Meet Goli

Goli Kalkhoran

Show Host

Hi, I’m Goli. I’m a lawyer-turned-entrepreneur. That’s a fancy way of saying I quit practicing law, did a lot of soul-searching, tried a bunch of different things to figure out what I wanted to do next, and happened upon an idea I turned into a business. But the most interesting part of that story, the reason behind this podcast and blog, is the year-long journey it took me to really admit to myself that I wanted to quit being a lawyer and figuring out how to start over.

You see, I’m the quintessential risk-averse, people-pleasing, type-A personality. I studied hard, got good grades and followed the predictable path to a great law school, never really questioning what being a lawyer actually meant.

Not surprisingly, when I actually started practicing law, I hated it. But like most people who follow a traditional path and spend a lot of time, money, and energy to get that degree, I accepted that, regardless of my happiness, I had to work as a lawyer. I really never even considered any other possibility. Instead, I just daydreamed of winning the lottery.

In 2014, after the birth of my son and a move from Arizona to California that forced me to quit my job as a Federal Public Defender, I was in the market for a new job. Naturally, I looked for legal careers in Orange County. But with each application I filled out, I literally felt sick to my stomach.

My husband mentioned that I could “try to do something other than law.” After nearly flipping over the table at the absurdity of such a statement, it got me thinking. But I immediately went to the chatter in my head: What would people say? What would people think? I spent so much time and money and energy becoming a lawyer. Was I going to throw it all away? WHAT WOULD I EVEN DO?!?! Seriously, I was convinced that I had no other interests and/or skills.

But behind all of the mental chatter, he had planted a seed.(God bless him!) Could I really just quit?! It took me almost a year to admit – mostly to myself—that I was going to officially quit practicing law. In that time, I was finally able to give myself the space to try other things and strip back all of the old stories I had created about myself to find what truly made me happy. Since that time, I started a business (you can check it out here- www.usiebooth.com), got to spend time at home with my two young kids, and found interests I never knew I had. I’ve made a million mistakes and am still figuring it all out. But most importantly, I’m happier than I’ve ever been.

And that’s what led me to start Lessons from a Quitter. Throughout this journey, I’ve had so many people ask me how I did it and confide in me how miserable they are in their careers. My husband jokes that I spend every party trying to convince someone to quit their job…and he’s not wrong. Even though I felt stuck in the same exact way and I understand the mental blocks, I want to shake them and let them know that it is ok to quit.

So this is my proverbial shake. It is ok to change your mind and to evolve as a person. You’re not the person you were when you were 20 and you won’t be the same at 30 or 40 or 50. You’re allowed to decide that you want to try something different. Is it scary? Sure. But it’s more scary to spend decade after decade doing something you hate and to live a life other people want you to live.

This podcast will highlight the stories of inspiring people in the same situation who decided to buck conventional thinking, quit, and create a life they love. Hopefully, you can find inspiration, support, and some resources to help you on your journey.

For more about Goli’s story, listen here: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com/episode00

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Should you stay or should you go?!

You find yourself spinning over this question constantly. You know there has to be more to it than this but you’re scared you might throw away everything that you’ve built and regret it.

Take this 2 minute quiz to find out what stage in the quitting journey you’re in and, more importantly, get a step-by-step guide on what to focus on next.

This will take out all of the guesswork and overwhelm. You’ll know exactly what to do over the next 3-6 months to quit spinning and create a career you actually want.