Guest Post: What Comes Next?

I met Kara Johnson at a Camp FI event I spoke at in 2022. At the time, she was very new to the financial independence community and drinking from the proverbial fire hose for reasons she’ll explain below.

She reached out to me last year to thank me for a private conversation we had at that event. That conversation came at a point at the event when I sensed she felt overwhelmed. 

She shared what she has been up to since we met. Her origin story touched me and her evolution since we first met was fascinating. I invited her to share her story here.

We are all on our individual journeys to financial independence and determining what comes after. No matter what path you are taking or where you are on it, I think there are things we can all learn from Kara’s story….

Kara, we met in the summer of 2022. Can you describe what led you to attend that Camp FI event?

I accidentally came across the financial independence movement/community around the fall of 2021. It was amid the COVID pandemic. I felt extremely burnt out at my job as a university career counselor.

Getting Intentional and Finding Balance

I had been living on autopilot, not thinking much about or questioning my life path or future. The pandemic forced me to stop and think more deeply about things.

Around this time, my husband and I met with our financial advisor. We would typically chat with him a few times a year, tracking our progress toward traditional retirement. This meeting was different. 

I remember feeling particularly emotional and I even cried during that meeting. I told our advisor I was exhausted and burnt out at work and asked him what it would look like to retire early or take a break from my job.

Beyond burnout at work, another big concern was balancing enjoying life now and saving for later. My whole life, I have always been a diligent saver.

Does it have to be all or nothing?

After losing both my parents to cancer and my best friend to a serious illness, my outlook on money and saving started to change. I told our advisor I didn’t want to save for retirement and never live to enjoy it like my parents. My dad died at 57 and my mom died at 62. 

I said, “What if I don’t live to 85?” His response was, “What if you do?” 

He advised me to stay the course and keep working/saving and I could retire by 50. I was 42 at the time. There was no discussion of alternatives or options – just keep working and saving for later.

I felt completely deflated after that meeting. It’s not like I said I wanted to go and blow all my retirement savings in Vegas. I just wanted my feelings to be validated and to discuss options. 

Down the Rabbit Hole

I felt like I was in a financial prison and remember thinking “This cannot be the only way.” So, I started Googling “early retirement” or something along those lines.

This sent me down a rabbit hole of resources and information I had never been exposed to. I discovered Mr. Money Mustache’s blog and soon realized he lives in Longmont, CO, a Mecca for the FI community. I live in Fort Collins, about 40 minutes north of Longmont.

Near the end of 2021, I decided to attend my first FI event at Mr. Money Mustache Headquarters. At this particular event, a woman named Jillian Johnsrud was giving a brief talk.

Many people in the FI community are familiar with Jillian, but being new to the community, I had never heard of her. Jillian gave a brief, fairly informal talk about how much money people need to retire and discussed alternative ways of thinking about retirement and saving.

At that moment, I felt like I had found what I had been searching for. There was another way! And there are other people with the same questions/frustrations as me.

Taking Action

Following that event, I began working with Jillian as a coaching client in early 2022. Jillian was instrumental in helping me realize that I didn’t have to stay stuck in my job. There are other possibilities and paths. 

With Jillian’s help, I left my job in March of 2022. Jillian also introduced me to CampFI and recommended it as a good way to learn more about and connect with people in the FI community. So, I signed up for my first CampFI in July of 2022.

Where would you currently describe yourself on your path to financial independence?

My financial independence journey is continually evolving. When I first learned about FIRE, I was overwhelmed by all the information and differing opinions. I got caught up in the numbers and felt anxious about whether I had “enough” to take a break. 

Over time, as I learned more, I began to relax and realized it is much more about the journey than a specific financial destination. I have adopted a Slow FI philosophy and lifestyle.

Some people in the FIRE community are focused on sacrificing now for more freedom later. That approach doesn’t resonate with me, particularly because of my experience with losing people close to me. 

This made me appreciate the fact that the present moment is all we’re guaranteed. You could live to be 100, or you might get diagnosed with a terminal illness tomorrow.

