The Career Change Maker Podcast

The Podcast for Ambitious Mid-Career Women Redesigning What's Next***Top 1.5% Global Careers Podcast***Are you navigating a mid-career transition and wondering what's next?Have you built a successful corporate career but realised you don't want your boss's job?Do you feel the tension between wanting more freedom and not wanting to sacrifice security?If you're ambitious but no longer willing to burn out for another promotion, you're in the right place.I'm so glad you're here.This podcast helps high-achieving mid-career women gain career clarity and confidently design their next chapter,  whether that means evolving inside corporate, exploring a portfolio career, or building a hybrid path.If you're ready to stop default climbing and start making strategic, aligned decisions about your future, this podcast will give you the insight and tools to move forward with confidence. Hello, Hello! I'm Janine Esbrand, corporate lawyer turned career strategist and executive coach.For years, I had my eye on the corporate partner title. I kept my head down, worked the long hours, and chased the next big deal because that's what success was supposed to look like.Until I became a mother.And I realised I didn't want to build a life around my career, I wanted to build a career around my life.So I stepped off the default corporate path and designed a portfolio career that allows me to work on my terms, create meaningful impact, and show up fully, both professionally and personally.Now I help ambitious mid-career women do the same. If you're ready to gain clarity, challenge the default ladder, and design an aligned, sustainable career that reflects who you are now, not who you used to be, this podcast will give you the strategy, mindset and tools that you need. So grab your notebook, pour your hot drink of choice, and let's design what's next. Send a textWebsite: careerchangemakers.comEmail: hello@careerchangemakers.com LinkedIn: Janine Esbrand Instagram: @careerchangemakerspodcast

Are you considering a career move but feeling held back by guilt? Whether it's leaving a role you worked years to attain or walking away from an industry that looks "perfect" on paper, the weight of loyalty and identity can be paralysing.In this episode, I dive deep into why we feel guilty about wanting more and how to shift your perspective to embrace the evolving seasons of your career. Drawing from my own transition from corporate law to in-house practice after becoming a mother, I talk about how to move from a place of "should" to a place of intentional alignment.What You'll Learn in This Episode:The Trap of "Good on Paper": Why objective success (titles and salary) often masks a deep lack of personal alignment.The Psychology of Career Guilt: Understanding how your identity and past hard work can make you feel "stuck" in a role that no longer serves you.Embracing Seasonality: Why the decisions you made 5 or 10 years ago don't have to dictate your future.Pivot Without Burning Bridges: How to leave a role or industry with agency and intention rather than fear or drama.Action Steps:Give Yourself Permission to Re-evaluate: Be honest about what isn't working in your current role and accept that your priorities may have shifted.Audit Your Alignment: Move beyond external markers of success. Ask yourself if your current role aligns with your current personality, values, and motivations.Choose Intention Over Fear: Decide to stay or go based on what makes sense for your current season of life, not out of a sense of obligation to your past self.Do you find yourself relating to this episode and need some guidance?

If you're feeling stuck at mid-career, unsure whether to stay, pivot, or start something new this episode is for you.In this case study, I'm joined by my former client Claire, who went from feeling uncertain about her next move after leaving a role of 13 years in education to gaining crystal-clear career clarity and launching her own consulting business in just three months.We talk about what it really takes to get unstuck, how to move from overthinking to aligned action, and why clarity doesn't have to take years when you approach it strategically.If you've been sitting in “what's next?” mode for longer than you'd like, this conversation will give you both perspective and momentum.What You'll Learn in This Episode:Why mid-career transitions can feel heavier and how to navigate them strategicallyThe difference between being “stuck” and being unclearHow Claire moved from uncertainty to launching a consulting business in 3 monthsWhat actually creates clarity (hint: it's not more overthinking)The mindset shifts required to stop default climbing and start designing what's nextAction Steps:1️⃣ Get honest about what feels misaligned. Instead of asking “What job should I apply for?” ask “What do I no longer want to tolerate?”2️⃣ Stop gathering endless information and choose one direction to test. Clarity often comes from action, not analysis.3️⃣ Define your next 90-day focus. If you had to move forward strategically for the next three months, what would you prioritise?

