HBO’s White Lotus is a hit a satirical dramedy anthology series that explores the lives of wealthy vacationers at luxury resorts, exposing their often problematic behaviours and how their complex dynamics interact with each other and the locals. The Ringer’s Joanna Robinson contends that characters typically experience one of three arcs in a season (which can be used to jumpstart interesting career conversations in your work and life) – here are my paraphrases of the show’s common character arc outcomes based on Jo’s idea:

1. A character is just looking for a vibe (or might be rudderless in life) and transforms.
2. A character is seeking transformation, but stays the same or regresses.
3. A character stays the same (rich, probably selfish, and unchanged by their experience).

(It’s worth noting that at least one character usually ends up dead).

Here are several examples of character arcs from White Lotus.

Unintended transformations

Many characters in the White Lotus transform their lives during their weeklong odyssey. Oftentimes this does not go as they expect. Sometimes they expect to transform, but how it happens is negative. Sometimes their entire worldview or their circumstances change for the better.

Here are some examples of character transformation over the show’s three seasons.

Laurie (Season 3) shows up sad and finds religion – or perhaps peace and acceptance – in time and friendship (after much gossip and romantic misadventures).

Quinn (Season 1) shows up addicted to screens and privilege and finds community in deep see canoeing.

Tim and Saxon Ratliff (Season 3) enter the season as alpha males, their worldview and identity crumbles because of sexual and business misconduct, and they leave the season humbled and, perhaps, zenful.

Mia (Season 2) realizes her potential as a singer by seizing the moment and unlocking Valentina’s sexuality.

Gaitok and Belinda (Season 3) transform for the worse, each becoming grosser versions of themselves. Gaitok chooses violence to impress a girl. Belinda shuns love for money, becoming the very character that passed her over (Tanya) in Season 1.

Regressive aspirations

Another character arc type in White Lotus is when guests show up expecting to transform, but regress, leaving the resort as a worse (or at best same) version of themselves.

Rachel (Season 1) seeks career inspiration and autonomy as an equal partner in her newly-minted-marriage, but leaves the experience betrothed to her manslautery, asshole-of-a-husband.

Armond (Season 1) begins the season annoyed, but steadily descends into madness.

Albie (Season 2) is an aspiring ally and counterpoint to his father and grandfather’s lecherous behaviour when he arrives at the White Lotus, but by the time they are travelling home he is ogling women along with the other two misogynists at the airport.

Frank (Season 3) seeks peace and enlightenment after years of debauchery across Thailand; while there’s hope for him by the end of the final episode, Frank went on a regressive journey of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll before resetting himself in a Buddhist monastery.

Stay the course

Nicole Mossbacher (Season 1) arrives as a rich and powerful executive and… that’s how she leaves the resort.

Harper, Ethan, Daphne, and Cameron (Season 2) arrive as members of struggling, superficial marriages and…that’s how they are when they leave the resort.

Victoria Ratliff (Season 3) arrived in Taiwan China Thailand as an archetype of American southern wealth and privilege and…that’s how she thinks she’s leaving the resort (she could be a candidate for unexpected transformation if her husband doesn’t get away with his crimes).

Lochlan (Season 3), despite his near-death experience, resisted change because he left the resort as a slightly evolved version of the confused, malleable blank slate he was on his first day in Thailand.

Mook (Season 3) sucks. Not only did she uninterestingly stay the same through the whole season, but her ambition and, like, bloodlust, unfortunately transformed Gaitok for the worst.

Career development connections

Career development is both chaotic and intentional. And our careers are always full of stories. Here are some tips for using White Lotus to inspire career conversations in your worklife.

White Lotus characters who transform their lives typically embrace the random, chaotic actions that life (or, like, Polynesian canoers or Russian criminals’ girlfriends) throw their way. This is called planned happenstance.

Embracing the unexpected can reveal hidden strengths and passions. Approach unanticipated opportunities with an open mind, transforming random events into significant milestones that enrich your career and personal growth.

If you find yourself helping others transform, like Belinda helped Tanya in Season 1, these reciprocal relationships can provide insights into our own transformation. When unexpected career questions arise for others, ask yourself how you would apply that same advice. Document insights from developing others that could apply to your own journey, transforming witness experiences into personal growth catalysts.

When White Lotus characters, like Frank or Albie, regress, they can find themselves in an “identity prison”, which means that their circumstances begin to define their character.

When we experience career regression, we can rewrite our professional narrative by recognizing “plot twists” as potential new chapters rather than digressions. When unexpected responsibilities arise, approach them as though they were intentionally written into your story. Document these moments of unexpected joy or competence, as they often reveal authentic strengths that planned career paths might have overlooked.

Rather than viewing regression as failure, reframe unexpected obstacles as data points. When you find yourself retreating to the familiar, document specifically what triggered the retreat. Was it financial insecurity? Impostor syndrome? This awareness transforms regression into a learning opportunity. Next time, build targeted support systems for these specific triggers before pursuing change.

White Lotus cynically portrays wealthy characters who face no consequences for their actions (like the Mossbachers maintaining their privilege despite flirtations with different value systems).

My friend and colleague, Dr. Candy Ho, has done excellent work aligning career development outcomes with the Millennium Development Goals – high-level executives who make significant mistakes but face minimal consequences due to their position, network, or perceived value to the organization, while similar errors would derail anyone else’s career, should rewrite their career focus in service of goals that improve the overall health of the planet and its people. Focus on these outcomes, Nicole.

Another tactic that I think Keith Ferrazzi would recommend is to strategically build a privilege cushion through relationship development and reputation building. When unexpected setbacks occur, having a network of advocates becomes crucial. When we cultivate genuine relationships before we need them, this community can serve as a “consequence buffer” for future missteps.

Or wealthy families like the Mossbachers,Di Grassos, Hollingers, and Ratliffs might be transitioning from the “maintenance” to “decline” stages of Donald Super’s career stages theory (and we won’t hear much from them again).

These arcs demonstrates how career development, like character development in White Lotus, rarely follows a linear path. By applying planned happenstance theory (being prepared for and open to unexpected opportunities), chaos theory (embracing and planning for the non-linear, chaotic experience of career building…or staying at a White Lotus resort!), and narrative theory (consciously shaping your own professional story), you can navigate the unpredictable nature of careers with greater agency and resilience.