Stepping Away from Corporate Life: The Uncomfortable Truth About Freedom

Devon McDonald, co-founder of Second Harvest, reflected on leaving her nearly two-decade corporate career and redefining success on her own terms. She said that stepping away from her job did not immediately feel freeing.

In fact, it took her body three years to adjust to a life without constant meetings, deadlines, and workplace pressure. Her nervous system continued behaving as though everything was urgent, showing her that stepping away from work does not necessarily mean immediately switching off from it.

McDonald also revealed that she missed the validation attached to corporate success more than the actual work itself. The title, salary, access, and sense of importance that came with her career had become part of her identity, making them harder to release than many of the responsibilities she had performed.

Her ambition did not disappear; it became more personal. She still wanted to build, create, and succeed but on her own terms and contribute to the kind of life she genuinely wanted. The shift was less about becoming less ambitious and more about redefining what success meant to her.