From Corporate Into Calling: Career Change, Burnout, Meaningful Work, Find Your Purpose

I'm back after missing an episode last week, and I owe you an explanation. I was away at Groundswell, a regenerative agriculture festival here in the UK with 10,000 people immersed in soil health, biodiversity, and healthy food systems. That, on top of a recent trip to visit new farmers in Cornwall, has brought a lot of acceleration to my new venture. It's time for some changes, and I wanted you to hear it from me directly.I talk about what this festival stirred in me, the hope and tangibility I felt in this work, and the kneading dough metaphor that's been on my mind since (gluten free tortillas are not for the faint hearted). If you're in your own messy middle right now, not sure how the lumpy mess in front of you could ever become something smooth and workable, I want you to hear this one.I'm also sharing some news. I'm taking a break from the podcast over the summer to give my new venture the attention it needs, and I'll check back in with you in September. If you've been listening for a while and have been thinking about working with me, I've kept the door open with one off sessions and a pack of three (link to book below)..This one is for those who have made space for this podcast in their life, whether that's on a dog walk, doing the dishes, or watering the garden. Thank you for being part of this. I'll see you in September.Next steps:✦ Book a coaching session with meRelated episodes:→ What's The Worst That Can Happen?→ How to Start Building the Thing You Can't Stop Thinking About→ What Changes When You Stop Looking For An ExitHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

You left corporate — or you're on your way out — and right now the path forward isn't clear. Maybe you're months in and nothing has clicked yet. Maybe you're still in the job and exhausted by it. Maybe you've started building something and you keep wondering if it's working.This week I want to tell you something I've had to remind myself of recently: the hardest part is often the part right before something shifts.I came back from a trip to Cornwall last week feeling overwhelmed and depleted — not inspired, not clear, just spent. And it was in that exact moment, before I'd had chance to recover, that a business idea I'd been circling for months finally surfaced. I didn't see it coming. I couldn't have, from inside the exhaustion.I've watched the same pattern with clients. The moment they're most tempted to walk away is almost always the moment something is about to move. Seth Godin called it the dip and my own experience keeps confirming it.If you're in the middle of a career change, burnout recovery, or just trying to find work that means something to you, this episode is for you. Wherever you are in that process, the difficulty isn't a signal to stop seeking. It might be just the opposite.Next steps:✦ Subscribe to my emails✦ Book a call with meRelated episodes:→ The Room You Used To Belong To Isn't Yours Anymore→ What's The Worst That Can Happen?→ What Changes When You Stop Looking For An ExitHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

You left corporate to find work that actually means something to you. And right now that process feels messy. Uncomfortable. Maybe even a bit lost.Here's a reframe: what if that discomfort isn't a sign you're doing it wrong? What if it's actually the surest sign you're heading in the right direction?It builds well before you ever hand in your notice, peaks once the structure of your old role disappears, and only eases as you build something real to stand on, then it shows up again the next time you're ready to grow.This episode is about recalibrating what "good" is supposed to feel like once you've left the version of success that used to define you.If you're in the messy middle of your career change and that discomfort keeps showing up as your try to move forward, this one's for you.Next steps:✦ Subscribe to my emails✦ Book a call with meIn this episode you'll hear from Kevin Howard, to learn more about his work visit: https://ageofbalance.com.Related episodes:→ What's The Worst That Can Happen?→ How to Start Building the Thing You Can't Stop Thinking About→ What Changes When You Stop Looking For An ExitHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

You left the corporate job. Changed your title. Stepped away from the sector. But the operating system that defined how you worked, what you produced, and who you had to be to survive... that came with you.Most people trying to build something new after corporate are doing it while still running the old software. Then they wonder why it feels wrong and whether they'll ever find meaning and purpose in their work. In this episode I share the story of a client who was well into building before they realised how much the previous role was still shaping what they thought was possible. That was the real turning point in their building journey.If you've left corporate and something still feels off, or you're exhausted in a way that didn't resolve when you handed in your notice, this one's for you. There's a simple exercise at the end to help you start choosing what you carry forward and what you don't.Next steps:✦ Subscribe to my emails✦ Book a call with meRelated episodes:→ What's The Worst That Can Happen?→ How to Start Building the Thing You Can't Stop Thinking About→ What Changes When You Stop Looking For An ExitHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

There's a particular kind of discomfort that comes with standing in a room you used to belong to and realising it no longer feels like yours. Not because you're unwelcome, but because something in you has moved on. If you've ever found yourself on the outside of a career, a sector or a version of yourself that once defined you, you'll recognise this feeling.This episode comes from a recent personal experience. Standing in a church in Prague at one of the biggest events in my old professional world and realising I was on the periphery of a room I once helped to build. This is my honest account of what that experience taught me about career transition and about finally making peace with the identity shift that comes with it.Because the version of you that's navigating a career transition rarely gets to do it cleanly. There's grief in it. There's the LinkedIn scroll that brings up feelings you didn't expect. There's the dreaded networking question, so what are you doing next?, that you don't yet have a good answer to. These aren't signs that something has gone wrong. They're signs that something new is forming.This episode is for you if you've stepped away from a career that once defined you and are sitting with the discomfort of not quite knowing who you are on the other side of that. Career transition isn't a tidy phase. It's identity-level work. And it's worth it.Next steps:✦ Subscribe to my emails✦ Book a call with meRelated episodes:→ What's The Worst That Can Happen?→ How to Start Building the Thing You Can't Stop Thinking About→ What Changes When You Stop Looking For An ExitHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.