How do you stay resilient when change feels constant?

In this episode, I'm joined by learning and development specialist Russell Harvey to explore what resilience really means, why it's becoming one of the most important skills we can develop, and how it can help us navigate uncertainty both at work and in life.

After a career spanning more than 20 years in leadership and organisational development, including six redundancies, Russell has experienced more change than most. Rather than seeing resilience as simply "bouncing back," he describes it as learning, adapting and moving forward stronger than before.

We explore the realities of today's workplace, from rapid change and uncertainty to the pressure many leaders and teams are feeling, and discuss practical ways to build resilience without simply adding another task to an already full to-do list.

In this episode, we discuss:

✅ What resilience really looks like in today's workplace
✅ Why uncertainty isn't going away and how to respond to it
✅ The VUCA framework and how leaders can navigate change more effectively
✅ Practical strategies to move from surviving to thriving
✅ The importance of purpose, confidence and adaptability
✅ Why your strengths give you energy (and why that's important)
✅ How leadership behaviours shape culture and performance

Russell also shares his simple reflection framework to help you pause, learn from difficult situations, and focus your attention on the things you can actually influence.

Whether you're leading a team, navigating a career transition, or simply trying to stay grounded in an increasingly unpredictable world, this conversation is full of practical ideas to help you build resilience and future-proof your career.

To connect with Russell:
Website & resources: theresiliencecoach.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russelltheresiliencecoach/

Can you also find episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmmaGrahamCareerCoach/videos

Your host, Emma Graham, Career Coach and ex-recruiter, is here to help you with:

💡 Gain clarity on what’s important to you
💡 Confidently communicate your value
💡 Build a personal brand and a strong network
💡 Take a strategic approach to your next move
💡 Navigate the job market effectively
💡 Build career confidence with a repeatable success blueprint

🌐 Explore my coaching programs and free resources:
Website: https://www.egconsulting.au/
LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/emmajgraham
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmagrahamcareercoach/

🎁 Free Resources:
📄 CV Development Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/cv-advice
📄 LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/linkedin-profile-guide

📅 Book Your FREE Career Strategy Discovery Call:
https://calendly.com/emmagrahamconsulting/discovery-call

Careers rarely follow the path we expect.

In this episode, I'm joined by Rachel Abad to talk about the twists, turns, and unexpected experiences that ultimately led her to founding her own communications consultancy.

Growing up in regional North Queensland, Rachel always knew she wanted to leave her hometown and build a career beyond its boundaries. While law was her original plan, missing the grades led her into a Communications degree instead, a decision that would shape the rest of her career.

Through internships, she discovered a love of teamwork, fast-paced environments, and working to deadlines. After a challenging start to her job search, Rachel landed a role in a small agency working with Telstra licensees, which eventually led to positions with a Telstra master licensee and later Telstra's head office.

Along the way, she developed expertise in stakeholder management, communications, and navigating complex environments, skills that would later transfer seamlessly into infrastructure, rail projects, and community engagement work in Melbourne.

But like many people, Rachel's career wasn't without challenges.

During COVID, years of pressure and overwork caught up with her. Burnout, hospitalisation, and a diagnosis of intracranial hypertension forced her to reassess her relationship with work, success, and identity.

Our conversation explores:

✅ Building a career when the path isn't clear
✅ The value of internships and early career experiences
✅ Stakeholder management and transferable skills
✅ Burnout, recovery, and redefining success
✅ When work becomes too much of your identity
✅ Starting a business and overcoming fear
✅ Finding purpose and meaning in your work
✅ Why nobody really has it all figured out

Rachel also shares the story behind founding Looped In Communication, her audience-led research and communications consultancy, and why understanding people sits at the heart of effective communication.

This is an honest conversation about career detours, resilience, burnout, entrepreneurship, and the reality that most successful careers are built one step at a time.

To connect with Rachel
Website: looped-in.com.au
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-abad-59303452/

Can you also find episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmmaGrahamCareerCoach/videos

Your host, Emma Graham, Career Coach and ex-recruiter, is here to help you with:

💡 Gain clarity on what’s important to you
💡 Confidently communicate your value
💡 Build a personal brand and a strong network
💡 Take a strategic approach to your next move
💡 Navigate the job market effectively
💡 Build career confidence with a repeatable success blueprint

🌐 Explore my coaching programs and free resources:
Website: https://www.egconsulting.au/
LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/emmajgraham
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmagrahamcareercoach/

🎁 Free Resources:
📄 CV Development Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/cv-advice
📄 LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/linkedin-profile-guide

📅 Book Your FREE Career Strategy Discovery Call:
https://calendly.com/emmagrahamconsulting/discovery-call

In this episode, I’m joined by HR leader and author Teri Chilcoat to talk about the realities of toxic workplace cultures, why so many people stay longer than they should, and what you can do to protect yourself when you find yourself in one.

Teri shares her own career journey, unexpectedly finding her way into HR through a temp role, to experiencing severe workplace bullying as the sole HR person inside a toxic leadership environment.

That experience ultimately inspired her to write a book designed to help others recognise toxic dynamics earlier and navigate them more effectively.

Throughout our conversation, we explore:
✅ The signs and symptoms of toxic workplaces
✅ Why dysfunction often becomes normalised
✅ How toxic environments impact both physical and mental health
✅ The “toxicity triangle” and how unhealthy cultures are sustained
✅ Why high performers are often protected despite poor behaviour
✅ The long-term impact of burnout and chronic stress
✅ How COVID and remote work changed workplace culture
✅ Why younger generations are raising expectations around leadership and wellbeing

Teri also shares her practical framework around:
✅ Self-awareness
✅ Self-control
✅ Self-care
✅ Self-empowerment

We talk about the importance of focusing on what you can control, building healthier coping mechanisms, recognising red flags earlier, and creating more agency for yourself, even in difficult environments.

If you’ve ever questioned whether a workplace was healthy, struggled with burnout, or felt trapped in a difficult environment, there’s a lot in this episode that will resonate. And give you some practical advice and guidance on what to do.

To connect with Teri:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teri-chilcoat-phr/
Website: innerauthoritycompany.com

Can you also find episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmmaGrahamCareerCoach/videos

Your host, Emma Graham, Career Coach and ex-recruiter, is here to help you with:

💡 Gain clarity on what’s important to you
💡 Confidently communicate your value
💡 Build a personal brand and a strong network
💡 Take a strategic approach to your next move
💡 Navigate the job market effectively
💡 Build career confidence with a repeatable success blueprint

🌐 Explore my coaching programs and free resources:
Website: https://www.egconsulting.au/
LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/emmajgraham
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmagrahamcareercoach/

🎁 Free Resources:
📄 CV Development Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/cv-advice
📄 LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/linkedin-profile-guide

📅 Book Your FREE Career Strategy Discovery Call:
https://calendly.com/emmagrahamconsulting/discovery-call