Replanting Yourself

When Growth Requires a Change

There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from doing everything right and still feeling wrong.

You’ve taken the courses. Built the network. Said yes to the stretch assignments. You’ve worked on your executive presence, found mentors, and leaned into every piece of feedback. You’ve done the work. All of it. And yet, you’re still stuck. Still overlooked. Still wondering if maybe, just maybe, the problem is you.

Your internal monologue starts sounding like a Taylor Swift song on repeat: It’s me. Hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.

But what if it’s not?

The Pot, Not the Plant

In recent posts, I’ve talked about starting your journey and working with feedback as you carve your path. But here’s what I haven’t said yet: sometimes, even when you do all of that, your environment, the pot you’re planted in, isn’t right for your growth.

Think about a plant you’ve tried to nurture. You water it faithfully, give it sunlight, follow every care instruction perfectly. But it refuses to bloom. You keep trying—more fertilizer, better placement, a stricter watering schedule. Nothing works. Then one day, you realize: it’s not the plant. It’s the pot. The environment is wrong.

The same plant, moved to a larger pot or a different location, suddenly thrives.

Your career works the same way. You can be talented, hardworking, and committed to growth, and still not reach your potential if your environment doesn’t support it. If you’re constantly trying to fit into a culture that stifles you, working under leadership that doesn’t see your value, or feeling like you’re fighting just to stay in place, you’re not failing. You’re being stifled.

Photo by feey on Unsplash

When I Stayed Too Long

I’ve been the plant in the wrong environment more than once.

Earlier in my career, I was in what seemed to be a dream opportunity. Great title, interesting work, talented team. I was thrilled. But within months, something felt off. I couldn’t put my finger on it at first—I just knew I wasn’t performing the way I knew I could. So I did what ambitious people do: I worked harder. I sought out feedback. I took on more projects. I convinced myself that if I just pushed a little more, things would click.

They never did.

Looking back, the signs were everywhere. My ideas were consistently deprioritized. My leadership style wasn’t valued. The work that energized me wasn’t where I could make an impact. But I stayed. For two years, I stayed, because leaving felt like giving up. I kept thinking the problem was my effort, my approach, my mindset. Really, it was the mismatch between me and that environment.

When I finally left, everything changed. Not because I suddenly became more capable, but because I found a place where my energy and efforts were amplified. Where my leadership style was an asset, not a liability. Where I could actually grow.

I wasn’t a different plant. I was just in the right environment.

Is It Time to Replant?

If you’ve been pouring energy into your development and still feel stuck, it’s time to ask some hard questions:

Is your current situation nurturing your growth, or are you just trying to survive? There’s a difference between challenging yourself and exhausting yourself. Growth should feel hard but possible. If it feels impossible, that’s a signal.

Are you supported, or are you contorting yourself to fit? Pay attention to how much energy you spend trying to be someone you’re not. If you’re constantly code-switching, suppressing your instincts, or feeling like you have to hide parts of yourself to succeed, that’s not development—that’s diminishment.

If you changed your environment, would things be different? Imagine yourself doing the same work in a different company, under different leadership, in a different culture. Does that version of you thrive?

Finding the Right Garden

In my coaching practice, I see this pattern show up. Clients come to me convinced they’re not doing enough. They’re frustrated with themselves, questioning their abilities, wondering what’s wrong with them. But when we dig in, the issue isn’t effort, it’s environment.

And when they finally make the change? Their careers take off. They find roles where they’re valued, where their skills are recognized, where they can thrive. They’re the same person with the same talents—just finally in a place where those talents can grow.

My lemon tree, successfully replanted twice. Growth requires the right conditions.

Changing your environment isn’t giving up. It’s not a failure. It’s recognizing that you deserve conditions where you can flourish.

What to Remember

Your potential is real. But it needs the right conditions to grow.

You can develop all the skills in the world, but if your environment doesn’t support your growth, you’ll stay stuck.

Replanting yourself—changing teams, changing companies, changing industries—isn’t failure. It’s strategic. It’s choosing growth over comfort. It’s recognizing that some paths aren’t yours to carve, and that’s okay.

So if you’ve done the work and you’re still stuck, ask yourself: Do I need a bigger pot? A different garden entirely?

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is give yourself permission to grow somewhere else.

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I’m Tracy Stone, a leadership coach who helps women leaders navigate their careers with clarity and confidence. If you’re wrestling with whether it’s time to make a change—or need help figuring out where to grow next, reach out.

Next week, we’ll talk about the comparison trap—why your colleague’s promotion or that impressive LinkedIn announcement might be making you question your own path, and how to play YOUR game instead. Until then, keep carving your path.