The Career Change Maker Podcast | Career Clarity & Career Pivots for Mid-Career Women
For high-achieving women rethinking their careers and navigating career change.
***Top 1.5% Global Career Change Podcast***
If you’ve worked hard to build a successful career but find yourself questioning whether it still fits, you’re not alone (and you’re not wrong for wanting more).
I’m Janine Esbrand, a former corporate lawyer turned Career Pivot Coach, and I created The Career Change Maker Podcast for high-achieving women who feel stuck, bored, or quietly misaligned in careers that no longer fit.
Through my own career pivots and my work coaching hundreds of women through intentional career change and career transitions, I’ve seen what it really takes to step off the default path and make thoughtful, strategic moves without starting over.
Each episode offers honest insights, practical guidance, and grounded encouragement to help you gain career clarity, trust yourself, and move forward with confidence into your next chapter.
This podcast is for you if you want permission to change, clarity on what’s next, and a clear way forward that honours your experience.
🎧 New episodes every week
🔗 Ready to explore your next move? Book a Career Pivot Clarity Call using the link in the show notes.
The Career Change Maker Podcast | Career Clarity & Career Pivots for Mid-Career Women
303 I What Happens When You Stop Following the ‘Safe’ Career Track
As we move through the first full working week of January, many professionals find themselves reflecting on their careers and questioning whether the path they’re on still fits.
In this episode, I reflect on my biggest career pivot - stepping off the default legal career track while on maternity leave and how that single decision shaped a fulfilling portfolio career over the last 10 years.
This episode is an invitation to rethink rigid career paths, embrace experimentation, and give yourself permission to choose again as your life, priorities, and seasons change.
✨ What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- Why clarity often comes after action, not before and why waiting to have it all figured out keeps many people stuck
- How I made her first career pivot without taking a reckless leap, and how small, strategic transitions can de-risk change
- Why careers are meant to evolve and how to design work that fits your life, not just what looks good on paper
🧭 Key Themes We Explore
- Stepping off the “default” career path
- Redefining success after major life transitions
- Overcoming fear, identity shifts, and fear of judgement
- Building a portfolio career aligned with your strengths
- Testing, experimenting, and making intentional pivots
- Giving yourself permission to choose differently
🎯 Action Steps
- Reflect on whether your current career still fits the season of life you’re in now, not the one you were in when you chose it.
- Identify what you don’t want anymore, clarity often starts there.
- Consider where you could experiment or test before making a bigger change.
🤍 Work With Me
If you’re at a crossroads and want support designing a career that fits your life, not just one that looks good on paper, this is exactly the work I do with clients in 1:1 coaching.
🔔 Enjoyed This Episode?
If this resonated, share it with a friend who might need permission to choose again in 2026.
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