The Career Clinic Podcast
Host: Ronnie Dickerson Stewart
Welcome to Week Four — the final week — of The Career Clinic Podcast January Intensive Series.
In Episode 93, Ronnie tackles one of the most consequential career questions many people face: How do you know when it's time to go?
Not quitting reactively.
Not staying out of fear, loyalty, or inertia.
Not confusing a hard season with a finished one.
This episode offers a grounded, practical approach to discerning when a chapter is complete — and when what's actually required is a pause, reset, or renegotiation instead of an exit.
✔️ Why "stay or go" is rarely a simple yes/no decision
✔️ How to distinguish misalignment from normal discomfort
✔️ A practical framework to assess your current season
✔️ The difference between a Going Season and a Woahing Season
✔️ Why staying too long can quietly erode health and momentum
✔️ How to prepare for transitions without panic or urgency
✔️ What aligned leaving actually looks like
Ronnie introduces a decision-making framework she uses frequently with coaching clients navigating inflection points.
Ask yourself three questions:
1. Am I earning?
Not just salary — but fair compensation, resources, respect, and support relative to the value you're creating.
2. Am I learning?
Are you still growing, stretching, or building skills that matter for your future?
3. Am I leveraging?
Is this role, leader, or organization creating momentum, credibility, or access for what's next?
If the answer is no to two or more, it's time to pause and evaluate — not panic, but pay attention.
If earning, learning, or leveraging cannot be improved — even after conversations, negotiation, or boundary-setting — that's often a signal the season may be ending.
Going doesn't require immediate action.
It requires clarity.
Key questions include:
What would need to change for this to work?
Is that change realistically possible here?
If not, what provision and timeline would I need to exit well?
Leaving well is a process, not a reaction.
Ronnie names a signal that deserves serious attention: languishing.
This isn't a bad week or temporary fatigue. It's the slow loss of energy, clarity, and connection to yourself.
Languishing often costs:
Physical and mental health
Personal relationships
Confidence and self-trust
Long-term career momentum
No role is worth sustained erosion.
This episode adds nuance using Ronnie's Five Seasons Framework, with a clear distinction between Going Season and Woahing Season.
Going Season
A season of intentional preparation to leave — a role, organization, identity, or chapter that no longer fits.
The clarity here is steady and persistent, not emotional or reactive.
Woahing Season
A pause season.
Not leaving — but slowing down, repacing, restoring energy, resetting boundaries, or addressing overextension.
Woahing is about saying "Hold on", not "I'm done."
Leaving during a Woahing Season often means carrying the same patterns into the next chapter.
Ronnie also addresses involuntary transitions — layoffs, restructures, and role eliminations.
Key reminders:
These are business decisions, not reflections of your worth
You still get to shape your narrative
Preparation protects you, even if nothing changes
Preparation can include:
Maintaining relationships inside and outside your organization
Staying visible without becoming performative
Creating financial runway when possible
Paying attention without spiraling
If you're clear that it's time to go, this episode emphasizes three essentials:
Clarity
Know what you're moving toward — even if it's rest, recovery, or space.
Planning
Timeline, provision, and next steps matter.
Grace
Leaving is emotionally complex, even when it's right.
Aligned exits are thoughtful, not dramatic.
This week, complete an Earning, Learning, Leveraging audit.
Then ask:
Am I in a Going Season or a Woahing Season?
What one step would bring clarity right now?
Discernment is part of leadership. There's no rush.
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