Why I Chose Fractional Leadership Work…But Did I Choose It, or Did It Choose Me?

For most of my career, I thought the traditional path was the only path: climb, perform, deliver, repeat.

Build teams. Build systems. Build results. And for a long time, that served me…it helped shape the leader I am today.

But somewhere along the way, something shifted.

It wasn’t a dramatic epiphany. It was quieter than that - a tug, a pattern, a whisper that kept showing up:

“You’re built for impact…but not in a box.”

And that’s how fractional leadership came into my life. Or maybe…how I finally stopped ignoring it.

The Signs Were Always There

When I look back, I realize I’ve been doing fractional work long before I ever had the language for it.

Every role I took on, I naturally stepped into the parts of the business that were breaking or neglected: operations, project flow, culture, leadership, client experience, communication…anywhere there was chaos, misalignment, or people quietly drowning in the work.

I filled the gaps.

I built the bridges.

I held the teams together.

I rebuilt what was broken…not because I had to, but because I couldn’t not.

It didn’t matter what my title was…I led like an owner.

I thought like a strategist.

I delivered like a partner.

Fractional work wasn’t a choice…it was a pattern.

Fractional Leadership Fits Me in a Way Traditional Roles Never Fully Did

When I started taking on consulting and leadership clients, something clicked that I didn’t expect: I felt more like myself than I ever did inside a full-time role.

It wasn’t rebellion.

It wasn’t a burnout reaction.

It wasn’t even a “dream of working for myself.”

It was alignment.

Fractional leadership gives me room to:

• Serve with depth, not just presence.

I’m not here to fill a seat or attend unnecessary meetings.

I’m there to solve, strengthen, rebuild, and elevate.

That’s where my brain - and my heart - thrive.

• Bring honesty and truth into rooms that need it.

  I’ve learned that many leaders want change…until they face what that actually means.

  Fractional work allows me to be the mirror, the challenger, the guide…without being caught in internal politics or fear-based decision cycles.

• Build cultures that actually work for people.

  Not the performative versions.

  Not the poster-on-the-wall values.

  The real thing…the kind that makes people feel safe, empowered, and seen.

• Step in exactly where impact is needed.

  No waiting for “approval.”

  No bureaucracy.

  Just purposeful leadership where it matters most.

Maybe I Didn’t Choose Fractional Work - Maybe It Chose Me

When I reflect honestly, I see now that fractional leadership is the natural extension of who I’ve always been:

A builder of order inside chaos.

A calm presence in uncertainty.

A truth-teller when things get uncomfortable.

A leader who grows people as much as I grow systems.

Entrepreneurship didn’t create this version of me…it revealed it.

Fractional leadership didn’t just become an opportunity…it became a calling.

The Freedom To Lead The Way I’m Designed To

What I’ve learned in this:

I’m not meant to be in one place.

I’m meant to elevate multiple places.

I’m meant to help small businesses grow, help founders breathe again, help teams feel human again.

I’m meant to build systems that work, cultures that heal, and leadership that lasts.

And fractional leadership lets me do that without compromise.

So Why I Chose This Path?

Truthfully?

Because it’s the only path that ever fully made sense.

Because it’s where my experience meets my purpose.

Because it lets me build without burning out.

Because it honors the kind of leader I am.

Because it allows me to make meaningful impact across more than one business…without sacrificing my values or my peace.

I didn’t choose fractional leadership.

Fractional leadership recognized me first.

And I finally chose to say ‘yes.’