The Career Change Diaries

To kick off Spring, we hear from the energetic and inspiring Melissa Power. Melissa is a world-leading indoor cycling expert, educator, and studio owner who made a bold career pivot from TV production to revolutionising indoor cycling. After retraining as a fitness professional, and spending a decade teaching across London, she founded Cadence, the city's leading boutique cycling studio, and the MPowered Academy, a globally recognised certification through which she has trained over 600 instructors - guiding many to make their own career change into fitness.Melissa talks through her own career change, detailing the how and why of moving away from working on shows like This Morning and Catchphrase. We hear how a freak bike accident changed her life by introducing her to the world of indoor cycling as part of her rehabilitation. 8 years later and she is a world leading expert on the subject, even going on to launch an academy certifying instructors - the majority of which are those who are 'bored of the day job' and looking for a career change. If you're into fitness, or love the idea of starting your own business, this episode is for you.

This month's episode is an absolute must for career changers. We hear from Graeme Jordan, a highly experienced Job Application, CV, and Interview Consultant. A career changer himself, Graeme previously worked as a Recruitment Consultant, then a Marketing Research and Strategy Consultant, before founding his own business 12 years ago. Now, he helps professionals get selected for the jobs they really want.To begin with, we hear about Graeme's own career change. Graeme then goes on to share his insights and key advice on: how to approach your CV when seeking a career change; how to deal with possible ‘gaps' on your CV; what to do about ATS software; how to make sure you get shortlisted for a role; and how best to approach your applications and subsequent interviews. The rising use of AI in the recruitment process is also discussed and debated. If you're making online applications this year, be sure to have a listen.

It was a pleasure to speak to Jon Adams this month. Jon originally trained as a Shipbroker, going on to work as a Chartering Manager for a Shipowner for 12 years. Within the last year, Jon has transitioned into a Control Management role, choosing to continue to work for the same employer, but in an entirely different capacity, as opposed to changing career completely. Jon's career transition is an interesting one to listen to, as it encourages us to realise that a complete career change is not always what's required for someone to feel fulfilled and satisfied in their work again. Jon shares his experiences of delving into other career options, and the ‘red flags' these experiences threw up for him. He also talks through how he negotiated the creation of a whole new role in his current organisation that aligned well with a lot of what he was hoping for in a new role, with the added ease of staying in a company and industry he knew incredibly well. This new role may not be the end destination for Jon, as he discusses the need and desire to remain open to where his career goes next.

This month's episode is a unique one in that Alice spoke to none other than herself! After her podcast guest dropped out last minute, she took the opportunity to record and share her own career change story. Alice discusses what made her want to move away from being a Probation Officer, and how and why she ended up starting a coaching business. She talks about the patience and grit required to change career, and what often holds people back from making a change. Alice also passes on her advice for career changers, based on her 14 years of coaching experience. The episode also covers the pros and cons of changing career, as well as sharing Alice's particular path to self-employment. Whilst not the usual format for this podcast, hopefully all that is shared will be helpful for the year ahead!

This month we spoke with Rebecca Ferreira. Following university, Rebecca worked as a Teaching Assistant and in Hospitality while exploring her career options. During this time, she discovered a genuine interest in Advertising and Production. As a result, she is now working in Advertising and PR as a Creative and Strategy Executive, with the aim of also expanding her work into Media Production.We hear how initially Rebecca shied away from a creative career due to her perceptions around what it took to be a ‘creative', opting for safer, more corporate careers to start with. However, she decided to step out of her comfort zone and explore her options in the creative industry, which she knew very little about, when it became apparent through coaching that working in this space was what she truly wanted. Rebecca discusses how LinkedIn research, signing up to various short courses, and completing an internship opened doors to a creative career she's now well on her way to pursuing.

In this honest and heartfelt episode, we hear from Chris Rice. Chris worked in marketing for the film and entertainment industry since leaving university back in 2006. He achieved senior roles within global agencies and brands before making the move to become freelance in 2020. In 2023, he decided that a more wholesale change was needed, and, today, while still working in his original industry, he is also retraining to become a plumber.Chris opens up about how his constant search for ‘more', and never feeling at home in his career, led him to the realisation that a change was required. He discusses how he needed to let go of some of his own stereotyping and judgements around certain careers before he could really commit to a career that he felt was right for him. Chris also describes how working freelance in his previous career enabled him to re-train whilst still drawing an income. He makes it clear that completely changing career can be hard financially, requiring severe sacrifice at times, but that, in the end, it felt necessary and totally worth the temporary struggle.

