Just chiming in that I absolutely detest this way of thinking. This isn’t a dig at you personally, but against the idea of living or presenting your life as some series of neatly explainable resume bullet points. I have been susceptible to it myself to a greater or lesser degree throughout my career.

100%.

My "independent consulting" time was a mask for burnout. I certainly did consult independently, right down to paying too much for health insurance. My time off was extremely valuable and made me realize I needed to rest and reinvent myself. Plus, as I get older I realize I can use the b-word at certain stages of interviewing as a way to filter out toxic people and institutions.

But yeah, it's all a big game. Nobody is owed a tidy explanation of this.