The News You Need for May 6
Give yourself permission to change "success." What can you learn about the economy at NCCI's AIS? And how does California handle inconsistent medical info from a claimant?
When the Dream Evolves: Success, Rewritten
Leadership Link
The Issue: What Happens When the Life You Wanted … Changes
We are taught to chase the dream. Build the brand. Climb the ladder. Secure the title. Check the boxes. Rise, shine, and repeat.
But what happens when the dream changes? When the thing you once worked for no longer fits the person you have become?
Many women arrive at mid-career or mid-life and realize the vision they once held for themselves no longer feels aligned. Not because they failed. But because they grew. The job, the title, the hustle, the story all once made sense. But now? Something feels off. The goals feel like ghosts. The days feel too tight for the life you are trying to expand into.
Success is not static, yet we are rarely given permission to evolve it. We are praised for achieving but rarely celebrated for releasing. We learn to chase but not to choose again. In hindsight, reinvention is romanticized but often feels terrifying in real-time.
Rewriting your definition of success is not an identity crisis. It is a return to self.
Why It Is Challenging
Our culture praises consistency over evolution. Changing your mind can be mistaken for flakiness, instability, or lack of gratitude. There is pressure to stay the course, even if that course no longer leads where your heart wants to go.
Women are expected to stay grateful, not hungry. There is a subtle narrative that says: “Be thankful for what you have.” Wanting more or wanting something different can be labeled selfish, dramatic, or indulgent.
Reinvention often feels like letting people down.
When you pivot, it may rattle the people who once celebrated your path. You risk disappointing family, mentors, or even your former self.
There is no roadmap for reimagining success. Most career development tools assume linear growth, not a soulful transformation or a redirection rooted in purpose.
We are rarely taught to pause and reevaluate. Life moves fast, and in the rush to meet expectations, we forget to check in with what truly feels right. The result? We climb ladders, leaning against walls we no longer believe in.
What We Can Do for Ourselves: Reimagining Success with Honesty and Courage
1. Check In with the Life You Are Living
Ask: “Who am I becoming? Does my current path support her?” Revisit your values, goals, and daily habits with fresh eyes. Reflect on what energizes you and what quietly drains you. Success should feel like an expansion, not performance. You are allowed to evolve—even when the world applauds where you are.
2. Honor What You Outgrow
Not every dream is meant to last forever. Some were stepping stones; some were survival tools. Grieve what is ending. Thank the version of you who wanted it. She got you here. Let go of the guilt that comes with change. Outgrowing is not quitting—it is becoming. Release with reverence. Begin again with grace.
3. Define Success in a Way That Feeds Your Soul
What does success feel like, not just look like? Is it impact? Freedom? Presence? Balance? Contribution? Create a new definition that reflects this chapter of your life. Write it down. Speak it out loud. Let it anchor your yes and your no. Remember that success that costs your joy is not success.
4. Take Small, Brave Steps Toward the New Dream
You do not need a five-year plan to begin. You need clarity and a first move. Try something small: a new conversation, project, or boundary. Begin making room for the life you are calling in. Do one thing a week that aligns with your redefined vision. Momentum is the proof that you trust your inner wisdom.
5. Surround Yourself with Expanders, Not Limiters
Share your evolving dream with people who hold space, not fear. Find mentors, coaches, or communities that reflect your next level. Avoid those who only celebrate the version of you they are comfortable with. Let yourself be witnessed in your becoming. You deserve a circle that whispers, “Yes, go.”
How to Support Others: Creating Space for Women to Redefine Success
1. Normalize Growth and Change as Markers of Maturity
Celebrate evolution, not just achievement. Share stories of women who have pivoted, paused, or completely rewritten the script. Say: “You are allowed to change your mind and change again.” And if you do not like the choice you made, change it again. You are always one decision away from a completely different life. Make transformation a sign of power, not crisis.
2. Avoid Locking Women into Their Past Selves
Do not define people by their last job, their old title, or their early decisions. Identity is who you are, not what you do. Ask: “Who are you becoming?” and mean it. Let women evolve without apology or interrogation. Give space for reinvention without demanding an explanation.
3. Support the Process, Not Just the Outcome
Cheer for the messy middle, not just the polished next chapter. The power lies in authenticity. Ask, “What feels meaningful for you in this moment?” Offer encouragement without pressuring for clarity. Support does not always mean fixing. Support can also mean witnessing, listening, and validating along the way.
4. Redefine Career Success Beyond Titles and Timelines
Embrace definitions that include wellness, family, freedom, creativity, and peace. Celebrate lateral moves, sabbaticals, rest seasons, and bold pivots. Teach young professionals that success is not one shape, and this shape can evolve. It should evolve with time, growth, and perseverance. Allow values to drive the vision, not just industry trends or what is popular on social media.
5. Lead with Curiosity, Not Judgment
Ask, “What’s exciting you right now?” Be open to dreams you do not fully understand. Hold space and understand more than one truth can be possible simultaneously. Affirm that exploring something new is not a risk but a return or an unbecoming where we unlearn and rewire. Model what it means to hold space for transformation. Show others that reinvention is not instability; it is integrity.
