Working with a career change coach - burnout concerns
A bit about me
I live in leafy Chiswick in West London – I love its balance of city bustle with plenty of nature close by.
I am married to a fiery Mexican and have two teenage children.
My hobbies are walking the dog, playing in a band, and I am an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
Early life and education
I grew up in Leamington Spa and Nigeria, and my mum was born in Sri Lanka. So I have something of an international upbringing. I have happy childhood memories of sitting in trees eating mangos and of family holidays in Sri Lanka.
My education was at the liberal local state school and I went on to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University.
My career and burnout
My initial career progressed well without really knowing what I wanted to do. I started as an Analyst in a market research firm and, after several promotions, completed a full-time MBA at Warwick Business School. I then moved into industry as a Change Manager, which led to Supply Chain Manager and Project Director roles.
After getting married and coming back to London I became an Executive Advisor at a US-based professional services firm. There was lots of international travel, and it was a fun, “young professionals” environment. Following a redundancy I switched role-types again, this time into sales. As a VP of Business Development I started making very good money, and initially was excited and passionate about the service and how we helped clients.
In the last five years’ of my corporate career I had a growing sense of not being fulfilled. I tried all kinds of things to fill the gap – I was learning guitar, I completed a counselling course, I moved firms. None of these worked and I ended up feeling trapped and unable to fully engage in life. I couldn’t see what kind of job I would be good at, enjoy, and realistically move to. For the first time I started feeling flat and struggled for energy and motivation.
Working with a career coach
Career coaching and, in my case also plenty of therapy, was what finally got me back on track – feeling lighter, feeling human again, enthusiastic and alive. The career coaching focused on getting back in touch with my core nature, the skills I enjoy using, my natural strengths and what naturally motivates me so that work wouldn’t feel like work. Key insights for me were:
Listening is a natural skill I enjoy using.
I value feeling connected to other people, especially in a one-to-one environment.
I have a strong nurturing side and people feel comfortable opening up to me.
Learning, personal growth and new adventures are important needs for me.
Being active, outdoors and in touch with nature brings me energy.
Much of my corporate career was fun and I had many great experiences. But my career decisions were driven mainly by fear and trying to meet an external benchmark of what a successful life should look like.
More money and promotions never left me feeling better for long. I still felt I hadn’t really achieved anything.
A perceived duty to provide for my family and a strong need for safety and security was blocking me from moving forward.
Re-training and becoming a coach
Ultimately I realised I wanted to be a career and life change coach for people coming out of burnout.
I trained at Optimus Coach Academy, a high-end course with an intimate set-up and excellent ongoing support for coaches after their diploma. I gained the coaching skills there, but was surprised at how much more I learnt about myself.
Coaching is everything I hoped it would be. It is immensely rewarding and I love being able to connect with and support other people to achieve their goals. It also allows me to build my coaching approach around my personality and strengths – I have a nurturing approach with my clients, giving them the time, space and support to explore what their body and intuition is probably already telling them.
I am convinced if I could transition from burnout to a more meaningful and fulfilling career you can too!