In Transition Times: How to navigate changes with confidence

Big shifts happen. Whether the changes are economic, political, or relating to your personal life, it's essential to find ways to adapt while staying true to yourself. In this article, we will explore three frameworks that have helped many business owners and creatives navigate change and their personal transformation journey.

These frameworks are taught in business schools such as Harvard and Stanford, and can be applied to almost any situation in life. They can be helpful in moments of job loss, relocation to another country, or starting a new career. Shifts do not necessarily have to be negative to feel hard; even big excitement about change could lead to a huge stress response, and it’s beneficial to have information about emotional resilience tools already. We’ll cover William Bridges’ Transitions Model, which includes an understanding of the three imaginative zones you’ve been placed in a personal transformation; Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset, introducing the growth mindset as a tool for resilience; and the ADKAR Model for Change Management. Ultimately, you will find a detailed 30-Day Reset Plan that combines all the strategies into a step-by-step guide, ready to be implemented.

1. Understanding Transitions: Why Change Feels So Hard

If you’ve ever felt disoriented after a major life change, even one you desired, you’re experiencing a profoundly human emotion. Maybe you achieved the promotion you’d been working toward for years, only to feel anxious and out of place. Or perhaps you finally left a toxic relationship and, while feeling relieved, you’re also mourning what you’ve lost. Or you might be reading this while navigating a change that was thrust upon you, wondering why moving forward feels so incredibly difficult.

Here’s what’s going on beneath the surface: psychologist William Bridges discovered a crucial distinction between change and transition. Change is external—the new job, the ended relationship, the cross-country move. Transition is the internal psychological process of adapting to that change, letting go of familiar identities, and growing into who you’re becoming. Your brain, wired for predictability and control, naturally resists this messy, uncertain process. Research confirms that major life transitions activate the same stress response as traumatic events, even when the changes are positive.

Let’s explore how she (and you) can navigate these life transitions using proven frameworks to find confidence and direction.

2. William Bridges’ Transitions Model: Navigating Change

Life transitions challenge us to adapt and grow. William Bridges’ Transitions Model provides a clear framework for navigating life transitions by focusing on the internal journey of change. Transitions involve three emotional stages: Ending, Neutral Zone, and New Beginning, which shape personal transformation. Let’s explore each stage and how to apply them to your journey.

Ending: Releasing the Past

Every transition begins with loss. This stage involves letting go of a familiar role, routine, or identity, which can spark grief or resistance. You might ask, What am I losing? Acknowledging these feelings is crucial for moving forward.

Neutral Zone: Embracing Uncertainty

The Neutral Zone is a liminal space of confusion and possibility. You’re no longer your old self but not yet your new one, wondering, What’s next? This stage, though uncomfortable, fosters reflection and opens doors to new paths, building resilience for personal transformation (it actually could be adapted to your project or business).

New Beginning: Stepping Forward

The New Beginning emerges when you embrace a new identity or direction. Hesitation is common. Can I do this? But small, intentional steps help you commit to a fresh start, turning uncertainty into opportunity.

Let’s get back to Nicole. Her decade-long role ended abruptly due to company downsizing. She feels unmoored, as if her identity as a confident leader has been stripped away.

In the Ending phase, she grapples with grief, asking, What am I without this role?

In the Neutral Zone, uncertainty clouds her path, leaving her wondering, What’s next for me?

As she approaches a New Beginning, she hesitates, questioning, Can I succeed in something new at this stage?

To navigate your own life transition like Nicole, first identify your current stage: Ending, Neutral Zone, or New Beginning. Journal or talk out with someone about questions, such as What am I letting go of? What possibilities could emerge? o process your emotions and pave the way for new beginnings. Next, we’ll combine this model with Growth Mindset and ADKAR for a practical roadmap.

3. Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset: Reframing Challenges for Growth

The next workflow is developed by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck and highlights the difference between a fixed mindset, where one believes their abilities are unchangeable, and a growth mindset, where challenges are seen as opportunities for learning and development. Adopting a growth mindset allows you to transform obstacles into opportunities for personal growth and face life’s changes with courage. Let’s delve into how adopting this mindset can shift your perspective.

