By Chrissy Brooks

Chrissy shared the first of this series with us back in March – find out where folks are at now and take a look back at where they were:

Today I am poolside, reveling in the joys of an outdoor club pool where my kids can swim in the California sunshine.  Our athletic club recently re-opened for recreational swimming, although registration is very limited due to COVID restrictions. Nevertheless, we are ecstatic to return to the pool, even if we have to socially distance from others. Three months ago, the possibility of bringing my kids to the pool seemed unlikely.; but today I feel hopeful that maybe we can soon return to a new kind of normal. 

Since my last blog, Pivoting During the Pandemic, my live performance career has been frozen in time. With little work for me in Musical Theater, and my husband working remotely, my family has decided to relocate this summer to the Monterey Peninsula, leaving behind the bustling Silicon Valley. Like so many others, we decided that we wanted to keep some aspects of the slower pace of life we experienced because of quarantine and COVID restrictions. Since March 2020, our lives have changed, and in effect, we now lead a much for balanced life. 

I feel hopeful that the changes we have made, and will be making this summer, will be positive for my family. I am currently unemployed, but busy focusing on my family and our big move to the Monterey Peninsula. Although Musical Theater and performance venues are starting to re-open, I am hesitant to hurl myself back into a career that pays little money for a lot of work. 

Once we have settled down, I hope to explore different areas of interest, specifically: voice over, writing, recording, and real estate.

I feel brave for choosing to pivot during this historic time, but I also feel supported by others who have also chosen to seize this opportunity and take a leap of faith. 

Three months ago, Leandra was fearlessly looking for a career and life change, after finding work in costume design lacking in both money and time for self care. Today, Leandra and her partner Skylar own newly renovated Suzon’s Coffee Lounge in Sequim, Washington. Leandra is her own boss now, and feels passionate about her work. Her career change was inevitable, she says, “because I [she] was working way too hard and not seeing the financial pay off for my work. I was making major sacrifices in my personal life, and was experiencing burn out at a very young age. I want to work to live, not live to work.” Leandra still believes that pivoting careers was necessary, and she urges others wanting a change to “trust your intuition and follow it. I believe that you will not be led astray”. If you’d like to follow her journey of first time coffee shop owners, please follow Leandra and Skylar on Instagram @suzonscoffeelounge

Last we spoke with Katie Coleman, she had left the SF Bay Area, after closing Hamilton with the SF Company, where she was musical director and pianist. She had relocated to New York City, where she earned her real estate license in February 2021. Since then, Katie has done over 40 real estate deals, and is enjoying her new career. She is “so glad I [she] made the jump and would do it over again in a heartbeat.” Although Broadway is still closed, she hopes she can find a balance in her future post pandemic life where she can incorporate both her new and old career. She says, “I used to define so much of who I was by the job I had, but now I know that no matter how much of myself I put into my job, even if the world decides it no longer needs that industry, I’m able to pivot and find success elsewhere.” 

Tripp Hudgins also relocated during the pandemic, traveling with his family cross country from California to Virginia to be closer to family. He remains unemployed since March 2021, and is hoping to finish his dissertation by the Fall. For Tripp, pivoting was necessary but difficult. He says, “It’s terrible. And necessary”. He still encourages others to pivot if they feel like a change is needed, but he also wants others to know that realistic expectations are important to remember when things “may or may not come your way”. He hopes to make himself more marketable by finishing his dissertation, and possibly get a job in the tech sector, since academic jobs are presently hard to come by. 

Nina Meehan, CEO and founder of Bay Area Children’s Theater Company (BACT), has continued to adapt to make her company successful. With the help of her Artistic Director, Khalia Davis, Nina was able to focus on strategizing the re-emergence of BACT in a post COVID world, while her company shifted to audio and online programming. Nina has also used this time to focus on and create a leadership structure in her company that allows for more input from staff members, so that she feels confident in their decision making powers. Her confidence did take time to cultivate though. She says, “There is no change without risk.  Taking that big risk can feel scary and you have to dive straight into the fear and truly feel it, which a lot of us avoid.” Nina is happy to share that BACT will be opening their first live outdoor show since March 2020. You can buy tickets for “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” here: https://bactheatre.org/tickets-events/dont-let-the-pigeon-drive-the-bus/

Adaptation, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is “a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment.” And, so, we must adapt to be successful in this post COVID world. Leandra, Katie, Tripp and Nina have all pivoted because of the necessary adjustments needed in their lives to be successful. Like my friends, I too, have pivoted. Was it the right move? Only time will tell. But today, I feel hopeful. 


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