Why I Stopped Telling People to Hide Their Career Background (And What Works Instead)

You already know the most important parts of who you are. You've spent years building expertise, developing instincts, and learning what works. That knowledge doesn't disappear just because your industry is changing.

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Here's a hypothetical situation. I'm on a panel discussing options for laid-off journalists. One of the panelists says, you have to hide your journalism background. Another says, you have to leave that identity behind.

And as I'm listening to this, I'm quietly rebelling at every single word. Finally, I speak up and say, if we hide our identity as journalists, we're teaching people to leave the best parts of themselves off the table.

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Here's what I want you to know—most career advice turns you into a better supporting actor in someone else's story instead of the author of your own.

Thinking about that hypothetical crystallized something I'd been seeing with the people I come across. The "hustle harder" mentality that leads to burnout, not breakthroughs. The advice to hide your experience that creates impostor syndrome from day one. The endless search for magic formulas that never quite fit.

What if instead of hiding who you've been, you used it as rocket fuel for who you're becoming?

The Framework That Changes Everything

I've been developing something for people who are tired of playing small. It's not perfect, and it's still evolving, but I call it the SPARK Method™ because it's about reigniting what's already inside you.

It's five steps that move you from survival mode to self-authorship.

Step Back to See Clearly

When a news organization lays you off, sometimes you can’t see what everyone else sees—that your investigation skills, storytelling ability, and deadline discipline were exactly what companies needed. You can't read the label from inside the jar.

That distance, that stepping back is not weakness. Instead, it's strategy.

Permission to Evolve

Here's what stops most people: They're waiting for someone to say it's okay to pivot at 42, 52, or 62. They're following rules written by people who've never walked their path.

The truth that changes everything is that you already have permission. You've always had it.

Align With What Energizes You

Forget personality tests. Track your energy like data. Think about those professionals who take the "sensible" promotion into management, only to discover they miss the actual work. Or the person who dreads their perfectly respectable 9-to-5 but comes alive teaching night classes. The prestige doesn't match the energy.

Your energy tells you more about alignment than any career assessment ever could. What lights you up versus what drains you—that's your compass.

Reclaim Your Narrative

Let’s go back to that panel for a moment. The advice to hide your journalism background teaches people that they're starting over. But you're not starting over—you're building on your experience.

Here’s the reframe that matters: "I'm not lost, I'm evolving." You're not a failed journalist. You're a storytelling strategist. A truth-seeker. An impact maker.

Keep Building Momentum

There are some days when I stare at my screen, wondering what to write. But I write anyway. Fifteen minutes. One paragraph. Something.

Done is better than perfect. Micro-habits beat massive overhauls. Momentum isn't about speed—it's about consistency.

This Isn't Another Magic Formula

What makes SPARK different? It's not about you becoming someone new—it's about integrating who you are. No personality tests. No massive overhauls. Just following your energy and taking micro-actions that prove you can trust yourself.

This framework is built specifically for people who've already had successful careers. You don't need to start over. You need to spark what's already there.

Now, maybe you're thinking this sounds too simple. Or too different from what everyone else is saying.

Good.

That means you're ready to stop playing a supporting role in your own career story.

Try this today: Pick one element of SPARK. Just one. Spend 15 minutes on it. That's it.

Maybe you step back and list what energized you this week. Maybe you question one "should" that's been running your decisions. Maybe you track your energy for a day.

There are going to be people who would tell you to hide who you are. I'm here to tell you that who you are is exactly what your next chapter needs.

Your career transition doesn't need another magic formula. It just needs a SPARK.

Which SPARK element speaks to you most strongly? What's the first micro-action you'll take? Let me know in the comments—your experience might help someone else light their own spark.