Creative Career Change

From time to time, I interview a podcast guest and we really, truly just click. The conversation flows (usually with me over-excitedly interrupting too often) and we could continuing talking for far longer than the allotted time. That’s exactly what happened when I interviewed Lara Hayward several weeks back. It had taken us some time to pin down a suitable date to record due to various life and work situations getting in the way, but once we started chatting we couldn’t stop! Lara began her career as a lawyer, but as she has got older she has learned to listen to herself and has developed the confidence to pivot. Regularly. Creativity is at the core of what Lara knows she needs from her life and she isn’t afraid to prioritise it.I hope you find Lara’s wisdom to be as deeply inspiring as I did.“I think that’s what I’ve learnt about myself. I probably have 2-3 year cycles of doing something and then [I’m] moving on to something else.” - Lara HaywardLinks and books mentioned* Lara’s coaching and consultancy website: www.larahayward.com* Lara Hayward on Substack - The River* Lara on LinkedIn* Lara on Instagram* Working Identity by Herminia Ibarra* Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans* How to Be Everything by Emilie WapnickA note from HannahI’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so the Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers.I hope the conversations may inspire positive change and the pursuit of creativity and balance. I’ve created the resource that I wish had been available to me several years back when I felt trapped by my job.Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who might be inspired by it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!Thank you.Hannah x This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

Helen Ridley is an illustrator, specialising in live illustration, who has carved out a successful career by following her instincts and doing what feels right. I found Helen’s mindset to be inspirational and I hope that, you too, will be interested in her methodical, yet highly creative approach to freelance life following redundancy. Helen used this difficult situation as an opportunity and she is thriving. Do let us know your thoughts on our conversation in the comments.“It takes time to find the right community, but it’s a bit of trial and error, I guess. You just try things. If they don’t work, try something else. It’s a lot of being brave and putting yourself out there and making connections with people.” - Helen RidleyLinks* Helen’s website* Helen on Instagram* Helen on LinkedIn * Helen’s Flow and Flourish Retreat Website A note from the authorI’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so the Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers. I hope the conversations may inspire positive change and the pursuit of creativity and balance. I’ve created the resource that I wish had been available to me several years back when I felt trapped by my job.Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who might be inspired by it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!Thank you.Hannah x This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

Former teachers’ career change stories will always be of special interest to me due to my own educational background. For Hannah Miller, it has been more than 10 years since she left the classroom to become a coach and I was delighted to have the opportunity to discover more about her career journey. Hannah and I talk about the challenges of leaving teaching, bizarre transferable skills and Hannah’s path to shaping a career that works for her current season of life. If you enjoy this conversation, do leave a comment and let us know which aspects you found most interesting. I think the lesson is it really wasn’t overnight. It was a year when it wasn’t brilliant at all, then the next year it started to be a bit more of what I wanted to do. Now fast forward ten years and I’m really far away from those initial times where I was thinking “I’ve just got to do this in order to make ends meet.” - Hannah MillerLinks* Hannah’s Instagram: hellohannahmiller* Hannah’s Website: hellosidekick.co* Hannah’s Podcast: hellosidekick.co/podcastA note from the authorI’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so the Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers. I hope the conversations may inspire others to make changes in the way they approach their work in order to seek more balance in their life.Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who might be inspired by it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!Thank you.Hannah x This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

Fashion and textile designer Carla Bentele achieved her dream of moving to London and working in the fashion industry, but along came the pandemic and a family, and Carla’s priorities and dreams changed. I had the privilege of chatting with Carla to hear about the joys and the struggles of redundancy, trying new things, moving to Todmorden and launching a business all whilst juggling family life. If anything in our conversation resonates with you, please do leave a comment.Hey, I’m Carla, the designer behind All About Me, I create playful art prints and eco-conscious clothing for babes, kids, and adults. Each piece is hand-dyed, printed, and designed by me, with the mission of sprinkling fun and positivity into the chaos of everyday life.Links* Carla’s Website: all-about-me.co* Carla’s Instagram @_all___about___me_* Carla on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/carla-bentele* Carla on Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/AllAboutMeCarlaA note from the authorI’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so the Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers. I hope the conversations may inspire others to make changes in the way they approach their work in order to seek more balance in their life.Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who might be inspired by it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!Thank you.Hannah x This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

