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You’ve worked hard to build your career. You may have the seniority, salary, recognition and reputation you wanted. But what is that success costing you? In this episode Sarah explores the career tax: the hidden personal costs we can pay for professional success. From running on empty and sacrificing time with loved ones to losing sight of what we really want, these costs can creep up on us until we start asking, “Is this really worth it?” I share five common career costs, examples from my coaching work and my own experience as an HR Director, plus questions to help you decide whether it’s time to make a change. You’ll discover how to: Recognise the five hidden costs of career success.Understand why it can be difficult to change, even when your career is taking a toll.Review the psychological contract you have with your work.Rethink what success means to you at this stage of your life and career.Identify what you could change, renegotiate or do differently without automatically having to leave your job. Chapters00:00 Welcome to Unstuck & Unstoppable 01:30 What is the career tax? 02:30 The hidden cost of career success 03:00 Cost 1: Your energy 05:30 Cost 2: Your freedom and creativity 08:30 Cost 3: Your relationships 09:45 Cost 4: Your sense of self 10:30 Cost 5: Your future potential 11:30 Why do we keep paying the career tax? 13:30 Three questions to help you reassess your career 14:30 What can you change without leaving your job? 15:00 Rethinking what success means to you 16:00 My experience as an HR Director 17:30 How to rebalance the cost of your career 18:30 Final thoughts and next steps Reflection questionsTake a moment to consider: What does my career give me that I genuinely value?What is it costing me that I can no longer ignore?If nothing changed in my career over the next 12 months, how would I feel? You don't necessarily need to leave your job to make things better. But you do need to be honest with yourself about the price you're paying and whether you're still willing to pay it. Useful Links Episode 99: Tough Job Market? How to make your current leadership role work for you Sign up for Weekly Career Inspiration Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Book a Free 121 Clarity Call Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected]

Welcome to the 100th episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable! 🎉 To celebrate this milestone, career coach and former HR Director Sarah Archer shares 10 powerful career lessons drawn from 16+ years of coaching experience and her time in HR leadership. Whether you're an ambitious woman looking to progress into leadership, feeling stuck in your current role, or wondering what your next career move should be, these insights will help you take a more intentional approach to your career. Each lesson comes with a reflective question to help you apply the insights to your own career and identify where to focus next. In this episode, you'll learn how to: Take ownership of your career rather than waiting for others to manage it for you.Increase your visibility and communicate the value you bring.Build leadership confidence by taking action, even when you feel nervous.Make strategic career decisions based on what matters to you.Use your strengths to increase your impact and job satisfaction.Explore new career possibilities without needing all the answers.Build relationships that open up opportunities.Stop your inner critic from holding you back.Find new meaning in your current role or make a bigger career change.Use small, deliberate actions to build momentum. Timestamps00:00 Celebrating 100 episodes of Unstuck & Unstoppable 01:00 Why creating a career that works for you matters 02:00 Lesson 1: Stop waiting for someone else to manage your career 03:00 Lesson 2: Being good at your job isn't enough 04:00 Lesson 3: Confidence follows action 05:00 Lesson 4: Your next career move needs strategy, not just ambition 05:45 Lesson 5: Understand and amplify your strengths 06:30 Lesson 6: You don't need to have your whole future figured out 07:15 Lesson 7: Your network is part of your career strategy 08:00 Lesson 8: Don't let your inner critic make career decisions for you 08:45 Lesson 9: You can change your career without throwing everything away 09:30 Lesson 10: Small, deliberate actions create momentum 10:00 Your seven-day career challenge 10:30 Choose the insight that matters most to you and take your next step 10:45 Thank you for 100 episodes and how to stay connected Your career challengeWhich of these 10 lessons resonates with you most right now? Choose one area you've been neglecting or avoiding, and identify one small action you can take in the next seven days to move your career forward. You don't need to change everything at once. You just need to start. Take your next stepReady to spend some time thinking about your career and planning what comes next? Join Sarah's free 7-Day Career Reset for a structured approach to reviewing where you are, identifying what you want and creating a plan for the next 90 days. Share this episode with a woman who needs a little career inspiration, and please leave a rating or review to help more women discover the podcast. Thank you for being part of the Unstuck & Unstoppable journey! Useful Links Join the Free 7 Day Career Reset Sign up for Weekly Career Inspiration Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Book a Free 121 Clarity Call Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected]