In this episode, I'm speaking directly to the introverts and the “just let me do my good work” professionals who feel resistant to the whole “be everywhere, build your personal brand, post every day” narrative.Visibility is important for career progression, whether you want to move up internally or explore opportunities externally. But being visible doesn't mean becoming someone you're not.I break down how to approach visibility in a way that feels aligned, strategic, and sustainable, especially if you don't naturally enjoy being in the spotlight. I share the three-step framework I use with my coaching clients to help them build visibility without compromising their personality or values.If you've ever been passed up for opportunities and wondered why less experienced people seem to get ahead, this episode will give you clarity and a practical way forward.What You'll Learn in This Episode:Why visibility is required for career progression (even if you're brilliant at what you do)The difference between being everywhere and being strategicThe 3-step visibility framework: Who, How, WhenWhy people promote based on perceived potential and how to influence that perceptionAction Steps:Identify Your “Who.” Ask yourself: Who specifically needs to see me and understand my value? A hiring manager? A senior leader? A decision-maker in your industry? Get clear.Choose Your Method. Decide how you will raise your visibility with intention. This might look like speaking up once in key meetings, booking strategic coffee chats, supporting a senior leader's project, or attending a targeted event.Set Your Cadence. Visibility doesn't mean constant noise. It means consistency. Choose a rhythm that works for you; monthly or quarterly and commit to more than one touchpoint.If this episode resonated with you and you're ready to build a visibility strategy that feels aligned to who you are that's exactly what we work on inside my one-to-one coaching.Once we're clear on where you want to go, we design the right visibility plan to get you seen by the right people without forcing you to become someone you're not.

From Burnout to Business Owner (Client Case Study)In this episode, I'm sharing a powerful career coaching case study with my client, Maren. After moving from the Netherlands to Sweden and building a “squiggly” career across physiotherapy, admin, tech support, HR tech and customer success, she hit a point of exhaustion and misalignment at work.Maren came to coaching feeling tired, frustrated, and unsure of her next career move. Together, we explored her strengths, values and ideal work life. What started as a search for a new role turned into something bigger: the clarity and confidence to start her own business and design work that truly fits her.What You'll Learn in This EpisodeHow career coaching creates clarity The tools we used to help Maren understand her strengths, preferences and ideal working environment.From self-doubt to self-advocacy at work How Maren went from “keeping quiet” to confidently speaking up, communicating her value, and challenging assumptions about what was possible in her career.A practical path from employee to business owner How she made a calculated, low-risk transition into entrepreneurship in Sweden, including using a legally protected leave to start her business without losing job security.In this episode, we talk about:What burnout and misalignment looked like for her day-to-dayWhy trying to “figure it all out in your head” keeps you stuckHow informational interviews and LinkedIn outreach gave her real-world dataThe mindset shift from “maybe one day I'll start a business” to “I'm a business owner now”The emotional reality of starting a business: fear, excitement, headaches… and growthMaren also shares how coaching helped her avoid taking the long, indirect “multi-stop flight” in her career, and instead take a more direct route to the work and life she actually wanted.Connect with Maren Today, Maren runs Floohi, where she helps small and growing businesses:Create calm, systemised operations behind the scenesStreamline workflows and processesUse tools like Notion to bring structure and clarity so founders can focus on what they do bestIf you're a business owner who feels like everything is in your head and your backend is chaos, you'll love hearing how Maren supports her clients.

If you've been feeling like your only options are to stay miserable or burn it all down, this episode is for you.In today's episode, I'm talking about how all-or-nothing thinking shows up in our careers, particularly for high achievers  and why this black-and-white mindset keeps so many capable, talented people feeling stuck, frustrated, and disengaged.I share why this way of thinking actually makes a lot of sense given how you've been rewarded throughout your career, and why shifting from making “forever decisions” to treating your career as a series of experiments can unlock clarity, confidence, and momentum.✨ What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhy all-or-nothing thinking feels logical, and how it quietly keeps you stuckHow high achievers get trapped by the belief that every career move must be perfect and permanentWhy clarity doesn't come before action, it's created through actionHow to reframe career decisions as experiments instead of life sentencesWhat it really looks like to move forward without having everything figured out

As we move through the first full working week of January, many professionals find themselves reflecting on their careers and questioning whether the path they're on still fits. In this episode, I reflect on my biggest career pivot - stepping off the default legal career track while on maternity leave and how that single decision shaped a fulfilling portfolio career over the last 10 years.This episode is an invitation to rethink rigid career paths, embrace experimentation, and give yourself permission to choose again as your life, priorities, and seasons change.✨ What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhy clarity often comes after action, not before and why waiting to have it all figured out keeps many people stuckHow I made her first career pivot without taking a reckless leap, and how small, strategic transitions can de-risk changeWhy careers are meant to evolve and how to design work that fits your life, not just what looks good on paper

