Career Breakers

In this episode, Zeineb Marzouk, a communications specialist from Tunisia, shares her unfiltered take on the challenges of working in international organisations as a woman from the Global South. 🌍✨From deployments in Syria and Iraq to the realities of living in restricted compounds during the COVID-19 pandemic, Zeineb reflects on the emotional toll of witnessing displacement and resilience firsthand. 🧠​❤️‍🩹​After an unexpected career break, Zeineb embraced the chance to pause and reassess her path instead of rushing into the next job. 🔄💡Tune in for an honest conversation on resilience, career transitions, and the fight for a more inclusive humanitarian space. 🎧​🌱

In this episode, I sit down with Anne, a psychologist and mental health specialist with 10 years in the humanitarian sector, and a master of career breaks. 🧠✨ Anne shares how intentional pauses helped her reclaim her purpose, heal, and create a life rooted in freedom. 🧘‍♀️ From volunteering in Greece to working in Afghanistan, and now supporting humanitarians as a therapist. Anne’s journey is about living openly and embracing kairos time...the sacred, unhurried moments that truly shape us. 🌍✨ Tune in for an inspiring conversation about trauma, resilience, and the power of stepping away to move forward. 🎧

In this episode of Career Breakers, I sit down with Maria, a former editor at Female Invest who decided to jump off the treadmill of London life to explore the world. 🌍✈️ Her travels took her to North America, Hawaii, Japan, Indonesia, and Australia, sparking a journey of self-discovery. Now freelancing as an editor, Maria helps brands elevate their storytelling and has launched The Fem Code, a community empowering women to redefine ambition through feminine energy. ✨ Tune in to hear Maria’s advice on recognising dissatisfaction, embracing change, and navigating life after a career break.

In today’s episode, we’re bridging London and Tokyo to connect with Reina, a neurosurgeon who, after a decade in medicine, made the bold decision to pause and prioritize her well-being. 🌱 Reina shares her journey of healing and transformation, inspired by the friendships and experiences she gathered along the way, which helped her reshape her life in alignment with her true needs and ambitions. With heartfelt honesty, she opens up about the toughest moments in her career and the realization that change was necessary. ❤️‍🩹 For Reina, the joy of discovering new cultures became a powerful remedy, reminding her that sometimes, taking a step back is essential to moving forward. As she puts it: "Resting is part of the process—take time to dry your wings."

In this inspiring episode, we dive into the journey of Federica, a scientist on a mission to advance planetary health, starting from within. She shares her personal story of shifting careers to align her expertise with a greater purpose: reconnecting people with nature to heal our relationship with ourselves and the planet 🧘‍♀️🌍. Our guest explores the profound connection between mind, body, and the Earth, revealing how nurturing this bond can lead to both personal growth and planetary well-being. She introduces her unique approach to wellness, viewing it as a "work-in" rather than a "workout", emphasising the importance of realising our true nature to achieve balance inside-out. She is launching an in-person program called RECONNECT to help others embark on this journey of Self and planetary healing ✨. Tune in for a deep conversation on how we can find harmony with ourselves and with the world around us! 🌱 If you're interested in learning more, visit ⁠www.planetaryhealthyoga.com⁠ or follow her on Instagram @planetaryhealthyoga.

Welcome back to Part 2 of our conversation with Asil, In this episode, we dive into the core of her career break, how she carefully planned it, navigated the challenges, and ultimately found a new path forward. 🌱✨ Asil shares practical tips for anyone looking to start fresh or take a break from their career, including resources such as the National Job Centre, LinkedIn, and platforms like Glassdoor. She also emphasises the importance of scheduling “meetings with yourself” 🗓️ taking time to reflect and learn to be your own coach. And for those job hunting, she offers a mindset shift: view the application process as a learning journey rather than just a step towards a new job. 🔎💡 Join us for an empowering conversation about identity, vulnerability, and the importance of choosing your own path and the right people to lean on for your fulfilment. 🌍💫 This is her latest article on Sudan's conflict: https://www.bic-rhr.com/research/sudans-war-anything-civil To get in touch with Asil, visit her website: https://www.asilsidahmed.com

