We recently connected with Valerie Lynn and have shared our conversation below.
Valerie, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I don’t feel like I ‘found’ my purpose… in fact, I think that it quietly found me the moment I stopped chasing after it.
There was a season in my life where I was consuming everything—the books, the TED Talks, the podcasts, the courses—all promising to help me uncover my “one true calling.” I journaled, I vision boarded, I made lists of “what I’m good at” and “what I love.” But all I felt was more pressure and more confusion. Like I was circling a foggy mountain with no path, trying to find a summit that might not even exist.
It wasn’t until I lost almost everything that things began to come into focus.
It was mid-pandemic and I had just left a relationship that had drained me of every ounce of self-worth. In that moment, I decided to make a major shift. I courageously sold nearly all my belongings, packed up my tiny car, and drove down the coast to California with no plan other than to breathe again. And if you know me, you know this is very “not” me. But in looking back, this level of freedom and expansion always really WAS for me.
Somehow, thought divine intervention and a manifesto I had created 8 years ago that reflected this very place… I landed in a beachside town, in a cozy little furnished spot where the ocean greeted me every morning and the sunsets painted some version of healing across the sky every night. But even there—in this beautiful new life—I felt an ache.
I didn’t want perfection. I wanted connection. The pandemic was in full swing and ambiguity and fear were HIGH. I started asking myself a quieter question:
“How can I serve, with what I have, where I’m at, right now?”
That question changed everything.
At the time, I was a memeber of a women’s employee resource group. I pitched the idea of hosting a virtual “coffee chat” series—personal development conversations for women who, like me, might be craving something deeper than the next Teams meeting.
The first event was small. I made a deck that I definitely spent too much time on and over-designed. I sent invitations with shaky confidence. But when that screen filled up with women’s faces and laughter and presence… something clicked.
That one small idea grew into something far bigger.
We launched a Financial Wellness series.
Then quarterly Skills Workshops.
Then Women in Leadership panels.
Then speaker events.
And eventually, I was asked to help chair the entire group.
But it wasn’t the “title” that mattered – it was the feeling.
It was the aliveness and the sacredness of witnessing other women feel seen.
It was how my whole self lit up when I was building, supporting, sharing.
That group became my heartbeat.
And no podcast, no self-help book, no coach could have shown me that path—because it wasn’t something to “find.” It was something to follow.
So no, I didn’t find my purpose.
I followed what felt loving.
I served what I wished existed.
And somehow, in doing that—I looked around and realized…
Purpose had already made its home in me.
I just had to make enough space to hear it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Hi, I’m Valerie. I’m a storyteller, interviewer, and former corporate gal turned creator and community-builder. I produce and host The Women On Top podcast and run Interview Her, a platform that provides content for powerful women by helping them tell their stories with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
I believe deeply in the power of voice—and that your story is your greatest form of leadership. After years in various roles across corporate teams, building women’s development initiatives, and navigating my own reinventions, I realized something: The most transformational growth doesn’t come from titles or accolades. It comes from being seen, from choosing truth, and from using our lives to serve something bigger.
Now, I help women share the why behind what they do, not just the what. Whether it’s through an interview, a podcast conversation, or content designed to help you grow your business and impact by being seen as the expert in your field—I create spaces where women feel safe to show up fully, and powerfully.
>>The Women On Top podcast drops new episodes every other Wednesday on all major podcast platforms – think of it like a place to find women mentors in their 30’s who are also navigating life – but they are leading on THEIR terms and creating incredible shifts in the world.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Don’t be afraid of what you know to be true. Deep down, most of us already know what we want. But the noise of the world—expectations, fear, comparison—can drown out that quiet voice. For me, the turning point came when I stopped outsourcing my truth and started listening inward. My advice? Create stillness. Pay attention to the moments that light you up or break you open. Trust your gut, even when it doesn’t make sense to others. And sometimes – it won’t even make sense to you. But when you feel that pull – lean in and let it lead you.
2. Embrace the wild, unplanned, messy path.
Nothing has taught me more than the moments I didn’t see coming—the heartbreaks, the pivots, the risks, the reinventions. Those weren’t detours – they were the curriculum. Stop waiting until you “figure it all out.” Life won’t give you clarity before commitment. Say yes, even when it’s imperfect. Let experience be your teacher.
3. The more interested you become in life, the more life becomes interested in you.
When I started showing up with curiosity instead of control, everything shifted. Opportunities found me. People found me. I found me. Get curious about your desires. Ask bigger questions. Follow your fascinations. When you bring energy and love to your life, life has a way of responding in ways you won’t even be able to imagine.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Letting go of the corporate job I held onto for most of my adult life.
For years, that role gave me structure, identity, and a sense of safety. I knew a layoff was coming—I felt it in my bones—but that didn’t make it any less emotional. There’s something deeply confronting about having the very thing you’ve relied on for stability suddenly disappear. And yet… there’s also something incredibly liberating about it too. I felt this same feeling when I sold everything and left for California in the middle of a pandemic.
The real challenge hasn’t just been the job loss – it’s been redefining success on my own terms.
It’s been peeling back the old stories I’ve told myself:
>That I needed the security of a 9–5.
>That my worth was tied to output.
>That “real” success looked a certain way on LinkedIn.
But deep down, I knew I had outgrown it.
And now, the universe is giving me the push I wouldn’t have taken on my own.
I’m learning to embrace the unfamiliar—this season of unknowns, of reimagining my identity outside of the corporate ladder. I’m going inward. I’m reminding myself to slow down in order to speed up. I’m looking forward to making space for rest, for friendships, for family—the things I’ve long craved but never gave myself enough permission to truly enjoy.
And I’m letting myself be curious about the version of me that’s been under the surface this whole time—ready to be seen, without the mask.
It’s scary.
It’s uncomfortable.
And I know I’m ready.
This chapter is about focused intention, embodied trust, and rewriting the rules.
I don’t need to climb anymore.
Now, I get to create.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewomenontoppodcast/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-lynn-5aa73b1b/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewomenontop
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-women-on-top/id1507434015
