The pandemic caused many people to reconsider what they wanted out of life. And for some, like Yvette Lanneaux, that introspective moment inspired dramatic change.

After years of working as a lawyer,“I’m not practicing anymore,” said Ms. Lanneaux, 58. “I’m now a shepherd.”

Her journey began in the summer of 2020 when she was stuck at home in Princeton, N.J., with her husband, Michael Nissan, 69; her two grown children from a previous marriage, who had returned home; and Ms. Lanneaux’smother.