We're back after a short break over the summer! In this episode, we kick things off with the brilliant Mie Kayser Jensen. Before deciding to change career, Mie worked as a Communications and Social Media Executive at a luxury travel company in London. When she moved to Australia and took a job in sales, she realised she needed a career change. Since finishing her Masters in Journalism, Mie has been working with news podcasting, and now writes about lifestyle and motherhood.Alice and Mie discuss the importance of moving forward despite having fears and doubts, and how, often, the next step can only become apparent by getting started. Mie shares how she felt returning to work after having babies, and how managing the timing of a career change whilst having kids is not always clear cut. She shares the highs and lows of changing career, whilst being incredibly patient with herself, and the journey, along the way.

This month, it was a real pleasure to speak to Philippa Dunn. Philippa began her career with a brief stint as a press officer, before building a career in fundraising and philanthropy for cultural and environmental charities. Having gone freelance in 2020, she is now a creative strategist for a range of third sector clients. She's also a writer (having just completed her first novel), and runs a small holiday cottage business, too - so no two days are ever the same in her new portfolio career.In this episode, Philippa talks about how she managed to overcome her need for societal validation to carve out an authentic career that gives her the more balanced lifestyle she craved. She discusses how coaching led her to realise what was key for her in life, and how understanding and communicating the value she brings to a role meant she could be more proactive in seeking out career opportunities that she enjoyed. Philippa's career change shows us that career ‘success' is down to your own definition, not society's.

Ayisha Gulati started her career at an Investment Bank, where she spent six years. Whilst it was a career she was happy to pursue at the start, it soon lost it's novelty, especially when Covid struck and WFH meant she was faced with the undeniable fact that it just wasn't what she wanted anymore. Despite others encouraging her to stick with a career that carried status and prestige, Ayisha knew a change was needed. In this episode, we hear how volunteering (and a chance Instagram story) opened her up to the realisation that she could be paid for doing what she loved - talking and writing about sport. We also hear about the 'On Purpose' programme that Ayisha completed, which helped her rule out a social impact career. By taking the time to explore her interests in a variety of different ways, Ayisha was able to carve out a career that works for her. She is now nearing the end of a Sports Journalism diploma, and will be starting her first full time sports journalism job in June! Listen to her talk through the highs and lows of changing career, and why she has no regrets about making a change.

For April's episode, we spoke to career changer, Milly Pelmore. Before making the leap into sports coaching and education, Milly worked in the charity sector, running innovation teams to develop new products and services in a wide range of areas including health, sport for good and children's services. Although motivated by the end goal of supporting people, a life behind the desk wasn't enough, and last year Milly left it all behind with the goal to ‘figure it out.' Milly talks about how she fell into her career, and how she knew a career change was needed when each new job she tried just didn't resolve the nagging feeling that the career wasn't right for her. In order to move forward, she had to let go of societal expectations, and the assumed need to have it all figured out before taking her first steps in the right direction. Milly discusses how putting herself out there, believing in what she had to offer, and having patience with the process helped her move into work that now lights her up, and she feels proud to talk about.

This month, it is an absolute pleasure to welcome onto the podcast the renown career strategist, and author of 15 books on careers and work, John Lees, who's best-selling book ‘How To Get A Job You Love' was last month's WHS Travel's Business Book of the Month.  In this episode, we discuss the three most common perceived barriers to a career change - money, the sunken cost fallacy, and confidence. John shares incredibly helpful ways to open up and shift your thinking around these obstacles so they don't continue to hold you back from moving forward. We discuss the power of starting small, exploring alternative career options with a curious and playful mind, the importance of talking to the right people about your career change, and stepping away from the black and white into a space of grey. We hear how the stories we tell ourselves, and the assumptions we make around our careers are not always true, and how looking outwards is often the key to progress.

In this episode, we speak to Rosie Croft, who worked in fashion buying for 12 years, working with some of the world's most prestigious brands. After years of feeling dissatisfied, Rosie changed career, and is now a skilled artisan craftswoman, creating bespoke handmade lampshades using antique fabrics.We hear how the magic words ‘portfolio career' opened Rosie's eyes to what a diverse and varied career aligned to her values could look like, and how helpful it was to experiment with her ideas before committing to the one that inspired her the most. Rosie's story really shows how a career change can bring about a whole lifestyle change, leading to a happy, content, and more chilled life.