The job market feels tough right now. So what if leaving your job doesn't feel like the right option, but staying as you are doesn't feel sustainable either? If you're unhappy, bored, under-challenged or simply no longer enjoying your leadership role, it can be tempting to mentally check out while you wait for the "right" time to move. But staying doesn't have to mean standing still. In this episode, Sarah explores how you can make your current leadership job more fulfilling, meaningful and enjoyable while also using it to build the skills, experience, visibility and confidence you'll need for your next move. Why staying in your current job can be a strategic career decisionHow mentally checking out can damage your confidence and future prospectsHow to redesign your role around what gives you energyThe Keep, Change, Create approach to making your job work better for youHow job crafting can help you create more meaning, challenge and purposeHow to use your current role to build career capital for your next moveWhy visibility, reputation and relationships matter when you're preparing for your next career stepHow to tell whether you're choosing to stay or allowing fear to make the decision for youWhy testing the job market can give you information without committing to leavingA simple 90-day Enjoy, Develop, Explore strategy to keep your career moving Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome to Unstuck & Unstoppable 01:30 – Why the job market feels tough right now 03:00 – When staying feels safer than leaving 04:00 – Shift 1: Stop treating your current job as a waiting room 06:30 – Shift 2: Redesign your job around what makes you come alive 07:00 – Keep, Change, Create 09:00 – Job crafting: shaping your role around your strengths 10:30 – A client example: making an overwhelming leadership role work better 13:30 – Shift 3: Use your current job to build the career you want 14:00 – Building your career capital 15:00 – Visibility, reputation and relationships 16:30 – Is fear making the decision for you? 18:00 – Confidence, uncertainty and the evidence your brain needs 19:00 – Your 90-day strategy: Enjoy, Develop, Explore 20:00 – Using the Seven Day Career Reset to plan your next move A question for you If you knew you were going to stay in your current job for another 12 months, what would need to change for it to feel fulfilling? You don't have to leave your job to start changing your career. You can improve your experience now while deliberately building your options for later. Useful Links Join the & Day Career Reset Episode 30 How To Identify Your Strengths For A New Leadership Role Episode 55 How To Increase Your Visibility As A Leader Using LinkedIn Episode 61 How To Create A Personal Board For Your Leadership Career Episode 6 How To Boost Your Leadership Confidence Sign up for Weekly Career Inspiration Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Book a Free 121 Clarity Call Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected]

You know you should have the conversation with your boss. Put yourself forward for the promotion. Start exploring other roles. Become more visible. Stop saying yes to everything. You think about it. You might even make a plan. And then… nothing happens. In this episode Sarah explores why knowing what you want to do doesn’t always translate into taking action. Sometimes what looks like procrastination is actually a way of protecting ourselves from uncertainty, rejection, discomfort or the possibility of becoming someone different. We look at what your inaction might be protecting you from, the hidden cost of staying where you are, why waiting to feel ready can keep you stuck, and how your existing identity might make your next career move feel uncomfortable. Most importantly, we get practical. You don't need to have your whole career figured out. You don't need a five-year plan. And you don't need to make a huge, life-changing decision tomorrow. Instead, you can take one small step that gives you more information. Because action gives you information that thinking can't. In this episode, we explore:Why career procrastination isn't always a motivation problemWhat your inaction might be protecting you fromThe hidden cost of staying in a role or situation that no longer works for youThe trade-offs that come with career change and progressionWhy waiting until you feel ready can keep you stuckHow preparation can sometimes become a form of avoidanceThe identity you may be protecting as you consider your next stepHow to make a big career action much smallerWhy small actions generate useful information and build confidenceThe two questions to ask when you know what you want but aren't taking action Timestamps00:00 – Welcome to Unstuck & Unstoppable Introducing the podcast and who it's for. 01:27 – You know what to do, so why aren't you doing it? Why knowing what you want doesn't automatically lead to action. 03:00 – What is your inaction protecting you from? Looking beyond procrastination to the uncertainty, rejection and discomfort underneath it. 04:00 – Maybe you don't have an action problem Why not taking action can sometimes feel like the safest and most rational choice. 06:00 – The hidden cost of staying stuck What another year in the same situation could cost you in energy, confidence, time and opportunities. 07:00 – What will you have to give up? Understanding the trade-offs that come with career progression and change. 09:00 – Are you waiting to feel ready? Why there may never be a perfect moment when you suddenly feel ready to take the next step. 10:00 – Thoughtful or stuck? When preparation and reflection become a way of avoiding action. 11:00 – What identity are you protecting? How becoming more senior, visible or ambitious can require you to step beyond an identity that has served you well. 12:00 – Make the action smaller Why you don't need to rewrite your whole CV, build the perfect business case or completely reinvent yourself. 14:00 – Let action give you information How small experiments can help you discover what you really want and build confidence. 15:00 – Two questions to help you move forward “If I knew I couldn't fail, what would I do?” followed by the more useful question: what's the smallest version of that action? 16:00 – Maybe you don't need certainty. Maybe you need permission. Permission to explore, change your mind, want something different and take a step without knowing exactly where it will lead. 17:00 – Don't let your career reset disappear Choose one small action and put it in your diary. 18:00 – Closing thoughts A final reminder that your career is built through the small decisions and actions you take along the way. Useful Links Join The 7 Day Career Reset Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Book a Free 121 Clarity Call Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected]