How many of us now have jobs that didn’t exist when we were young? That is certainly the case for Instagram strategist for authors, Nicola Washington . Nicola’s journey from secondary school English teacher to carving out a freelance career that encompasses many of her talents and passions has been a long one and not without its challenges. Listen to hear how Nicola has diversified and adapted her work to suit her and her family. If Nicola’s story resonates with you, do say hello and leave us a comment. We’d love to hear from you.“The whole thing is a process. Nobody starts off their business knowing all of the levers they’re going to have to pull. It’s such a learning process.” - Nicola WashingtonLinks* Nicola’s Instragram: toomuchsocial* Nicola’s Substack: Too MuchA note from the authorI’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so the Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers. I hope the conversations may inspire others to make changes in the way they approach their work in order to seek more balance in their life.Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who might be inspired by it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!Thank you.Hannah x This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

I often talk about how I am inspired by the women I interview on this podcast, and this was especially the case when I had the pleasure of speaking to Gabrielle Treanor in early January. Gabrielle began her career working in publishing in the 90s and has navigated many career twists and turns since then including launching a stationery business and more recently becoming an ADHD coach supporting quiet, introverted women.We would love to continue the conversation in the comments, so do come and say hello and let us know if there was something that resonated with you in this conversation.“We think that there’s something we want to do but it’s only when we actually do it over and over for a while that we discover actually it’s not something that is sustainable. I’m not that excited about it.” - Gabrielle TreanorLinks* Gabrielle’s website: www.gabrielletreanor.com* The Quiet ADHD Club on Substack* Gabrielle on Instagram* Gabrielle’s book The 1% Wellness Experiment is available in all the usual places, but for every sale of her book or the book gift box purchased via her website box she donates to The Wallich homelessness charity in Wales.* Emilie Wapnick’s book How To Be Everything which was mentioned in the interview.A note from the authorI’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so the Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers. I hope the conversations may inspire others to make changes in the way they approach their work in order to seek more balance in their life.Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who can be inspired by it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!Thank you.Hannah x This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

Almost two years ago, I came across an episode of the Interior Design Business Podcast titled ‘Career Changing To Interior Design’. It featured several established interior designers who talked about their route into the profession. Charlotte Dawson was one of those designers and she, like me, had previously been a teacher. I was captivated and I can truthfully say that hearing Charlotte talk about her career change helped me to believe that I could do that too. I connected with Charlotte on Instagram and she is one of the most encouraging and supportive people I know. I was delighted when she agreed to share her story and chat to me here on the Creative Career Change podcast. “I started to interior design my classroom without realising. I made curtains, bought carpets, rugs, cushions, canvasses. I even decorated. I painted the classroom and my teaching assistant would leave every Friday not really knowing what to expect when she’d come back on the Monday. Nor the children.” - Charlotte DawsonLinks* Charlotte’s website: Chestnut Interiors* Chestnut Interiors on Instagram* Charlotte’s Renovation Room membership* The episode of Interior Design Business podcast where I first discovered Charlotte: Career Changing to Interior DesignA note from the authorI’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so the Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers. I hope the conversations may inspire others to make changes in the way they approach their work in order to seek more balance in their life.Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who can be inspired by it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!Have you made a creative career change? I’m going to be recording some new episodes in the New Year and am always on the look out for interesting guests to talk to. If you think you might be a good fit for Creative Career Change, send me an email to info@hannahashe.co.uk explaining why. I’d love to hear from you.See you in 2025 for more inspiring stories ✨p.s. On Monday at 7pm (UK time) I will be hosting the final online Create Ensemble session of the year. It’s a festive edition where I encourage you to spend the hour doing something creative AND festive: writing cards, wrapping gifts, making decorations or perhaps writing your end of year newsletter. This is a session for paying subscribers and you can find more details and the link here (after subscribing): This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

