I've been thinking about the word "quitter" all week, and I think we've had it backwards this whole time.
We're raised on "quitters never win." Sports, school, jobs, marriages — doesn't matter, the message is the same: finishing is virtue, stopping is failure. So when something isn't working anymore, we don't leave. We white-knuckle it, call it loyalty or anyting other than what it really is: staying somewhere we've already outgrown.
Franchesca Hashim, Co-Founder and CEO of Good Weather Skin, has quit every single job she's ever had. I’m the same. And talking to her about it was so refreshing! She laughed, she celebrated, she said leaving each role was driven by curiosity, not failure. It isn’t a pattern of giving up, it’s a pattern of listening to herself.
YES! This convo led to my revelation: Sometimes your dream can outgrow your dream job. That’s defines the journey I’ve been on the last year. (That sounds a lot better than, “I quit my job and I’m figuring out!” But, both can be true.)
Good Weather Skin, The One Daily Sunscreen — THE GOAT!
When do you know it’s time to go?
Franchesca’s litmus test is simple: the moment she stops asking why — why am I doing this, where is this going — is the moment she already knows it's time to go.
Why? Boredom, ultimately. She can already see the promotion, the next room, the whole rest of the plot, and that's exactly the problem. It’s a been-here-done-that kind of thing, and she’s well, bored.
The moment that you stop being curious about something is when your joy flattens out.
When she finally left her last tech job, she didn't frame it as burnout or failure. She framed it as "I need a different path for myself. I need out of the train that I'm on." That doesn’t sound like giving up to me. That sounds like a woman who knows there’s more out there, and she’s down to ride to make it happen.
Orthopedic shoes as symbolic of a Re:Brand? Stay with me.
Every episode we ask our guest what they think is the best rebrand of all time, big or small. And Franchesca named orthopedic shoes.
Think about it: Hokas, Tevas, New Balance, Birkenstocks — even the toe shoes — going from "clunky, practical, ugly" to the entire fashion trend right now. (I finally slipped my Birks and socks back on yesterday — fall is in the air!)
Here’s the lesson I’m going to ask you to come with me on: Somewhere along the way, someone quit. They quit the heels that looked good and hurt like hell. They quit choosing the aesthetic over how they actually wanted to feel in their own body. That wasn't a failure of style. It was a choice!
So, maybe quitting is the whole point. Definitely of this episode, and also when building your career.
Quitting doesn’t have to be the sad part of he story. It's the part where you finally pick what actually serves you over what’s easy or comfortable. Quitting just means you’ve outgrown where you are!
What's the orthopedic shoe in your life right now? The thing you've quit performing for, in favor of what actually works?
Inspired by Franchesca, here are 5 things I'm doing this week to embrace the quitter in me:
Quitting the pressure to eat more protein (I know, I get it)
Quitting the guilt of an indulgent doom scroll - leave me alone and give 30 mins to rot
Quitting the need to have a full workout or nothing - 15 min walk? It's you and me, baby!
Quitting feeling "cringe" when posting on social - my take on that here
Quitting client work - okay not really, but manifesting this one!!!
Go watch or listen to the full episode with Franchesca — orthopedic shoes and all — and report back on what you are quitting this week!
xx,
Cat