You’ve made it to Day 7! Today is about turning everything you’ve thought about over the last week into action. Rather than trying to map out your whole career, you’ll create a practical 90-day plan with up to three priorities, clear actions and the support you need to follow through. In this episode, you’ll explore: Why 90 days is a useful timeframe for career progressWhat you want to have achieved three months from nowHow to choose your three most important career prioritiesThe actions, people and time needed to make progressWhat will help you actually follow throughHow to turn your reflections from the past seven days into a practical plan Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Day 700:40 Why create a 90-day plan?01:00 What would make you proud of your progress?01:30 Choose your three priorities02:00 What will make your plan happen?03:00 Complete your 90-day action plan03:30 Look back at your seven-day journey04:00 You don’t need to have your whole career figured out04:30 The Ambition Plan04:45 Your final action and Power Hour reminder Coaching question: What could be different in my career 90 days from now if I actually follow this through? Key thought: You don’t need to have your whole career figured out. You just need to be willing to take responsibility for the direction you’re heading in and make time to move things forward. Useful Links Join The 7 Day Career Reset Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected]

Making a career decision can feel difficult when you want certainty before you act. But you don’t have to decide your whole career today. You just need to decide what you’re going to explore next. In Day 6, you’ll consider three possible directions: stay, grow or go, and identify the option that gives you the strongest sense of energy, curiosity or possibility. Chapters00:00 Welcome to Day 6 00:30 Why making career decisions feels difficult 01:00 Stay: What could you change where you are? 01:30 Grow: What would progression look like? 02:00 Go: What could moving somewhere new mean? 02:30 Explore rather than commit 03:00 Your Day 6 action 04:00 Tomorrow: Your 90-day career plan Coaching questionWhat would I like to explore next, without needing to commit to it yet? Key thoughtYou don’t have to make the perfect career decision. You can choose to explore. Intentions are great, but action is where careers start to change. Useful Links Sign Up For The 7 Day Career Reset Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected]

Being brilliant at your job isn’t always enough. If the right people don’t know what you’re capable of, opportunities can pass you by. Day 5 is about rethinking visibility. It isn’t about showing off or constantly promoting yourself. It’s about making sure the people who need to know about your contribution, strengths and ambitions actually know about them. Chapters00:00 Welcome to Day 5 00:35 Why visibility matters 01:00 Visibility isn’t showing off 01:30 Who knows what you’re capable of? 02:00 Your relationship network 02:30 Who do you need to reconnect with? 03:00 Who do you need to get to know? 03:30 Your Day 5 action 04:00 Your Power Hour opportunity 04:30 Tomorrow: What’s your next move? Coaching questionWho needs to know more about what I’m capable of? Key thoughtCareers aren’t built entirely through qualifications and hard work. They’re built through relationships, reputation, contribution and visibility. Useful Links Sign Up For The 7 Day Career Reset Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected]