Hosting a podcast is a wonderful thing, not least because I regularly find myself talking to truly fascinating individuals who inspire me and open my eyes to what work can look like for women across the world.Lucy Pearson is testament to this. She is a freelance writer, a bibliotherapist (listen to find out what that is), a curator of libraries for hotels and a literary salon host. Her work is centred around books and words and her journey to this point has been anything but straightforward. In this interview Lucy shares honest and frank reflections on money, explains how her book blog eventually landed her a dream job at the Women’s Prize for Fiction and ends with recommendations for books I should read. It’s a seriously good listen!Do say hello and leave us a comment if any of this resonates with you.“There’s a special place in hell for gatekeepers who don’t share knowledge when they’re in a position to do so.” - Lucy PearsonLinks* Lucy Pearson’s Substack - The Literary Edit* Lucy’s website: thelitedit.com* Follow Lucy on Instagram @the_litedit * Sandwich by Catherine Newman* Places I Stopped On The Way Home by Meg FeeA note from the authorI’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so the Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers. I hope the conversations may inspire others to make changes in the way they approach their work in order to seek more balance in their life.Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who can be inspired by it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!Thank you.Hannah x This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

Judith and I first met in 1996 when we started secondary school together. We’ve been friends ever since despite living in different countries for the past 13 years. With a career in business that has evolved and been shaped by changing family responsibilities, Judith has carved out a career that is both practical and fulfilling.This is the first time I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing someone I know well on this podcast and it was a very enlightening experience. We imagine that we know most things about our friends but, in reality, the finer details of each other’s work are not necessarily something we talk about a lot and I learned so much about Judith in this interview. We would love to hear from you; either just to say hello or to let us know how this episode resonates with your own work/life situation. “Having multiple activities has actually changed me quite considerably. I’m naturally a perfectionist but because I have so much going on; so many different activities, so many deadlines, so much pressure coming from everywhere, I’ve learned to trust myself and to trust my abilities to produce something good very quickly.” - Judith GiraudLinks* You can find out more about Judith on LinkedIn* Judith’s company’s website: dokeraa.com🎤 Voiceovers on Substack workshop 🎤A reminder that I am hosting a FREE online workshop on adding audio to Substack posts this coming Sunday, 6th October at 4pm UK time. Find out more and register here: How to use voiceovers on Substack with Hannah Ashe A note from Hannah AsheI’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so the Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers with no adverts. I hope the conversations may inspire others to make changes in the way they approach their work in order to seek more balance in their life.Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, planning questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who can be inspired by it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!Thank you.Hannah x This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

Emily was one of the first people I connected with on Substack when I joined the platform just over a year ago. It was clear from the start that we had several interests in common, namely that we are both highly focused on exploring our creativity. An accountant for most of the week, but also a published illustrator and a multi-faceted creative, Emily is not afraid to try new things.I’m certain you will find listening to Emily to be extremely inspiring, both in her willingness to pivot and try new things and in the diversity of her work. Please do leave a comment if you find the discussion interesting or are pursuing similar avenues yourself. We’d love to hear from you.“I don’t want to just do one thing. I’m going to try it all out. I’ve been crocheting, I went to a pottery lesson last Friday, I have spent a fortune in the craft shop; I bought a load of raw wool for needle felting and I found a book with the most cute little felted dogs that I want to make…” - Emily Charlotte PowellLinks* Emily Charlotte Powell’s Sustack: While I Was Drawing* Is Aunt Moll From The North Pole? - The children’s book that Emily has illustrated with her friend Lydia Saward* Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert* Emily’s website: www.thomkatillustrations.co.ukA note from the authorI’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so the Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers. I hope the conversations may inspire others to make changes in the way they approach their work in order to seek more balance in their life.Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who can be inspired by it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!Thank you.Hannah x This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

Brina Patel is a California-based content writer and copywriter. Her work primarily covers mental health and BIPOC representation and I was fortunate enough to connect with her some months back. It became clear to me that Brina had much to share that would resonate with listeners of Creative Career Change and I was delighted when she agreed to be interviewed. Now considering herself to be a multi-hyphenate and working a range of roles, Brina’s outlook has been heavily influenced by a year of traveling through India, Nepal, Thailand and other places as well as some of the challenges she has faced in her life. We discuss what it means to be an Indian-American woman in Northern California, career expectations and challenges and how speaking about stigmatised topics has helped her to become more confident. “There was a man that I met who ran a school, he also had a mobile repair business and then he had a real estate gig on the side. So he was doing three vastly different things, but he was really loving it.” - Brina PatelLinks* Elna Cain: Advice and blog on content and copy writing* Alex Cattoni: Copywriting courses* Brina’s piece on travel: A chance encounter near the Himalayas on her Substack page The Tuesday Tapestry* Brina’s PopSugar article: ‘Therapy Helped Me Find Pride in My South Asian Heritage’* Brina Patel’s website: www.brinapatelwriter.comA note from the authorI’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so my Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers. I hope the conversations may inspire others to make changes in the way they approach their work in order to seek more balance in their life.Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who need it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!Thank you.Hannah xp.s. Brina Patel and I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode as well your own career stories. Please do share in the comments. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

