Why I Left a Rewarding Job to Start My Own Business

After five fulfilling years working as a public interest lawyer and investigator at the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, I made the difficult decision to leave. I loved my coworkers, the work was rewarding, and I was good at what I did. But this year, it was time to take the leap and start my own firm!

For the past few years, I’ve been managing two small home businesses. One focused on selling fresh-milled local whole grain flour, and the other, The Parasympathetic Pig, offering digital resources designed to support recovery from chronic illness.

On top of that, I proposed a new seminar course at my law school, Trauma-Responsive Law, which was approved! I’ve spent many hours developing this course, which explores the intersection of trauma, law, and how we can create more supportive, responsive, and sustainable legal workplaces and systems.

For a while now, I've been dreaming about creating a business that combines all of these interests and skills. 

With a recent new health diagnosis, along with mounting medical appointments, tests, and treatments, it became clear that it was not sustainable to work full-time in my previous role, run my small businesses and teach! I bit off more than I could chew, again. 

I knew something had to change, otherwise I would end up in burnout. I needed a long-term shift toward a sustainable work environment that aligned and integrated with my health, interests, and neurodivergent needs. So, I embraced the entrepreneurial mindset that I was raised with, and decided it was time to dive into this new venture, Alanna Carlson Consulting. 

On one hand, I’m proud of the progress I made at my old job in the past few years. In this past year, I returned to full-time hours (often working from home), a huge milestone considering where I started in 2021—bedbound and battling brain fog from Long COVID.

However, it’s hard to believe that in late 2021, I was cleared to return to work by the insurer because I could manage working a couple of hours from bed, but I still couldn’t walk properly. It was absurd—I wouldn’t have been able to return to work if I’d been a teacher or a carpenter. But because I am a lawyer, the insurer deemed it acceptable. 

At the time, it felt like my doctor and I fought off the insurer as long as we could. What a difference it would have made if I had been able to walk for say, half an hour, before I returned to work! Or, if I could have sat upright for a couple hours without getting symptoms!

My employer accommodated my needs as best they could. Slowly, I built up tolerance to more work, but I continued to struggle with some common POTS and CFS symptoms such as fatigue, post exertional malaise, neck instability, and racing heartbeat.

I wish I’d had more time for physical rehabilitation on long term disability benefits in 2021 and 2022. It would have drastically improved my endurance and ability to work upright, especially in an office setting.

Trying to focus on physical rehabilitation while working was extremely challenging, and I wouldn’t recommend it if it can be avoided. Now that I've had more time and energy to focus on my physiotherapy, I have seen big improvements! 

Through my healing journey, I discovered the profound impact trauma-informed approaches can have—not just on personal healing but also in professional settings. I reflected on how much high-stress environments, especially in fields like law, can affect both mental and physical health.

Many of us are carrying unresolved stress or trauma, whether it’s through workplace conflicts, discrimination, or the constant pressure of modern professional life, while trying to help people who are going through the most stressful points in their lives. It's hard to help others when we aren't helping ourselves. Yet, the legal field rarely acknowledges or addresses these issues sufficiently. 

That’s when my focus shifted. The more I studied trauma-informed practices, the more I understood their potential to transform entire organizations. I didn’t just want to continue practicing law within the system—I wanted to help reshape those systems and foster environments that have more trust, compassion, and accountability—qualities that are sometimes missing in traditional corporate environments. 

When businesses comprehend how trauma and stress impact their employees, clients, and stakeholders, they can build safer, supportive, and more productive workplaces and provide better service to their clients in a way that reduces turnover and complaints. That’s why I started Alanna Carlson Consulting.

My consulting practice focuses on workplace training, speaking, and coaching in areas such as psychological safety, resilience, anti-discrimination, and neuro-inclusion. I can help organizations create policies that encourage accessibility and inclusion. Specialized trainings can help promote meaningful inclusion and sustainable resilience in an organization, along with improved client service. 

An investigation into the climate of an organization can help identify bottlenecks, conflicts or gaps, and promote efficient systems and cohesive and resilient teams. 

A mediation led with empathy can address workplace conflict and keep teams working well together. 

A training on stress responses can help understand how best to support and strengthen yourself and your clients while they go through the most difficult periods of their lives. 

My goal is to improve workplace wellbeing, psychological safety, retention, and productivity through practical tools and compassionate frameworks.

Now that I’m running my own legal consulting business while teaching my seminar at the university, it feels empowering that I have chosen work that aligns with both my needs and human-centered mission. 

If you're interested in exploring how trauma-informed practices, mediations, or trainings can transform your workplace, I’d love to connect. Together, we can work to create healthier, more resilient environments where meaningful work thrives.