Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Turning Uncertainty into Adventure with Nicole Earling
34 Plays16 days ago
Nicole discusses a time when her husband left his job and they took the opportunity to take a chance on adventure, learning to trust God in the details and depend on His faithful provision.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Crossroads Career Podcast
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to the Crossroads Career Podcast, a show where we help you hear God calling, get the right job, and maximize your potential through inspiring stories of individuals and professionals who've experienced a crossroads in their career.
00:00:16
Speaker
Well, welcome to the Crossroads Career Podcast. My name is Tim and we have Hannah in the room. Hey guys.
Nicole's Story: Balancing Life and Work
00:00:23
Speaker
Today we get to start with our very own Nicole, who works with Crossroads. And I mean, she's transforming boring data into engaging stories. And she does this all while juggling three kids and i you school and work and life and all this other stuff. And we're excited to have her today. So welcome, Nicole.
00:00:45
Speaker
Thank you. It's good to be here with you guys. Yeah. So what does... Well, let's start with that. what What does life and work look like for you right now? Well, with the kids back to school, things are kind of hitting more of the routine and stride, which I really appreciate. So during the days, I just have a lot more time to work, which is great and manage things around the house. And then um our evenings are just busy. We have three boys and they all play two sports right now. So there's a lot there's a lot of moving pieces in my life, but but it's good.
00:01:19
Speaker
Absolutely. And can you tell us just about a time that you or your spouse were unemployed um or unfulfilled in your work?
Chase's Career Change Decision
00:01:28
Speaker
yeah Yeah. So i have been a stay-at-home outside of working now for Crossroads for probably the last 12 years.
00:01:36
Speaker
ah So I haven't been employed, but my husband is a pharmacist. And a couple of years ago, he was just really, really struggling with his job and just being...
00:01:49
Speaker
really unhappy there. He didn't feel fulfilled. He didn't feel appreciated, especially. And there just a lot of pieces that just played into that. He was, was really unhappy. And so we, um, through a couple of different circumstances ended up, he made a decision to leave the position that he was in, ah without,
00:02:10
Speaker
really any idea what he was going to do next. And so um it just kind of set into motion a very, ah very interesting season in our lives. So unlike some people where they lose their job without having much control over it, we kind of knowingly decided to walk into that season and just trust that, you know, prayerfully, we were making the right choice.
00:02:32
Speaker
Absolutely. I mean, that takes that takes a lot of a lot of courage. And we definitely want to hear more about kind of what led what led to that and everything.
00:02:43
Speaker
But yeah, Tim, you can take it away here. Sure. Well, I want to follow up on. Yeah. So, you know, you're you're in a season of COVID where things are getting shut down. Medical stuff is ah pretty intense. Right. People are getting fired for their jobs.
00:03:00
Speaker
So, you know, what was the ah what was the experience like for you and Chase as you went through that? And how did you um decide that you wanted to kind of get out of it?
00:03:12
Speaker
um I think it just started from really a values difference with his company. And he just increasingly was disagreeing with the way that they were handling a lot of stuff COVID related.
00:03:26
Speaker
um it kind of, I mean, in my opinion, seemed like a bit of a hostile environment for him, just having a different viewpoint than a lot of the people in the higher ups and um kind of just what they were asking them to do and to push. And he was just really, really struggling with that. And ah I think at that time, God was really working on my heart because think for a lot of our lives, i would have been like, you're going to do whatever you need to do because that's what you do. And we live a certain life and I want it
Family's Journey to Freedom
00:03:56
Speaker
to stay that way. And I just, I think God was revealing to me like my, how much security I found in, and finances
00:04:05
Speaker
um And I think maybe it was just his way of kind of shaking me up a little bit and saying, you can trust me, whether you're what you think your stability is, is there or not, like, I've got you. So through that, when my husband came and kind of approached me about his ah desire to make a big change, um originally, he would have said that he never would have even asked me probably because he would know that my answer was like, Nope, you're gonna do whatever they tell you to do.