Several months back I was lucky enough to go to a writing retreat with Emma Gannon and hosted by Tanya Lynch. It was a day spent with 14 other women, sitting around a big oak table in a gorgeous farmhouse in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside. It was November, yet the sun was shining and it was a day filled with hope, creativity and new connections. One of the new connections made that day was with Sara Dalrymple. Sara is a sales expert, bestselling author and business mentor. Since the retreat we have met up in person a couple of times and I was thrilled when Sara agreed to be part of the Creative Career Change podcast series. Sara’s career began in banking and has pivoted in various directions since then. She is a multi-hyphenate in every sense of the word and we discuss the challenges and benefits of working in this way.  “I don’t even like to pick one thing for dinner, Hannah. I like a meze!” - Sara DalrympleLinks* Sara’s book: More Sales Please* * Sara’s website where you can find out more about the courses she runs* The Trained Eye 12-month photography course that Sara mentions* Sara’s Substack: The Scoop* Follow Sara on InstagramA note from the authorI’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so my Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers. I hope the conversations may inspire others to make changes in the way they approach their work in order to seek more balance in their life.Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who need it.Thank you.Hannah xp.s. Sara and I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode as well your own career stories. Please do share in the comments.*affiliate link This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

The new series of Creative Career Change is here, complete with a new logo and a few changes here and there!I’m thrilled to share these interviews with multi-hyphenate women as we explore the challenges, the joys and everything in between of navigating a variety of income steams. I’d read about the term ‘multi-hyphenate’ some years back, and the idea of it hugely appealed to me. At that time, I was working in a full-time teaching job with no idea how I could make it a reality. And yet, here I am now earning my living from at least five different methods. In this episode I talk to arts, design and travel journalist Lucy Scovell who was catapulted into multi-hyphenate life after an unexpected move to Istanbul. I'm a huge fan of Lucy’s ‘Lucy Loves’ series of writing on her Substack where she shortlists things to see, do and book each month. The June edition is out now and has some excellent recommendations for London and beyond. “I had no choice, I had to dive in and really give it a go. Sometimes I think, of course you’d have been able to do that if you’d stayed in London. And then I think no, I wouldn’t have done. I’d have been too scared. So, sometimes a little helping hand or a push is what’s needed to make you do that jump, but I’m so glad that was how part of my path has turned out.“ — Lucy ScovellLinks* Lucy’s Substack: The Istanbulist* Lucy’s Instagram page: lucy_scovell* The Multi-Hyphen Method by Emma Gannon* Culture Whisper - Things to do in London now* Pandora Sykes* Laura Jackson’s Instagram page: iamlaurajackson* Lucy Williams’ Substack: Remotely* Mayfair Art Weekend* Affordable Art FairA note from the authorI’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so my Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers. I hope the conversations may inspire others to make changes in the way they approach their work in order to seek more balance in their life.Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who need it.Thank you. Hannah xp.s. Lucy and I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode as well your own career stories. Please do share in the comments. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

Substack is a place of constant connection, and over the past few months I’ve had the pleasure of discovering and getting to know many people from all over the world via the platform. Collaborating with others is by far my favourite way of working, so I was delighted when Sarah Best reached out to see if I was interested in creating something together.Sarah and I share a background as teachers who moved away from the profession at a similar time. I’m thrilled to publish this bonus episode of Inspiring Creative Career Change which is more of a conversation than an interview. Sarah and I delve into our career achievements, the traps of perfectionism and finding the confidence to try new things as we enter a new season of our lives. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed chatting to Sarah. Do leave us a comment or question if any part of our discussion resonates with you. We will both respond!To find out more about Sarah, take a look at her Substack page:We mention Patrik L’s photography page Nordic Lens in our conversation. If you’re interested in photography then do check it out. It’s so full of joy!You can find previous episodes of the Inspiring Creative Career Change series on the ‘podcast’ tab of my Substack page Chez Hanny and linked at the bottom/side of this post. I have a new podcast series currently in production, which will focus on women and non-binary people who consider themselves to be multi-hyphenates. The first episode will be published soon. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

