157. Making a Mid-Life Career Shift

In the final of our 4-part focus on stretching our comfort zone we focus on what it takes to make a complete career transformation.  They say 'if you love what you do, then you'll never work a day in your life' (attributed to  Mark Twain and Confucius), but for many, life's realities and responsibilities means staying stuck in jobs that do not make best use of our natural gifts and talents.  With Gallup's 2023 poll findings that only 21% of people describe themselves as actively engaged in their job, it suggests many may be evaluating options and looking for a change. We hear from Damien Hoadley-Brown who took the decision to move from a corporate project management role in a global PLC to teach his passion for Tai Chi as his fulltime occupation.  Achieving national champion status as a hobby, he took the leap of faith into self-employment 6 years ago,  now teaching hundreds of people in his business The Art of Changes Tai Chi.  He shares practical advice for those considering to make a major shift in their working lives and reflects on how setbacks and failures are often the moment when something good comes along.As people live and work for longer, many will be working for anything up to 50+ years - even if work is not a central pillar in your life, that's a long time not feeling happy or fulfilled in what you do for a living. We reference two books: The Second Mountain by David Brooks (the mid-life shift from self-centred to other-centred) and The 100 Year Life by Linda Gratton and Andrew Scott (seeing work as a series of phases that shift and evolve through the decades). Damien can be contacted via website or Facebook or via email  damien@artofchangestaichi.co.uk Fancy a deeper dive? Check out our relevant episodes:Ep. 143 Supercharge Your Self-Belief - Knowing What You WantEp. 133 Book Club - 4000 Weeks - A Wake-Up Call for Time ManagementEp. 103 Redefining What Success Means For You NowEp. 8 Wake Up & Smell The Silicon - Recreating a Disrupted Career

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Ideal for your commute, lunch break or even a well-deserved moment of self-care and development, our 25 minute episodes focus on positive actions to help you thrive and maximise your potential in the ever-evolving workplace, and in life. Join Debs and Lau, your positive cheerleaders bursting with energy and insight to maximise your confidence and success in the changing workplace. Leave feeling motivated, supported and armed with the tools and practical skills you need to maximise success as we experience the biggest shift in how we work in our lifetimes. We lift the lid on the real foundations for success in this new world of work. Our weekly episodes remain current and up-to-date and we frequently welcome high-profile guests to keep things fresh and diverse and to tackle topics like:Leadership, mindset, success, confidence, motivation, mental health, self-care, time management, career development, work life balance, thriving in the workplace and the future of work, handling setbacks and obstacles, dealing with difficult work relationships, delegating, managing upwards, performance, teamwork, setting up teams, neurodiversity in the workplace, mid-life learning and healthy hybrid working habits, motivation, team morale, conflict, embracing diversity, personal branding, impact and influence. Creating an authentic and innovative culture, team harmony and aligned performance, boosting self-motivation, change leadership, engaging people in change and transformation programmes, reducing online stress, setting and maintaining boundaries, communication, great one-to-ones, personal resilience, emotional intelligence, GROW, focus and goal-setting, productivity, coaching, wellness, successful team meetings, learning and development, difficult conversations, sales presentations, storytelling, effective client meetings, inclusion and belonging, Insights Discovery profiling®, team coaching, mediation, team days, fox vs panda mindset, inspirational appraisals, employee engagement, compassionate existence, purpose and values and meaning, getting promoted, career coaching, 100 Year Life, succession planning, 21 packets of time, HR and Talent teams, new start-ups, entrepreneurs, working from home, balancing family and business, first 90 days, power of a network, assertiveness, creativity and passion, wisdom, breathing and mindfulness, neurobics, inner critic to inner coach, self-regulation and self-management, self-esteem, self-belief and self-worth, impact of AI on workplace, the robots are coming, happiness and fulfilment, work-related stress and pressure, unwritten rules of working, blurred lines, inspirational leadership, supportive workplaces, reducing anxiety, reflection and headspace, digital wellbeing, operational organisation, using Teams and Zoom, train the trainer, intention, project management, continuous improvement, decision making, critical thinking and problem-solving, sustainability, how you show up, integrity and trust, active listening, negotiation, selling, meeting etiquette, line manager skillset, giving feedback, new managers, personal growth and self-development, challenging times, teamwork makes the dreamwork, TNT Tiny Noticeable Things, less drama more calmer, team tethering time, technology habits, positive language, making a difference, self-sabotage, intuition and gut feel, embrace difference, tailoring to different styles, personalisation, gratitude, achievement, fun and great places to work, overcoming fear, recognition, reward, achievement and advancement motivators, pandemic disruption, self-awareness and empathy and our all-time favourite topic: smashing the Imposter Syndrome. If you’d like any more information or to work with us on any of these topics, reach out to us via secretsfromacoach@aol.com, connect via Insta or Facebook and please rate and review so we can reach out and support more people. #sharethesecret