00:04:34
Speaker
i but thankfully at that time when he came and asked me if he should leave his job or if I would be okay with that or what I thought about it, if I would pray about it with him, um I was actually really open to it. And I, I thought it was a great idea. And that is by the work of the Lord alone. Well, yeah. And, but I mean, he didn't have a job that was going to be next, right? Like, or did he have something lined up already?
00:05:00
Speaker
Nope. um So as we got closer to when he was, it was a specific date that he was going to have to leave his job by. And um that summer we had kind of started talking about what we wanted our life to look like.
00:05:12
Speaker
Like we'd always just been in the same cycle of average of what, you know, you do, you go to school and then you get a job and then you start a family. And we had just always done all the things, you know, status quo.
00:05:23
Speaker
And ah we had just kind of been throwing around ideas of what we could do. Our kids were at good ages to just do something really kind of crazy, I guess, and started talking about traveling and what would it look like if we traveled, if we left, if we did something kind of wild and um that just kind of snowballed into we started looking at fifth wheels and then we bought a fifth wheel and then we bought a truck and then his parents sold their house. So they were able to move into our house. And we ultimately knew when he left his job, that was in October, um just shortly after we just took off.
00:06:02
Speaker
Wow. Okay. so you So you just took off, you just left everything and left. Yeah. we So we left in January. we had a trip that was planned with his family in December. And so our our goal was when that was done, we would have all of our ducks in a row and we would just start traveling. So we took our three boys and basically just did a big loop around the United States and just...
00:06:29
Speaker
kind of recalibrated. and I'll never forget when we were driving, we're from Spokane. So we were driving out of Spokane towards the West side. And I just was looking at my husband saying, so you can just leave, like nothing's burning down. like Like you can just leave. And I don't know why that concept to me had never really, it was never something I ever thought you could actually just do.
00:06:52
Speaker
like it was just, it was very bizarre to just go. Yeah. You just pick up and leave. Yeah. I can only imagine. I mean, so many of my friends and I talk about the like loyalty that you can kind of feel to a company and there is something amazing and important about commitment. Right.
00:07:11
Speaker
And following through on what we're doing, but there's also something real in the reality about corporate world or jobs where they're going to take what they get from you. And,
00:07:22
Speaker
um There is something about not seeing that loyalty too much um and really having that open mind of like, you can just leave and you're going to figure it out.
00:07:33
Speaker
And they're going fill it with someone who's probably, um you know, meant to be there at that time. And so I love that y'all got to experience that freedom and see the door that it opened of like, yeah, we can leave and that's okay.
00:07:45
Speaker
So I think that's huge. Yeah. It just shifts your entire perspective. And what happened with the family? I'm curious, you know, because obviously you, You're in the rat race. And to your point, you didn't think you could leave. You were just supposed to do the next thing that's in front of you, which culture and society says, well, you need to work and climb the corporate ladder, right? And just keep going.
Impact of Travel on Family
00:08:06
Speaker
And then you chose to stop. So how did that affect your kids and your family dynamics? Our family, personally, it was it was really great. It was awesome. My kids loved it. We were at it in a season. our kids, I mean, like I said before, they're all boys and they're all very sports driven. And i can't even tell you how many people were like, well, what are you going to do if they miss a season of baseball or a season of basketball? Or they're not going to be able to play XYZ or, you know, like it was like the end of the world to them that, you know, you would pull your children out of sports.
00:08:37
Speaker
sports or it's our school or anything like that. So our kids, when we did that, just completely blossomed. I don't know how else to explain it. are you know You're in this tiny space as a family every day, day in and day out. And instead of finding ourselves irritated and frustrated and annoyed with each other. I got to see the relationships with my boys grow and the time that they had never had in such abundance with their dad and relationships and just the people that we met when we were traveling were amazing. And I feel like it helped our kids like learn to kind of step out of their box. They've always had
00:09:15
Speaker
you know, their comfort zone with their friends. And all of a sudden you're in a place and you're like, you have two weeks here, go find your friends, or you're just going to be lonely. And so they would just go out and, and find kids and they would play. And it just, it really helped them kind of step out of their, the little bubbles that they had always, always lived in. So as a family, but i loved it. It was, it was, I think one of the best decisions we've ever made.
