Career Change Maker | Career Clarity, Career Opportunities, Career Pivots, Burnout, Corporate Job, Income
***Top 1.5% Global Careers Podcast For Corporate Women***
Are you navigating a mid-career transition and wondering what’s next?
Have you built a successful corporate career but realised you don’t want your boss’s job?
Do you feel the tension between wanting more freedom and not wanting to sacrifice security?
If you’re ambitious but no longer willing to burn out for another promotion, you’re in the right place. I’m glad you’re here.
This podcast helps high-achieving mid-career women gain career clarity and confidently design their next chapter, whether that means evolving inside corporate, exploring a portfolio career, or building a hybrid path.
If you’re ready to stop default climbing and start making strategic, aligned decisions about your future, this podcast will give you the insight and tools to move forward with confidence.
Hey 👋 , I’m Janine Esbrand, corporate lawyer turned career strategist and executive coach.
For years, I had my eye on the corporate partner title. I kept my head down, worked the long hours, and chased the next big deal because that’s what success was supposed to look like.
Then I became a mother. And I realised I didn’t want to build a life around my career, I wanted to build a career around my life. So, I stepped off the default corporate path and designed a portfolio career that allows me to work on my terms, create meaningful impact, and show up fully, both professionally and personally.
Now, I help ambitious mid-career women do the same: gain clarity, challenge the default ladder, and design aligned, sustainable careers that reflect who they are now, not who they used to be.
This podcast will give you the strategy, mindset and tools to make it happen.
So grab your notebook, pour your hot drink of choice and lets design what’s next.
Next Steps:
🎙️ Explore for 1:1 Coaching: www.careerchangemakers.com/claritycall
🌐 Visit the Website: www.careerchangemakers.com
📩 Contact Us: hello@careerchangemakers.com
Career Change Maker | Career Clarity, Career Opportunities, Career Pivots, Burnout, Corporate Job, Income
302 I The Hidden Cost of January Urgency
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
If logging into LinkedIn or Instagram at the start of the year has left you feeling behind, overwhelmed, or questioning whether you should be doing more already — this episode is for you.
In this episode, I explore why January so often triggers panic action, how social media rewards speed over alignment, and why rushing into goals can actually delay the results you want most.
I share why slowing down to gain clarity has become one of the most powerful career strategies I’ve seen — especially for high-achieving professionals in mid-career.
If you’re in a season of questioning, recalibrating, or figuring out your next move, this conversation will help you release the pressure to “hit the ground running” and instead move forward with intention.
✨ What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Why January creates panic action and how comparison fuels rushed decision-making
- The difference between motion and traction in your career
- Why rushing into goals can lead to burnout, misalignment, or repeating the same patterns
- How to recognise when you’re in a figuring-it-out season (and why that’s strategic, not a failure)
- The power of pausing before making a big career move especially if you’re feeling stuck or restless
- Practical ways to slow down, tune out the noise, and take aligned next steps
🧠 Key Takeaway:
You’re not behind, you’re becoming intentional.
The season before clarity is not wasted time. It’s where the right decisions are made.
🛠️ Action Steps: How to Move Forward Without Rushing
- Create space to pause
Step away from the noise — social media, opinions, expectations and notice what’s actually driving your urgency. - Get curious about what’s not working
Before jumping to a new goal, role, or plan, identify what specifically feels misaligned in your current situation. - Take one small, aligned action
That might be booking thinking time, auditing what you’re saying yes to, or having a clarity-focused conversation with someone who can help you see the bigger picture.
🤍 Want Support With Your Next Step?
If you’re feeling the urge to make a move but don’t yet have clarity on what that move should be, you don’t need more information — you need space to think it through properly.
👉 Book a Career Clarity Call with me and we’ll explore:
- What’s really driving the urgency you’re feeling
- Whether this is a season for action, rest, or recalibration
- The most aligned next step for you — not based on comparison, but intention
🌿 Monthly Pause & Plan Sessions
I also host a complimentary Pause & Plan session once a month for professionals and leaders who want to step away from the noise and plan with intention. Join our next session.
🔗 Work with me in 2026
If you’re in a season of figuring things out and want personalised support, you can explore working with me
Connect with me!
Website: careerchangemakers.com
Email: podcast@careerchangemakers.com
LinkedIn: Janine Esbrand
Instagram: @careerchangemakerspodcast
Career Change Makers on Apple Podcasts