Over time I have also learned how crucial mindset is on the FI path and in life in general. I created a substantial financial cushion enabling me to leave my full-time job and take a break, but I wasn’t prepared for how much leaving traditional employment would rattle me.

I had gotten so used to working and saving and watching my account balances grow, that it was difficult for me to shift from saving to actually spending some of that money. It’s been over 2 years since I left the university and I’m just now starting to get comfortable permitting myself to use my savings to sustain me during this time of transition and take my foot off the gas for a while.

When I share that I am speaking at events like CampFI, I invariably get questions from people asking whether they should attend and what they would get from these events. I’ve been pretty entrenched in this community for over a decade, I generally go as a speaker, and my experience is likely different from those asking. Can you explain if/how this event helped you? How did your experience compare with your expectations?

The CampFI in the summer of 2022 is the only one I have attended. Attending that one CampFI was a really big step for me for a couple of reasons. 

Highlights From Camp FI

I am naturally pretty introverted, so the thought of going to an event with people I don’t know AND sharing a bedroom with strangers was not necessarily at the top of my list. Also, because I was new to the FI community, I was nervous about not fitting in. 

That being said, I am so glad I took the leap and attended. Not only did I learn from the speakers and sessions I attended, but I was able to make some wonderful connections with others in the community.

A couple of things stand out to me from my CampFI experience. One was meeting and talking with you, Chris. 

As I mentioned, it was my first event and I was out of my element in one of the sessions. You were sitting next to me and must have sensed this because you leaned over and told me not to worry if I felt like some of the content was over my head because it was pretty advanced.

Following that session, I sought you out to thank you for the words of encouragement and chat with you more. Our conversation was fairly brief, but I shared a bit about losing my parents and feeling anxious about finding a balance between planning for the future and enjoying life now. 

What I appreciated most about our conversation was your warmth and sincerity. You took the time to listen to me and acknowledge my experience. That’s something I really needed at that moment.

At that same CampFI, I also met Amy Minkley. Amy and I connected over our shared experience of having recently left our jobs and we were both figuring out what was next for us. 

Amy went on to create her own event, FI Freedom Retreats, in Bali. I had the incredible opportunity to attend the inaugural event in the autumn of 2023. 

No exaggeration, that trip was life-changing for me, but that’s a whole other blog post. What I appreciated most about Amy’s event is the emphasis on the less tangible pieces of FI, like mindset, passion, and purpose – essentially your “why” behind FI.

Can you describe your path since we first met two years ago?

Oh goodness, so much has happened in the last couple of years! When I first left my job at the university, I planned to take a break and spend some time figuring out what was next for me.

Getting Intentional

My goal has never really been to “retire” per se. It is more about creating space and freedom to spend my time as I choose. 

I was so tired of someone else controlling my time and defining my priorities. Quickly, I learned that I had no idea how to take a break.

I was so used to running on the hamster wheel when I finally stepped off, I didn’t know what to do. I had never allowed myself to truly rest and think intentionally about my life path. My story was the epitome of burnout.

I maybe took a few days to go to a coffee shop and read, but that was about all the break I allowed myself. Almost immediately, I started to feel pressure to “do” something. 

The “shoulds” started creeping in – “you should be working,” “you should have things figured out by now,” “you should be making money.” The list goes on and on. 

A New Business

Around this time, a social worker friend of mine who works with teens and young adults with trauma and anxiety reached out to me. Many of her clients need support with career exploration and job searching. This is not her area of expertise. I decided to take on one of her clients and provide career counseling/coaching. 

At that point, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue in the career counseling field, but felt internal pressure to start making an income again. Career counseling felt like the easiest path to that since I had been doing it for the last 12 years. Almost by accident, I started my own career counseling/coaching practice.

Over the next couple of years, my career coaching business began to grow, but I was progressively less satisfied by the work. I loved my clients, but the work wasn’t energizing me like it had in the past.

