It has been the darkest time of my life over the past five months since my departure from my former company, AfterShip. Don’t get me wrong—I love the people and the company. The toughest part of leaving wasn’t about losing a job; it was about losing the people I care about.
When I started to notice my emotional swings, with sadness coming on suddenly, I realized the impact of this loss was more profound than I had initially thought.
Coping with Grief
Coping with grief suddenly became my new job. I rarely ask for help in life, but this was the first time I truly needed support.
Denial: “This can’t be happening to me.”
Anger: “Why is this happening? Who is to blame?”
Bargaining: “Make this not happen, and in return I will ____.”
Depression: “I’m too sad to do anything.”
Acceptance: “I’m at peace with what happened.”
I was fortunate to have my partner, who listened to my random thoughts and took me to some amazing places. Family and friends were supportive, even without knowing many details, as I wasn't quite ready to talk. Moving into a new apartment gave me a sense of purpose (even if it was just maintaining a Google spreadsheet!). I also took a closer look at my health, started exercising daily, and even managed to fix my back pain. Sure, there were still moments of sadness, but over time, I found it easier to handle those feelings.
Moving on
Here I am, five months later, finally ready to update my LinkedIn profile and start working on my next project. I feel thankful and at peace.
Here's the post about the departure:
Leaving wasn’t easy—both physically and emotionally. I witnessed the company grow from an unknown startup into a global organization of 400+ incredible people, all working together. Leaving AfterShip after 12 years felt like saying goodbye to both family and home.
I want to express my gratitude to the team members who accepted my very direct and sometimes blunt feedback, yet never hesitated to voice their own thoughts, sharing with me great ideas and advice. A big thank you as well to our customers and partners who believed in us from the early days, when we were just a startup.
What’s next? I will most likely stay within the eCommerce space, as there are still many challenges waiting to be solved. I’ve promised myself to continue doing great things and to be a resource to the world in the future. I look forward to this next chapter.
Keep it simple. Keep it direct. Focus on the facts, the data, the problems, and the solutions.
At this stage, I’m spending my time focused on eCommerce AI. If you're interested in this topic, feel free to subscribe.
Thanks for stopping by.