In this episode, we speak to Hector Hughes, who quit his job in a tech start-up in order to co-found the now infamous digital detox cabin company, Unplugged. We hear how a mild Quarter-Life Crisis led Hector to re-consider the life path that he was on, resulting in him attending a silent retreat in the Himalayas. Following that experience, and a much needed push, he made the decision to make the most out of life, and start his own company with a friend. Hector talks openly about the ups and downs of this career change, the mistakes he made along the way, his relationship with risk-taking, and how he overcame his fear of what others think in order to move forward with his plans.

In this episode, we hear from Jenna Mcavoy, whose career has taken many turns, all fuelled by a desire to help and empower others. Her career journey shows how one chapter can unknowingly lead onto another, and the importance of knowing and verbalising what you want in order to make things happen. Jenna also shares the common barriers her clients face when achieving their goal requires changing the way they think and behave, and how to overcome these obstacles. 

We have something a bit different this month. We speak to Vida Skreb, who is a Neuroscientist and Leadership Coach (and a career changer, too, as it happens). Vida helps us understand why contemplating a career change, or any change for that matter, is so challenging for us humans. We delve into the neuroscience of the brain to find out where our fears and doubts come from, why we procrastinate, and we often avoid change, even when we know it's what we need. By understanding a bit more about what we're up against, Vida describes how to go about making a change in the most brain-friendly way.

This month, we hear from career changer, Christina Frowein, who started her career in hotels and the travel industry, after her BA in Hospitality Management. After doing that for 8 years, she went back to university to follow her passion, earning a MA in Coaching and Leadership, and now works for a coaching startup. Christina's journey highlights the effectiveness of a stepping stone approach to changing career, and how following your gut instinct can help move you forward. She talks candidly about her experiences, the impact Covid had on her decision making, and the courage it takes to follow your dreams.

This month, we hear from Hannah Stange, who, 12 months ago, made a complete career change from the finance and private equity sector, into the Probation Service. Hannah's career change reminds us that it's important to follow our gut when it comes to making decisions, and that ‘one man's trash is another man's treasure' in that Alice herself left the Probation Service to embark on a new career in coaching. Hannah highlights the importance of financial planning when your career change may require a pay drop, and offers three key pieces of advice for others considering a change, based on her own experiences.

In this episode, we speak to Rachel Schofield, who worked for the BBC as a journalist and news presenter for 20 years, before training as a career and personal development coach. Rachel discusses how even ‘sexy' jobs can have their downsides, and how it can be hard to let go of a career that defines a large part of your identity. We hear how simply exploring and testing your new ideas first can free you up to move forward, as well as how to overcome common fears related to career change. Rachel talks us through her own career transition, the uncomfortableness of 'starting again', and how she built up her business over time. There's also a fascinating discussion around why we find change so hard, according to neuroscience, and how to best work with our brains so they don't hold us back.

This month we hear from career changer, David Horrich. Previously, he was the founder and CEO of 100% Studios, a group of 3 fashion e-commerce photography studios in London. After selling that business, David moved into real estate investment, via the founding of a tech startup and a short career in finance. David provides a candid and philosophical account of his career change journey, talking through the windy road of change, and why it's OK not to always have it all figured out before proceeding with your next step. Again, the power and importance of networking and testing career change ideas first shine through in his own unique journey to where he's ended up today.

In this month's episode we hear from Spencer Williams, who changed career from retail management into garden design and horticulture. Spencer talks openly and honestly about the impact being in a career he simply fell into was starting to have on his mental health, and how the death of his father and turning 40 prompted him to bite the bullet and start his own horticultural business. Spencer also highlights how helpful it was to 'test drive' his ideas first, and how utilising his network opened up work opportunities that led him to where he is today.

In this episode, we hear from career changer (and my dear friend) Jemma Khan about her intriguing journey from being an Account Manager for an IT recruitment company, to starting a whole new career as a Wedding Florist. Having dabbled with a few ideas related to her hobbies, Jemma found solace in a floristry course, which opened her eyes to a career in the field. By overcoming the challenges of starting a wedding-related business at the start of a global pandemic, Jemma shares how her career change evolved into a flexible and creative business that works for her and her family. If you are thinking about changing your career, head over to my website to see how I can help you. https://www.alicestapleton.com/

The first episode of The Career Change Diaries kicks off with a fascinating interview with career changer and TOMME founder, Kelly Gunner. Having previously worked in music, Kelly moved into advertising as she started to build fashion brand TOMME alongside her full time job. In this open and honest interview, we hear how Kelly finally made the key decision to go full time on her own business, what's been most challenging about the career change, what she's learnt along the way, and what advice she has for those considering a change of direction.