00:09:40
Speaker
Yeah. So God met you in a unique way. I mean, you probably never thought you were just going to get an ah RV and start traveling the country um with and all five of you. And the dynamics of that has got to be interesting, right? I mean, you know, um RVs, people are like, well, those those are really spacious. Not really, right? You know, you're pretty tight, right? You see each other all the time.
00:10:02
Speaker
And yet there was this cool dynamic that God brought of unity and you know family togetherness and definitely something the kids are never going to forget. Yeah. Nope. They still talk about it. We still sometimes joke about like, well, if we could find something that allowed us to travel, because I mean, as a pharmacist, Chase, ah you can't never work. Work is a very important part of life and responsibility and support for your family. But for that season to be able to take that time and kind of just recalibrate was, was really great. But unfortunately traveling pharmacists aren't, aren't really a thing. So short of ah him meeting with one of the crossroads guides and completely redirecting his life, we probably won't be doing it again. yeah Yeah. Well, Nicole, I mean, I think you bring up an incredible point and especially for, I think like my generation and the ones to come, it's really helpful
Chase's Return to Pharmacy
00:10:53
Speaker
to hear that,
00:10:54
Speaker
you know, work is important. um And we as Christ followers believe that like we were designed for work. um However, in the world today, and the Bible makes it clear that like work is really hard though, still.
00:11:07
Speaker
And there's a lot of things that are broken about it. And so I think your story is so incredible um to show a way that just sometimes us as humans or families, or there's just a crazy thing that you never planned, But you realize like, wow, this like break or this rest, even though it doesn't last forever, was like so pivotal and huge to like bring you back more refreshed.
00:11:30
Speaker
And so, I mean, i think we would love to hear like what kind of came from that season as um since traveling pharmacists don't exist, which stinks. What like came from that season as Chase and y'all were like reentering um maybe a more traditional like form of like work and life?
00:11:47
Speaker
Well, so Chase ended up being off his traditional job for a full year. He didn't go back into pharmacy until the following fall. um But it's kind of funny, even though he was taking a break from his traditional job, that we we still he still found ways to work and God provided ways for him to make income, even though he wasn't doing his job.
00:12:09
Speaker
his main career. So um it's kind of funny. He, for a while, he had, his sister had this whole entire room full of toys and he ended up taking those. It ended up being a majority of, it was Barbies of all all things. And he ended up listing and selling and going through the whole process of like making money that way. And then He did little odd jobs. He flipped stuff from thrift stores and stuff like that. And then he had a season where he did, you know, Uber Eats and DoorDash and that kind of stuff. So there was still that level of
00:12:45
Speaker
provision in a much smaller way. But um so it was never like just a free for all, which would have been nice. As we came into the season of needing him to go back into like a real career, i think his perspective on it was a lot different and his appreciation for the provision that it provided, like just knowing that like he has a skill set that God has, you know, given him and it's, it's a good thing to use it in a, in a healthy way. So um when he went back to work, he had actually pitched an idea to an old manager of his about working kind of in the back office pharmacy, but kind of behind the scenes where you'd have better hours and
00:13:29
Speaker
you know, things would just be a little bit, I don't know, less stressful as they are in the traditional retail setting. And so um he said no, when he first pitched it to him. So he was really disappointed.
00:13:40
Speaker
But a couple weeks later, his manager called him back and said, you know, I i got permission. And He was actually able to go back into a role that was a really good transition for him. Like God was so faithful to help him kind of his way back into the job market without just being thrown right back into what he had struggled with so much before he left, if that makes sense.
