S2E4: Detours Become Directions; A conversation with Marisa Bernardo

What happens when life forces a pivot you never planned for — and you still choose to keep going?

In this deeply honest conversation, Alicia and Melyse sit down with Marisa, founder of Defining Journeys, to unpack what happens before the pivot — and what can grow on the other side when life changes the plan.

Marissa shares her winding, multi-path career journey — from early childhood education and working within the school board, to returning to school (again and again), to navigating a cervical cancer diagnosis, infertility, and ultimately becoming a parent through surrogacy. What began as a career pivot rooted in family planning became something much bigger: a calling shaped by lived experience.

Together, they explore:

• Why loving your job doesn’t always mean it’s sustainable or the right one, right now

• The quiet burnout that comes from underpaid “purpose-driven” work

• How health, fertility, and family realities can completely redirect your career

• The loneliness of navigating infertility and surrogacy — and why lived experience matters

• Building a flexible, values-aligned career without burning it all down overnight

• How small, consistent actions create momentum when everything feels uncertain

This episode is for anyone in the messy middle — especially if your pivot wasn’t a choice, but a necessity. It’s a reminder that detours can become directions, and that the life you build after the plan falls apart can be even more aligned than the one you imagined.