The Inner Exit > Reinvention
Letting Go of the Leader You Had to Be
There’s a moment in every leader’s journey that doesn’t make it onto the exit plan, the strategy deck, or the investor update.
It’s the moment where, quietly, you realise:
“The version of me that built this… can’t lead what’s next.”
Not because you’ve failed. But because something in you has outgrown the role you’ve been playing.
You’ve changed. The business has changed. And yet somewhere in the system you’re still carrying the identity of the leader you had to be.
The warrior. The fixer. The founder. The one who held it all together.
And the hardest part? You don’t need that version of yourself anymore… But it’s still there. Leading from memory.
The Exit Before the Exit
Every founder or senior leader eventually faces an outer exit. A handover, a sale, a scale-up, a succession, a shift in direction.
But long before that happens, the real work is internal.
The Inner Exit is the shift that happens when you begin to release the identity that once defined you.
The part of you that had to prove it could be done
The part that held all the control
The part that protected the culture by carrying the weight of it alone
At some point, you stop asking, What do I need to do? And start asking, Who am I now?
That’s the moment the identity shift deepens.
What Got You Here Was Right for Then
You built what needed to be built. You made the hard calls. You led when others hesitated.
But leadership is seasonal.
What served you in one chapter can become a drag in the nextif you cling to it out of habit, fear, or unresolved legacy.
Your old leadership identity was earned. But it doesn’t need to be protected forever.
This is not about walking away. It’s about walking forward without dragging the past version of yourself with you.
At The Alchemists, we know this firsthand.
We’re going through our own reinvention. Evolving the offer, deepening the message, shifting how we show up. So that who we are now can hold what we’re here to do next.
Because the same is true for us:
What got us here, won’t get us there.
The Grief That Often Goes Unnamed
There’s a kind of grief that shows up when leaders reach this point. Not a loud grief. A quiet one.
Grieving the intensity that once fuelled you
Grieving the role that gave you purpose
Grieving the version of you that knew exactly what to do next
You don’t want to let go out of fear you’ll lose relevance, momentum, or connection.
But what’s really happening is something deeper:
You’re releasing who you had to be.
To make space for who you’re ready to become.
This Is the Work We Do
At The Alchemists, this is the deep shift we walk alongside.
Because this isn’t about reinvention for its own sake. It’s about reconnection. Returning to the leader you are now, beyond the old roles, reflexes, and reputations.
Through 1:1 executive coaching, Your Personal Board (confidential peer groups), and Alchemists INside, we help you make sense of the space between:
Who you were
Who you are
Who you’re becoming
You don’t need to rush the transition. You just need somewhere to be honest in it.
From Legacy to Presence
The inner exit isn’t about letting go of the business. It’s about letting go of the leader you no longer need to be.
You don’t need to hold onto your legacy. You are your legacy.
Now lead like it.
From old identity… to a new knowing identity
From the version that built it… to the one that can grow it
From good… to greater
From I Don’t want to F** it up… again ... To Owning What’s Next