I learnt something beautifully bittersweet about transitions.
There’s a peculiar kind of exhaustion (even as an observer) that comes with marathon meetings, the kind where your twice-weekly 60-minute calls somehow balloon into 2-hour sessions, and nobody seems to remember exactly when that happened, but just the reality that it was born out of necessity. As I sat through another one, putting finishing touches to the new gtld AGB (Applicants Guide Book) and smiling for that obligatory team photo during the last ICANN meeting, I felt the weight of an ending settling in.
Then, my term as an ALAC/ALT member was officially over.
I walked across that stage for leadership recognition, accepted the applause, and felt…… relief. Not the kind that comes from escaping something, but the kind that comes from finally being honest about where you belong.
The Spotlight Was Never Really…
Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the visibility, the platform, the chance to represent and advocate. But here’s what I’ve realized: stepping back from the spotlight doesn’t mean stepping away. I’m still co-chairing the At-Large OFBWG (operations, finance and budget working group) governance, planning, and budget work – the engine room, as I like to call it. But as I transition to focus fully in my co-chairing role, I feel like I’m finally settling home. The place where spreadsheets meet strategy, where quiet conversations shape big decisions, where the real architecture of change gets built. And honestly? This is where I thrive, this is where I’ve always done my best work – In the learning – In the careful coordination – In the patient prompting that helps ideas become reality – In the the behind-the-scenes problem-solving – this is the work that feeds my soul.
The People Who Make It Worth It
But if I’m being completely honest, what fills my heart most isn’t the work itself, it’s the people.
Hugging old friends who’ve been in the trenches with me. Meeting staff members I’ve only known through email signatures. Finally seeing the faces behind those Zoom profile pictures, the colleagues who’ve felt close for years but whom I’d never actually embraced.
Some acquaintances deepened into genuine friendships. Others naturally drifted away, and I’m learning to let them go without bitterness. That’s growth too.
What Comes Next
Looking ahead, I’m excited. Not with the nervous energy of stepping into the unknown, but with the quiet confidence of someone who knows exactly where they’re supposed to be.
I want to mentor more. To create systems that outlast my involvement. To be the kind of behind-the-scenes support that makes others’ spotlight moments possible.
The stage was beautiful, but the engine room is also great – where the humming of real work drowns out the applause, and that’s exactly how I like it.
Endings aren’t really endings. They’re just new chapters with different seats and sometimes, the view from the engine room is even clearer and better.
So, here’s to new chapters, deeper work, and the people who make it all worthwhile.