Emma

Emma stood on the corner of one of the busiest streets in the financial district. Her weight was fully shifted into the right side of her body, pushing down on her 6" black stiletto boots, one arm raised up to hail a cab. As the cab pulled to the side of the road, Emma signaled to the driver to stay in the car, as she threw her small roller bag and black leather laptop purse into the backseat and got in. "Airport please", as she buckled in and pulled out her phone to catch up the emails from the day.

Emma arrived at her client's site promptly at 9am. The reception area was stunning with freshly polished furniture, fresh cut flowers, and sweeping views of the snow capped mountains. Introducing herself to the receptionist as the business strategist here to see Bianca Straight, her OCD personality took over and she instantly reached for her phone to confirm that she had arrived at the correct time and had given the correct name of her new client.

The boardroom was more impressive than the reception area, with a dark-wood finished table that easily had two dozen cream coloured chairs around it, and plush sofas for those who were in the room to listen but not speak. A television took up a thin wall at the front of the room, with floor to ceiling windows encircling the rest of the space.

Emma sat down near the head of the table, and reached for the water bottle that had been placed on the silver tray in front of her. As she reached for the water, she admired the way her diamonds sparkled on her silver bracelet. She continued to admire her bracelet as she twisted the cap open, and placed the water bottle to her lips. The water tasted delicious and removed the dryness she was still feeling in her mouth from yesterday's flight.

She heard footsteps coming closer to the boardroom door, and quickly put the water down, ready to introduce herself. A tall woman in her 50s with short blonde hair, a crisp black suit and almost-too-much gold jewelry walked into the boardroom. "You must be Emma. I'm Bianca Straight". As the woman put forward her hand for a handshake, Emma noticed that her thick, solid gold bracelet was accented with two more delicate chain bracelets. The handshake was firm and confident, making Emma feel like she was working with the right person for the session.

Within about 10 minutes, the boardroom filled up with the executive team and senior managers. Bianca introduced Emma as their strategy consultant and passed the floor to her. Emma took a deep breath and repeated the opening statements she'd said to hundreds of organizations before this one. As she spoke, she wished she could be anywhere else. The words she spoke to the room were nothing exciting to her anymore. Every organization had their own unique issues, but lately, all the solutions seemed to be the same.

Emma thought about wanting to escape. The problem was, where to escape to? The idea of making a change was so vague. Narrowing it down to a specific plan on what to do next with her life was far more difficult than she had imagined.