As a summary, LOVE it. It was easy to transition into doing full time consulting from having done part time consulting in the same field for 25 years. I could only give up my part time nonprofit job because I could retire and get health insurance as a benefit.

Working at home rocks; I have a great work set up. I don't need "stuff" to do my work or assistants so I have low overhead and a home office deduction is very tax efficient. Making more money in less time and I do not miss the "institution." I do miss some of the people I worked with but like you, they were trainees I supervised as opposed to the admin higher ups who I generally could live without. I miss the adoration that comes from being in a mentoring role.

I do have to travel for a few days 1-2 times/month, sometimes by car within the region but also via plane as some of what I do is in the national level and is a very specific niche/expertise. Sometimes I enjoy the travel and the parts of the country I am able to see and can take extra time to see something besides work.

I can schedule travel on my terms and availability. Currently I'm trying to slow down the pace of my consulting gigs (start them more slowly after being hired) so I have time for a creative pursuit that I love but will not help me earn a living. And once my teen leaves for college I think things will be easier. I'm also an introvert and what I do can be draining and also cause vicarious trauma.

I've done this for less than a year-- consulting where gigs are short term (anywhere from a few months to a few years for me) can be anxiety producing compared to the time when I had a full time job with benefits (or was married to someone who did). There's no guarantee that I'll have work in the future as I very rarely work with the same gubment organizations (occasionally private individuals) but I seem to have a reputation (don't advertise or otherwise recruit for work) that keeps me getting gigs. And if I needed to, my skills and experience translate into an ability to get a regular job if I needed to. And I've planned for an early retirement although I love what I do and can't imagine actually stopping this work, maybe slowing down. I don't think I would need to work for many more years at this pace if I didn't want to.

Again, I appreciate your thoughts on my struggles with groups. It may be the case where I need to come to accept that perhaps at this time and place in my life that they are just not as useful or necessary as they were when I was younger. You've given me stuff to chew on.