You’ve thought about where you are, what you’ve achieved and what you might want next. Today, it’s time to look at what could be holding you back. Some barriers are genuinely external, but sometimes the biggest blocker is an internal one: a belief, fear, habit or story that’s stopping you from taking action. This episode helps you identify your biggest career blocker and find one small step to start creating movement. Chapters00:00 Welcome to Day 4 00:35 What’s really getting in your way? 01:00 Look beneath the obvious answer 01:30 The career blockers we don’t always recognise 02:00 What would you do if the obstacle disappeared? 02:30 What’s stopping you taking that first step? 03:00 Confidence doesn’t always come before action 03:30 Your Day 4 action 04:00 Tomorrow: Getting visible Coaching questionWhat would I do if the thing I’m worried about wasn’t holding me back? Key thoughtYou don’t have to feel completely ready to take the next step. Sometimes confidence comes because you take action. Useful Links Join The 7 Day Career Reset Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected]

Day 3 of the 7-Day Career Reset is about one of the biggest questions in your career: What do you actually want? Not what you think you should want, what other people expect, or what seems like the obvious next step. This episode helps you step back from job titles and expectations and explore how you want your next career chapter to feel. Chapters 00:00 Welcome to Day 3 00:35 What do you actually want? 01:00 Start with how you want your career to feel 01:30 More of / less of 02:00 Imagine your career three years from now 02:45 Your career and the life it enables 03:00 You don't need to have all the answers 03:30 Your Day 3 action 04:00 Your coaching question 04:15 Tomorrow: What's getting in your way? Coaching question: If I stopped worrying about what other people expected of me, what would I choose? Key thought You don't need to know exactly what your next job is. You just need to start getting clearer about the direction you want to move in. Useful Links Join the & Day Career Reset Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected]

When you’re thinking about your next career move, it’s very easy to focus on what you haven’t achieved yet. The promotion you haven’t got. The experience you don’t have. The skills you think you still need to develop. But what if one of the best ways to build confidence about your future is to take a proper look at what you’ve already done? In Day 2 of the 7-Day Career Reset, Sarah helps you look backwards so you can recognise the achievements, strengths and capabilities you may be taking for granted. Because your past successes contain evidence about what you’re capable of next. 👉Join The 7 Day Career Reset for free: careertreecoaching.co.uk/7-day-career-reset Chapters00:00 – Welcome to Day 2 Why today is about looking backwards before you start thinking about what’s next. 00:45 – Why we overlook what we’ve achieved The tendency to focus on the promotion, role or skills we haven’t achieved yet. 01:30 – What are you proud of? A coaching exercise to identify something you’ve achieved over the last 6–12 months. 02:00 – Your achievements are evidence of your capabilities How everyday achievements can reveal strengths such as resilience, leadership, communication and adaptability. 02:40 – The deeper question to ask “What did I have to be, do or learn to make that happen?” 03:00 – Where else could you use those strengths? How your past successes can contain clues about your future career. 03:30 – Build your Achievement Bank Sarah introduces the practical exercise in the Career Clarity Planner. 04:00 – What if you struggle to recognise your achievements? A different way to identify your strengths by looking at yourself through someone else’s eyes. 04:40 – Build your next chapter from evidence, not self-doubt Sarah’s final thought for Day 2 before looking ahead to what you really want. 05:00 – Tomorrow: What do you actually want? A thought to take with you Don’t build your next career chapter from a belief that you’re not enough. Build it from the evidence of what you’ve already shown you’re capable of. Useful Links Join the 7 Day Career Reset Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected]

Welcome to Day 1 of the 7-Day Career Reset. Before you can decide where you want your career to go, you need to get honest about where you are right now. This first episode is about pressing pause, stepping away from the day-to-day and taking an honest look at what’s working, what isn’t, and what you may have become so used to that you’ve stopped questioning it. There’s nothing to fix today. This is simply about taking stock. 👉Join The 7 Day Career Reset for free: careertreecoaching.co.uk/7-day-career-reset Chapters00:00 Welcome to the 7-Day Career Reset 01:00 What to expect over the next seven days 02:00 Why today is about pressing pause 03:00 How do you actually feel about your career? 04:00 What’s working well? 05:00 What’s not working? 05:30 What have you stopped questioning? 06:00 Score your career out of 10 06:30 What’s stopping the score being higher? 07:00 Your Day 1 action 07:30 Tomorrow: Recognise what you’ve already achieved Coaching questionHow do I actually feel about my career right now? Key thoughtYou can’t intentionally create a career you love if you never stop to ask yourself whether the career you have is working for you. Give yourself permission to pause. Useful Links Join The & Day Career Reset Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected]

