#131: Career pivoting and making leaps into the unknown with Iesha Small
“Until that moment I had never left a job with nothing to go to. I've always had something lined up. So this time I was like, Iesha, what are you gonna do? I had no idea. And that was perfectly OK. I had to trust myself” Today's guest, Iesha Small, shares her journey from engineering to the world of education to her current role as Head of Comms, and now encouraging others with her writing and coaching. We talk about the twists and turns of career change, and pivoting. Where you aren't always sure what your next move is, but you make it anyway. Sometimes doors close for us, and we have to decide what to do next, other times we are closing that door for ourselves, and we are in full ownership of why it’s important and what we want next. Iesha shares her thoughts and ponders in a brilliant weekly blog, and takes the pressure and perfection out of career changing. "What's the point of achieving all this stuff if it is not gelling with what you actually think is important in life?" Here are the highlights: 11:19 First time quitting a job without backup. 16:26 Decided to take breaks and rest intuitively. 20:59 Serendipitous job came from conversations during time off. 25:20 Started career pivot talks on LinkedIn. 31:42 Choose family time over earning more money. 32:26 Intentional career shift after realising future uncertainty. 42:19 Weekly emails help with career strategy and values. 55:58 Show Your Work: Share expertise, attract opportunities. Iesha Small’s Another Door go-tos The things that helped Iesha navigate change. Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho; Show Your Work by Austin Kleon. Music: "You Can't Break My Soul" by Beyoncé. One piece of advice: “ If you don't fail, you're probably not doing anything hard enough.” About Iesha Small: Iesha Small is a communications professional who has navigated a diverse career path from mechanical engineering to education and now communications. She leverages this experience to help leaders and professionals confidently pivot careers and build profitable passion projects. As a Head of Communications and founder of Cute Fruit Ltd, Iesha combines corporate expertise with entrepreneurial insights. Her accomplishments include publishing "The Unexpected Leader," appearing on BBC, writing for The Guardian, and speaking at the National Theatre. Iesha's approach, rooted in her background as an introvert from a working-class family, offers practical advice for career development. She's found success in building an online presence, particularly on LinkedIn, which has transformed her understanding of digital communications. Iesha provides online workshops, one-on-one career strategy sessions, and a Career Pivot Pro course, helping others achieve their professional goals through continuous learning and adaptation. Find out more: https://ieshasmall.com/ Connect with Iesha: LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ieshasmall/ Produced by winteraudio.co.uk About your host Eleanor Tweddell: Eleanor supports individuals, teams and organisations through change. Whether it’s 121 coaching or large scale organisational change through communications and training. Eleanor’s work centres around how we, as humans, work through change, embracing the messy bits, the role of playing, with the aim to see opportunity. “Too often we get stuck in the change happening to us, when just through that next door is an exciting next chapter.” Eleanor is the founder of Another Door, and Get-Recommended.com and the author of Why losing your job could be the best thing that ever happened to you. Connect with Eleanor: Instagram:instagram/anotherdooruk LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-tweddell/ Website: eleanortweddell.com Are you looking for speakers with a fresh voice for your next workshop or conference? Check out https://recommended.anotherdoor.co.uk