How do you know when you’re perfectionism is getting in the way of your progress? Or is it what helps you to be successful. Or is it somewhere in between. A short while back we released a podcast episode on “perfectionism” and how you might not even know it’s holding you back. We got great feedback on this episode from many of our listeners. Caroline Adams and I scheduled a followup conversation to debrief on the podcast and what we learned from creating a podcast on perfectionism. Ironically we discovered on creating a podcast on perfectionism that our own perfectionist tendencies had reared their ugly head. This turned into a private conversation about where perfectionism becomes an issue for both of us. We go deep into where it’s caused challenges for our own lives and work… Even when we began this conversation we never intended it to become a podcast we’re sharing it with you because we also discuss how we each individually handle the perfectionism when it pops up ready to hold us back! Learn more at https://happentoyourcareer.com/233

What challenges will you have when making a career change at 30? Or secret advantages when you’re 40? What about “imagined” challenges at 20? Find out what to do to about it!   https://happentoyourcareer.com/career-change-at-30-20-40-and-50

How do you get in touch with people who are incredibly busy? Such as executives that may hold the key to starting a new career at a company you’re excited about, or might be a great mentor for you when making a career change? Darrah Brustein is an expert networker, founder of Network Under 40, Equitable Payments, and Financial Whiz Kids. She breaks down what you need to do to connect with hard to reach people and make them want to help you!    What you’ll learn  How to reach out to executives or other people that are really hard to get in touch with How to write an awesome networking message to amplify your career search Tips to getting people to want to help you on your career change journey   Have career change questions or want to make an introduction? Email [email protected]    Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out!  Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over.   Related Episodes Figuring Out Your Perfect Career Match (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Discover Your Strengths to Find Your Ideal Career (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

What would you want to do if you weren’t on your current path? Louise McNee had always been the type of person who knew exactly where she wanted to go and was driven to make it happen. That is until she was no longer sure what she wanted to be doing with her life. Listen to find out how she went from in confident executive to in tears no longer sure what was up or down to learning what creates a truly fulfilling life for her! http://happentoyourcareer.com/230

Dan Pink has written multiple New York Times best sellers, he’s been a speech writer for Al Gore, He’s given many Keynotes all over the world. His current book “When” has been sitting atop the best seller list for months. Looking at his career right now, you’d have no idea that at one point he was in law school but decided being a lawyer wasn’t for him, got into politics and after the initial luster wore off that the political space wasn’t for him either.   So how did Dan go from shifting career focus multiple times to deciding to become a writer with relative ease?   Well… turns out, he didn’t!   Find out exactly what happened here https://happentoyourcareer/229

What is my passion?? Passion can be defined in many ways in relation to your career. Christie Mims, the founder of the Revolutionary Club, a Forbes Top 100 website for your career, wants people to separate their passion from their job. According to her, in the grander scale of things, passion is bigger than just your job. So, what is passion? Basically, passion is who you are and your job is how you express that passion. Passion is your North Star and your job is fueled by your passion. Finding out what is your passion takes a little bit of courage in order to get off the beaten career path and embrace who you are and what motivates you to do good work. “You can be known for being a strategic thinker. You can be known for being the person that’s calm in a crisis. You can be known for being the person who has a great sense of humor who is able to connect with people.” You can help identify some of your best qualities to find your passion by thinking about some of your biggest personality traits that are positive and start to socialize those traits with yourself and learn ways you can best communicate them to others. In the podcast, Christie shares how to find your passion and how to turn that into a career that you love. Listen here!           Scott Anthony Barlow          Turning Your Passions Into Your Career with Christie Mims                    ABOUT CHRISTIE MIMS Christie Mims is the founder of a Forbes Top 100 website for your career, The Revolutionary Club – THE Destination for Smart Women Who Won’t Settle For Anything Less Than Career Happiness. Christie was also named a top career expert in 2016 and her work has been featured all over the internet. Christie is an expert in finding and doing things you’re passionate about and how to turn it into your career. Her mission is to help people find work they absolutely love. Currently, Christie is providing a free 5-day Passion Challenge to uncover your passion and feel excited about work again. Click here to find the passion for work you love! WHAT IS MY PASSION? WHAT YOU WILL LEARN How to stop listening to the noise of following the safe path and how to break away from the path of least resistance What passion really is and how it relates to your job What is passion v. What is hobby Embracing more of who you are and taking a risk to find your passion How to find what drives you to enjoy the work you do

