How to Change Careers Without Starting From Scratch

Today, we're continuing the Career Girls Guide, a series I created to give you the practical

real-world tools to navigate every stage of your career.

Now, this series matters to me because I meet so many of you who are capable and vicious

and doing the work, but no one really teaches us how to navigate the moments that actually shape

our trajectory. And one of these moments is the pivot or reinvention. For so many of us,

there is a point in your career when actually something just shifts. You can be successful,

you can be respected, you can be doing everything right and still feel like the role that you're in

no longer fits. Now, feeling it isn't failure, it also isn't restlessness, it actually gross,

but growth requires a strategy and most of us aren't taught how to handle that moment strategically.

So today, we are going to talk about how to pivot without you having to start over and that is

the important part, my friends. In this episode, I want you to walk away with a clear strategic

framework for how to think this all through and what you should consider before making any big change

in your work life. We're going to talk about reinvention in real life, not the romantic version,

this is just not the show for that, but the real deal because pivoting is never about

burning your whole life down and it certainly isn't about reacting emotionally and so many of us

do that as a default. It's a leadership decision, pure and simple. It requires clarity,

positioning, strategy and really importantly, timing. So we're going to talk about all of that and

even more importantly, it requires the ability to carry everything that you've built into what comes

next so that you don't start over. You're actually going to build forward and I have a lot of

experience in that area, taking what it is that you've learned in one job and moving it into

the next thing and that's what I want to say to you guys. You might not be able to see how relevant

what you're doing right now will be to your future, but trust me, you can shape your career that way.

I started in event production. I moved that skill into sponsorship and find in the money for these

events. I then moved that into doing deals for celebrities. I built an agency around that and

each time I got closer and closer to what it was that I wanted to do. There was nothing in my resume

that said, this is a person that gets to start a business, but I did it. I took the things I knew,

I took what it was that I saw as an opportunity and I just put it together to make it happen. I

used everything that I'd learned to get me to a place that I wanted to be and I promise you that

you can do exactly that too. The start with yourself tour kicks off on April 15th in New York City.

Tickets are on sound now at emigree.com. We often talk about career pivots like they're these

big dramatic moments like you're going to wake up one morning, quit your job and suddenly

everything falls into place and your life is going to make sense when in actual fact that just

is never ever how it works. Most reinventions aren't sudden at all and if you're anything like me

they've been sitting in your mind for a long time before you speak them out loud or before anybody

else gets to hear about them. It starts off as like a niggling feeling that whatever you're doing

right now isn't bringing you as much joy as it should or that the role you're in doesn't match where

you're at in your head or the level that you're playing at. Those are the thoughts and the feelings

that happen when you know that reinvention is on the horizon. So here's the first thing I want to

tell you, so many of you need to hear this. Wanting more, wanting something bigger, something

more exciting, something that you might not be entirely qualified for, that doesn't mean you're

ungrateful. It just means that you've grown and here's the fact, when you grow you have to take

responsibility for your decisions and make moves usually before you're ready to make them.

And if your decisions, if for most of us I think it's the case, if they affect more than just you

just you've got to think about if they affect your family, your partner, your children,

then I'm here to tell you that while the process might look a little different, responsibility

doesn't cancel outgrowth. It just means that your next move has to be really intentional and not

impulsive. Now there's a time I can tell you myself when I faced a really big decision that would

have a huge impact on my family and it was moving from London to America. I had this amazing

thing happen to me. My business had taken off and so everything's ignored, moved to America,

be where the businesses are, go and put your heart and soul into this thing that is taking all

of the energy out of the room. And yet I had a newborn, a three-month-old, a two-and-a-half-year-old

and a husband with his own life and his own business and everything happening in London.

At that moment I knew that I needed to make the move but it wouldn't be without consequences

to the rest of my family. What it took was thoughtful planning. I wasn't able to take this

incredible business and move straight away. I had to sell my house. I had to figure out schools

for my kids and all of that kept me from making a move that I thought should be so immediate.

