In this Shameless Careers episode, haroon (LBS MBA, ex-startups) shares how two failed probations and years of shame finally made sense after a dual adult autism & ADHD diagnosis - opening the door to self-acceptance, self-awareness, and real career purpose.

In this candid, emotional episode, we talk about:

- What it’s like to keep hearing the feedback that you “have flashes of brilliance, but your behaviour is erratic and it's too much to have to manage you”

- The adult autism & ADHD diagnosis: the two-hour cry, relief, and self-compassion

- Neurodiversity at work: why some brains may thrive in chaos, but struggle with routine

- Discovering purpose: haroon’s pivot to a creative career - where his brain truly thrives

- Life post the creative pivot: financial realities, the long game and the power of seizing the day

This episode is a reminder that we’re all wired differently; that some careers may fit our brains better than others; that raising awareness of neurodivergence matters; and that the most important thing is to be kind - to others and to yourself.

I hope you like this episode. Share the link with someone who may need to hear this.

✅ Stay connected with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varia-pechurina/

✅ Stay connected with haroon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harooncreates/

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#Neurodiversity #AdultAutism #ADHD #CareerChange #MentalHealth

⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feeling stuck on career autopilot - tired, unmotivated, and unsure what to do next?

In this Shameless Careers episode, career and life coach Hanan Baba shares a step-by-step framework to build a fulfilling, energising career without guesswork.

What you will learn:

- The #1 sign you’re on autopilot: persistently low energy

- How to “follow the scent” to find what gives you more energy & excitement

- The 3 pillars of your Inner Compass (strengths, values, interests)

- Job crafting: reshape your current role before you quit

- Personal brand + networking that clearly signal what you’re after - and help you land it

Enjoy!

✅ Stay connected with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varia-pechurina/

✅ Stay connected with Hanan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hananbaba/

✅ Hanan’s earlier episode on her pivot from consulting/tech to coaching:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RoJB2yjitI&t=2s

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#CareerAutopilot #CareerAlignment #EnergyAudit #InnerCompass #JobCrafting #PersonalBranding #NetworkingTips #CareerCoach #shamelesscareers

⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when a stable, well regarded career suddenly feels empty?

In this episode of Shameless Careers, Anastasia Tolstova shares her deeply personal story of spiralling into depression, battling anxiety, panic attacks, and an eating disorder - and how that mental health crisis became the catalyst for an entirely new career path.

Anastasia walked away from nearly two decades in finance to retrain as a psychotherapist and build her own private practice. In the interview we talk about:

- Hitting rock bottom: depression, burnout, and mental health leave

- Reframing crisis as a gift and a chance for reinvention

- How helping others became more meaningful than her banking career

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⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feeling “successful” but unfulfilled? Wondering how to build confidence, take smarter risks, and find true fulfilment in a high-performance career?

In this episode of Shameless Careers, I’m joined by Alina Addison - Executive Coach, former Head of Trading & Execution at Rothschild & Co, and author of The Audacity Spectrum. Together, we explore how high-achievers can break free from the trap of chasing external success and start living audaciously.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

✅ The 4 principles of living audaciously - acknowledge uncertainty, dare authentically, care intensely, trust your yes

✅ Why mindset - how you frame uncertainty, risk, and setbacks - is the ultimate differentiator in high-performance careers

✅ Why confidence doesn’t come first – it FOLLOWS courage (just 2% more courage a day can change everything!)

✅ Why making requests - for promotions, opportunities, and recognition - is one the perfect examples of such courage

✅ How the antidote to uncertainty isn’t certainty - but creativity and experimentation

If you’re a high-achiever in finance, consulting, law, or tech and you’ve ever felt stuck, risk-averse, or unsure of your next move, this conversation is for you.

#CareerChange #ExecutiveCoach #HighAchievers #FinanceCareers #CareerGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #MindsetMatters #ConfidenceBuilding #RiskTaking #shamelesscareers

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⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What really happens when you leave a safe, high-paying corporate job to start your own business?

In this episode of Shameless Careers, I sit down with Morgaine Conway-Grim, who made the leap from finance into entrepreneurship to launch Hawks & Doves, a financial education company.

We talk about:

👉 Why she left a promising finance career to pursue her purpose

👉 The real financial risks of quitting a stable job

👉 How she validated her business idea and landed her first client

👉 The hardest parts of being a founder (loneliness, nonstop work and... a lot of admin!)

