Gratitude, Grounding, and What’s Next
A note from our founder, Hillary Kirtland
As we head into Thanksgiving week here in the U.S., I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to feel supported during a season of transition. Path Pending started as a whisper, a belief that people navigating layoffs, pivots, burnout, reinvention, or the quiet ache of feeling stuck deserved a place that felt honest, human, and rooted in possibility. What it has grown into is something I could never have built alone.
So today, before anything else, I want to say thank you!
Thank you to every person who has read a story, shared one, whispered “this helped,” forwarded an interview, or told a friend, “you need to see this.” Thank you to those who reached out privately with your own experiences, the ones you weren’t sure belonged anywhere. You trusted us with your truths, your detours, your in-between moments. That is no small thing.
Thank you to the Bridge Builders who raised their hands early, willing to be part of something still taking shape. Your belief gave this project structure, legitimacy, and momentum when it was still just a fragile idea.
Thank you to the inaugural contributors who offered not just content, but heart. And thank you to everyone engaging with our weekly prompts, our reflections, and the conversations happening across LinkedIn; you are helping build a community where transition isn’t seen as failure, but as fertile ground.
Path Pending exists because of you. It is becoming what it is because of you. This Thanksgiving, more than anything, I want to honor that.
Something New Is Coming
Amid all this gratitude, I’m excited to share a preview of what’s next.
This December, we’ll release the first-ever Path Pending Field Guide - a project born from the simple need for grounding and building emotional scaffolding. We’re learning that people need language for what’s happening internally, not just the tactical steps of what comes next.
When Path Pending first launched, people told us two things over and over:
“I can find checklists. What I need is support.”
“I wish knew what to do with the uncertainty.”
The Field Guide is our answer to that.
It will blend practical tools with a mental-health-aware perspective and offer short chapters you can absorb in moments of low energy. I’m grateful to share that our inaugural contributors include Ashley Kera and Samantha Gremillion, two women whose wisdom, generosity, and lived experience helped shape the earliest pieces of this guide. Their insights are honest, compassionate, and immediately useful for anyone in the middle of a life or career shift.
The Field Guide is the next chapter of what we’re building together. Remember that wherever you are on your detour, you are not alone.
With Deep Gratitude
My hope this holiday is simple: may you feel supported, may you feel seen, and may you feel a little less alone in whatever change you’re navigating. Thank you for allowing Path Pending to become a companion on your journey, and for becoming part of ours.
There is so much more ahead, and I’m honored to build it with you.
If you’re navigating a transition (or simply want to support others who are), we’ve opened a new Path Pending Community on LinkedIn designed specifically for this purpose. It’s a space for anyone on a detour, in between paths, or rewriting their story.
Join us. Come as you are. All detours are welcome.