But the reason I've been able to be successful is because I didn't just throw caution to the

wind and say, let's go. We've got to live in a rental and see what happened. I planned. I was

thoughtful about it. I set myself up for success. I set the family up for success and I came when

the timing was right for all of us. I think today that we all know the ideas that careers are

supposed to be linear doesn't quite stack up. The idea that you choose one path, one industry,

one type of job that's completely outdated and the data actually backs it up. The average person

will change careers five to seven times in their lifetime. Not just jobs, but actual careers and

check this. If you look at LinkedIn, the peak age for major career transitions, but you can't

guess, it is in your 20s. It's actually between 30 and 45. So way later, the most of us would actually

think. So if you're sitting there and you're thinking, oh my goodness, is it too late? Have I missed

my moment? The answer is no. You're likely right on time. That doesn't mean you should wait any

longer, but it's a sign that you're probably ready. Now, being ready emotionally doesn't mean

that you automatically are ready logistically, and that's where the strategy part comes in.

So in today's episode, we're talking about career pivots and reinvention, not the romantic version,

but the real kind. We're going to talk about how it actually happens, why it's uncomfortable,

and how you can pivot and reinvent your life and your career strategically instead of emotionally,

because reinvention is actually a leadership skill. What you want to do, and I actually talk about

this a lot in my book, Start With Yourself, which comes out this April, is you want to learn to turn

down the voices in your head that are telling you that you're not capable, and you want to turn

up your ability to understand that emotions, like fear, they will control all of your decision-making

if you allow them to. Now, that distinction between emotional reaction and strategic movement,

that is what separates a healthy, thought-out reinvention from a really messy one.

And the important thing to know is that it's pretty normal to outgrow your career, and it usually

happens because something went right, not because something went wrong. Your perspective has changed,

your standards went up, and your skills have expanded, but your job description has just

stayed what it was. Now, I have dug into all of the research for this episode, and Gallup reports

that 60% of workers feel emotionally detached from their jobs, not necessarily burned out,

but detached. So this tells me that so many of us are feeling misalignment. I looked at a survey

the other day that said, McKinsey found that 70% of professionals believe their roles don't fully

use their strengths. Think about that for a second. Most people aren't actually failing at work,

they're underutilised. And when that gap grows ever bigger between what you're capable of,

and what you're being asked to do, your mind and your body will notice it way before the rest of

you catch us up. You start feeling irritated, you start feeling bored, you start feeling resentful,

and if ignored long enough, that resentment will that return into stagnation. What I've learned

in my career over and over again, and I tell you this because it's first-hand knowledge,

is that you have to treat those moments as a signal and not a problem.

They're signals that the person and the version of you that is working in the role that you're

in today isn't the same person that is carrying out that role, and that's okay because growth

is supposed to change you. The only thing you can't do is live with it and not embrace the much

needed change. Signals are there to guide you, not to shame you. So let's talk about the myths that

keep people really stuck. Another subject that I cover in my book, and honestly, I cannot wait

for you guys to have it in your hands because so much of this book is centered around the idea of

old thoughts, things that we carry around with us because we have all of these stories that keep

even the best of us, the smartest of us, even the most capable of us. They keep it totally frozen.

Now, one of those old thoughts is that you should stay in your lane. That if you pivot,

if you choose another lane, you'll have to start all over again from the beginning.

And I am here to tell you that no, you do not. Re-invention isn't erasing all of your past. It's

quite the opposite. It's actually standing on all of the stuff that you've done and repositioning it.

And repositioning is very, very different from restarting. Now, Harvard Business Review Research

shows that the most successful career pivots aren't radical jumps. Actually, they're like a

Jason moves. And I know this from my own history because what I've done is repeatedly and throughout

my career, like stack all of my skills. I don't throw them away. I take everything that I know and

all of the things that I've learned. And I just put them on top of each other ahead of wherever I'm

going. I've leveraged what I've learned and what I've created in one place into my next opportunity.

And you can do exactly the same thing too. Now, the second old story is that I'm too late.

And so many of us have this. Let me tell you that our fridge age of successful founders is over 40.