Have you ever been so excited about a new project or goal that you’ve set for yourself that you just can’t wait to start? You sit and visualize yourself going through the motions of the process, checking off all the boxes on your to-do list, and finally you check off that last task, then you bask in the feeling of victory after you’ve achieved your accomplishment. That entire process, the drive and determination, the movement forward, that feeling of accomplishment…that is what it means to be unhackable.   BUT HOW DOES IT APPLY TO MY CAREER? To be unhackable means to close the gap that exists between your ideas and the implementation of your ideas. It means building yourself up to become an unstoppable force that reaches goals. Take that philosophy and apply it to the process of your career transition and you become unhackable by eliminating all of the obstacles that stop you from reaching your dream career. What drives many people to career change is the idea that there is a big potential for something more than what they’ve got going on in their career right now. But sometimes even people with the strongest mindsets, get hacked. There are a handful (maybe more than a handful) of things that stop people dead in their tracks as they begin their journey into a new career. Some begin to feel like imposters as they begin to progress in their career change. Some self-sabotage and start doubting their potential, then slowly they unintentionally begin to put the brakes on their path to a new career. But just like computer systems have software that work to prevent getting hacked, there are ways for you to be proactive in becoming unhackable. In order to get in front of the hacking, we need to identify what is leaving you vulnerable to getting hacked in the first place.   WHAT IS STOPPING YOU FROM BECOMING UNHACKABLE IN YOUR CAREER CHANGE?  “The mind is everything. What you think you become.”―Buddha The most common obstacles that stop a lot of people during their career change are all about their mindset. Here are the top three things stopping people from becoming unhackable (with some examples):   1) Problem: They lack the confidence in their knowledge & skills They start thinking about themselves in a self-sabotaging ways. They’ve been imagining that they’re experts in something. That they really don’t have the transferable skills required to follow through on a new career. That they’re really not good enough to make a career change.   2) Problem: They’re unsure of the direction or focus they want to pursue They have a lot of interests, a lot of passions, but they’re not sure that their skills really apply to either. They think that working in passions is a myth and that sticking to what they’ve always known and done is a safer bet, than taking a chance on something new. Nothing has worked out for them to this point, that they’re stuck on what’s next.   3) Problem: They don’t know how to sell yourselves They doubt the value their skills bring to the table. They don’t know how to effectively market themselves. They’re not “salespeople.” They don’t want to seem pushy. They’re afraid of rejection.   SO, HOW DO YOU BECOME THAT UNSTOPPABLE, UNHACKABLE FORCE TO SUCCESSFULLY CHANGE CAREERS? “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill Well, we change your mindset when it comes to your career change. 1. Get out of your own head and stop judging yourself. 2. Refocus your time and energy on your goal.   LACKING CONFIDENCE? If you’re struggling with the confidence in your own knowledge and skills in a particular industry, you need to, first, acknowledge that there is a reason you started down the path of career change (and KUDOS to you on that note, because not a lot of people even make it as far as to acknowledge that a change needs to be made). Remember that you started down this path because you knew that there was something bigger for you out there (and there is!). So, if you need to, take a step back and take a breath and then come back into your process of career change refreshed and motivated to continue. As Kary Oberbrunner says, “Show up filled up.” You are the expert and the guru. You have the skills to bring value to people. Regain your perspective and come back full of what you already know you know and move forward.   CAN’T FIND A CAREER THAT FITS? Who do you want to help? What do you want to contribute your talents to? If you are having a little trouble answering those questions, ask yourself: What have at least three people asked you for advice on? Those people have come to you for help in something they trust you enough to help solve. That makes you credible. That proves that there is a need out there and that skill makes it something you can capitalize on. From that little exercise, you can align your skills and strengths and begin to be more intentional in your career change.   WONDERING HOW TO MARKET YOURSELF? Ever heard of a Values Proposition Statement (VPS)? Anyone that is looking to change careers should have one. Think of it like the menu at a drive-thru window. You know when you pull up to a drive-thru, you know exactly what they’re selling. That is what your VPS should do. It provides clarity of your intentions and lays out what you have to offer your next employer. Here’s a formula to give you a little framework to build on:   “I AM A ____________, WHO HELPS ___________ DO OR UNDERSTAND _________ SO THAT ______________”   Once you have your VPS lined up and ready to roll, you’re ¾ of the way there. The last quarter of the marketing equation requires you to change your mindset from “selling yourself” to a mindset that selling is serving, and marketing your knowledge and skills is storytelling. Once you can frame your pitch in that way, you’re golden. People don’t want to be sold, they want to be helped.   NEXT STEPS Becoming unhackable is a mindset change. Building your confidence, finding your footing in the direction you want to take your career, and learning how to take all of that and put it into action by effectively marketing your skills and knowledge as assets will make you unhackable to continue to successfully transition your career. Your journey into a new career isn’t easy. And because the process is a journey, we know it’s easy to let yourself to get hacked. If you’re finding a little bit of difficulty building your confidence or finding your footing on what career path is right for you, we have world-class career coaches that can help you get where you envision your next career. Visit us at https://www.happentoyourcareer.com/coaching and let us know where you find yourself getting hacked and one of our coaches will be glad to help you!

Is Being a Perfectionist holding you back? Where does perfectionism come from in the first place? What’s the meaning of perfectionist really?   Here’s your Perfectionism Test Here’s your perfectionism test on whether or not perfectionism is holding you back in your career change. Answer these three questions to get started OR take the entire perfectionist test by clicking here! 1.Do you have a track record of success in one area of your life (career, fitness, finances, relationships, etc)? 2.Have you ever said something similar to

What if you already have a very comfortable job but you want more? How do you create the environment to make a change when you already have it pretty good but you know that something MUST change? Get the entire episode and transcripts at http://happentoyourcareer.com/225

What if the moments in our lives that feel the most awkward are actually the most valuable? That’s the question that Melissa Dahl poses in her new book Cringeworthy, a Theory of Awkwardness. It’s also something that I’ve been pondering for about 10 years now. Particularly the area of having awkward and difficult conversations and how they impact your life.   Want to completely change how you have difficult conversations? Go to http://happentoyourcareer.com/224

When you’re faced with hard decisions like “should I take this other job” or “How do I know if this company is worth my time” or “is this type of role really going to make me happy, how do you really know? Our HTYC career coach Caroline Adams helps us break down exactly how to know. To get started go to http://happentoyourcareer.com

Maybe you used to really enjoy your job, but lately you’ve been feeling burnt out. The good news is there is a way to revitalize those feelings you once had for your career and company. Going from an employee of an organization you’re already working for to an independent consultant may be just what you’re looking for. This episode takes you through the 4 steps that explain how to get a consulting job with the company you already work for. What you’ll learn  The trick to enjoying your corporate company again even if you’re experiencing corporate burnout How to create the right time and place to become an independent consultant How to have a conversation as a partner (not as an employee) How to negotiate what you want out of your consulting role    Have career change questions or want to make an introduction? Email [email protected]    Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out!  Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over.   Related Episodes Should I Quit My Job? How to Know It’s Time (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Stuck in a Career You're Unhappy With? Fear Of Taking Risks Could Be Keeping You There (Spotify / Apple Podcast)

What if you’re a creative thinker who’s in a role that doesn’t allow you to use all that creativity? I would say “square peg, round hole” but usually it’s more “well rounded” people that function in a “square” environment. They can fit in, they just don’t want to have to. Every single day we get people who are creatively minded that email us and say: “I would love to find a career where I get to use my creativity and still get paid well for it.” We’ve learned that many people don’t even really believe it’s possible when they show up on our digital doorstep.