👉 Why the highs of entrepreneurship feel so much sweeter

If you are in finance, consulting, law, or tech - and wondering “Should I quit my corporate job to start a business?” - this conversation is for you.

#Entrepreneurship #CareerChange #CorporateToEntrepreneur #StartupJourney #shamelesscareers

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✅ Stay connected with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varia-pechurina/

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⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feeling exhausted from consulting or another high-pressure career? You’re not alone.

In this episode of Shameless Careers, I speak with Daphne Chung - LBS MBA graduate turned executive coach - about her journey from consulting burnout to building a thriving coaching practice.

We talk about how burnout can happen even when you enjoy your work, the link between perfectionism and exhaustion, early warning signs like poor sleep and neglected self-care, and why learning “good enough” can protect your health without limiting success.

You’ll also hear tips on making a career pivot, finding fulfillment in your work, and creating psychological safety in the workplace.

If you’re:

- A consultant feeling burned out

- A high achiever in finance, law, tech, or other high-pressure industries

- Or simply rethinking your definition of success...

... this conversation will help you recognise burnout early and take practical steps toward recovery and career satisfaction.

#consultingburnout #burnoutrecovery #careerpivot

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This episode is about Consulting Burnout: How to Recover & Pivot to a Career You Love. But it also covers the following topics:

How To Recover From Burnout

High-Pressure Career Stress

Career Change For Consultants

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✅ Stay Connected:

With me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varia-pechurina/

With Daphne Chung: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daphnechung/

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#consultingburnout #burnoutrecovery #careerpivot #careerchange #mentalhealth #careerfulfilment

Consulting Burnout: How to Recover & Pivot to a Career You Love

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⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Want to build a powerful personal brand but don’t know where to start?

Say no more — this interview with Maria Macdonald is here to answer exactly that.

Maria is the founder and director of Cord Comms, an agency providing public relations and communication services — including branding and strategic marketing — for premium lifestyle brands and impact tech. She has worked with an impressive range of clients, including La Mer, Jo Malone London, McQueens Flowers, and Aveda.

In this episode, we cover four use cases for personal brand building:

1. If you're in a corporate career

2. If you're in the middle of a career pivot

3. If you're running a side hustle

3. If you're starting a business

Specifically, we dive into:

- Why personal branding isn’t optional anymore

- The key components of a strong personal brand

- Why LinkedIn is an absolutely crucial tool to build your brand

- How to get featured in the media (without an agency)

- The biggest challenges people face when building their brand (e.g. imposter syndrome, procrastination, LinkedIn fatigue)

Whether you’re climbing the corporate ladder, pivoting industries, or launching a business or side hustle, this conversation is packed with practical strategies to help you grow your brand — showing up authentically, strategically, and unapologetically (if not shamelessly ;)).

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📩 Want to get in touch or be a guest?

- Stay in touch with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varia-pechurina/

- Stay in touch with Maria Macdonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-macdonald/

#personalbrand #careerchange #visibility #linkedintips #shamelesscareers #sidehustle #authenticity #corporatelife #careerstrategy #mariamacdonald #branding #softskills

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⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Shameless Careers — the podcast helping high-achieving professionals build meaningful careers on their own terms.

In this episode, I sit down with Dina Al-Alami, an ICF-certified career coach and founder of Major Confusions, a career wellness studio. In this episode, we are drilling down into what career fulfilment REALLY means. What are the components of it? Is it even achievable? And does it always mean you need to quit your job and make a drastic change? (Spoiler alert: No :)).

🔍 In this episode, we focus on:

- Frameworks Dina uses with clients to find clarity around their next step

- Practical tips around discovering your values

- Key components of intrinsic motivation (so that you can self diagnose and see which of these components may be missing for you!)

🧠 Whether you’re feeling stuck, burned out, or simply curious about your next move — this conversation will give you tools and insights to navigate your career with more intention and less shame.

👇 Subscribe for more real conversations about career fulfilment, career transitions, and the messy middle of figuring it out.

📩 Want to get in touch or be a guest?

Stay in touch with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varia-pechurina/

Stay in touch with Dina Al-Alami: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinaalalami/

#FindCareerFulfillment #CareerConfusionHelp #RedefineCareerSuccess #BurnoutToBalance #ValuesDrivenCareer #HighAchieverStruggles #CareerCoachingJourney #CareerChange #CareerCoach #BurnoutRecovery

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⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.