Bold Moves with Jools Raye

You know your career no longer fits, but you’re not ready to make a reckless leap. Where do you begin?In this episode, Jools shares a grounded way to explore a career change in your 40s using three steps: Awareness, Anchor and Action. You’ll reflect on what you want more and less of in work, check whether a possible direction fits your life now, and choose a small experiment that gives you useful evidence.You’ll hear:Why confidence can grow through experience, rather than needing to come firstThree questions to help you notice what fits the woman you are nowHow to check whether an idea supports your strengths, choice and connectionsA prompt to picture a believable working week that fits your real lifeSmall, lower-risk experiments to test a possible directionWhy you don’t need the whole route mapped out before you beginNext week: The different routes you can take when your career no longer fits.Source note: Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2026 report says 12% of employees in Europe were engaged at work in 2025. The UK figure was 10%.Timestamps00:00 - Starting the conversation on career change in your 40s01:01 - Why this episode is for successful women who feel stuck01:30 - The three steps: Awareness, Anchor, Action02:16 - Bold Moves and the podcast’s mission02:45 - Where to begin after identifying your career “cage”03:42 - Why career pivots are both practical and personal04:11 - Introducing the AAA method05:07 - The trap of waiting to feel confident first06:33 - Confidence grows through experience07:26 - Step one: Awareness08:15 - Questions to clarify what you want more or less of08:44 - Step two: Anchor10:11 - Using AI to picture a believable working week11:11 - What AI can—and can’t—help you explore11:40 - Step three: Action through small experiments12:10 - Examples of low-risk career experiments12:38 - Why career change is easier with support13:08 - How to choose a qualified coach13:34 - Learning from experiments, whether they work or not14:03 - The full Awareness, Anchor, Action cycle14:33 - You don’t need the whole route mapped out before beginning15:16 - Free AAA starter guide and what’s coming next week

You can be grateful for what you have and still want more.In this episode, I’m sharing how an old diary, a long-held dream of bringing travel and work together, and a summer spent watching sunsets with Hugo helped me see what I’d been pushing aside. A career change in your 40s can feel risky, especially when financial security matters. But you don’t have to wait for burnout or redundancy before exploring what could fit better.You’ll hear about:The travel-and-work dream I found in an old diaryWhy I kept choosing the sensible option, even when I wanted more freedom and creativityHow becoming a mum and turning 40 changed the size of the career “pot”What a small summer experiment showed me about the life I wantWhy your experience is intelligence, not baggageIf you haven’t heard the previous episode on the CAGES that can shrink what feels possible, go back and listen. Follow Bold Moves so you don’t miss next week’s episode on where to start with a career change.

Jools Raye explores the psychological barriers that keep women in unfulfilling careers and shares practical insights on how to make bold moves towards a more aligned and joyful professional life.Why do we stay in careers we know we’ve outgrown?Especially when part of us already knows something needs to change.In this episode of Bold Moves, I’m breaking down five research-informed behavioural patterns or CAGES that can shrink our field of possibility and keep us stuck in careers that no longer fit.If you’re considering a career change at 40, navigating a midlife career change, questioning your professional identity or wondering why you can’t seem to make a career pivot even though you know you want one, this episode is for you.Join Beyond the Bold Move and receive your Sunday mindset shift.www.joolsraye.comChapters00:00 Introduction: Why We Stay in Unfulfilling Careers02:05 The Five Cages That Limit Career Possibilities03:55 Understanding the Role of Identity in Career Change06:02 The Safety of Familiarity and the Fear of the Unknown08:03 The Gap Between Where You Are and Where You Want to Be09:24 Building Confidence Through Evidence and Action11:09 Suppressing Desires and the Cost of Staying Small12:42 Changing Your Narrative and Identity for Bold Moves13:56 Practical Steps to Start Your Career Pivot15:17 The Power of Small, Bold Moves and Next Steps

Stuck in Your Career? Stop Asking “What Should I Do Next?”If you know you don’t want to do this for another 10 years, but you’ve got no clue what you want instead, this episode is for you.I gave myself three years to work out what I wanted to do next in my career.Six months later, I was made redundant.Not quite the plan.In this episode, I’m taking you back to the moment I realised I’d been building my career on borrowed ground and what happened when the decision I thought I had three years to make was suddenly made for me.We’re talking about that restless space in between: when you know you’ve outgrown where you are, but you can’t quite see what comes next.And I’m sharing the question I wish I’d asked myself much sooner:What skills does my future need?Because you don’t need to have your whole career change figured out before you start moving. You can start career crafting now.You’ll hear:Why being good at your job doesn’t necessarily mean it still fits youHow redundancy changed the way I think about career securityHow career crafting and portfolio careers can open up possibilities you might not have consideredWhy I started developing the skills my future needed, rather than only the ones my employer wantedThe question to ask yourself when you’re stuck thinking, “What the fuck do I do next?”Ready to take the next step?Join Behind the Bold Moves The Sunday newsletter for women figuring out what they actually want next. One question, mindset shift or tool each week to get you thinking differently and making your own Bold Moves.

Jools Raye shares her personal journey from burnout to embracing her true calling, exploring how understanding brain wiring and neuroplasticity can help you make bold life changes. Learn practical strategies to rewire your brain for safety and confidence, and discover how small deliberate actions can lead to transformative life shifts. Takeaways-Your brain is wired for survival, not for bold moves-The flicker of desire is your future calling you-You can rewire your nervous system through deliberate actions-Small evidence-building steps can reprogram your brain-Understanding your brain's mechanics helps overcome fear of changeBook onto the Free MasterClasss The Confidence Curse Chapters00:00 The Flicker of Change01:23 The Weight of Corporate Life03:48 Recognizing the Life Problem05:17 The Power of Manifestation07:36 Understanding the Brain's Mechanics10:00 Rewiring Your Brain for Bold Moves12:30 Embracing Your Future Self13:52 Invitation to Transformation