According to our guest (and coiner of the term), Emilie Wapnick, a multipotentialite is a person that doesn’t have “one true calling the way that specialists do.” Emilie describes multipods as people with many paths that pursue all of them, either sequentially or simultaneously (or both). A person with Multipotentiality “thrives on learning, exploring, and mastering new skills.” As innovators and problem solvers, the multi-passionate have the need to discover anything and everything to satisfy their curiosity.

Starting the career search process can be intimidating, especially since the first thing any job search website asks for is WHAT? Like you’re supposed to know what job title you want in the first place? When you don’t know what career path you want to take, the process is not only hard to get started, it can be paralyzing when you don’t have all of the answers. Just thinking about a career change causes stress, anxiety, frustration, and fear to rise inside many people because the majority feel stuck and unsure of what to do first. But, there’s a way to get unstuck. You have to be willing to change your mindset and approach your career change differently than you have before. If you’re willing to do that, all you need now it to make the time and energy to get you through the journey. Below, we’ve outlined tips from Kathryn Minshew, CEO and Co-Founder of The Muse, a career discovery platform that “puts the human at the center” and helps over 50+ million people a year in their career search. Now, pull out a notebook and let’s get you started down the right path to get you unstuck and find your new career path.

This is our first podcast episode ever where we share the story of our Career Change Bootcamp graduate, Margaret Fredrickson, alongside her career coach. Margaret gives us her first-hand experience of how coaching helped her overcome her own fears and doubts about finding her dream job--and lets us in on why vulnerability is the biggest job search hack out there.

We are constantly told that life is about the journey, not the destination. But, what if our so-called “journey” doesn’t have any purpose? During this podcast episode, Scott will speak with Career Change Bootcamp graduate, Kelly, who will take us through her journey to finding a purpose in life. And, once she found it--everything else seemed to fall into place.

Do you feel like you’re living your life in fear of what you could actually accomplish if you tried? On this podcast episode, we’ll be sharing 4 essential steps on how to stop living your life in fear--and finally how to give yourself permission to live the life you actually want.

Maybe you really enjoyed your job when you started…years ago. But now, you stroll into work each morning disengaged and hopeless. You're not alone. About 50% of people go through this exact cycle in their job: excited, learning stops, they feel stuck. Hear how Laura confidently and successfully switched industries after being at a job for 8 years.   What you’ll learn  How to know when it’s time to leave your job. The importance of self reflection in the career change process.  How to successfully switch industries no matter how long you’ve been in your current one. The tools and resources to use when making a career change.   Have career change questions or want to make an introduction? Email [email protected]    Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out!  Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over.   Related Episodes Laura’s “Where Are They Now?” Episode - Positives and Negatives of Starting A New Career: Is It Worth It? (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)  Executive Burnout: Making A Midlife Career Change  (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Are the expectations of others holding you back from doing work that is truly fulfilling? Most of us feel like we have to behave like one person when we’re at work, and a different person when we’re at home or in our social circles. That in itself creates a social expectation. If you want to be yourself at all times, you’re bucking the trend. Because, in our world today it’s  not “normal” to get paid to be who you are, using your true strengths instead of just the skills you’ve picked up in various roles along the way. But, you want to know the weirdest part? By resisting being your most authentic self at all times (because of fear) we are ensuring that we stay unhappy by default. Learn how to go against the grain and find a career that allows you to be YOU! What You'll Learn How to model living authentically during a career change to find a career that fits  How to modify your job offer to reflect what you really want How your boss can support you during your career change  The importance of finding your strengths to determine your ideal role    Have career change questions or want to make an introduction? Email [email protected]      Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out!  Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over.   Related Episodes Should I Quit My Job? How to Know It’s Time (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) How to Figure Out What You Really Want (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Six Career Experiments To Help You Discover Your Ideal New Role (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Everyone and their mother is going to email you about your resolutions and goals now that it’s the beginning of 2018. I don’t want to do that to you. Plus you already know I have a serious aversion to doing what everyone else is doing? So instead I thought I would email you an example of what NOT to do and then give you a complete step by step process of how completely reframe your future! What’s the difference between a meager change vs a paradigm shifting change? It takes completely reframing your future to be able to achieve a paradigm shifting change. More importantly when you go through the efforts to make them happen, you will not be the same person you were beforehand. A paradigm shift you want to make might not have anything to do with travel or fitness or a “lack of mortgage”. It can be anything you want it to be. I’m very sure that there is something that you’ve wanted that you just haven’t thought it was possible so you haven’t seriously considered it.

In this conversation with Chris we get deep into how: Take off some of the pressure by learning the difference between a startup and an income generating project. Learn how a side hustle is different from being a full blown entrepreneur. There is nothing wrong with you if you don’t want to quit your job tomorrow and take a big risk to start your own thing. You have other options. Not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur but that doesn’t mean you can’t have your own thing on the side. Learn how to decide what kind of side hustle is right for you. How you can use your power of observation and curiosity to find possible side hustles that fit you. Learn the steps to identify and execute an effective side hustle. Learn how to truly identify and get specific with your ideal customer.