If logging into LinkedIn or Instagram at the start of the year has left you feeling behind, overwhelmed, or questioning whether you should be doing more already — this episode is for you.In this episode, I explore why January so often triggers panic action, how social media rewards speed over alignment, and why rushing into goals can actually delay the results you want most.I share why slowing down to gain clarity has become one of the most powerful career strategies I've seen — especially for high-achieving professionals in mid-career.If you're in a season of questioning, recalibrating, or figuring out your next move, this conversation will help you release the pressure to “hit the ground running” and instead move forward with intention.✨ What You'll Learn in This Episode:Why January creates panic action and how comparison fuels rushed decision-makingThe difference between motion and traction in your careerWhy rushing into goals can lead to burnout, misalignment, or repeating the same patternsHow to recognise when you're in a figuring-it-out season (and why that's strategic, not a failure)The power of pausing before making a big career move especially if you're feeling stuck or restlessPractical ways to slow down, tune out the noise, and take aligned next steps

In this episode of the Career Change Maker Podcast, I explore what happens when your career looks successful on the outside, but feels misaligned on the inside.So many high-achieving women reach a point in mid-career where everything appears to be going well - the title, the experience, the trajectory...yet there's a quiet sense of dissatisfaction that won't go away. Not because they've failed, but because they've grown.I talk about why this tension is so common, why it often shows up after years of building momentum, and how staying in roles that no longer fit the season of life you're in can slowly drain your energy. I also share reflections from my own journey of moving away from private practice as a corporate lawyer, and why permission, not urgency was the turning point for me.If you've been asking yourself “Is this it?” or going back and forth about whether you should make a change, this episode will help you pause, listen to the information your body and mind are giving you, and think more intentionally about what alignment looks like now.✅ What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhy feeling dissatisfied in a “good on paper” career is more common than you thinkHow misalignment often shows up in mid-career for high-achieving womenThe hidden energy cost of staying in roles that no longer fit your season of lifeWhy clarity matters more than urgency when considering a career pivotHow to move out of mental looping and into intentional decision-making

In this week's episode, I'm joined by creative entrepreneur, writer and past client, Tosin Hunter, for a deeply honest conversation about navigating the messy middle of career change, making an intentional pause, and rebuilding a life and career that genuinely aligns with your values.Tosin spent over a decade in corporate recruitment roles at organisations like EY, UBS and Salesforce — climbing the ladder, getting promoted (even while on maternity leave), and doing everything “right.” But behind the scenes, she was exhausted, burnt out, and increasingly disconnected from the work she was doing.In our coaching journey, she began unpacking what wasn't working, rediscovering her values, and reconnecting with parts of herself she'd buried for years. That inner work sparked a complete life shift. One that led her to leave corporate, honour her season of motherhood, rediscover her creativity, and eventually build Hunter Digital, the website design studio she now co-leads with her husband.If you're in the midst of questioning your career, craving more alignment, or feeling the nudge to pause and reassess, this conversation will resonate deeply.

***Join us for our 300th Episode Celebration***On Thursday 27th November, we will be coming together to celebrate reaching this amazing milestone with a Live Podcast Recording & Networking Event.I would love to see you there.  Grab your ticket. There are only 15 seats left available. __________

***Join us for our 300th Episode Celebration***On Thursday 27th November, we will be coming together to celebrate reaching this amazing milestone with a Live Podcast Recording & Networking Event.I would love to see you there.  Grab your ticket. There are only 25 seats left available. ___________________________________________________________In today's episode, I'm diving into a powerful yet often overlooked question that can make or break your preparation for career-defining conversations — whether it's an interview, a performance review, or a high-stakes pitch.This episode was inspired by a recent conversation with one of my coaching clients who is navigating the Career Change Maker Process. As we discussed an upcoming chat she had with a recruiter, one simple question shifted everything for her and I believe it can do the same for you.What you'll learn: The power and importance of preparing for career advancing conversations in the right way How to move from reactive to proactive communicationWhy this one question works across interviews, reviews, and pitchesIf you want to show up fully prepared and leave a lasting impression in your next important conversation, this episode is a must-listen.Action Step: Before your next career conversation, ask yourself: What do I want them to know about me, my experience, and my expertise by the end of this conversation? Then prepare with that focus in mind.Links & Resources:

***Join us for our 300th Episode Celebration*** On Thursday 27th November, we will be coming together to celebrate reaching this amazing milestone with a Live Podcast Recording & Networking Event.I would love to see you there.  Grab your ticket. There are only 30 seats available. ______In this powerful episode, I am joined by fellow career coach Michelle Schafer, who also specialises in career transition and leadership development. Together, they explore why mastering difficult conversations at work is a critical skill for professional growth and long-term fulfilment.Michelle shares her personal journey from experiencing job loss twice to building a thriving coaching practice — and how those experiences shaped her belief that real career advancement begins with courageous conversations. 