Most successful founders are over 40. Just take that in for one second. You're not too late at all.

Experience compounds and your confidence grows as you get older. And when you start to recognize

patterns in your life and in your career that really matter, you're actually more informed to make

better decisions on your own behalf. So it's actually true what they say. It really is never too late and

timing is not about youth. It's actually about your readiness.

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Now the third thing that is a completely myth is that somebody else is going to come and tell you

when you're ready and rescue you. Imagine create your dream situation and let me tell you

they never ever do. No one is coming to tap you on the shoulder and say hey this is a great

time to step into your next chapter. It just doesn't happen like that. No one is looking out for

you in the way that you need to look after yourself. But on the flip side here's good news.

No one's actually keeping score the way you think they are either. And honestly the only real risk

is to stay somewhere that you've already outgrown. So the question becomes how do you pivot strategically?

And this is where I really want to slow things down because a pivot that's done from an emotional

place will just create chaos in your life. Whereas a strategic pivot is going to actually create

momentum for you to be successful. Strategy gives you stability while you grow into that next

opportunity. So here is a little framework that I like to think about. We're going to call it

the pivot order for the sake of this episode. But before we even get into it I want you to remember

this. A pivot order is not about pressure. It's a process that's going to provide some clarity

before you make a life-changing decision. Now the first thing you must ask yourself and understand

are your skills. What do people already come to you for? What are you known for? What problems do

you uniquely solve without even trying? What rooms do you walk into and immediately add value?

Now again we all tell ourselves stories. We just spoke about that. We all have a narrative about

ourselves, two ourselves. So this takes real honesty and some distance. What I like to do myself

here is speak to my friends, those that I can really trust, and even colleagues and ask them about

my strengths. How did they see me and see if that aligns with what I think that my strengths

actually are? Now another thing and I know some of you might be thinking with AI on the rise

and so many questions about what job skills will actually be needed in the future. We all have

question marks about where our value truly lies. But let me tell you leadership, judgment,

execution, those things don't expire, but you have to be honest about your true skill set,

and then what I want you to do is write it all down. Make sure you have the map and you really

truly understand your true skills. The second thing that you have to think about is your energy.

It's actually really important ahead of any career pivot that you pay attention to what gives you

momentum and energy versus what drains you. All the research shows that if you have energy alignment

in your role, your job, what it is that you go and do every day, your performance will actually

increase by up to 30%. Now that is just crazy. Imagine just by being infused by what you do,

you will naturally be better at it and have increased performance. So carefully consider if what

you're thinking about next really is aligned with what energises you because starting anything new

is never a walk in the park. So you've got to love it and you've got to want to work at it.

The third thing that I want you to do and the third thing I want you to consider is the market

reality because that isn't something that we're in control of. What does the market actually need?

Where does demand already exist? And what I want is for you to be really honest with yourself. I'm

all for change. But if you have a passion without a match to market awareness, it's just a hobby

and hobbies don't pay deals. We're not building fantasies here. I'm not going to go and be a designer

for a French fashion house anytime soon. I have an awareness of where my talent taps out and you

need to have that if you want to pivot successfully. And finally, you have to consider your responsibilities.

Not just what you want, but who else is impacted by your decision. If your pivot is going to affect

your children, your partner, your family, or your financial stability, then it has to be designed

really thoughtfully. Responsibility doesn't cancel ambition, but it really ought to refine it.

It changes the timing, it changes the sequencing, and it requires conversation before you move.

So before you make any move, ask yourself three things. What must remain stable?

What can be tested safely? And who needs to be part of the decision before I actually take it?