I remember in 2006 I had just been fired from a job that I hated.   I was pretty determined to not have to go back to “just another job” where I would spend my days just waiting for the weekend as I grinded it out in meetings that had no meaning to me.   So I began learning everything I could about people who get well paid AND love their work. Let’s call these people “Happy High Achievers”   One of the things that I observed right away is that Happy High Achievers don’t often get jobs by traditional means. When you’re outside and looking in it almost seems random. It’s not though.   It also doesn’t have anything to do with applying 200 plus times on Indeed or LinkedIn.   So how do they do it?   Well we’ve talked in the past about the importance of prioritizing what you want. That’s step 1, you must understand where you’re going to make it easier to get there. That said Happy High Achievers realize that people hire other people (not companies and not computers) which means that the very biggest short cut to finding work that fits you (or even getting positions created for you) is through relationships.   Now over the years I personally have found the very fastest way to begin a relationship with someone else isn’t networking events (and it definitely isn’t speed networking!) It’s also not social media.   Instead it’s through something far easier: introductions.   THE MOST POWERFUL RELATIONSHIP BUILDING HACK YOU ALREADY HAVE IN YOUR TOOLBOX

ABOUT EMILIE ARIES Emilie Aries is the Founder and CEO of Bossed Up, an organization that promotes a program that helps thousands of women step into their own power as the boss of their lives and careers. After having fought career burnout herself, Emilie made it her mission to share her experience and continue to educate women on how to craft happy, healthy, and sustainable career paths that focus on preventing burnout by providing support to help women navigate pivot points in their careers and lives.   WHAT YOU WILL LEARN You’ll learn the 3 core variables to help fight burn out We discuss how breaking away from “the norm” and changing your mindset will help you see and value your self-worth Why we should all stop chasing those “merit badges” if we want to truly thrive in our careers and prevent burn out Investing in yourself and why you should ALWAYS put your oxygen mask on first! The power of saying, “No.”

Learn why it’s important to be authentic and honest during the interview process and how it can put you a step above the rest. How can hard conversations lead to better opportunities? Learn how defining the lifestyle you want and including that want into your job search can make all the difference. The fear of money may be holding you back from making a change. Learn how to overcome that fear and get clear on your money situation. Could staying in your current situation actually be costing you money? Listen and we will tell you how to find out. Maybe that great accomplishment shouldn’t be on your resume - Learn what should and shouldn’t be on your resume when making an industry switch. Hear how not taking yourself too seriously and joking around can lead to more connections and more opportunities. Find out how interviews can not only help you learn about a particular job but can help you define what kind of environment you will truly excel in.

What if you could have a system to rely on to make all your important decisions?   My friend Pete Mockaitis and I had a great conversation on the podcast today about how our decisions and needs evolve over time, and he shared a decision-making framework with two critical questions you can use as “mental weightlifting” to help make smart decisions faster.   I love his framework because it allows you to be less reactive and more intentional and proactive, which is very helpful in all areas of life (not just career stuff). I’d love to hear what you think, too!

Let me tell you about a great problem to have -- and a question that came from one of our students inside of Career Change Bootcamp, our signature program.   Laura said:     “I'm really interested in a particular company, and I've now spoken to four people who work there. I've gotten really good at being genuinely interested in learning about roles and companies without actually "asking" anything...But now I want the job... so how do I graciously and not awkwardly shift the conversation from tell me about what you do, to... you should hire me because?” Curious to know the answer? Or, have a hypothesis of your own?   Find out the exact strategy I recommended for Laura in today’s episode of the podcast. How to make potential  employers  feel like they are making the decision to hire you without any selling on your part. How to go from researching and exploring a company that you think is a right fit to getting hired. Learn how trust and relationship building are the foundations for landing your dream job. Understand how humans don’t make objective choices based off of resumes but instead on knowing, liking, and trusting you. How important it is to be a partner with the company and people you are seeking out because it makes the decision a shared responsibility and gives it weight. Move from being a job seeker to the researcher, the interviewer, and a partner in the process.

Walk through the four questions you must ask yourself before giving yourself permission to make a substantial life change and leave the work that doesn’t fit you. How to determine if you can make a clean getaway or if it’s time to find a bridge job to get you where you want to go. Find out what can happen if you jump right into an opportunity just because it’s there without first doing the work to figure out what you want. How taking a sabbatical, if you can endure it financially, can lead you to the right next steps. How to get past the fear that you will just be jumping from the frying pan into the fire. When is it okay to leave your job with nothing else lined up? Learn how much time you should budget to allow you to find your next opportunity that is the right fit. Learn about a bridge job and whether it’s a good step for you.

Today’s guest, Dan Cumberland, is a former youth pastor who suffered what he described as a “theological breakdown” early in his career. The power of suggestion took him down a career path that never quite fit him, but seemed right at the time.   (Can you relate?)   In his journey to get back on a path that matched his personality, Dan researched and developed his philosophy behind fulfilling career pathing and founded The Meaning Movement, a business and podcast where he helps folks with this kind of stuff every day.   In this episode of the podcast, we go really really deep into how...: The voices from parents, friends, family, and others in your life shape who you are and what you do -- and what to do about it. Language decisions and how you describe experiences can shape that experience and your future thoughts around it. (And why the power of suggestion can be so crippling in career pathing!) Your love of finding the best pizza can guide you to a deeper underlying theme in your quest for meaning. To define your dream job (using the four Ps framework) to discover work that’s more meaningful to you.  

Aaaaaand...I’m back!   I hope you enjoyed last week’s message from Lisa and Josh to celebrate our 200th episode of the podcast.   (I still cannot believe it’s already been four years of podcasting. We covered a lot of ground in those episodes!!!)   And don’t worry: there are still plenty of topics that we could do 200 (or more) episodes on.   For example: do you recognize any of yourself in this story?   “If you are someone who is a rule follower, a successful person, we are brought up in these systems and taught if you do the right things, do well in school, pick the right major, follow all these steps then you will be happy. The world doesn’t work like that. It’s like this big insight that hits you. I felt like I had done everything right and ticked all the boxes. Went to skill, got my undergrad degree, top of my class, and got my masters, ready to conquer the world. I took a job with a salary that was less than I could live and commute on. I was commuting back and forth to New York City two hours, each day, to a job that was not a fit for me at all. It was a small environment in a room with three other people, not a lot of autonomy, but I intellectualized it away instead of listening to what I knew about myself - that I needed a high degree of being self-directed in my work.   “I was giving my life, time, power, and energy away. I sat there and was so burnt out - physically, mentally, emotionally. A hair-trigger event could set me off. One piece of bad feedback, a surprise email. I was so low anything could send me into that tailspin. That was my lightbulb moment of saying ‘this is not who I am,’ and that person deep down, that kid that was ambitious filled with hope and positivity and being so excited about the world ahead of me spoke up and said, ‘This is no longer acceptable. You have to start making changes.’ I had to look at all the ways I had let my identity, power and self-worth get wrapped up in someone else approving of me. My boss or sending someone my work, I had become so dependent on my work to make me feel good that I sacrificed everything else. My friendships, relationships, my body. I had to make changes.“ - Melody Wilding   If anything about this experience resonated with you -- and you’re ready to re-claim your own power in your work and life -- then I’m ridiculously excited to share this week’s podcast episode, #201 with Melody Wilding.   Melody is a licensed clinical social worker and career coach who is an expert on the mindset and psychology behind successful careers, and knows that taking a hard look at your life and deciding what you need to say “yes” to and what you need to say “no” to makes all the difference.   In this episode, you will learn...: The signs to help you identify emotional versus physical burn-out -- and the steps to take to fix it The three emotional triggers to know where your boundaries need to be repaired   How to have difficult conversations to establish (or re-establish) boundaries and gain control over your life   How deciding who to bring into your life makes you happier...and more profitable   ...and so much more!

