The Case For Soulfilling Work: A Name for What You’ve Been Searching For
Most of us will spend 90,000 hours of our lives working. That's the average United States professional’s total hours on the job. 90,000 hours in uncomfortable chairs, meetings that make you wanna cry, managing up, holding it down—enduring.
So here's the question:
If you're going to pour 90,000 hours into something, how do you want it to feel?
How might your career bring reciprocal value to your life? What is the impact you hope to have?
I know these questions feel complicated when navigating the chaos of our current context. Maybe even naive. Because if you're anything like the leaders I coach—educated, equity-minded, committed to creating change—you've been taught that work is supposed to be hard. That "soulfilling" is a privilege when so many are just trying to survive. That you should be grateful for "good enough."
But I'm here to tell you something different:
Soulfilling work isn't a luxury. It's a life-saver.
This isn’t a lesson I learned without scars.
The Lies That Keep Us Stuck
I was taught I had to choose.
Meaning or money. Resistance or rest. Passion or paycheck.
I was groomed to believe that if you want to make a difference, you sacrifice yourself. If you want financial security, you tolerate dysfunction and deal with being devalued at work. If you want to care for your community, it’s selfish to center yourself.
But who does this really serve?
These unquestioned beliefs keep so many mission-driven women of color stuck in jobs that extract, underpay, and slowly erode their sense of what's possible. I was one of them.
I spent 8 years at an organization with high expectations and low investment. I was expected to create miracles on a micro budget. And because I identified as a high performer who believed in the work and the students it impacted—I delivered. Regardless of the cost to me.
Sleeping on campus. Working weekends. Spending my own money to buy a student shoes for a formal event. Getting a student groceries over winter break when the cafeteria was closed. Cancelled plans. Missed family celebrations.
My students had a retention rate higher than any demographic on campus. My programs were highly rated. Senior leadership saw me as a trusted advisor. And my reputation was glowing.
It took a long time for me to reach a breaking point, and it was fueled by a sense of institutional betrayal during the “racial reckonings” of 2020. I was finally able to see clearly, and made a promise to myself that I would no longer carry the organization on my back just because it refused to walk. I still worked hard, but not to the point that I was hurting myself.
There are so many internalized beliefs about work that have us complicit in our own exploitation. One client described it like this:
“I was taught that success meant struggle and work was supposed to be hard. That my work was tied to my worth and that meant I needed to give it my all.”
But if you’re giving everything you have at work, what’s left when you get home?
When endurance becomes your identity, it leads to exploitation and exhaustion. After a while, the dysfunction you know starts to feel safer than the unknown you don't. And here's the cruelest part: The same thought patterns that are hurting you also create your hesitation to do something about it.
You tell yourself: It's not that bad. I can endure. I should be grateful. Who am I to want more?
Meanwhile, those 90,000 hours wear away at your confidence, your clarity and meaningful connections with the people you care about. Because it’s hard to be engaged when you’re exhausted.
But the beautiful news is: it doesn’t have to be this way.
You have the power to choose differently without blowing up your whole life. The real power exists in honoring your imagination, your identity, and your intentions. This, is soulfilling work.
What Soulfilling Work Actually Looks Like
I coined the concept of soulfilling work through my research on the career development journeys of Black, Latine, and Multiracial first-generation professionals. They were educators, social workers, organizers, civic leaders, and tech professionals who wanted to make a difference, but were mostly managing workplace dysfunction instead.
Soulfillment™️ is essentially about creating space for what feeds our spirit and honors our humanity. Soulfilling work expands on the International Labor Organization's definition of decent work—because we deserve better than the baseline.
Soulfilling work™️ is defined as:
1. Compensation & benefits that meet your holistic needs.
Not just a paycheck. Compensation that offers a thrivable wage—allowing you to live, breathe, plan for a future, and enjoy your time away from work without calculating every expense.
2. Time away from work & the energy to use it to find joy & connection.
Rest isn't just the absence of work. It's about presence. Energy for people you love. Space for what makes you feel alive. And the chance to actually enjoy it.
3. An environment that is radically inclusive, generative & offers transparent pathways for growth.
A workplace where your lived experience isn't seen as a liability. Where your wisdom is honored, and you can expand while creating the impact you were hired for.
4. A workplace aligned with your values, needs, & purpose.
Work should feed your spirit, not crush it. You deserve a team where you can do meaningful work without shrinking or sacrificing what’s most important.
This isn't a fantasy. This is what work can be. And this is what I help my clients achieve on their own terms.
What Happens When You Choose Soulfillment
One client came to me believing a soulfilling career didn't exist. She had a history of "misery" in work environments. Through our time together, we re-imagined the patterns and narratives that kept her stuck and she began to claim more space for her dreams. She said:
“Disrupting those patterns felt like the biggest win—because I started to believe a soulfilling career was possible. I started to imagine a world beyond the present.”
And then she built it.
A $36,000 salary increase. A role abroad. Paid housing, travel allowance and ample vacation time, which was perfect for this travel lover.
Freedom isn’t frivolous.
And it’s not always making a major career shift.
Sometimes soulfillment is in small choices. Like how we curate our work environment. Morning rituals. Time to hear ourselves think. Intentional breath work. Tapping back into the wisdom our body holds and trusting it. Building and testing a new boundary with a boss. A solo date at a Black-owned tea shop; allowing ourselves to try on futures we dream about.
We don’t have to wait for all of the pieces to come together to start living our dream life. Sometimes it’s about practicing one piece at a time.
My clients aren’t unicorns. They are women who believe 90,000 hours is too many to spend surviving, and decided to do things differently.
They chose soulfillment. And their impact—on their communities, their causes, and themselves—grew as a result.
Here's what I know for sure: When you stop clenching, stop abandoning yourself, and start leading from a place of permission, alignment, and unapologetic truth—a whole new world opens up.
Soulfilling work is a reminder that you can claim your power to create a life that feels like you. What is one small shift you can make today to live into your dream life?
Ready to Stop Surviving and Start Choosing?
Here’s how I can support you:
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Four sessions of deep weekly support to get specific about your desires and next steps. Deciding if you should leave your job? Unsure what’s next? Trying to figure out how to get your spark back? I can help.
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I meet you where you are every time. Thought partnership as you navigate something new. An “oh hell no” hot line when your coworker crosses a line and you need space to process. Support transitioning into a new leadership role. Scheduled on demand when you need. Just want an accountability buddy or someone to check in with? You found her.
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My 5 Ds of Life Design framework (diagnose, dream, dismantle, design, and do) is where deep, sustainable shifts begin. We can focus on healing through career grief and stretching your imagination toward your free-est, fullest future. Then you’ll have my support to bring your vision to life through habits you’ll actually commit to.
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Want to get to know me first? Join my monthly community gathering—a virtual space for women and femmes of color seeking soulfillment. Check-ins, community, and a conscious moment to pause. This is community-supported meaning you contribute what you can to support the space.