This is the paid companion to this week's free article: The Trail Map Method: How to See the Options You’ve Been Overlooking (Part 1) If you haven't read that yet, start there. It will give you the context for why this method exists and what problem it is designed to solve.
Most career frameworks ask you to start with a destination. Figure out exactly what you want, then build a plan to get there.
The Trail Map Method works in the opposite direction. It starts with where you are right now, maps every possible path forward, and makes each option concrete enough that your brain can actually evaluate it. The most aligned path often becomes clearer through the process of mapping itself out.
The clients I have run this exercise with have used their trail maps to launch freelance practices, start businesses, leave industries they had been in for decades, land roles they did not know existed, and in a few cases, step away from work entirely in ways that were actually financially sustainable. In every case, it provided participants a way to see their current situations with more clarity.
Here is how to create your own Trail Map:
