There's a Latin phrase for what you're feeling right now.

If you're in the middle of a transition - between roles, between chapters, between who you were and who you're becoming - and it feels like you're behind, stuck, or broken...

You're not.

You're in fieri.

In fieri is a Latin phrase that means "in the process of becoming." It's not a destination. It's a state. The thing is still being formed.

Philosophers use it. Theologians use it. But I've never heard anyone in the leadership or career space use it - and that's a shame, because it's exactly what most of us are experiencing and don't have language for.

We talk about transitions like they're a problem to solve. A gap to close. Something to push through as fast as possible so we can get to the other side and be "done."

But what if the becoming is the point?

Here's what I've noticed in my own transitions through life - and in conversations with other leaders navigating similar terrain:

We're quick to ask "What should I do next?"

We're slow to ask "Who am I becoming?"

The first question feels productive. It has action items. It looks like progress.

The second question feels... uncomfortable. Uncertain. Slow.

But here's the thing: if you answer the first question before the second, you'll end up optimizing for a version of yourself that doesn't exist anymore. You'll climb the next mountain with the wrong map.

In fieri gives you permission to be in process.

It reframes the uncertainty not as failure but as formation.

You're not behind. You're not broken. You're becoming.

The clarity will come. But it comes through the becoming, not before it.

This is what Ad Alta is about.

Not rushing to the next summit. Not optimizing your way out of the valley.

Getting clear on who you're becoming - so the next climb is the right one.

If you're in fieri right now, you're in the right place.

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