Hello and welcome to the final episode in the ‘Inspiring Creative Career Change’ series. Starting a podcast was never on my agenda until one sunny September afternoon last year I couldn’t think of doing anything else, and so the Chez Hanny podcast was born. I feel so privileged to have been able to connect with, and interview, thirteen women who have all made changes in their career at some point in their life. Sarah Robertson and I first connected on Substack in September 2023 and we discovered quickly that we had lots of common interests and goals. I was thrilled when Sarah agreed to be a guest on this podcast.I was particularly interested in Sarah’s route from leaving school, aged 17, to running her branding and design business now, aged 40.If you’d like to explore Sarah’s work further and see the services she offers, take a look at her website: thesearethedays.coYou can follow her on Instagram: @thesearethedays.co And, of course, don’t forget to subscribe to her Substack: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

It was back in 2012 when I discovered adventure athlete Sophie Storm Roberts. I read an article in a magazine about the Three Peaks Challenge that she had completed with fellow adventurer Sean Conway and I was totally hooked.At that time, I was a super keen cyclist and reading about Sophie’s achievements contributed to inspiring me to complete a triathlon in 2013. Since then I’ve followed Sophie’s journey on social media. She left a promising career in sales with a tech start-up in search of adventure and personal challenge.Not long after starting this podcast series, I suddenly had a thought that Sophie would be a brilliant guest. We didn’t know each other, but I thought it was worth a shot to drop her an email and see if she might be interested in coming on the Chez Hanny podcast to share her inspiring story. To my complete delight, she said yes and so here it is!You can find out more about Sophie’s work on her website: www.challengesophie.com and on Instagram @ChallengeSophie Let Sophie and me know what you think about this episode by leaving a comment! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

It was an absolute joy to spend an hour chatting to Emily Ash Powell a few weeks back. Emily was made redundant last year, but instead of it causing the devastation that many would experience from this kind of news, Emily used it as a springboard to gather a new experience in a different country with her brand new husband (after getting married in Vegas, of course!).Emily and I talk about the desire for flexibility over security, the benefits of maternity cover roles and why moving from job to job doesn’t make you disloyal!If you would like to get to know Emily a little more, subscribe to her Substack here: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

Like me, Maria Hanley began her career as a teacher. Over the past few years she found herself making a big change due to an “unplanned, pandemic-induced transition” and now absolutely considers herself to be a writer. In this episode, we talk about giving yourself permission to become a writer, honouring the ideas when they come and listening to whispers. Have you ever found yourself to be an ‘Ideas volcano’ where you can’t stop coming up with (and spewing) new ideas? Maria mentions this piece of mine during our conversation and so I’ve linked to it here in case anyone didn’t see it when I first wrote it back in September. Maria has a Substack page of her own: Dream Big (click the link to check it out and subscribe!)I hope you find listening to Maria’s writing journey to be as inspiring as I did! Subscribe here and receive the next podcast episode with Emily direct to your inbox! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

Korynn and I first connected on Substack several months back, and as soon as I’d discovered a little about her career journey, I knew I needed to hear more and share this inspiring woman’s story of determination and immense creativity. To check out Korynn’s amazing work, take a look at her website: www.korynnmorrison.com and Instagram pageSubscribe to Korynn’s Substack page here: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe

Funnily enough, I was in France on holiday in October when I discovered Elisabeth Parry’s writing. It was this post about moving to France, renovating a beautiful old building and having a 7ft grand piano hoisted via crane into a top floor window that caught my eye. Three of my favourite things: music, home renovation and France! I knew I needed to know more about how Elisabeth and her partner had realised their dream, and so I was delighted when she agreed to chat to me for this podcast series. I hope you enjoy listening to this interview as much as I enjoyed the opportunity to talk with Elisabeth. If you’d like to learn more about Elisabeth’s work, you can find more information on her websites: www.flutesinspired.co.uk and www.aureacapra.comTo subscribe to Elisabeth’s Substack page, type your email address below:A little note from the author…🎧 Making a podcast is a wonderful thing, but it is very labour intensive and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation (sometimes with someone in a completely different time zone), editing, mixing, creating music and producing the episode itself.🧡 If you love to listen and want to access all episodes past and future, support my work by becoming part of the Chez Hanny community: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chezhanny.substack.com/subscribe