Anna Burgess Yang is a freelance writer with expert-level experience in banking and technology, and a workflow consultant, and a self-proclaimed productivity geek. We chatted with Anna about her major career pivots, leaning into what brings her joy with her work and personal life, the importance of knowing the story of where we came from, parenting during the pandemic, and how we can make brave career decisions to bring us more joy in life.
After college, Anna joined a small software company, where she thought that the path to success was to climb the ladder. She was promoted repeatedly, eventually earning a role on the executive team in 2016. But the company was utterly toxic. She kept thinking that maybe she could change the culture from within (spoiler alert: she couldn't). Then the pandemic hit and her kids were home for remote learning. That became her breaking point. She couldn't handle the level of toxicity while also managing her three kids at home. So after 15 years at the company, she quit. Not only did she quit, but she also pivoted in her career. She "started over" in content marketing and journalism.