Today marks the 200th episode of the Happen to Your Career podcast.   Can you believe it? (We hardly can!)   Scott started the podcast 4 years ago, back when he was also working in a corporate job that he liked well enough...but wasn’t his dream.   He had a WAY bigger vision for what he wanted to create in his life, and how he wanted to help people.   So when you’ve heard him talk about how to transition and optimize your life from good to great on this podcast each week for the past four years(!), he’s not just spewing some BS he read that morning on a career site. He’s lived it.   And, so have the people whose lives he’s touched.   (Maybe you’re one of them?)   Josh and I rounded up some of the people who have been an important part of HTYC back from the very beginning (people like Scott’s wife Alyssa, their kiddos MacKenzie, Camden, and Grayson, and HTYC co-founder Mark Sieverkropp).   Then I grabbed some of the people whose lives have changed because of HTYC, including past coaching clients and team members like Erica, Mike, Tracey, Josh, Kirby, and Jacqui.   I asked them each three simple questions:   Where was your life before you encountered Scott? What impact did Scott and HTYC have on your life? What's different about your future because of HTYC?   And their answers Blew. Us. All. Away. So Josh and I wanted to share them with you.   If you’ve been curious about what it’s like to get to know Scott personally -- or to get to work with him -- this episode is a must listen.

Do you want to have an answer to the “What do you do?” question that’s as powerful as that one?   If you do, you can start by asking yourself the question: “what am I on this earth to do right now?”   Give the question some time to percolate in your brain, and then grab paper and pen to start capturing the ideas and language that come to mind for you.   Or, if your brain feels slower than a semi truck with completely flat tires trying to deliver a shipment of molasses, you’re not alone -- and you probably should listen to today’s podcast episode.   Today’s guest, Maxie McCoy, uses this very question to shape how she introduces herself and explains her work. She’s a career inspiration expert who focuses on helping you tap into your own confidence and gifts to go kick some serious butt in the world.   Maxie has confidently navigated quite a few twists and turns along her professional path: going from college athletics to broadcast journalism, to growing one of the highest traffic women’s career and personal finance sites, to launching her own business as a writer, speaker and inspiration to create a life you’re jazzed about living.   We’re busting all the myths about confidence and giving you tactical tips on how to develop stronger self-belief today on the podcast with Maxie McCoy.   Listen to today’s episode to hear her guidance on…: The strategic relationship building tactics she used to get a position at ESPN Trusting your gut and make a career move that’s off the “planned” path How to avoid living like you’re in a disaster or crisis (even when it might feel like it) Cultivating the confidence to put yourself in positions to have serendipity start happening for you   Today’s episode is like a shot of confidence adrenaline right in your arm.   It’s powerful stuff, especially if you choose to follow the steps we outline in the blog post and downloadable worksheet.

One thing I’ve noticed after coaching for years is that the way you do one thing in your life is usually a sign of how you do everything.   Let me explain: if you put perfectionistic pressure on yourself to pick out your one right career path, you might also put that pressure on yourself to find your perfect, flawless (unicorn) romantic partner, to be the perfect friend, or improve your fitness by being perfect when you work out. (Maybe something super technical and detail-oriented like ballet or Olympic weightlifting...if you can get over your fears of not being perfect so that you can even start!)   Or if you’re afraid of losing out on options in your life, you might be too scared to commit to one career path or job, so you stay stuck in one you don’t like, because unhappiness feels safer than uncertainty of taking away future possibilities. You might be the one who goes out on dates with a ton of people but never wants to initiate the DTR (define-the-relationship) conversation and end up tied down. Or you might be the person who wants to eat at every new restaurant as soon as it opens, so you’ll know all the different culinary options that your city provides.     The way you do things isn’t necessarily a bad thing -- in fact, it can be a secret hint about your strengths hiding in your personality and habits.      You can see this secret strength concept beautifully illustrated in today’s podcast with Angela Wagner. The way Angela does work the the way Angela does life is an example of who she is. She started out her career in the high-powered advertising world, but was seeking to feel grounded outside of work, so she started working at a gym on the side.   Her decision to lean into opportunities that helped her stay active while relieving stress led her to creating community through becoming a yoga teacher...which led her to creating her own yoga studio...which led her to her getting training in yoga life coaching   Creating community for individuals ready to put down their baggage and seek soulful stress relief is Angela’s through-line. It’s how (and WHY) she does everything.