Have you ever looked at your career and thought, “How did I actually end up here?” You’ve worked hard, progressed and taken opportunities, but perhaps your career has been shaped more by what happened around you than by what you deliberately chose. In this episode, Sarah explores five signs that your career may have become reactive rather than intentional, and shares three simple ways to start taking back control. You’ll discover why being successful at your job isn’t the same as actively managing your career, why your definition of success needs to evolve, and why you don’t need to have all the answers before you start exploring what could come next. Sarah also introduces her free 7-Day Career Reset, starting 25 September, designed to help you step back, get clearer about what you want and create a practical 90-day career plan. In this episodeWhy successful careers can still happen somewhat by accidentThe danger of letting the next opportunity set your career agendaWhy your definition of career success can change over timeWhy waiting to feel completely ready can keep you stuckThe difference between doing a great job and managing your careerWhy being too busy to think about your career can become a career problemThree ways to take back more control of your careerHow the 7-Day Career Reset can help you create space to think about what’s next Timestamps00:00 – Welcome to Unstuck & Unstoppable 01:30 – How did I end up here? Why a successful career can still leave you questioning whether you’re on the right path. 03:00 – Sign 1: Your career is driven by the next opportunity What happens when promotions, recruiters and organisational changes are setting the agenda. 04:00 – Taking control through clarity Why knowing what you want makes it easier to recognise the right opportunities and say no to the wrong ones. 04:40 – Sign 2: You’re measuring success by someone else’s scorecard Why job title, salary and responsibility aren't necessarily the things that define career success for you now. 06:00 – Your career success criteria can change How your priorities can evolve as your career and life change. 07:30 – Sign 3: You’re waiting to feel ready Why waiting for more confidence, experience, clarity or time can lead to procrastination. 09:00 – Sign 4: You’re great at your job, but not at managing your career The difference between delivering brilliantly in your role and actively looking after your visibility, relationships, reputation and ambitions. 10:30 – Sign 5: You’re too busy to think about your career Why there will always be something competing for your attention and why you need to create space for career thinking. 11:45 – Three ways to take back control Make time for regular career thinking, get curious about what success means to you now, and create space before your next big career decision. 13:30 – Introducing the 7-Day Career Reset What’s included in Sarah’s free seven-day reset, starting 25 September. 15:00 – From career reflection to a 90-day plan How the Reset can help you move from thinking about your career to taking practical action. 16:00 – Final thoughts A reminder not to let your career simply drift and happen by accident. Join the 7-Day Career Reset on 25 September.Over seven days, you’ll get short coaching emails, a Career Clarity Planner and optional five-minute podcast coaching sessions to help you step back, get clearer about what you want and create a practical 90-day plan. It takes just 10–15 minutes a day. Find the link in the show notes and join Sarah and hundreds of other women taking some time to put their careers back on the agenda. Useful Links Sign Up for The 7 Day Career Reset Sign up for Weekly Career Inspiration Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Book a Free 121 Clarity Call Join The Love What You Do Facebook Group Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected]

What if you treated your career like a business - and yourself as the CEO? It’s easy to become reactive in your career, especially when the day job is demanding. But if you want a career that continues to work for you, you need to take the lead. In this episode, Sarah shares five practical ways to become the CEO of your career - from creating a clear vision and building your career capital to making decisions and regularly reviewing your direction. In this episode, she covers: Why you need a career vision that goes beyond job title, salary and statusWhy your career is ultimately your responsibilityThe five areas of career capital you need to invest inHow to stop endlessly considering options and start making decisionsThe Stay, Grow or Go concept for career decision makingWhy you should have a regular Career CEO meeting with yourselfHow small, intentional decisions can keep your career moving in the right direction Timestamps00:00 – Welcome to Unstuck & Unstoppable 01:25 – What would you do differently if you were the CEO of your career? 02:35 – Step 1: Have a vision for your career 04:30 – Step 2: Stop waiting for someone else to manage your career 06:15 – Step 3: Invest in your career capital 08:15 – Step 4: Make decisions instead of endlessly considering options 09:40 – Stay, Grow or Go 10:00 – Step 5: Schedule a regular Career CEO meeting 11:00 – Introducing the Seven Day Career Reset 12:00 – What would you stop, start or make time for? 12:45 – Final thoughts A question for you If you were the CEO of your career, what is the one thing you would do differently now? What would you stop? What would you start? And what would you make time for? If you’re ready to take a more intentional approach to your career, join me for the Seven Day Career Reset - seven short coaching sessions designed to help you get clearer about your career future and create a 90-day plan. And remember: you don’t have to make one huge decision to change your career. You can start by making one small, intentional decision today. Useful Links Join The 7 Day Career Reset Sign up for Weekly Career Inspiration Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Book a Free 121 Clarity Call Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected]