In this episode of the Career Change Maker Podcast, I explore what it means to redefine career success across different life seasons. From your 20s to your 40s and beyond.So many ambitious professionals find themselves questioning their path not because they've failed, but because they've grown. Whether you're stepping into motherhood, supporting ageing parents, or simply feeling out of alignment, this conversation will help you give yourself permission to pause, reflect, and pivot.I share my personal journey of shifting from corporate law to coaching, and why success needs to evolve with your changing values, energy, and capacity. If you're feeling unfulfilled in your work or wondering if it's "too late" to make a change this episode is your reminder that it's okay to want something different now.✅ What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhy your brain wasn't fully ready when you first chose your career path (and why that matters)How life events like motherhood or midlife shifts can change what success looks likeThe importance of reassessing your values and capacity in every seasonHow misalignment between your work and your values can create burnout or uneasePractical reflection prompts to help you start redefining success on your terms

Description

Are you a high-achieving woman who's recently been promoted or made a career change… but instead of feeling excited, you're feeling anxious or overwhelmed. In this episode, I explore why this emotional hangover happens after a promotion or big career move. I share personal stories from my journey qualifying as a lawyer and transitioning into my business, plus practical steps to help you navigate this season with confidence and self-compassion.

Are you a high-achieving woman who's stepped into a new leadership role and feeling the pressure to perform, impress, and keep it all together?In this episode, I open the new season by exploring the hidden cost of high performance and how it can prevent you from building confidence as a leader. I share practical steps for how to succeed in a new leadership role without losing yourself in the process.What You'll Learn in This Episode:Why high performance often becomes a mask that limits authentic leadershipThe internal tension that arises when you rely on external leadership blueprintsHow self-awareness and personal alignment help you lead with more ease and impactThree ways to start removing the mask of high performance and show up more powerfullyAction Steps:Reflect on where you're performing vs. where you're truly aligned.Ask yourself what it's costing you to keep wearing the high-performance mask.Explore small, intentional ways to start showing up more authentically this week.

Are you ready to embrace your unique feminine leadership strengths and navigate the challenges women face in the workplace?In this episode, I delve into the power of embracing feminine traits in leadership, exploring how empathy, collaboration, and even hormonal cycles can be leveraged for success. I uncover the barriers women face and provide practical strategies for thriving as a leader.What You'll Learn in This Episode:✅ Leverage Feminine Strengths & Navigate Challenges: Embrace empathy and collaboration as leadership superpowers, while understanding and overcoming challenges like imposter syndrome and systemic barriers.✅ Optimise Leadership Through Cycle Syncing: Align your work with your natural hormonal rhythms to enhance effectiveness and prevent burnout.✅ Prioritise Well-being & Foster Support: Set boundaries to manage mental load and cultivate a supportive workplace culture through mentorship and emotional intelligence.Action Steps:

Are you ready to embrace unapologetic leadership?In this first episode of this season of the Career Change Maker Podcast, I share my personal journey to becoming an unapologetic leader and how it's transformed my work and life. I explore what it means to lead authentically, leveraging your unique strengths and preferences, rather than conforming to someone else's mould.What You'll Learn in This Episode:✅ Authenticity is Key: Discover the true meaning of unapologetic leadership and its importance. ✅ Leverage Your Strengths: Learn how to identify and maximize your unique talents. ✅ Self-Awareness is Foundational: Understand the power of self-awareness and tools like DISC.Action Steps:

Are you ready to embrace resilience as a leadership superpower? In this episode of the Career Change Maker Podcast, I speak with Julian Roberts, an executive coach and author of Weathering the Storm: A Guide to Building Resilient Teams. Julian shares insights from his journey, strategies for building resilience in individuals and teams, and actionable advice for navigating uncertainty while thriving as a leader.What You'll Learn in This Episode:✅ Three key pillars of resilience: purpose, psychological safety, and diversity.✅ How stepping out of your comfort zone strengthens your ability to weather challenges.✅ Why fostering open communication and collaboration is critical for team success in uncertain times.Action Steps: