Are you constantly asking yourself, "What's next?" The next promotion, pay rise or leadership opportunity? What if, instead of chasing more, you paused to ask a different question: What is enough?

In this episode, Sarah explores how ambitious women can redefine success on their own terms. We'll look at the hidden cost of constantly moving the goalposts, why many of us inherit other people's definitions of success, and how to create success criteria that reflect what's truly important to you in this season of your life and career.

If you've ever felt guilty for resting, struggled to celebrate your achievements, or questioned whether you're striving for goals that no longer feel aligned, this episode is for you.

• Why "enough" is a question more successful women need to ask themselves.
• How inherited beliefs about success influence our careers.
• The hidden costs of constantly striving for more.
• Why ambition isn't the problem – unconscious ambition is.
• Practical ways to define your own success criteria.
• Two powerful coaching questions to help you decide what enough looks like for you.

Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Unstuck and Unstoppable

01:35 – Why asking "What is enough?" matters

03:00 – Have you ever stopped to define success for yourself?

04:00 – Why success often becomes a moving target

04:45 – How we inherit our definitions of success

06:10 – The success criteria many women unconsciously adopt

07:00 – The hidden costs of never reaching "enough"

07:45 – Why this isn't about having less ambition

08:00 – Rest, guilt and constantly moving the goalposts

09:00 – What has your ambition given you – and what has it cost you?

09:40 – Identifying your personal success criteria

10:45 – Looking for clues in the lives of others

11:45 – My four personal success criteria

13:40 – Two coaching questions to define what enough looks like for you

15:00 – Designing the next season of your career and life

15:40 – How Sarah can help you create a career and life that's right for you

Key Coaching Questions

Take a few moments to reflect on these questions after listening:

1. If no one else's expectations mattered, what would "enough" look like for this season of your life and career?
2. Imagine yourself at 80 years old, looking back on your life. What would tell you that you had lived a good life and achieved enough?

Useful Links

Episode 77 Rethinking rest: What high performers need beyond time off

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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: sarah@careertreecoaching.co.uk

Do you struggle to say no, even when you're overwhelmed?

If you're constantly putting other people's needs before your own, taking on too much or feeling guilty whenever you try to protect your time, this episode is for you.

Sarah explores why setting boundaries feels so difficult, especially for ambitious women in leadership. She explains how people pleasing is often a nervous system response rather than simply "being nice", and shares practical tools to help you communicate boundaries with confidence, maintain them consistently and create more space for the work and life that matters most.

You'll learn four simple ways to express a boundary, discover the different areas where boundaries may be missing in your life, and understand how listening to your body's "embodied yes" can help you make decisions that align with your values.

Small boundaries build self-trust, and self-trust changes everything.

In this episode you'll discover:

• Why people pleasing is rooted in nervous system safety
• What healthy boundaries really are (and what they aren't)
• The four simple ways to communicate a boundary
• How to confidently say no without over-explaining
• The 3R method for holding boundaries when they're challenged
• The eight areas of life where boundaries matter most
• How to recognise your body's "embodied yes"
• Why boundaries are an essential leadership skill for preventing burnout

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome and why boundaries matter

02:00 Why people pleasing makes boundaries feel unsafe

04:20 What healthy boundaries really are

06:20 The four simple ways to set a boundary:

10:45 How to make your boundaries stick with the 3R Ladder:

13:30 The eight types of boundaries

16:00 Listening to your body

18:10 Why small boundaries build self-trust

19:20 Your challenge for the week

Useful Links

Episode 88 Stop People Pleasing and Be Your Full Self at Work (with Sophie Jane Lee)

Episode 19 How to Be More Assertive at Work

Sophie Jane Lee's book Beyond Palatable: A Manifesto for Unapologetic Women

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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: sarah@careertreecoaching.co.uk

What if confidence isn't the thing you're missing?

So many successful women have spent their lives being capable, dependable and high-achieving, yet still find themselves holding back at work and in life. They say yes when they mean no, struggle to set boundaries and worry about being seen as too much, too ambitious or too full of themselves.

In this powerful conversation, Sarah is joined by author, speaker and founder of Electric Peach, Sophie Jane Lee, to explore the hidden ways women abandon themselves in pursuit of being more palatable to others.

Drawing on the themes of her book Beyond Palatable: A Manifesto for Unapologetic Women, Sophie shares why the stories we tell ourselves shape the lives we create and why becoming unstuck isn't about fixing yourself – it's about becoming more fully yourself.

Together they discuss self-abandonment, visibility, boundaries, people pleasing and why doing the inner work matters if we want to stop shrinking ourselves and step into our brilliance.

In this episode you'll discover:

• What self-abandonment looks like at work and in everyday life

• Why successful women struggle to own their value and take up space

• The connection between our nervous system, safety and visibility

• How unconscious stories shape our careers, relationships and confidence

• Why boundaries feel so uncomfortable and how to navigate the guilt that comes with saying no

• Practical ways to build self-awareness and create space for reflection

• Why being 'full of yourself' is something we should aspire to rather than avoid

00:00 - Introduction

01:00 - Sophie's career journey and why she wrote Beyond Palatable

03:00 - Why women shrink themselves and make themselves smaller

04:00 - Understanding self-abandonment and the nervous system

06:30 - What self-abandonment looks like in the workplace

08:15 - The triad of oppression and the systems women navigate

13:45 - Are we making progress as women?

16:00 - Visibility, confidence and becoming 'full of yourself'

19:00 - Why there isn't a quick fix for confidence and self-worth

22:00 - Creating space for reflection and doing the inner work

26:15 - Setting boundaries and managing the guilt of saying no

30:00 - The stories we tell ourselves and how they shape our lives

32:30 - Sophie's final message for women who want to stop shrinking themselves

Website: beyondpalatable.com

Website: electricpeach.co.uk

Instagram: @beyondpalatable

LinkedIn: Sophie Jane Lee

Useful Links

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 this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another woman who needs the reminder that she doesn't have to become somebody else to succeed – she simply needs permission to become more fully herself.

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: sarah@careertreecoaching.co.uk

Remember, you don't have to stay stuck. You can become Unstuck & Unstoppable.

You're successful on paper. Capable, still showing up, still the person colleagues message when something needs sorting. And yet - something's shifted, and you can't quite name what.

In this episode, Sarah unpacks the career crossroads: that disorienting in-between space where what used to fit no longer does, and what's next hasn't taken shape yet. Whether it's shown up through redundancy, burnout recovery, hitting a milestone, or being offered a promotion that should feel exciting but doesn't - the internal experience underneath is strikingly similar.

Sarah breaks down the six patterns that keep ambitious women stuck at the crossroads longer than they need to be (hint: it's rarely about effort), and walks through the first, most important step forward - one that has nothing to do with having a plan.

If you've ever felt quietly unsettled despite "having it all," or caught yourself hesitating at an opportunity you'd have said yes to in a heartbeat five years ago, this episode will help you understand exactly what's going on - and what to do about it.

Timestamps

[00:00:00] Welcome to Unstuck and Unstoppable

[00:01:36] What is a career crossroads? The four different triggers

[00:05:38] The common thread underneath: your relationship to your next step has changed

[00:06:00] Naming it: why this is a liminal space, not a crisis

[00:06:30] What it actually feels like day to day - redundancy, burnout, milestones, promotions

[00:10:13] Why nothing's "wrong" but it still feels hard to move through

[00:10:30] The six patterns that keep you stuck at the crossroads

[00:13:46] The real first step: space and perspective, not a perfect plan

[00:14:00] How to start - naming what's changed, separating urgency from clarity

[00:14:50] Giving yourself permission not to decide immediately

[00:16:30] Exploring options without commitment

[00:17:30] Why an outside perspective (or a coach) can shortcut the stuck phase

[00:19:00] Wrap up and where to find more resources

Useful Links

Episode 84 The Sign There is More for You in Your Career (even if you can't see it yet)

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Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes

Book a Free 121 Clarity Call

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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: sarah@careertreecoaching.co.uk

Have you ever found yourself wondering, "Is this really it?"

From the outside, everything looks successful. You're performing well, earning good money, and progressing in your career. Yet something feels different. Not wrong exactly, but no longer quite right.

In this solo episode, Sarah explores the often-overlooked signs that you've outgrown your current role, even when you can't yet see what comes next. She shares insights from her work with senior professional women who are navigating career transitions, questioning their direction, and searching for greater meaning, purpose and fulfilment.

If you've been feeling disconnected, restless or drawn towards something different, this episode will help you understand what's really happening beneath the surface and why uncertainty may be a sign of growth rather than a problem to solve.

• Why successful women often struggle to recognise when they've outgrown a role
• The hidden reasons career clarity can feel so elusive
• How your professional identity can lag behind your personal growth
• Four subtle signs there may be more for you in your career
• Why uncertainty is often a natural part of career evolution
• A simple reflection exercise to help you reconnect with what matters most

00:00 Welcome and introduction to the podcast

01:45 Why so many successful women ask, "Is there more for me?"

03:00 The feeling of success without fulfilment

04:05 Sarah's personal story of leaving corporate HR for the voluntary sector

05:00 The LinkedIn profile test: when your career story no longer feels like you

05:40 Why you can't see what's next yet

05:50 Reason 1: You're too close to your current identity

06:30 Reason 2: Your career identity hasn't caught up with your personal growth

07:20 Reason 3: External success can mask internal change

08:20 The awareness phase that comes before clarity

08:45 Sign #1: Feeling disconnected from your current identity and work

09:50 Sign #2: Being drawn to different careers, lifestyles or choices

10:50 Sign #3: Inconsistent motivation and what it might be telling you

11:45 Sign #4: Asking questions without having answers yet

12:30 Expansion versus exhaustion: understanding the difference

13:15 Why uncertainty is not a problem to solve immediately

13:40 A simple daily exercise to help uncover what's changing

14:35 Trusting the process of career transition and growth

15:00 How coaching can help you gain clarity and confidence

15:45 Final reflections and closing thoughts

Useful Links

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: sarah@careertreecoaching.co.uk

Remember "You don't have to know what's next. You just have to trust that something is shifting, and that shift is giving you valuable information about what matters most."

What does authentic leadership really look like in practice?

In this episode Sarah sits down with former client Helen Cook, an experienced People Director, to discuss her career journey from hospitality into HR leadership, the lessons she's learned about confidence and career progression, and how coaching helped her gain clarity at an important point in her career.

Helen shares a refreshingly honest perspective on leadership, including navigating self-doubt, balancing ambition with family life, and staying true to yourself in senior roles. This is a thoughtful conversation for anyone who wants to lead with confidence without feeling they need to become someone they're not.

• Finding a career that aligns with your strengths and values
• Building a successful career in HR and people leadership
• Navigating self-doubt and imposter syndrome
• Leading authentically rather than copying others
• Balancing career ambitions with family responsibilities
• Lessons learned from stepping into senior leadership roles
• Why leadership isn't a race
• The value of coaching during career transitions
• Developing confidence and self-awareness as a leader
• What it means to be unstuck and unstoppable

00:00 – Introduction to Helen and her career journey

02:15 – From hospitality into HR: finding the right career path

04:30 – Key career turning points and leadership progression

07:00 – Discovering a leadership style that feels authentic

09:45 – Navigating self-doubt and imposter syndrome

12:20 – Balancing leadership responsibilities and family life

14:50 – Why leadership isn't a race

17:10 – The challenges of stepping into senior leadership

19:40 – Reaching a career crossroads and seeking coaching

22:15 – What coaching helped Helen uncover

24:30 – Building confidence and trusting yourself

27:00 – Lessons learned from leading people through change

29:45 – Advice for others considering coaching

32:15 – What being unstuck and unstoppable means to Helen

33:30 – Final reflections and key takeaways

Useful Links

Connect with Helen on LInkedIn

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: sarah@careertreecoaching.co.uk