Lessons About Leadership and Mental Health from Driving Cross-Country with Two Cats

Driving Change: What Two Cats, a Cross-Country Move, and a Car Ride Taught Me About Leadership and Mental Health

When I got job offers in Washington, I was elated. After a long period of searching, I finally had a direction. I made a choice—and then another. That’s how it is with big transitions: one decision leads to the next, and soon you find yourself packing boxes, looking for a place to live, booking movers, and planning a cross-country move.

And then there were the cats.

Wendel is anxious. Cleo doesn’t sit still. Neither of them had been on a car ride longer than a trip to the vet. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy for them—and truthfully, I wasn’t sure how it would go for me either.

So I planned the drive carefully. I built in natural stopping points to allow us all to rest, regroup, and breathe. I didn’t want the cats confined to their carriers for too many hours straight. I had time frames, expectations, and a goal in mind—just like I would if I were facilitating a team through a major organizational shift (Kotter, 2012). But as with all change, the plan and the reality didn’t always match.

Change is Disorienting—Even With a Map

When we first started the drive, the cats didn’t understand what was happening. There was a lot of meowing, clawing, and desperate attempts to get out. It struck me how similar their reaction was to how people feel during sudden or high-stakes change at work—confused, unsure, and grasping for a sense of control.

I was feeling that, too. Driving across the country toward a new job, a new home, and a new chapter, I had plenty of time to sit with uncertainty. I imagined scenarios—some hopeful, some anxious—about what the new job would be like, how I’d show up, and how I’d be received. Change impacts our sense of safety, even when we’re the ones choosing it. That’s why trauma-informed leadership and psychological safety are so critical in the workplace (Bloom & Farragher, 2013; Edmondson, 2019)—especially during times of transition.

Everyone Adjusts Differently

In one hotel, Wendel disappeared under a chair, shaking. In another, he found a way to wedge himself under the bed to avoid getting back in the car. Cleo, on the other hand, sometimes jumped into her carrier on her own in the morning—ready to go. But in the car, she wanted to hide beneath my seat, her head tucked t