And I kept feeling a pull back to making art. I thought I would have time to do career coaching and work on my art, but starting a business of any kind is A LOT of work.

Related: Should You Start a Business After Retiring?

Pursuing Passion for Art

I found that I was continuing to put art on the back burner. So, after much deliberation, I finally decided to shut down my career coaching practice, so I could more intentionally focus on art.

It took a long time for me to come to the decision. Once I did, I knew it was the right one. I immediately felt a sense of relief and felt re-energized by the prospect of making art again.

Last summer was pivotal for me in making the transition to being a professional artist. I was selected to participate in the Denver Chalk Art Festival, Pianos About Town in Fort Collins, CO, and Pastels on 5th in Loveland, CO. 

Even though I don’t plan to focus specifically on public art projects moving forward, these events were instrumental in building my confidence as an artist, pushing me to show my process and work to the world, and leading to the official start of my art business in 2024.

I also recently began renting studio space at Artworks in Loveland, CO, giving me that much-needed structure and separation between work and home. I’m looking forward to having more time to work on individual artworks and continue to learn and build my career as an artist. 

Finding a Niche

Over the last year, I began defining my niche as an artist. I focus primarily on the creation of mandalas and sacred geometry, as well as other symmetrical and repeating patterns inspired by fractals in nature.

The mandala-making process seamlessly blends left-brain structure with right-brain creativity. While gridwork demands careful calculation, designing intricate patterns flows naturally from imagination. This dual-natured practice has become my sanctuary for mindfulness and self-healing.

A major misconception among “FIRE types” is that they can figure out what they spend (which reflects their current needs and desires), adjust for inflation, and extrapolate that out 40 to 50+ years into the future.

Related: This was The topic of my talk at the Camp FI where Kara and I met.

What things did you miss about your career that surprised you? What was better than anticipated? Any surprises?

Something I wasn’t fully prepared for, and I think this is true for many people, is the psychological impact retiring or leaving traditional employment has on you. I can’t emphasize this enough!

Related: Does FIRE Make Life Harder

What’s the purpose?

Simply running the numbers and figuring out your FI number is helpful, but it’s only a small piece of the puzzle. It doesn’t prepare you for a major life transition like leaving traditional employment. 

With my background in counseling and career development, I understand how important having a purpose in life is. It’s not like once you hit a certain money milestone, or any other kind of milestone, your life will magically be perfect. 

It’s vital to consider what matters most to you and then design your life around those things. Why are you pursuing financial independence?

Related: The Purpose Code

Creating Structure

One of the things I miss about my job at the university that I didn’t fully appreciate until I left was the daily routine and structure. I first got a glimpse of it during the COVID shutdown, when many people shifted from going to an office to working remotely. 

I didn’t realize how important it was for me to have a physical separation between work and home. It was much easier for me to shift from work mode to home mode when I had to physically leave my office space, get in my car, and drive home.

I also miss the social aspect of working on a college campus. I miss working with the students, helping them explore career possibilities and navigate life transitions was the best part of my job. 

Freedom!

As far as what’s been better than expected since leaving my W2 job, 100% it’s the freedom and autonomy. Even though my job was fairly flexible, I was still at the mercy of other people when it came to determining the top priorities in my role and work. 

On top of that, I didn’t feel particularly understood or valued by leadership. I was continually getting more work and responsibilities added onto my plate that were not in line with my strengths and career goals.

What role do you see work playing in your life moving forward? What (financial or non-financial) benefits do you derive from your work?

I don’t ever see myself retiring, at least not in the traditional sense of the word. I derive great joy and a sense of purpose from working.

Freedom and autonomy are incredibly important to me. I want to be in charge of how I spend my time and working for myself gives me that autonomy.

That’s not to say that entrepreneurship is easy – it’s a hell of a lot of work actually. But working on something personally meaningful to me where I get to call the shots is far more fulfilling than working on someone else’s timeline toward goals that aren’t personally meaningful to me. 

