One year ago this month I left behind the only real job I'd ever had and started a journey into some pretty unknown territory. It was the right move for me and my family, but it took months to make the decision. After nearly a decade of working in television news, I was getting out, and the weight that was lifted from my shoulders was life changing, even before the transition actually happened. Twelve months later and the change in myself is undeniable.

Toward the end of my news career, time felt like the enemy. There was never enough to go around between work, family, and myself. I wasn't sleeping well, my relationship with my husband was suffering, and my mental health was taking a beating. Time and time again I felt like I was having to choose between work and my family or my health. I don't feel that way anymore. If I need a break, I take it without feeling guilty.

This one is my favorite: My creativity has returned. Before I started working full-time, I wrote all the time. But then as the years passed, I didn't feel that spark anymore. I was writing all day, every day at work in a non-creative way and always on a deadline. After a few years of that type of writing culture, I was burned out. Now, one year into my new adventure, I've started back writing. In fact, I've spent the last week putting a story that's been swimming around in my head into words.

I'm once again finding pleasure in the things that used to make happy, and I finally feel like myself again. Life still has its ups and downs, and there are days where I want to scream at my computer over something work-related, but those moments aren't taking up a majority of my time like they used to. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm moving forward instead of being trapped. Every day isn't perfect by any means, but I feel whole and that is liberating.