Advice for Moms and Faithfulness in Prayer
00:14:01
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. reminds me of in just the verse Proverbs 16, three, you know, you commit to the Lord, whatever you do and he will establish your plans. Right. And that's what you guys did. You committed, know,
00:14:14
Speaker
a season and it took a little while, right. To be open to traveling, to be open to quitting, to be open to doing other things that people thought were a little crazy, but yeah you you did it.
00:14:26
Speaker
And, uh, it's a great thing. So I guess, you know, as we, wrap up here, what would be something that you, advice that you would give, especially for, you know, moms at home, right? You got kids, you got husbands.
00:14:40
Speaker
um How, what advice do you have to support your husband, but yet be open to what the Lord has and be not maybe tied so much to the financial part of things?
00:14:51
Speaker
I mean, ultimately, i just feel like devoting yourself to prayer about the things that you are doing, the things that are to come, just trusting that god will provide, whether it looks like the provision that you want or not, um I think I really learned that like God was so faithful to us in every season of that.
00:15:15
Speaker
Well, every part of that season, like I saw his provision in ways that I would have never recognized before. and I think he really just opened my eyes to how temporary this world is kind of gives you more of an like an eternal perspective on like, what, where am I placing my value? Where am I placing like,
00:15:34
Speaker
What am I really focusing on? Is it the task immediately in front of me or is it how I'm pouring you know the gospel into my parenting with my children every day? So I think God just really used it to open my eyes to to stepping outside of of myself and kind of coming alongside my husband and knowing that.
00:15:51
Speaker
God's not going to divide us. And so all of the decisions that we made, we were, we were united in and we just trusted the Lord. Yeah. I mean, absolutely. Absolutely. And, um, you know, in that, that's just incredible advice, but also i think y'all have a unique story, um, with how you supported one another through that and how you stepped in into work as well.
00:16:15
Speaker
um which I think can be encouraging to a lot of like women to hear um how you've juggled it all. And so did you get any advice along the way that made a big difference in making those decisions, whether it was through Crossroads or something else?
00:16:29
Speaker
really the only advice that we got that I can think of is just people kept telling us like, be faithful in your prayer life, really just trust God.
00:16:40
Speaker
I mean, ultimately like we saw his, his hand and everything that we did and looking back, I see it even more. And then the opportunities now that he's created for me with crossroads and just the flexibility that it offers me, but also the, the, ah to the chance to, you know, get myself back into the job market. Cause I had been out of it for so long. Um,
00:16:59
Speaker
And now I use it. and I encourage other people. I'm like, hey, i work for this company and you know you're unfulfilled in your job. or And my husband was the one of them. I'm like, he I think, Tim, he actually went through the workbook with you to um yeah but before he left his job. but Yeah.
00:17:15
Speaker
Encouraged by ah the prayer that people had for us and this, their encouragement for us to to stay faithful in that yeah
Conclusion: Embracing Divine Guidance
00:17:21
Speaker
Wow. I mean, that's incredible. And thank you for just sharing um so honestly with us. It's such a gift to hear people's stories. And we are just honored to have you, um Nicole, and just for you to get to share Chase and your story, and then for you to be honestly making that help more available for others. So we're just honored to have you on the team too, and on the podcast. So thank you for spending your time and stepping out to be with us today. And for those of y'all joining, you know, we're just so excited to step into more and more stories because everyone is so unique. It has different angles on things and different experiences that you might be able to relate to or pass on to a friend who's going through the same thing. And we're really here to help you hear God calling, maximize your potential and get the right job.
00:18:10
Speaker
So excited to have y'all and excited to see what comes next. Yeah. Thanks, everybody. We'll talk soon. Thanks, guys. Looking for guidance in your career?
00:18:21
Speaker
Our Crossroads guides are ready to help. Set up a complimentary call now by visiting our website, crossroadscareer.org. Thanks for listening.