Fixed vs. Growth Mindset

A person with a fixed mindset believes that their abilities are unchangeable: I’m either good at this or not. This perspective can trap you in fear during transitions, making setbacks or failures seem unchangeable. In contrast, a growth mindset sees abilities as flexible: I can grow through effort. It encourages viewing challenges as chances to evolve. Understandably, it can be hard to see the silver lining in something big and overwhelming. However, knowing that it won’t last forever can help. This shift builds emotional resilience to face uncertainty head-on.

Why Growth Mindset Matters in Transitions

In life pivots, a growth mindset transforms setbacks into growth opportunities. Instead of thinking, This is too hard, you ask, How can I grow from this? It fosters persistence, openness to new skills, and confidence in adapting. This mindset makes the uncertainty of change a catalyst for personal transformation, empowering you to move forward.

Nicole, our 38-year-old executive, is grappling with the loss of her senior manager role due to a company downsizing. As she navigates the emotional turbulence of what Bridges calls the Ending phase, she notices new concerns surfacing. Questions about her career path, her financial security, including retirement planning uncertainties. Sometimes she catches herself thinking, Maybe I'm too established in my ways to make a big change now.

Here's where a growth mindset becomes a gentle companion rather than another expectation to meet. Instead of pressuring herself to immediately see this as an opportunity, Nicole can start small: What might this experience be showing me about myself? What would I like to learn more about? You don’t need to force positive thinking, just try to stay curious when everything feels uncertain.

If you're in a similar place, you might try this gentle reframe: when you notice a thought like I don't know how to start over, see if you can soften it to I'm learning how to navigate this one step at a time. Simple journal prompts can help, you can find them in the 30-Day Reset Plan in the end of the article.

4. The ADKAR Model: A Structured Path Through Change

While Bridges' model helps us understand the emotional journey of transitions and growth mindset reshapes our perspective, we still need a practical roadmap for navigating change. Enter the ADKAR Model, developed by Jeff Hiatt, founder of Prosci, in the mid-1990s after studying the change patterns of more than 700 organizations.

ADKAR is an acronym representing five sequential building blocks that individuals need to move through for lasting change: Awareness (understanding why change is needed), Desire (motivation to support the change), Knowledge (information about how to change), Ability (skills to implement new behaviors), and Reinforcement (efforts to sustain the change). What makes this model particularly powerful is its focus on the individual level, recognizing that organizational or personal transformation happens one person at a time.

Let's see how Nicole might use this structured approach alongside her emotional and mindset work:

Awareness: She recognizes that her old role is truly gone and that staying in limbo isn't serving her. She acknowledges, "The industry has changed, and I need to adapt my career path to stay relevant and fulfilled."

Desire: Rather than forcing enthusiasm she doesn't feel, Nicole focuses on what genuinely motivates her. She reflects, "I want to find work that uses my leadership skills but gives me more flexibility and purpose. This transition, though painful, might be the push I needed to have a life I want."

Knowledge: Nicole begins researching her options: consulting opportunities, different industries, or even starting her own business. She takes online courses, conducts informational interviews, and explores what skills she might need to develop.

Ability: She starts small, perhaps taking on a freelance project or volunteering in an area of interest. These experiences build her confidence and help her practice new ways of working and presenting herself.

Reinforcement: Nicole creates systems to support her new direction—joining professional networks she has already built on her past role, finding a mentor, setting regular check-ins with herself about her progress, and celebrating small wins along the way.

Notice how ADKAR doesn’t rush Nicole through her feelings or demand immediate action. Instead, it provides structure for her gradual movement from uncertainty toward intentional next steps. Combined with understanding her transition stage and maintaining a growth mindset, Nicole now has a comprehensive toolkit for navigating this major life change.

Find your 30-day reset plan combining ADKAR, Bridges’ Transitions, and Growth Mindset, click here. Remember, these frameworks are powerful, but continuity matters most—move forward at your pace and rest when you need to.

Katia Vlasova

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