What happens when menopause, burnout, career dissatisfaction, and a loss of confidence all start to feel like the same thing? In this episode, Sarah talks to Debbie Taylor, the Messy Life Coach, about why menopause is much more than a health and wellbeing issue. It can affect how women experience their careers, confidence, identity and performance at work. Debbie shares her own experience of perimenopause, workplace challenges, and ultimately leaving a role when she didn't feel supported. She explains why she believes menopause can be a catalyst for reflection and change – and how women can use this stage of life to reconsider what really matters to them. They also explore what managers and organisations can do to create more supportive, menopause-friendly workplaces where women don't feel that leaving is their only option. In this episode, you'll discover:Why menopause can be a career and leadership issue, not just a health issueHow to tell the difference between menopause symptoms, burnout, stress and career dissatisfactionWhy brain fog, poor sleep and anxiety can have such a big impact on confidence at workHow menopause can challenge your identity when so much of your self-worth has been tied to your careerWhat managers need to understand about supporting women experiencing menopauseHow to have more effective conversations about workplace adjustmentsWhy values, boundaries, and self-reflection become particularly important during midlifeHow journaling can helpDebbie's Menopause Dashboard for understanding what's really going onHer EMBERS framework for helping organisations become more menopause-readyWhy creating the right workplace culture can help talented women stay and thrive Timestamps00:00 – Introduction and Debbie's career journey Debbie shares her 25-year leadership and management career and explains how her own experience of menopause, long COVID, fatigue and brain fog ultimately led her to become the Messy Life Coach. 01:00 – When health challenges collide with work Debbie explains what happened when increasing stress led her to request a reasonable adjustment at work – and why the response ultimately led her to resign. 03:00 – Why menopause is a career and leadership issue Debbie explains why she sees menopause as much more than a health and wellbeing issue, and introduces the idea of the "double life" many women are living. 05:00 – The tangled knot: menopause, burnout or career dissatisfaction? Why it can be so difficult to understand what's really happening when symptoms develop gradually and affect confidence, energy and how you feel about work. 06:00 – What happens during perimenopause? Debbie discusses hormonal changes, chronic stress and the impact of modern lifestyles on the way women experience perimenopause. 08:00 – The impact of stress and nervous system overload Why the demands of work, family and caring responsibilities can leave women with very little space to rest, reflect and work out what they actually need. 10:00 – The workplace symptoms managers might notice Sleep disruption, anxiety, depleted energy, memory problems, brain fog and changes in performance – and why these can easily be misunderstood. 13:00 – Why workplaces need more human conversations Debbie explains why managers can struggle to know what to say and why creating a culture where people can simply ask, "Are you okay?" matters. 14:00 – When your workplace culture isn't menopause-friendly Sarah and Debbie explore the challenge women face when they don't feel safe being open about what they're experiencing. 15:00 – Menopause policies, workplace support and legislation Debbie explains why women should understand what menopause support their organisation provides and how HR can be an important starting point. 18:00 – How to ask your manager for what you need Practical advice on being specific about the adjustments and support that would make a difference. 20:00 – "Got meno" and the case for more compassionate workplaces Why we need to stop expecting employees to perform at their peak every single day and create cultures where people can be human. 21:00 – When menopause affects your confidence How poor sleep, anxiety and brain fog can knock confidence – and why this can sometimes lead women to question their careers. 22:00 – Using menopause as an opportunity for reflection Debbie shares how reconnecting with her values helped her understand what was and wasn't working in her life and career. 23:00 – Too many tabs open: clearing mental bandwidth Practical ideas including journaling, getting things out of your head and creating more space for your brain to function. 24:00 – What actually nourishes you? Why midlife can be an opportunity to let go of things that drain your energy and reconnect with the things that matter. 25:00 – Boundaries and filling your own cup Why you can't keep pouring from an empty cup – and why boundaries are essential if you want to create space to look after yourself. 26:00 – Debbie's Menopause Dashboard An introduction to Debbie's seven-dial dashboard for understanding symptoms, sleep, bandwidth, nutrition and how much like yourself you feel. 27:00 – The EMBERS framework for organisations Debbie explains how she helps businesses become more menopause-ready and create cultures that help women stay, thrive and progress. 29:00 – Where to find Debbie Taylor Find out more about Debbie, her work, masterclasses and the No BS Menopause Club. A few things to reflect on after listeningAre you experiencing symptoms that you've been attributing solely to stress, burnout or getting older?Has your confidence at work changed – and could there be more going on underneath it?What does your current career and lifestyle give you energy for, and what drains you?Are you living in line with your values?What do you need to ask for at work to make things more sustainable?Where might you need stronger boundaries? A note from SarahIf this episode has made you question whether what you're experiencing is menopause, burnout, career dissatisfaction – or a mixture of all three – don't feel that you have to work it all out at once. Sometimes the first step is simply to pause, pay attention and get curious about what's really going on. Useful Links Episode 89 Learning to Set Boundaries will Change the Way You Live and Work Connect with Debbie on LinkedIn The Messy Life Coach Sign up for Weekly Career Inspiration Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Book a Free 121 Clarity Call Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected]

