Totally hear you — that “robotic” feeling can sneak in even when you love what you’re building, especially with remote work. One thing I’ve found helpful (and guide others through) is revisiting your personal sense of alignment — not just with work, but with life as a whole. You’ve likely heard of Ikigai, the Japanese concept of “reason for being.” It’s about the sweet spot where what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for all intersect. Most people focus on the work piece — but often what’s missing is the joy, novelty, or meaning woven into everyday life. Sometimes it’s not about changing the work, but re-infusing life with small rituals, passions, or even new environments that align with your deeper values. Where you live, how you start your mornings, who you’re connecting with — all of these can be part of a more meaningful (and less robotic) rhythm. If you’re curious, feel free to book a call with me, I’d be happy to chat more or share a few frameworks I use with people in exactly your shoes.

That's an interesting, multi-faceted question! I'd really like to give my perspective. Clarity, healing, and direction are a powerful triad and are often deeply interconnected — clarity helps us see where we are, healing helps us release what’s holding us back, and direction gives us a path forward. Most people are navigating all three at different levels, even if one feels more urgent. The process of aligning with your purpose often touches each of them. In my experience, clarity, healing, and direction tend to emerge together — people may come in looking for one, but the work often naturally includes all three. They’re not separate steps but part of a deeper realignment with the self. As an Ikigai life coach, myself, I would be happy to help you in your quest for clarity, healing, direction, or all three :) Feel free to book a call with me, I'm excited at the prospect of tackling this with you.

I can offer a more start-up-ish perspective. When the original startup I worked for was just starting to grow, everyone in the team was part of the process. We all got to spend time with the candidate and work with them. At the end of their trial day with us, we were asked: would they make a good match / fit for the team? Since we were still in smaller numbers, what mattered most is if new starters would get along well with those of us who have already been working there. As the company grew bigger and became more than a startup, the non-HR team was less of a part of the process, but still slightly involved. We still had trial days with each candidate (if they had made it that far in the process), and again, the final word depended on whether or not the existing members of the affected team felt like they could work with this person, or that this person would be a good fit for the team. While this is more HR than recruiting, from my experience it's truly the soft skills that get you hired. Everything else technical can be taught and learned.

First of all, I want to say thank you for opening up this topic, it can be a vulnerable one, but it's incredibly important to talk about and discuss. I commend your bravery : ) As someone who has suffered with depression, anxiety, and PTSD I can empathize with you for wanting to improve your life, but not being quite sure how or where to start. Here's the truthful answer to your question, based on my own experience: It's possible, but not guaranteed. I think it's amazing that you're looking for solutions, you are actively trying to improve your life just by trying to figure out how to improve it -- that's incredibly hopeful. But going to therapy and learning skills, be it psychological or hobby-related aren't going to improve your life if you don't fully commit to them, or if you're using them to cover up the real thing that's making your life not as fulfilling as you want. If you want to improve your life through therapy, be ready to be present and open and vulnerable. Most therapy sessions actually don't end with the patient feeling better, but rather uncovering something deeper about themselves they didn't previously understand before --- it's the long game. If you want to improve your life through learning skills, I commend you, but these aren't going to solve the root issue of whatever problem you are facing. They can definitely help tone down the symptoms, but you might feel as though you're constantly beating around the bush of something. Therapy and related skills are excellent ways to make improvements in your life and feel more fulfilled and happy, but you have to make sure you put in the effort and look at the experience through the lens of the truth of your situation, whatever it may be. I specialize in Ikigai, which is partly helping people find their life's purpose and meaning. If you want to have a call, I would be more than happy to help you find avenues for improving your life. Either way, I hope you're able to improve your life so that it aligns better with what you want it to be, truly.