Have you ever heard of Soccer Tots?   In 2011 I hadn’t either.   It’s where you take little kids and they jump through hula hoops, run around cones, occasionally kick a soccer ball and sort of attempt to listen to their frazzled looking teacher. (Think; Pre Soccer)   I was supposed to leave midday on a flight for work and it didn’t make sense for me to go to the office so Alyssa suggested that I come watch Soccer tots.   I showed up at 10am in the middle of the day, not at all knowing what to expect.   One of my kids kicked a goal in the cones that were set up over 20 feet wide which made it nearly impossible for them to miss   He turned and saw that I was there in the room and started shrieking with excitement!   “Daddy did you see me get a goal” (He looked so happy!)   It was right then that I realized I HAD to figure out a way to be able to have the flexibility in my work to be able to be around.   NOT just for the big things in life (school musicals, family birthdays and weddings), but also the little things too!   I hadn’t realized what I was missing out on.   After that I became fascinated by the possibility of working remotely.   That was years ago and since then I’ve negotiated flexible and remote work for myself and helped many other people get jobs or change careers that allow them to work remotely!   We’ve had a lot of people come to us in the last few years that are also interested in doing the exact same thing.   For this reason we brought on Adda Birnir, the CEO of SkillCrush.com, to discuss remote work on the podcast. Not only does her company work entirely remotely but also they teach people (especially women) to code (which is one profession that is incredibly flexible)   If you want to learn how to make remote work possible for you check out this blog post and the podcast here!   On the podcast today, we talked about… What it’s like to work in a remote workforce The lack of diversity and representation in the tech industry How couples negotiate the dynamic between career and relationship The factors that set up a remote team for success...or disaster Adda’s favorite secret vacation spot in Iceland   (We covered a lot of ground.)   Plus in this blog post we go through step by step the process we use to help clients get to remote and flexible work in their current jobs OR new careers!

  So, true story: almost everyone on my team here at Happen to Your Career is an introvert. (Myself included!)   Which is kind of surprising for a company that teaches people all about how to use relationship-building and presentation skills to create new opportunities in your professional life, right?   Well, contrary to popular belief, we introverts aren’t completely socially anxious and hiding ourselves away in a closet somewhere. (Most of the time.)   We (and I’m sure you, or people you know) have learned the skills to gracefully survive in a socially-oriented world while still creating space for our “me” time.   But one of the things that can feel the hardest for introverts is also one of the ones that makes conversations the most fulfilling.   The vulnerability of putting yourself out there (whether you’re an introvert or extravert) is part of what creates deep, meaningful, awesome connection.   And connection is why we’re all here, isn’t it?   If you agree, you’re going to love this week’s podcast on vulnerability and how to connect with anyone with AJ Harbinger of The Art of Charm.   I think this episode has the most value per minute of any podcast I’ve ever recorded, so if you are a person who loves self-development and wants to be a better conversationalist, you’ve gotta take a listen.   I consider myself to be pretty good at striking up conversations, and I found myself taking tons of mental notes.   In this episode, you’ll learn: How to use vulnerability as your stealth superpower The 3 phases of connection: an analytical framework for creating emotional interaction (yes, really) How your past, present and future create the stories we tell ourselves -- and share with the world

Ever thought about becoming a coach? If so, press play immediately on this episode where Scott Barlow welcomes back Marc Mawhinney, the founder of Natural Born Coaches program and podcast, where he helps coaches create real, profitable (and real profitable!) businesses.   On this episode, you’ll learn how Marc got into coaching (and the books that have been his biggest inspiration), how building a business is a bit like being a modern-day caveman, how to ensure you’re not getting paid in meatballs, and how to know when (or if) you need a coaching certification.   Being in love with the dream of calling yourself a coach can be very different from truly having a passion for the day-to-day life of being one.   For example, how much do you enjoy sales conversations? Working for yourself is an eat-what-you-kill kind of job, so you’re going to spend time bringing in coaching clients so you can keep the lights on and pay the bills.   And, how much time out of your week would you estimate you’ll be on the phone with coaching clients? Whatever you’re guessing, guess again and listen to Marc to hear about what it was like for him (and for Scott) in building their coaching businesses.

Writing like a Pro in the business world seems like a huge undertaking that is easier said than done. Luckily, we have Danny H. Rubin as our guest today. Danny Rubin is “THE writing guy.” Danny has studied communications since college and has worked as a TV News Reporter and Consultant and has come back around to what he loves most, which is writing. He uses his greatest strength to teach practical writing instruction for the business world. From writing to apply for jobs to writing to start a business from scratch, Danny offers his writing advice as the writing expert in the business world. One of the key takeaways from the episode is viewing the job search as an expectations game where employers are going to expect you to do X, but you’re going to learn how to do Y. Why, you ask? Well, while everyone else is doing X, you’re going to put that little bit of extra effort it takes to do Y. This is your opportunity to do something another way to stand out from the crowd of job-seekers. All Y is, is a change in the way that you think about what you’re writing. We have all been so conditioned to write a resume and cover letter the same way. So, a hiring manager is going to expect that same template from every candidate. But, Danny is here to walk you through a process that will show you how to go about writing those pieces in a smarter, more strategic way. You will see more results when you know how to be interesting when describing yourself in your stories. Your writing should highlight details of your experience that will enhance your overall platform. Listen to the podcast to learn more about the power of telling YOUR story of success in your cover letter. Danny will help you learn how to write to command attention, prove your ability, and leave a lasting impression on the reader.   What You Will Learn The importance of brevity – Why keeping your writing short and concise is imperative in business communications The importance of writing differently and how to stand out in your writing to get noticed and open doors How to write a powerful Linkedin Profile How to apply for a job when a company isn’t even hiring

What do you do when you decide your current job no longer fits your values? You fill your iPhone with numbers from all of the CEOs you’ve just made friends with by interviewing them for your blog.   (Obviously)   Wait… What? That’s just one of the many ways that our client and HTYC Podcast listener Eric Murphy used to make a career change to his dream job. (take a listen below!) Eric Murphy was working 10-14 hour days in his engineering role for the gas company in Las Vegas Nevada. It was going well… except that every single day he was feeling the urge to work with an organization that was giving back to the world. He even thought the solar industry might be how he should be spending his time. He had no idea that he was so far off. How do you make a career change when you’re burnt out, have no time, and don’t know what fits you? That’s exactly what Eric wanted to know too!  Because he wasn’t just trying to make a career change, he was also trying to figure out what career and what company really fit him.  For every client we work with we help them go through the same process, and Eric was no exception!    1. Determine your Signature Strengths  2. Create Your Ideal Career Profile (What’s most important to you) 3. Target only companies and opportunities that fit    What was incredibly unique to Eric’s story?    That he was both seeking jobs AND trying to discover what his ideal role was at the same time.    This might not sound like a big deal, but if you’re reading this, I bet you feel like you have to already know exactly what you want to be doing before you go talk to peopl about it!    You don’t!    This was the strategy that we helped Eric use.