And when you go through this pivot order and you've considered your skills, your energy,

the market reality, and your responsibilities, you can make a judgment about what is next with

some authority. Now, here's the part no one talks about. When you're considering a pivot,

you enter what I call the messy middle. Your old identity no longer fits, but the new one isn't

fully formed. And that space is so bloody uncomfortable. And I can tell you firsthand because I've been

there. I've been in a great job with great prospects that I've just grown bored of where I felt like

there was no future for me. And I've known exactly what it was that I wanted to do next,

but not really how I would get it off the ground and not really how it was going to start. And that

messy middle, it's not just uncomfortable, it's unsettling. And for so many of us,

hesitation isn't about your confidence when other people depend on you that risk feels really,

really personal, but risk doesn't only live in a potential change, it actually also lives in

staying where you're at. And that I knew for myself, that was a feeling that I thought,

if I just remain in this place, it's going to get really messy in the middle. I'm going to start

doing something that will ultimately be damaging. So, remaining in a role that you've outgrown,

actually can cost you happiness, income, and so much momentum over time. And this is why I believe

in the idea of de-risk reinvention. That means building optionality before you leap. And I have

first hand experience of this. Something that you can do is testing your ideas while you're still

employed. Have a side hustle. I did a whole show about it. And you've got to learn from it as long

as you can while you're still employed. And a lot of people look at that and they think, how

enough will I do that? But if you want something different, you're going to have to do something

different. And it might mean that what you actually need to do is take your evenings,

take your weekends and figure out how you can squeeze something else in. That means that this

side hustle could potentially become something that becomes your real and your main hustle.

Now, the next thing you can do is think about expanding your network before you need it.

Get close to what it is that you want to do. And the people that do it way ahead of time,

that is about you finding the network that is actually going to help you move into your next

space. You can think about increasing skill leverage before you change titles.

Go out of your way to get those relevant skills lined up by taking courses and just like

learning everything you can about the space that you want to be in. Read the relevant books,

go down that YouTube rabbit hole, but do it in a way that feels purposeful. Do it in a way that

it almost feels like a job. And if you're not going to take the side hustle, make the learning

the side hustle, make the idea that you are taking everything that is you want to do next,

and you're treating that like a job, so you're really going to learn a lot about it. Reinvention

doesn't have to mean instability at all. You're going to be questioning yourself so much more

than usual. You're going to feel a lack of confidence and the idea that your income might fluctuate

doesn't help that at all. But what I want you to understand, though, is that you can't rush through

this part and you cannot say stuck either. Rest assured, the goal isn't speed, it's direction.

You have to take some time and make sure that you pick up on everything that you're learning

about yourself at this moment. Now, the great thing is that I've seen Reinvention take on so many

different forms over my career. I went from the idea that I should be a fashion designer to

realizing that sadly, that actually wasn't my talent whatsoever. I did a lot of jobs that

felt meaningless until I learned it in a place that I just happened to be good at. Now, think

about that for a moment. I didn't wake up one day and think, I want to be an event producer.

I just thought that being an event producer and being in proximity to fashion clients and an

industry that I really admired, I thought that that would get me closer to where it was that I

actually wanted to be. So this idea of stepping stones really, really does work. And sometimes

just being good at something is enough to get you noticed. Again, I wasn't in the exact right

spot. I wasn't doing exactly what I needed to do, but I put my heart and soul into it. And it was

enough to get me into the rooms that I wanted to be in. Now, that risk really paid off. And in the

years that followed, I was able to get closer and closer to my dream role, but it didn't happen

overnight. The point that I'm trying to make here is that every pivot I've ever made never replace

the last chapter. It actually just multiplied it. Nothing is actually wasted because all of your

skills are transferable. You're never starting from zero, even when it feels unfamiliar. So I want

to leave you with a few questions. What part of your career feels complete? What skills are you

underusing? And what would you change if you stopped waiting to be chosen? You don't need to blow

up your life to reinvent yourself. You need some clarity. You need a lot of courage and you need

consistency. And that's the honest part. You're never going to get to switch and do the new thing

unless you treat it as a real job and you're consistent with it. Reinvention isn't about becoming

somebody new. It's about finally working at the level that you're capable of. Now, if this

episode resonated, it's not a coincidence. That is your signal. Stay tuned for more episodes of

the Career Girls Guide. We're going to cover so many subjects that will mean so much to you guys.

And please make sure that you like and subscribe. Thanks for joining me on the Aspire podcast.

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