In this episode, Sarah tackles a common challenge: maintaining and boosting leadership confidence amidst high expectations, decision-making pressures, and self-doubt. Tune in for actionable strategies, real-life examples, and tips to help you build a strong inner foundation for sustainable confidence and success. Show Notes[00:00:00] Introduction Overview of the podcast's mission and goals, and the importance of addressing leadership confidence. [00:01:00] Why Leadership Confidence Wobbles The pressures of leadership roles, including expectations from various stakeholders.How new challenges and decision-making responsibilities impact confidence.The influence of role models and past experiences on leadership style and self-perception. [00:04:00] Common Challenges for Female Leaders People-pleasing tendencies and imposter syndrome.Comparing yourself to seemingly confident peers.Recognizing that confidence wobbles are universal and temporary. [00:05:30] The Foundation of Leadership Confidence The importance of inner work to develop a resilient core of self-belief.How inner confidence impacts external trust and decision-making.Leadership confidence as a "muscle" that needs regular attention. [00:07:00] Working on Beliefs and Narratives How unconscious beliefs formed early in life shape leadership confidence.Examples of clients who redefined their narratives to embrace their authentic selves.Practical steps to identify and reframe limiting beliefs. [00:11:30] The Role of Triggers and Stories Identifying emotional triggers and their connection to deep-seated beliefs.Examining the stories we tell ourselves about success and failure. [00:13:00] Amplifying Your Leadership Brand Understanding your unique leadership strengths.The transformative power of redefining your leadership brand through reflection. [00:15:00] Key Takeaways Acknowledging when and why confidence wobbles occur.Practical actions: seeking support, recognizing triggers, and exploring your leadership narrative.The importance of continuous growth in leadership identity. [00:16:30] Invitation for Support Opportunities for listeners to explore confidence coaching.How to access additional resources on the CareerTree Coaching website. [00:17:00] Closing Remarks Encouragement to lead boldly, embrace your unique identity, and unlock your potential. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who could benefit. Useful Links Episode 89 Learning to Set Boundaries Will Change the Way You Live and Work. Episode 88 Stop People Pleasing and be Your Full Self at Work with Sophie Jane Lee Episode 2: How to stop feeling like an imposter at work Watch the LinkedIn Live Recording Sign up for Weekly Career Inspiration Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes Book a Free 121 Clarity Call Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Rate & Review the Podcast If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Don’t Forget to Subscribe! If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: [email protected] Remember, you are unstoppable!