What is the real goal of having a career anyway? It’s a topic of conversation that comes up time and time again: SUCCESS. It should be noted that the definition of success is subjective. There are some people that are perfectly content on that “traditional” path of success, from getting a degree to landing a job that pays for a fairly decent lifestyle. They get promoted and continue working, perfectly content with their progress. Or maybe they don’t even get that promotion, yet are still perfectly content with the life and career path they’ve chosen. Then, there are those people that start to lose interest in their work and even with a promotion (and raise!), they still can’t help but feel like their career has turned into a J-O-B. It’s become a chore to get out of bed to go and “work” at a place that previously held so much promise, but now holds only daydreams for something better. What’s better? It could be anything, anywhere…anywhere but where they’re at right now. If this sounds familiar, don’t sweat it just yet.  There is a light at the end of that dark tunnel that you’ve gone down. The problem isn’t you. From the day that you started your career, you have continued to learn and grow. You’ve evolved in your role at the organization. The problem is the organization hasn’t shifted the same way you have- the work that you have been doing is no longer aligned with the person you’ve become as you’ve grown in your career. As you pick up new skills and add more years of experience under your belt, you learn more about what you love about your job and what you could really do without. You begin to look for more work that aligns with what you value. These little micro-pivots in what you look for in the work that you do help you along your career journey. These shifts in your values shouldn’t be looked at in a negative light. These little shifts bring you incrementally closer to your career goals. Look at it as an invitation to a bigger path to get to your north star. If you’re wondering how you’re going to get out of your situation when you’re not even sure what to do next, take it from Lisa and trust that “leaning towards happiness, leaning towards places where you’re already finding flow and satisfaction […] is going to be the best way to start to uncover what direction you’re growing in and what can feel really good for that next step.” You owe it to yourself to leave your career pain for your career freedom. If you need help to follow your breadcrumbs to your dream career, visit our career coaching page. Connect with Lisa and she’d be more than happy to help! About Lisa Lewis Lisa Lewis, the new HTYC Career Guru, started her career in digital marketing and contemplated going back to school to get into psychology and counseling before finally following her own career breadcrumbs and doing what came naturally to her, which is career coaching. Here at HTYC, Lisa is involved in all things career change- from her role in the Figure Out What Fits: Career Change Bootcamp, to resume critiques and mock interviews, and also to helping people put all the pieces of their career change puzzle together through one-on-one career coaching. She specializes not only in honing in on your strengths, but also in positioning those strengths for potential employers. If you want to learn more about our career coaching and other services, head on over to our career coaching page.

Are you the kind of person who wants a job that aligns with what you value or what you’re interested in? Or better yet, do you want to feel like you’re meant to do work that has the ability to leave the world a little bit better, and makes you feel fulfilled? As high performers, people like you and I are always looking for ways to improve ourselves and our situations. We want to take what we’ve got, maximize it to its full potential, and follow our life’s purpose. That’s why I’m excited to share Jessica Williams’ story with you today as my guest on the podcast. Jessica is the founder of the company called The Superwoman Project that does everything from writing, speaking, and coaching to support the advancement of women into positions of power within their careers. It took her a little bit of adventuring -- and a lotta bit of reflection -- to answer the questions of what she was meant to being doing and how she could make a more meaningful impact with her work. In the episode, she shares how she discovered her passion and calling to guide women through their professional development. Whether you are in the midst of following your calling or have no idea what it is yet, take a listen to today’s episode, How to Find Your Career Calling and Own Your Purpose with Jessica Williams. We’ll get into: The step-by-step process to figure out “your calling” Actions to take to become clear in the direction of your career and own your path Tactical tips on how to transition out of a job to pursue your deeper career calling If you’re ready to align your career with your life’s purpose, don’t miss this episode.  

The art of life crafting. Ever heard of it? It's about defining what you want in your life, taking that vision, and prioritizing where you put your energy and effort to achieve those goals. Simple enough, right? You'd be surprised how many people don't take advantage of the benefits that life crafting can bring into their lives. Not only will it open doors to everything that is possible for you, but it will also provide a framework to get to the life you want. Now, let's take a moment and think about what it is that you would like to have in your life. Think about it this way, in a perfect world, what does your life look like? In terms of your career, where would you be working? What would you be doing? How does your work impact your personal life? Life crafting allows you to design your career goals and manage how your career aligns with your overall life goals. In order to get comfortable with the idea of life crafting, we'll take a look at what may be holding you back from intentionally designing a life you’d be in love with and how to move forward in achieving your career goals to better fit that life you've designed.

As High-Performers, we like to make sure we have the majority of our bases covered before we dive head-first into the deep-end of our career change. But, sometimes we find challenges where we least expect them. When we look at career change, we know that taking on this big life change requires a great amount of time, energy, financial planning, and a solid support system to lean on when the career change process becomes overwhelming. One of the least-talked about topics of career change is our current and ongoing support system. Today, we have Rebecca Maddox as a guest on our podcast. Listen in as she shares her challenges in finding the right way to communicate with her support system as she took on her cross-country career change. Learn ways you can navigate your relationships in order to remain authentic to yourself and your career goals. 

