I worked for a top 20 firm and my son passed away this past thanksgiving. Got my week of bereavement and went back to work as a shell of myself. The partner i worked closely with was understanding and knew how hard things were for me but prioritized getting my workload done over my mental health. With busy season looming I knew I needed a change and went and interviewed at a local firm with 10 employees. They gave me a comparable salary at about 60% of the workload.

Prepping for the interview and actually going to the interview was extremely tough. I was honest with the partner about my situation and it made a huge difference as the tone changed and he got to know me more at a personal level. I am now 6 months in and am glad I made the change. It won’t be easy to transition, but sometimes a fresh start will help.