By 2019, my dream of relocating to Italy had become more than just a passing thought, it had become my mission.
I was still applying for overseas positions, networking, and doing everything I could to make the move happen. That part hadn’t changed.
What changed was me.
My First Real Opportunity
In February 2019, I applied for a Management Analyst position in Naples, Italy.
A few months later, I received the news I had been hoping for, I had been referred for an interview.
This was my first real opportunity.
The position aligned perfectly with my background in Human Resources. After spending my entire career in federal HR, I knew the work inside and out. In many ways, I felt overqualified for the role, and I walked into the interview believing this might finally be the opportunity that would take me to Italy.
The interview itself was… okay.
Like many interviews, it’s impossible to know how you’ve done until the decision is made.
So, I waited.
The Rejection That Hurt the Most
Several weeks later, the email finally arrived.
It wasn’t the news I had hoped for.
I had been rejected.
I was still at work when I opened the message. Most of my coworkers had already gone home, and the few who remained watched as I tried to process what had just happened.
I couldn’t.
I burst into tears.
It wasn’t just another rejection.
It was my first interview after countless applications, and I had convinced myself that this was going to be the one.
I wanted to move to Italy so badly.
One of my coworkers came over and said, “Monique… it’s okay. You’re going to get there. You’re going to move to Italy.”
Through my tears, I remember saying, “I know… I just need to get the hell out of here!”
Looking back now, I can laugh at that moment.
At the time, though, it wasn’t funny.
It was heartbreaking.
Learning to Pause Without Giving Up
After giving myself time to breathe, I realized something important.
Maybe this job simply wasn’t meant for me.
That realization didn’t mean giving up.
It meant taking a breath.
One of the greatest lessons my grandmother ever taught me was simple:
Never give up.
Take breaks.
Rest.
Recover.
But NEVER give up.
So that’s exactly what I decided to do.
I kept applying for jobs, but I stopped gripping the outcome so tightly. I needed to calm my nervous system and release the pressure I had placed on myself.
Ironically, that’s often when life begins to move.
When you stop trying to force every door open, new doors quietly begin to appear.
An Unexpected Opportunity
A few months later, something unexpected happened.
My former supervisor, the woman who had hired me into federal service years earlier, reached out.
She had moved to an agency at the Department of Defense and asked if I would be interested in joining her team.
I didn’t hesitate.
The Department of Defense, along with the State Department, is one of the primary federal organizations that places civilian employees overseas.
Immediately, I recognized what this opportunity could mean.
This wasn’t Italy.
But it was a step in the right direction.
Since my former supervisor already knew my work ethic and capabilities, the interview felt more like a conversation than an audition.
I left feeling confident.
This time, I believed the opportunity was mine.
A Return to Italy
While waiting for my official offer, I took another trip overseas.
In September 2019, I returned to Italy for a women’s retreat at Sophie’s home just outside Florence.
The trip began in Milan before I traveled to Tuscany, where I spent a beautiful day reconnecting with Sophie and the incredible women in her community.
After Italy, I continued on to Portugal before returning home.
Even though I still hadn’t received my final job offer, something inside me had changed.
I wasn’t anxious anymore.
I trusted that things were unfolding exactly as they were supposed to.
One Step Closer
Not long after returning home, the official offer finally arrived.
In December 2019, I accepted the position with the Department of Defense and left the job that had made me deeply unhappy.
No, it wasn’t my move to Italy.
Not yet.
But it was one of the most important stepping stones on the journey.
Joining the Department of Defense placed me inside one of the organizations most likely to send employees overseas.
For the first time, my dream no longer felt distant.
It felt possible.
When I arrived at my new position, I immediately started networking again for overseas opportunities.
The difference was that I was no longer chasing the dream from a place of desperation.
I was moving toward it with confidence.
I had learned that sometimes progress doesn’t look like arriving.
Sometimes progress looks like positioning yourself for the opportunity before it appears.
Looking back now, I can clearly see why 2019 wasn’t the year I was destined moved to Italy.
It was the year I became one step closer to the life I had been working so hard to create.
Next up: Seven months after joining the Department of Defense, I received the news I had been waiting years for. The opportunity I had worked toward for so long had finally arrived, and my life was about to change forever.