A Call to Action: Rewrite the Rules. Reclaim the Dream.
You are allowed to redefine what matters.
You are allowed to walk away from what no longer fits.
You are allowed to outgrow what you once called success.
You are not starting over.
You are starting deeper.
You are not behind.
You are becoming.
You are not a failure because your dream evolved.
You are a force because you listened.
Because you trusted your inner knowing.
Because you said yes to what was next.
When the dream evolves, let it.
Celebrate it. Share it. Shape it.
Because the truest version of success is not the one the world applauds.
It is the one that fits your life, your values, and your joy.
And if you are rewriting your story right now.
You are not alone.
You are leading by example.
5 Questions with NCCI’s Stephen Cooper on AIS, State of the Economy
With NCCI 's Annual Insights Symposium just a few days away, we were fortunate enough to catch up with Stephen Cooper , Executive Director and Senior Economist, who gave us a sneak peek on what would be on tap for his session, The State of the Economy and Its Impact on Workers Compensation, happening, May 13 at 1 p.m. EDT.
Q. Why is the topic of this session important for the industry?
Stakeholders continue to list economic uncertainty as a top concern, given that workers' compensation insures employers and workers. Employment and wages directly impact premium in workers' compensation while other indicators can impact frequency and severity trends.
Q. Who stands to gain the most from attending this session?
Anyone in and around the P&C industry can benefit from a discussion on the economy, particularly those in the workers compensation space.
This session is focused on the economy – specific to workers compensation, and the data and insights are shared with the goal of supporting a healthy workers compensation industry.
Q. In a nutshell, what will this session cover?
This session will dive into the four most important aspects of the economy for workers compensation:
· Growth
· Employment
· Inflation, and
· Interest rates.
Each section will discuss current happenings, where impacts might be felt in both the economy and workers compensation, as well as highlight some of the outstanding questions that have yet to be answered.
Q. What about your journey in the industry has been the key (or keys) for your understanding this topic and explaining it to others?
After receiving stakeholder feedback that the economy is top of mind for industry leaders, our team decided to develop the Labor Market Insights and Medical Inflation Insights to provide timely perspectives on what the latest data and analytics could mean for the industry.
Q. What about your role in the industry makes you proud to be delivering this session to the AIS audience?
We know that rapidly evolving economic conditions have created uncertainty and questions for many industry stakeholders. I’m looking forward to taking an in-depth look at recent economic developments and their potential impacts to the workers compensation system.
Inconsistencies Abound but don’t Hurt Calif. Worker’s Case
Case File
While a California worker presented some contradictory information about his injury, they weren't enough to show that he did not experience an injury arising out of and in the course of his employment. Simply Research subscribers have access to the full text of the decision.
Case
Menchaca v. Hedman Manufacturing Co., No. ADJ12718876 (WCAB Cal. 10/17/22).
What Happened
A painter claimed he sustained injury to his knees, shoulders, ankles, back, neck, hands, and fingers.
A panel qualified medical evaluator opined that it was reasonable to conclude that a contributory causative factor of injury and impairment involved in the worker's case was an industrial injury, even though there were no medical reports indicating that the painter sought or received medical treatment while working for his employer. The painter's doctor also opined that the painter's injuries were the result of repetitive stress from his job.
A workers' compensation judge found that the painter did not sustain an injury arising out of and in the course of employment to various body parts while employed for the employer. In particular, the WCJ found conflicting testimony from the painter provided to the medical providers and the court.
The painter appealed to the state's Workers' Compensation Appeals Board.
Rule of Law
With respect to matters requiring medical knowledge, a WCJ cannot disregard a medical expert's conclusion when the conclusion is based on expertise in evaluating the significance of medical facts.
What the WCAB Said
The WCAB found that the painter's claim carried substantial evidence to support a conclusion that his injury was work-related since both the painter's doctor and the PQME physician concluded that the painter sustained a cumulative injury arising out of and in the course of employment.
Specifically, both doctors reviewed the painters:
+ Medical records
+ Diagnostic studies
+ Medical history
+ Work history
Additionally, both doctors conducted physical examinations of the painter and explained their analyses.
"There is substantial medical evidence in the record here to support a finding of AOE/COE," the WCAB wrote.
So, what of the inconsistencies that bothered the WCJ?
The WCAB found the apparent contradictions less problematic than the WCJ.
"The inconsistencies in applicant’s testimony at trial include the weight of the heaviest object applicant lifted while working, what year he started feeling the pain in his knee while working, and telling the PQME he never climbed at work and then testified he did have to climb ladders," WCAB wrote. "While there may be inconsistencies in applicant’s testimony, they are not crucial to the mechanism of injury."
Instead, the WCAB highlighted that the doctors found that repetitive work as a painter was consistent with the injury sustained arising out of and occurring in the course of employment.
Therefore, the WCAB found that the painter sustained an injury arising out of and in the course of employment and rescinded the WCJ's decision.
Takeaway
Inconsistencies in a California workers' compensation applicant's medical testimony won't spell doom for his claim if they are not crucial to the mechanism of injury.