my leave from work.

I returned to work after her death, the memorial service (that I planned and spoke at), and a brief illness of my own. Again, “The Body Keeps the Score,” and I was exhausted. Something shifted within me, and I knew I wanted more from my work, with meaning and purpose. I had no idea what it could be until I was reading my alma mater’s magazine, where my former boss from the University of Oregon (UO) Career Center described the hope of creating an Alumni Career Center in the UO Portland building at the White Stag.

This led to my departure from the law firm, and I entered graduate school at the University of Portland. After 3 years of studying and earning an MS in Management Communication and publishing my research on multiple generations in the workplace, I applied for the UO role. I enjoyed 10 years of career coaching, alumni programming, and supporting graduate students.

3. Pressure Cooker

While I am loyal and stay at organizations for a long time, I am learning that I am entrepreneurial and enjoy creating new programs and services. The UO Alumni Career Center was stable and supported. I began to explore what could be next in my career. I had a long-term relationship with a management consulting firm that supported my work at UO, and a few of them became friends over the years.

They were looking for a new principal consultant, and they took a chance on me. Although I had great work experience and a broad network, I had not previously worked as a consultant. They trained me, and I enjoyed working with many of our clients and colleagues. However, I began to feel the pressure of billing hours and bringing in new business. While the flywheel may have come in time, it wasn’t coming soon enough for me, and I was stressed.

After my typical 6-mile morning run, I ran errands on Labor Day. And, within a block of my home, suddenly I felt the left side of my body become numb as it traveled from the top of my head to the ends of my fingers to the bottom of my foot. Was I having a stroke? I called 911, slurred through my numb tongue, and five paramedics arrived at my home, took my vitals, and drove me to the ER. The doctors performed multiple tests, and the scariest diagnoses were ruled out. Whatever was going on with me, my body was keeping the score and telling me it was time to make a change.

4. Car Crash

My transition in September 2019 included contracting with the consulting firm and launching my business, O+I Develop. I leaned into bravery, entrepreneurialism, and curiosity. I missed 1:1 coaching and focused my business on career transitions and leadership development. The journey was exciting and frightening. Many times, I experienced self-doubt and impostor moments.

On this new journey, I developed several practices to support myself and my work with clients. Although I love listening to podcasts during my runs, I occasionally run in silence and let my mind wander for 60 minutes. April 26, 2023, was a quiet run day, and my mind drifted into self-doubt, prompting questions about my purpose and ability to serve my clients. I got my answer two short hours later.

If you’ve followed my journey the past couple of years, you may know what happened next. I was hit by a driver who was asleep at the wheel, going 60 miles an hour, while I sat patiently at a stop sign on a beautiful sunny day in Portland. I was knocked unconscious, my car’s roof was ripped off, and the jaws of life removed me from my airbag-filled car. After an ambulance ride to Oregon Health & Science University and a battery of tests, I was declared a miracle with only a .001 chance of survival. My answer: I am living my purpose with meaning and joy!

Through each dramatic chapter—illness, loss, stress, and even a near-fatal car crash—I’ve learned that life inevitably invites us to pause, reflect, and choose “courage over comfort.” While my journey began with caution and loyalty, it has unfolded into one marked by bravery, curiosity, and an entrepreneurial spirit. I’m grateful to be living a purpose-driven life, and I hope my story reminds you that even the hardest pivots can lead to deeper meaning, joy, and growth.

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Updates & Resources

Hanging with the Sphinx in Egypt (May 2025)

A Poem on Peace and Compassion by Thich Nhat Hanh

Let us be at peace with our bodies and our minds.

Let us return to ourselves and become wholly ourselves.

Let us be aware of the source of being, common to us all and all living things.

Evoking the presence of the Great Compassion, let us fill our hearts with our compassion towards ourselves and all living beings.

Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be the cause of suffering to each other.

With humility, with awareness of the existence of life, and of the suffering that is going on around us, let us practice the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.

The Body Keeps the Score

I mentioned this book a few times in this issue. “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk examines how trauma alters both the body and brain, profoundly affecting emotions, memory, and overall well-being.

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I'm thrilled to share that I have elevated and earned my Professional Coaching Certification (PCC), which includes hundreds of hours of education and coaching, as well as passing a rigorous 3-hour exam.