In this episode of the Career Change Maker Podcast, I explore what happens when your career looks successful on the outside, but feels misaligned on the inside.

So many high-achieving women reach a point in mid-career where everything appears to be going well - the title, the experience, the trajectory...yet there’s a quiet sense of dissatisfaction that won’t go away. Not because they’ve failed, but because they’ve grown.

I talk about why this tension is so common, why it often shows up after years of building momentum, and how staying in roles that no longer fit the season of life you’re in can slowly drain your energy. I also share reflections from my own journey of moving away from private practice as a corporate lawyer, and why permission, not urgency was the turning point for me.

If you’ve been asking yourself “Is this it?” or going back and forth about whether you should make a change, this episode will help you pause, listen to the information your body and mind are giving you, and think more intentionally about what alignment looks like now.

✅ What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why feeling dissatisfied in a “good on paper” career is more common than you think
• How misalignment often shows up in mid-career for high-achieving women
• The hidden energy cost of staying in roles that no longer fit your season of life
• Why clarity matters more than urgency when considering a career pivot
• How to move out of mental looping and into intentional decision-making

💡 Action Steps

1. Look Ahead, Not Just Around
Ask yourself how you would feel if nothing changed in your career by December 2026.

2. Identify What’s Draining You
Get specific about which parts of your work take the most energy — and why.

3. Notice What You’re Tolerating
Reflect on what you’re putting up with now that you wouldn’t have accepted in the past.

Use these reflection questions:

• If nothing changed over the next year, how would I feel?
• What aspects of my role drain me the most — and why?
• What am I tolerating now that’s contributing to this misalignment?

If you’re at a career crossroads and want support gaining clarity, I offer Career Pivot Clarity Calls - one-to-one conversations to help you understand where you are, what’s no longer working, and what your next best move could be. You can book yours using the link in the show notes.

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This week’s episode is an extra-special milestone the 300th episode of the Career Change Maker Podcast, recorded live at Allbright Everywoman. Joined by two powerhouse women, Hannah Awonuga (Founder, Inclusive Foundations Programme) and Alice Olins (Global Head of Learning & Content at Albright Everywoman), Janine leads a deeply insightful conversation on navigating career growth in uncertain times.

From Hannah’s journey from global corporate leadership to entrepreneurship while navigating grief, redundancy and reinvention to Alice’s transition from journalism to entrepreneurship and back into corporate leadership, this conversation offers grounded wisdom you can apply no matter where you are in your journey.

If you're thinking about your next move, questioning your direction, or preparing for a new career chapter, this episode is full of powerful reminders that nothing is wasted, identity evolves, and you are the CEO of your career.

1. How to make bold career decisions — even when it’s easier to stay where you are.

Hannah shares how she left a well-respected director role at Barclays, not because she disliked it, but because she was thinking long-term. The lesson?
"Go when it’s easiest to stay, and stay when it’s easiest to go."

2. Why self-awareness is your greatest career strategy

Alice breaks down how carving out intentional time to think about your career, track your patterns, and reflect on what energises you is essential, especially during uncertain times.

3. The importance of having a ‘Personal Board of Directors’

From negotiating salaries to navigating transitions, Hannah shares how having mentors and advisors who are “two or three steps ahead” has been transformational.

4. How to think about your personal brand without boxing yourself in

Alice reframes personal brand as strategic storytelling flexible, responsive, and anchored in who you are and where you’re going, not just what you’ve done.

5. Career growth requires communitym not doing it alone

From co-working communities to courageous friendships, both guests talk about the power of women supporting women through the messy middle of career change.

Here are three practical steps you can take after listening:

1. Block out one hour a week for “Career CEO Time.”
   Use it for reflection, networking, journaling, or job searching. Treat it like a meeting with yourself because it is.
2. Build (or update) your Personal Board of Directors.
   Identify 3–5 people ahead of you in the areas you want to grow and reach out.
3. Audit your identity anchors.
   Write down (1) Who you are beyond your job title, (2) What people consistently praise you for and (3) What you want to be known for
   Use this to guide how you show up in rooms, interviews, and online.

👉 If you’re already thinking ahead to 2026 and want guidance on shaping your next chapter, I would love to support you. Book a call to explore 1:1 coaching.

Connect with Alice Olins -

Connect with Hannah Awonuga

Connect with Janine Esbrand

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In this week’s episode, I’m joined by creative entrepreneur, writer and past client, Tosin Hunter, for a deeply honest conversation about navigating the messy middle of career change, making an intentional pause, and rebuilding a life and career that genuinely aligns with your values.

Tosin spent over a decade in corporate recruitment roles at organisations like EY, UBS and Salesforce — climbing the ladder, getting promoted (even while on maternity leave), and doing everything “right.” But behind the scenes, she was exhausted, burnt out, and increasingly disconnected from the work she was doing.

In our coaching journey, she began unpacking what wasn’t working, rediscovering her values, and reconnecting with parts of herself she’d buried for years. That inner work sparked a complete life shift. One that led her to leave corporate, honour her season of motherhood, rediscover her creativity, and eventually build Hunter Digital, the website design studio she now co-leads with her husband.

If you’re in the midst of questioning your career, craving more alignment, or feeling the nudge to pause and reassess, this conversation will resonate deeply.

🎙️ Episode Overview

You’ll hear:

• What it really looked like for Tosin to walk away from a misaligned corporate career
• The mindset work, values exploration, and coaching conversations that surfaced hidden desires
• How an intentional pause helped her unravel old definitions of success and reconnect with creativity

🌟 What You’ll Learn

1. Your values are data. Misalignment is a message

During our coaching work, Tosin realised her values were family, creativity, fulfilment and simplicity… yet none of these were reflected in her day-to-day life. Recognising that misalignment became the catalyst for change. Before looking outward for roles, she started looking inward and that clarity changed everything.

2. A career pause can be productive, powerful and deeply clarifying

Stepping away from corporate gave Tosin the time and emotional space to rediscover herself. Through journaling, creativity courses, volunteering and time with her daughter, she unravelled old beliefs and began shaping a life that actually worked for her. Her reminder? You don’t always need the next step. Sometimes you just need space.

3. Nothing is wasted — your experience still counts

Tosin shares how easy it was to downplay her corporate achievements, until she realised those same skills ; storytelling, communication, listening, branding are now leveraged in business. Every chapter prepared her for the next. Your past isn’t irrelevant; it’s raw material for what’s next.

If you’re feeling the nudge to get support, consider this your sign to reach out and let’s explore how coaching with me can support your next chapter.

🔗 Connect with Tosin

• 🌐 Hunter Digital Studio: https://hunterdigital.studio/
• 📸 Instagram: @hunterdigital.studio
• 💼 LinkedIn: Tosin Hunter
• ✍🏾 Substack: tosinhunter.substack.com

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