The COVID-19 pandemic raised the question of whether we are going back to where we were before the pandemic or whether we are moving toward a 'new normal'.

It was this question, and the sense of in-between that came with it, that opened the floor to fundamentally challenge who we are and who we want to be if the 'new normal' does or does not occur.

This situation stretches current research on liminality and identity as it has particular characteristics in that neither the end date of the liminality nor the target identities are known.

Conducting a grounded theory study consisting of 114 interviews with 18 nascent entrepreneurs in South Africa before, during, and after the COVID pandemic, therefore provided us with a unique opportunity to develop theory on how individuals engage in explorative processes of identity play during this challenging period.

Building on research on identity, identity play, and liminality, we present a dynamic process of identity-opportunity play that triggers loops of identity growth and resilience.

More specifically, we introduce two distinct paths of identity play that are driven by different emotional responses to the liminal state, leading to either changes in identity structure or content.

These changes ultimately translate into reconstructed opportunities, indicating the importance of identifying with opportunities rather than just identifying opportunities.

Acting on these opportunities is in turn a means to validate the identity and regain a sense of control.

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