What if the thing that broke your heart was the same thing that built your purpose?

Have you ever had a moment so defining, so discouraging, that it shifted the entire direction of your life? I have.

In my final year of architecture school, I worked on a thesis project that I believed in with my whole heart. Under the mentorship of my brilliant professor, Michele Bertomen, we developed a plan to revitalize Fort George, a historic site in Grenada. The project was bold, sustainable, and rooted in heritage and culture.

Our vision was forward-thinking. It was alive.

But the architecture thesis jury didn’t see it that way. They said I wasn’t being environmentally sensitive. They disagreed with the direction we had taken. And just like that…They failed me.

I wish I could say I dusted myself off and kept going. But I didn’t.

That moment broke something in me. I left architecture. I abandoned the dream I had nurtured for years because I thought, if the experts don’t believe in this, maybe I was wrong to believe in myself.

I pivoted. I became an environmental consultant. Since they accused me of being environmentally insensitive, I decided to do get my Master's Degree in Environmental Technology.

In my heart, I knew I would not be an environmental consultant for the rest of my life. It simply didn't feed my soul. After 15 years, I went on to start two businesses. I kept building. Just not with bricks and blueprints.

But for years, I carried that moment with me like a silent weight. A what-if. A wound that never fully closed.

Then, 23 years later, my father sent me a newspaper link with a note that read. "Heather. You were simply ahead of your time".

In the article, it stated that the World Bank had funded the revitalization of Fort George.

Yes. That Fort George. The very project I was told was too ambitious, too unrealistic, too environmentally insensitive. They were doing exactly what Michele and I had proposed. The same scope, the same goal. Everything. Except now, it was being celebrated, funded, and implemented on an international scale.

I immediately thought of Michele. All I wanted to do was call her.

Michele Bertomen was more than just a professor—she was a visionary. The kind of woman who didn’t just challenge convention—she reimagined it. Years after our thesis, she went on to become the first person to build an apartment building out of shipping containers in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A pioneer in sustainable design before it was trendy.

But in 2013, Michele passed away. I never got the chance to tell her:

We were right.

Our vision was valid. Our instincts were correct. We were just too early for the room we were in.

That moment—failing my thesis—is one of the deepest pivots of my life. It’s also the primary reason I started Doltam Creative Solutions.

Because I know what it feels like to have your purpose questioned. I know what it means to lose direction after a professional disappointment. And I know how lonely it can be when your vision doesn’t match the moment, you’re in.

That’s why I created Doltam—to be the support system I wish I had.

I help individuals who are navigating career pivots—Whether from an unexpected job loss, or the burning desire to transition from corporate to entrepreneurship.

I offer structure. Strategy. Support. Because when you're in the middle of change, you don’t just need a plan—you need someone who gets it.

Sometimes, people won’t see your vision—not because it’s wrong, but because it’s ahead of its time. Sometimes, rejection is redirection. And sometimes, the very dream that got dismissed is the one the world eventually embraces.

So, if you’re standing at the edge of a pivot, unsure of what comes next—I see you. And Doltam is here to help you create what’s next.

I encourage you to reserve a complimentary 45-minute Discovery Call. Sometimes all you need is to share your thoughts with someone who understands the emotions you're struggling with.

If you would like to know about the road ahead, ask the person who is coming back. I look forward to being part of your journey.

In Love & Light,

Heather

p.s. If you would like to hear my story shared at the Everyday Women, Everday Stories Event. Please LISTEN HERE.