When The Momentum Isn't Visible (But It's Still There)
What pregnancy, winter, and career transitions all have in common.
Right now, I’m 37 weeks pregnant… 🤰🏼💌
Which means I’m in one of the strangest in-between seasons I’ve ever experienced.
I’m wrapping up coaching clients.
Finalizing self-paced courses.
Enjoying routines I’ve been running for years.
And at the same time… I’m waiting.
Waiting for my body to change again.
Waiting for a baby to arrive.
Waiting for a version of my life I can’t fully see yet.
There’s movement everywhere, but none of it feels like the momentum I’m used to.
My baby is growing behind the scenes.
My body is preparing for labor in ways I can’t see or rush.
And everything about my life is changing… but it’s happening quietly, internally, and on a timeline that isn’t mine to control.
Nothing about what my body is doing looks productive from the outside.
And yet, the most important work is happening anyway.
And if I’m honest, it reminds me a lot of what a career transition or job search feels like.
You’re applying for roles.
You’re having conversations.
You’re laying groundwork you hope will matter.
There’s effort. There’s movement. There’s preparation happening behind the scenes.
But the question hangs in the air:
When will the outcome come?
When will something finally happen?
Is this actually going to happen for me?
That waiting - and the not-knowing that comes with it - is often the hardest part.
Because we’re conditioned to equate progress with visibility.
With quick feedback.
With tangible proof that our effort is working.
But some seasons don’t offer that kind of reassurance.
They ask you to trust that growth is happening even when you can’t yet point to a result.
Especially this time of year.
When Everything Slows Down
December has a way of doing that.
The emails slow down.
Job postings dry up.
Interviews pause.
Decisions get pushed to “the new year.”
And if you’re in the middle of a career transition or job search, that quiet can feel personal.
Like you should be doing more… or like you’re failing if you aren’t.
Like everyone else is somehow moving forward while you’re stuck.
Like this pause means you’re falling behind.
But what if this season isn’t a failure of momentum?
What if it’s a liminal season… or a space between what was and what’s coming next?
That’s the idea Katherine May explores in her book Wintering.
Winter as a Liminal Season
Katherine May describes winter as a liminal season: a space between the mundane and the magical.
She writes about winter as a time when transformation happens quietly, often out of sight:
“In winter, we witness the full glory of nature’s flourishing in lean times.”
“In winter, animals perform metamorphosis; they go out of sight where transformation occurs.”
“Humans make and remake our stories — abandoning the ones that no longer fit and trying new ones on for size.”
It’s a beautiful way of framing a season that, culturally, we’re taught to rush through.
But winter can also be hard: especially if you’re navigating a career transition or a job search.
Why Winter Feels Brutal for Job Seekers
Here’s what most companies are thinking about in December:
How do we close out the year?
What deadlines and KPIs still need to be met?
What budgets need to be tightened?
How do we enter next year in a strong financial position?
Notice what’s missing?
Most organizations are not thinking:
“Let’s onboard new team members right now.”
For job seekers, December - and really all of Q4 - can feel like a career standstill.
A rut.
A long pause where effort doesn’t seem to produce results.
And when things slow down externally, it’s easy for the internal questions to creep in:
Am I doing something wrong?
Why does it seem like everyone else is moving forward but me?
Why can’t I just be satisfied with where I am?
This is where comparison, doubt, and frustration tend to spiral… especially when the world around you feels quiet and still.
The Hidden Opportunity in Career Winters
Here’s the reframe most people miss:
Winter is not a dead end.
It’s a preparatory season.
In nature, winter is when roots deepen. When energy is conserved. When systems quietly reorganize so that growth can happen later.
The same is true for careers.
Hiring slows down at the end of the year, but it doesn’t stop forever.
In fact, January and early Q1 are historically some of the most active hiring periods.
Which means winter isn’t the time to panic.
It’s the time to prepare.
What Winter Is Actually Good For
Winter is uniquely suited for three things:
1. Getting Clear (Without the Pressure to Perform)
When applications aren’t flying out the door, you have space to zoom out.
To look at your resume, LinkedIn, and overall story and ask:
Does this actually reflect who I am now?
Is the narrative consistent?
Am I underselling or overcomplicating my experience?
I recently worked with a client who had an impressive background, but her resume, LinkedIn, and cover letter were telling three different stories.
Once we aligned her narrative and clarified her strengths, her application response rate jumped from 3% to nearly 25%.
Nothing about her experience changed.
Only the clarity did.
This is a perfect task for winter.
2. Strengthening Your Story
Winter is a powerful time to revisit the why behind your work.
Not just the titles you’ve held, but the through-lines:
the skills you’ve developed
the problems you consistently solve
the impact you’ve made (and can quantify)
This kind of reflection is hard to do when you’re rushing from application to application.
But it’s exactly what sets you up to move faster later.
Another incredible use of your time this month.
3. Building Resilience (Without Burning Out)
One of the most common things I see in winter job searches is exhaustion masquerading as motivation.
Applying to 100+ roles.
Refreshing inboxes.
“Easy Apply”-ing out of frustration.
Winter invites a different approach.
Not more effort, but more intention.
Resilience isn’t pretending the process isn’t frustrating.
It’s creating structure and boundaries so the search doesn’t consume your entire identity.
Because sometimes the biggest win in winter is simply getting your sense of agency back.
It’s worth asking yourself: where can you reclaim a little agency right now?
Winter Isn’t a Pause. It’s a Reset.
If your career feels quiet right now, that doesn’t mean you’re falling behind.
It means you’re in a season where the work is happening internally… even if it’s not visible yet.
Winter asks you to:
reflect instead of rush
prepare instead of panic
trust that growth doesn’t always look like movement
So if things feel slow, let them be slow.
Use this season to get clear, strengthen your story, and take care of yourself.
Because the universal truth is this:
Spring always comes right after winter.
I’ll see you next week, Bold Professional. ❤️
XO,
Abbey