In this episode, Asil Sidahmed reflects on her life, beginning with her upbringing as a Sudanese asylum seeker in Europe and continuing through her career in Africa and the Middle East 🛫🌎 In 2019, Asil took on a critical role as an advisor to Sudan’s Ministry of Health during the country’s transitional government. She describes the immense hope and heartbreak of working in such a fragile state, culminating in the 2021 coup that shattered much of the progress she and others had worked toward. This triggered painful memories of past displacement, leading her to a moment of deep reflection 💔🧠 Feeling broken by the weight of witnessing injustice, she realized that true change had to begin within herself. She decided to step away from her humanitarian and political roles, taking a year-long career break to focus on healing 🌱 As a result of this break, Asil is now running her own consultancy business, serving on the Executive Board of the Oxford Initiative for Global Ethics, where she also teaches, and is preparing to publish her first book, Circling the Periphery, which she began writing during her time off 📚✍️ This is her latest article on Sudan's conflict: ⁠https://www.bic-rhr.com/research/sudans-war-anything-civil⁠ To get in touch with Asil, visit her website: ⁠https://www.asilsidahmed.com⁠

In this episode, we sit down with Chandni, a human rights lawyer who found herself on an unexpected break from work. ✈️ Chandni ventured to Colombia for a wedding and ended up staying for five months. 🌎 Trusting in the flow of life, she fully immersed herself in the vibrant world of dance, and sought spaces for reflection so she could move forward with purpose. 💃🧘‍♀️ However, Chandni's journey wasn't without its challenges. She emphasizes the importance of listening to your body, learning to sit in discomfort, and leaning into your natural curiosity. 🔄🧠 Chandni’s journey is a genuine and honest exploration of life’s highs and lows, in which she champions self-awareness, intentionality, and a deep connection to wellbeing. 🌱💖

In this episode, we explore the inspiring story of Asel, a former UN humanitarian worker, who transformed her life after going through several burnouts. After a serious burnout in 2013 that led to her hospitalisation, Asel faced the crucial question, "Do I really see myself going forward in this career?" This marked the beginning of her journey to create a sustainable career for her wellbeing and needs 🌱❤️. Her first break from work, 3-4 months, allowed her to reflect deeply on her life and realise that she had many unresolved issues and lacked the financial preparation to take a longer break. She returned to work but sought help from coaches and psychologists before deciding to resign again. This support was instrumental in helping her transition from survival mode to truly living. 🧘‍♀️💪 Asel shares valuable insights on financial preparation, mastering emotions, and redefining identity without a job title. Discover how she navigated the challenges of taking a break and learned to own her identity. 💡❤️ Join us for a powerful conversation about rising from the ashes of burnout and reclaiming a fully lived life. ✨ For those interested in reaching out to Asel for life coaching services, you can visit her website: aselormonova.com/one-on-one 🌐

🎙️ Welcome back to part two of Fatou's interview, the queen of career breaks! This time, Fatou dives into her second career break, sharing how she navigated her decade-long relationship with her company. She opens up about the initial doubts and fears that came with the decision to leave a stable job and the unique challenges of returning to the interview process after a long break. 💼🔄 With her usual spontaneity and infectious energy, Fatou opens up about her worries, doubts, and the priceless moments she enjoyed during her break. Embracing a slower life, she discovered new skills and simple joys. As Fatou beautifully says: "There is a time to work hard, to push your limits, and there are times to take breaks, go to Greece, find yourself in the middle of a village, talk to that lady she's making clothes, knit with her, talk to her." 🇬🇷🧶✨ Tune in to hear Fatou explain the magic of living slow 🧘🏾‍♀️ and how it helped her recharge and grow 🪴. Whether you're thinking about a career break or just need some inspiration, this episode is packed with great insights and loud laughs.

🎙️ In our debut episode, we dive into the remarkable story of Fatou, a true expert in navigating career breaks. With three career breaks under her belt, Fatou has mastered the art of reinventing herself. She shares her bold decisions to leave a stable, high-paying job to explore new opportunities across various sectors. Her journey is rich with travel experiences, including Japan 🇯🇵, Senegal 🇸🇳, Guinea 🇬🇳, Ivory Coast 🇨🇮, Tunisia 🇹🇳, and the United States 🇺🇸. During one of her career breaks, Fatou even ventured out to start her own company. 🚀 Join us for part one of this inspiring interview, where you’ll gain incredible insights and adventures from Fatou's journey. (Note: The foxes you hear screaming mid-episode were not part of the interview… but the show must go on, as they say.) 👋🦊 Stay tuned for part two in our next episode! 🎧

Career Breakers is the podcast sharing interviews of women who have taken career breaks to step out from whatever wasn’t working for them to claim back their health, time and space.