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One Year Later. I'm Finally Emerging.
A year ago this month I went from being the breadwinner to putting actual bread on the table. What followed was a reckoning with who I’d been, what I actually valued, and who I was without all of it. From filling out immigration forms that ask for your profession to meeting your daughter’s freshman year friends — the question hit me in the most ordinary moments. How do I introduce myself? Who am I if I’m not a Googler, a TTDer, a Director, an SVP? I didn’t have a clean answer
Hetal Joshi Gordon
1 day ago3 min read


To anyone going through a layoff right now.
This morning a dear friend texted me. They were laid off. My heart broke a little. Because I’ve been there. I was laid off from a job in London while on a Visa. A city I loved. A life I had built. And someone else decided it was over. And I’ve seen it happen to some of the most talented people I know coming out of big tech. It’s disrespectful. It’s scary. And it messes with you on a level that’s hard to explain — unless you’ve worked at one of these companies. Here’s what peo
Hetal Joshi Gordon
May 112 min read


Is your tank empty? Invest in learning.
Yesterday was a beautiful day for the Gordon family. My husband graduated from Georgia State University. Four years of hard work. Juggling critical family responsibilities, a wife starting a new job, kids in the thick of middle and high school. He did it anyway. This wasn't a small decision. It meant investing time, money, and energy for four years — while never dropping the ball at home. There were late nights, early mornings, and more than a few moments of doubt. But he com
Hetal Joshi Gordon
May 81 min read


Close the laptop. Go to Honors Day.
In my part of the world, May is not a month. It's a mood. School performances. End-of-year everything. Work sprints before summer. The group chats blowing up. The calendar that somehow got even fuller than April. If you're feeling it — you're not alone. And you're not failing. Here's what I've learned about getting through the chaos without losing yourself: Name it. MayHEM is a season. It has an end date. Knowing that helps. Protect one thing. Not everything. One thing each d
Hetal Joshi Gordon
May 11 min read


Perspective Is Hard. Here's Proof.
My WOW moment. Belize, Jan 2026 No matter how hard we try, seeing things differently is harder than it sounds. I know because I actually did it — and still almost lost the view. Over New Year's, my family and I went to Belize. I took the opportunity to do yoga on the pier at the end of the beach. And in that moment, upside down, I noticed something incredible. The water was at the top of my view. The sky was at the bottom. And it was one of the most beautiful thing
Hetal Joshi Gordon
Apr 282 min read


The fear was a lie.
For years, I was convinced that walking away from a big corporate title meant I was losing something. Seniority. Status. Security. Identity. But here's what I've learned: at a certain point in life, the treadmill isn't taking you anywhere. It's just keeping you tired. And the bravest thing you can do is step off. What nobody tells you is that you can't just leap from one chapter to the next. There's a season in between — and it's not wasted time. It's the most important work
Hetal Joshi Gordon
Apr 241 min read


Peace. The opposite of perfection.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve pushed myself to do more, be more, and achieve more. It’s a mix of nature and nurture—a byproduct of being raised by wonderfully human Indian parents. When I stepped out of the corporate race last June, I assumed that drive would vanish. It didn’t. I started "sourdoughing" last Autumn, and soon noticed a familiar anxiety creeping into the process—the starter, the levain, the proofing, even the crust. It had to be perfect otherwise I had fai
Hetal Joshi Gordon
Apr 171 min read


If your company is offering you a voluntary exit package, take it.
Why? 1. You ultimately choose - this is powerful. 2. Make the decision to invest your time where YOU matter. We all know how replaceable we are at these companies. 3. This is an opportunity to unpack all the other areas of your life. This is an opportunity to stop throwing money at everything just trying to make it work. After 15+ years at Google, and 3+ years at The Trade Desk, I took a break from corporate life last June. Why? The multiple hats I was wearing were putting a
Hetal Joshi Gordon
Mar 211 min read


"The beautiful chaos of a mother's heart"
Jessie Buckley's dedication to Mothers in her Oscar's 2026 acceptance speech "to the beautiful chaos of a Mother's heart" that struck me to the core. This week my youngest child turns 13. Why is this notable? Because this will be the first time in my children's lives that I am able to focus on them, fully. The first time since I was 6 weeks pregnant with my first child where I'm not stressing or worrying about how to be there for my corporate job and my family. Such a GIFT. W
Hetal Joshi Gordon
Mar 181 min read
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