“You need to find your ambition again.”
This was the point in coaching where she started to cry for the first time.
Her husband was trying to be encouraging, but to her (like many of my beautiful, smart, hardworking, kind, funny clients in a similar boat) these words were deeply hurtful.
A successful lawyer, community contributor and all-round glue of the family, she is Someone Who Does A Lot. And yet, despite being Someone Who Does A Lot, there was something missing. A profound lack of fulfilment. A mum of young ones, she wanted part-time work without compromising on it being challenging, energising and fulfilling.
Over the course of our three 90-minute sessions together, she gained the clarity and confidence she needed to identify and commit to her preferred career path, including the steps involved and a timeline.
Her vision was lovely, and it was an honour to help her turn her idea into a plan. She left our coaching with a 5-year roadmap to take her where she wanted to be, a shift away from litigation without turning
her back on the law entirely. She had lovingly curated visuals to represent her new workspace and even what she would wear to work. She lit up every time we talked about where she was heading.
Her ambition had never left, it just looked different.
What she actually needed to find, was her spark.
Last week was a career coaching highlight for me. A dear ‘What’s next, Mama?’ client and marketing professional made a BIG, bold, brave career change decision and I am so very proud of her.
She had emailed last month after my newsletter “Indecision is a decision, but it’s a pretty terrible one.” She said “This one speaks to me DEEPLY. Thanks for sharing.” Two weeks later she made the decision she had been toying with during our coaching over the past few months. Like many of my clients at her stage of life (late 40s-early 50s with late primary-to high school age kids) she had reached the point where if change was coming, it had to come now.
She made the decision in her mind, a few hours before our final coaching session. I think I was the first person she told.
At that final coaching session, she already looked like the person she wanted to be. She looked like a counsellor.
I can picture her at work. It really suits her.
It was the RIGHT decision. It was the ONLY decision in my mind, and I was relieved when she made it.
If you’ve lost your spark at work, or the spark wasn’t there to begin with, you can change that. You don’t need to keep climbing the ladder of misery, or stay stuck in a job that gives you the
Sunday sads.
You’re allowed to change career direction.
And you can do it more than once.
You can do it as many times as you like.
There are no rules, even if it feels like there are.
You don’t have to follow the typical or expected trajectory.
You don’t need to follow in anyone’s footsteps.
You don’t need to keep earning the same amount of money.
You don’t need to use the degree you worked for at uni.
You don’t need to make any final decisions.
You don’t need to know if it will all work out.
You don’t need to know anything for sure.
You might know this deep down, but maybe you need reminding today.
This is your career, your life.
The choices you make, are yours to make.
If any of this resonates with you—feeling unfulfilled, uncertain, or simply ready for a new direction—let’s chat. Career transitions, big or small, don’t need to be daunting, and you don’t have to navigate them alone.
My coaching programs, like What’s Next, Mama?, are designed to help you uncover clarity and confidence, map out a plan, and reignite that spark. You’re more than a job title, and it’s my mission to help you build a career that feels energising, purposeful, and entirely your own.