This isn’t to say that I will never work for someone else again. For now, I am enjoying this new chapter and I’m excited about the possibilities. 

I see financial independence as the guiding light on the journey, not the destination. It gives me the power to choose if, when, and how I work, instead of feeling beholden to a job or company.

A big part of your story is loss (of your father, mother, and best friend). How is this shaping your financial and broader life philosophy? Any wisdom you would like to share based on these experiences?

Yes, I would say the losses I have experienced have absolutely had the biggest impact on my life philosophy. My life would look very different today had I not lost some very significant people. 

This is not to say that these changes happened overnight. It was several years before I really started to wake up and make significant changes in my life. 

Using the Negative of Losses…

Particularly after losing my parents, my views on work and retirement started to shift. Both my parents worked hard their whole lives at jobs they weren’t necessarily passionate about and saved diligently for “later.” Well, “later”, i.e. retirement, never came. 

They never got to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Over time, this started to sink in and I decided I didn’t want that to be my story. None of us knows how much time we have on this earth. Based on my family history, longevity may not be in my future. 

…To Create Positive Change

I don’t say this to be morbid. It has been a great motivator to take action. I started contemplating the end of my life and the things I would regret not doing. This has helped me put things in perspective and become more comfortable taking risks and taking on greater challenges. 

I’ve started questioning my limiting beliefs and striving for the things I really want in life. Ultimately, this is what brought me back to art. Art has always been THE thing for me. 

As a kid, art was the one activity where I would lose all sense of time. I could sit and draw for hours. Even though part of me is disappointed about the time I lost when I could have been making art, I know that this is the way things were supposed to happen. 

I’ve gained so many amazing skills and experiences from my career in counseling and education – skills and experiences I never would have had had I gone down the art path immediately. I see so many ways that my background and experiences in art, counseling, and education intersect, creating the potential for some cool possibilities moving forward. 

And even though I would give anything to have my parents and my friend here with me today, I don’t think I would have had the courage to do the things I’m doing now without experiencing those losses.

Thank you Kara!

There is so much in Kara’s story that resonated with me. These are three particular aspects I want to highlight.

I first want to thank Kara for her willingness to share how she processed the loss of loved ones and turned it into a positive. My story that shapes my own life and money philosophy is similarly shaped by loss. If you are similarly struggling with loss, I hope you can find inspiration in her story.

I also appreciate her sharing her struggles finding the right path after leaving her career. Her sentiments of struggling with a lack of structure and needing to find purpose outside a career are common, but not talked about often enough. Those “shoulds” that she describes can be powerful, and it is important to acknowledge them and push back.

Finally, I hope you got value from Kara sharing the importance of finding a community of people with similar values and priorities (and struggles) to help navigate these challenges. Many people, like her financial advisor, don’t share these values and are trapped in a traditional way of doing life.

What she did in stepping outside of her comfort zone to connect with strangers in a vulnerable way is hard. But it is also hard to go against the grain of our society where most people’s adult lives are dominated by work until traditional retirement age. Having a community of peers and advisors that support you and share common values as you find your own path is invaluable.

Thanks again Kara. I hope you all got as much out of her story as I did.

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[Chris Mamula used principles of traditional retirement planning, combined with creative lifestyle design, to retire from a career as a physical therapist at age 41. After poor experiences with the financial industry early in his professional life, he educated himself on investing and tax planning. After achieving financial independence, Chris began writing about wealth building, DIY investing, financial planning, early retirement, and lifestyle design at Can I Retire Yet? He is also the primary author of the book Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence. Chris also does financial planning with individuals and couples at Abundo Wealth, a low-cost, advice-only financial planning firm with the mission of making quality financial advice available to populations for whom it was previously inaccessible. Chris has been featured on MarketWatch, Morningstar, U.S. News & World Report, and Business Insider. He has spoken at events including the Bogleheads and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants annual conferences. Blog inquiries can be sent to chris@caniretireyet.com. Financial planning inquiries can be sent to chris@abundowealth.com]

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