Careers aren’t just jobs—they are identities, stories, futures we imagine into being. So when something in our career begins to die—a dream, a role, a plan, a version of who we thought we were—the emotional terrain mirrors grief. A career transition can feel like walking through the same rooms that the dying or the grieving pass through. Each room asks something of us. None are wrong. All are human. Here is how those stages often unfold on the path of work. Denial — “This can

Losing a career isn’t just losing a job. It is losing a rhythm, a role, a way you introduced yourself at parties, a structure around your days, a source of pride, and—sometimes—your sense of self. Like any major loss, it leaves a deep vacancy that requires mourning. The Six Needs of Mourning offer a way to understand that inner terrain. Below is how each need shows up when the loss you’re grieving is your career . Acknowledge the Reality of the Loss This is the moment when th