So many questions that plague people that have decided to take the bull by the horns and make a career change for themselves. The ups and downs that they encounter before they make the official jump to a new job position, organization, industry, or business venture are sometimes glossed over once they find success. But, people that find that success as they transition to a new stage in their career know all too well the hard work, the endless days and nights they were kept awake at night, and the energy it took to put in the work to get where they are today. One of those people is Cesar Ponce de Leon. We had the pleasure of working with him as he took on the challenge to move from his previous job in legal affairs to a role at an organization that spoke more to his heart and true life calling. Cesar ran into a few stumbling blocks along the way, but with the right tools and resources he was able to find success in his career transition. His story of hard work and non-stop effort is one to take note of, so we've put together an outline of his biggest challenges and the process that he followed to guide him through to reach his career goals. Check it out!

In your ideal world, what does your life look like? What kind of work would you be doing? What is stopping you from achieving that now? Seriously, what is stopping you? Here’s a hint: NOTHING IS STOPPING US FROM MOVING TOWARD OUR GOALS, VISIONS, LIVES WE DREAM OF… …well, except for ourselves. There’s this interesting concept about “learned permission-seeking.” We’ve been conditioned by parents, teachers, and society to ask for permission to do things. Now when it comes to change, as adults, we still wait for that permission to make a change. We look for someone to give us permission or validate our choice to try a new hobby, go back to school, quit a steady job to start our own businesses, flip career paths, or create any type of change within our lives. Permission stops so many people from moving forward. Oftentimes, we find ourselves in these situations where we seem stuck because nobody has given us the green light to proceed with our actions — which is crazy, since these are our own lives we are talking about (!). But, there are ways to create that permission for yourself to be more, do more, and achieve more of your goals. Check out the episode to hear more about how you can start giving yourself the permission you need to start living a life you love with MJ Fitzpatrick.

Have you noticed any reoccurring themes in your life? These themes can range from the habits you form, the hobbies you enjoy, the work you choose, the tasks you hate, the type of people you surround yourself with, and so on. Just stop and think for a moment. Does anything stand out? The patterns and themes that appear in your life are little nuggets of gold that you shouldn’t hastily push aside when you’re looking to make any big life changes, like a career transition. As much as we emphasize how digging deeper into your own patterns in your career and life is the first piece of research you need to do before you start down the career change road, we know that sometimes it is hard to accept those patterns for what they truly are. Just ask our guest, Matthew Toy, who avoided accepting what everyone else around him knew about how big of an impact his own passion for practicing yoga had on his life. Fast forward to now, and you’ll find Matt teaching and practicing Man Yoga (yoga for men) at the Berkeley Yoga Center, re-educating people on what the practice of yoga really is through his Instagram, as well as at events. He is also the co-founder of a bakery. With a full life, yoga practice, and career, Matt is now able to look back, reflect, and share his path on how accepting his own life patterns led him to where he is now.

Whoever said that hard work and perseverance doesn’t pay off sure didn’t meet Tanya. What Tanya Malcolm Revell did when she was looking to make her big career change was no easy feat. Besides being an American looking for work that fit her in London, Tanya is also a Career Change Bootcamp alum and our guest for this installment of our most recent CCB success story. After experiencing the overwhelm of career burnout from her previous positions and frustration with the job search overseas, Tanya found HTYC, enrolled in Bootcamp, put in the hard work, built strategic relationships, and persevered even after some unanswered phone calls and emails to land her dream job. Curious how she did it? Check out the episode and blog to learn: - The steps in the CCB process that will properly position you during your career transition - The unexpected benefits of putting yourself out there and networking - How looking at the positive, rather than getting stuck on the negative, is instrumental in helping you keep perspective on your career goals

When it comes to your career transition, it’s not information you’re lacking. In fact, it can feel like there’s an overabundance of data and research on anything and everything out there, thanks to the interwebs. Here’s the trick: it’s how you organize and use the information you’ve collected over your lifetime that matters. Jenny Blake, our guest on today’s podcast, figured out how to use her information when she was in a place that you may be able to relate to: she was stuck...trying to figure out what was next in her career. She’d left college to work at a startup, then left the startup to work at Google, and had just left a job at Google to go out on her own as an author. She had become the girl that was known for leaving things. She wondered who she was, how she could have an impact, and what she could build through work that was meaningful. She was struggling to make a breakthrough from all of her career analysis, and she felt completely stuck. For Jenny, as someone scanning the horizon for her next career possibilities, she realized that all she needed to do was ground herself in her strengths and take a look at what was already working for her. Career change is about making the connection between the strengths you have right where you are -- and the possible paths towards where you want to go. And, like Jenny did, you can design tiny experiments to take the pressure off yourself to get the answer to what your next career could be. Stepping back and looking at all of the information about yourself that you’ve gathered from past experiences will guide you through your own career exploration process. Take a moment to listen to today’s episode, Successfully Pivot Your Career with Jenny Blake, to learn: How you can stop holding yourself back from your career change How and why creating an Ideal Day Map for yourself will help you see the success you envision for yourself Why you don’t always need a mentor...sometimes, you need a “friendtor” (friend + mentor) Be sure to head over to the blog to learn more about the importance of the “scanning” process during your career change -- and get some new ideas on how you can move forward!

Want to know how to stop trying to combine everything together and start strategically pulling out the pieces of your past and your strengths that will serve you well in your future career? That’s exactly what we cover in today’s podcast with Avery Roth, one of our All Star Career Coaches and our resident “Strategist” You’ll get to learn all about how she’s done this for herself in this podcast, (before she joined HTYC she got her start in finance then became an aspiring photographer, then changed to a startup strategist). If you ever get a chance to work with Avery, you’ll quickly find that one of the great things about Avery is the way she uses her own career journey to help dig deeper into her client’s career and business goals in a methodical way to reign in their focus to achieve their ideal results.  In the episode, Avery teaches you: Where to start to find a role and organization that fits your values, needs, skills, and knowledge The benefits of building off of your prior work and life experiences to create your career profile How analyzing the patterns and trends of the things you enjoy will help narrow down the next steps in your career change Head on over to the blog and listen the podcast to learn how to find the next step to your career change.