The painful goodbye, and the realisation that I am my own safety net

Hey friends,

Last week, I shared one of the most vulnerable updates of my life: my struggles with the decision to relinquish my medical license. The response from you all was overwhelming. Thank you for your kind words, encouragement, and for sharing your own stories of navigating big life transitions. If you missed it, you can read it HERE.

It’s been an intense couple of weeks, not just with making this life-changing decision, but also with a lot of endings and new beginnings. One of those new beginnings is having my dad here in the UK for the first time since 1999. It’s been such a joy to reconnect and reflect on how far life has brought us both.

The Big Update

I’ve officially decided to relinquish my medical license.

This wasn’t a decision I made in one week, of course. It’s been years in the making, and over the past 12 months, I’ve wrestled with it more intensely than ever.

I’ve leaned heavily on my support system - my incredible business coach, my amazing psychotherapist, and my own self-development practices. Through this process, I’ve come to a realisation that has completely shifted my perspective:

Medicine is not my safety net. I AM MY OWN SAFETY NET.

This has been a huge AHA moment for me. Navigating the process of deciding to let go of my medical profession has shown me that I don’t need to cling to an external safety net anymore. I’ve built my own - through my knowledge, skills, experiences, resilience, mindset, and consistent action.

The person I have become is all the safety net I will ever need.

What a Safety Net Really Is

Our safety nets are not our jobs, a savings account, or even someone else’s support. A real safety net is the inner confidence and trust that we can navigate whatever life throws at us. It’s the realisation that we possess the personality, skills, mindset and abilities to get through life and its challenges.

This realisation has been life-changing, and ultimately has helped confirm what I already knew - I am ready to fully let go of medicine. Gosh, what a thing to finally admit to myself! Even writing this feels utterly surreal!

Most people around me have been really supportive. Naturally, however, not everyone agrees. A well-meaning friend recently texted me saying:

'Don’t do it, Marce! Think of it as cheap insurance - £1400 per year for guaranteed income security. Businesses are sustainable until they’re not.'

I get it. This is the narrative we’ve all been taught: play it safe, have a backup plan, don’t take unnecessary risks. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. But my big realisation is that I’ve actually been diligently building my own safety net for years - acquiring new skills, strengthening my mindset, living new experiences, and consistently growing as a person.

The external ‘safety net’ that medicine once provided has actually been holding me back. Now it’s abundantly clear: it’s time to let go and fully step into the person I’ve become.

But What If It All Goes Right?

We often obsess over what could go wrong. But what if creating this space is EXACTLY what I need?

What if this is what allows me to focus my energy fully on what lights me up?
What if it’s the catalyst for growing my business to the next level?
What if it is the step that lets me exponentially increase my positive impact with my clients and community?
What if it leads to a life even better than I’ve envisioned?

If we are going to ask ourselves all the 'what ifs' of what could go wrong, we need to at the very least ask ourselves: 'what if it all goes fantastically well?!'

I will always be Dr Marcela - that’s part of who I am, and I worked damn hard for that title. But it doesn’t mean I have to force myself to stay in something that no longer fulfils me. In fact, it means I can finally give myself permission to 100% do what I love! - coaching and entrepreneurship.

What Happens Next

I have until 10th October to change my mind! My last medical shift is on 4th October. After that, I’ll log onto the General Medical Council website and apply to relinquish my license. It’s not completely irreversible, but it’s a pretty definitive step.

I won’t lie - there’s also sense of loss, of grief, of sadness. Medicine has been my world since 2002 when I started medical school. That’s more than half of my life. My identity feels somewhat up in the air, and this is a very real, very definitive goodbye.

I sent a heartfelt message to my lead clinician at the army base where I do my medical shifts, and I had tears in my eyes. I actually have tears in my eyes right now as I write this.

I’m reminding myself of what I already know: it’s okay to feel sadness and a sense of loss, even when we are making the right decision.

I’ll always be thankful to medicine for everything it has given me - the person it helped me become, the friends I made, the patients I treated, the income to build a good life and to step into entrepreneurship, the knowledge and skills I gained, and the unique human connections that come with being a doctor.

Stepping Into the Next Chapter

Now, I’m evolving into the next chapter. And while I don’t know exactly where it will lead, I’m so excited to find out!

Scary? YES. Undeniably so.
Exciting? Even more so.

Because with the strong foundations I’ve built over the past 10+ years in personal development, business ventures, and life experiences, I know I can trust myself to be my own safety net. And I know the magic happens when we step outside our comfort zones.

Over to You

Does this story resonate with your own journey? What’s been the toughest part of stepping into entrepreneurship or navigating your own major life transitions? Hit reply or write back at [email protected]. I’d genuinely love to hear your story.

Thank you once again for being with me on this journey. It feels liberating to share this messy but very real process with you.

With love,
Marcela

P.S. Whilst making this huge decision, I’ve also been working hard on my brand-new Business Coaching Community, which launches next Monday! 🎉 The Founders' Launch opens for one week only with founding member pricing + bonuses, and there are already 18 people signed up on the waitlist! If you’d love to join a tribe of Adventurous Solopreneurs and get the support to simplify, scale, and thrive in business and life, you can join the waitlist HERE.

And if you want more day-to-day behind the scenes, come connect with me on Instagram HERE.

Dr Marcela Aguirre

👣 If you’d like to try out coaching for free, click here to book a 30 minute ivia Zoom.

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