Have you ever looked at your career, the one you’ve spent years building, and had the unsettling thought: “Is this really it?”
You have a good job. A respectable title, a decent salary, and a clear path forward. On paper, everything is right. You should be happy, or at least content. But you’re not. And the guilt that comes with feeling that way can be crushing, preventing you from even thinking about making a change.
I understand that feeling completely, because I have lived it. My own turning point came, ironically, not from a failure, but from a success.
After four years of building my career at PwC, I was offered the promotion I’d been working towards. It was the next logical step, the benchmark of success I had set for myself, so I took it. For the first year, maybe 18 months, I enjoyed the new challenge. But slowly, a different feeling began to creep in. A sense of unease.
The new role, the very thing I had worked so hard for, was pulling me further and further away from the type of work that gave me a real sense of purpose: helping people. The Sunday evening dread became a regular feature of my weekend. I felt like a square peg in a round hole I had painstakingly carved out for myself.
And I knew exactly what I was missing.
Alongside my main responsibilities, I had also been working as an internal career coach. I loved it. Each of those one-on-one conversations gave me a shot of energy and a profound sense of purpose. This was more than just a part of my job; it felt like the core of who I was. I dived in headfirst, becoming a subject matter expert and even training new career coaches as they were onboarded. It was during those training sessions that the lightbulb went on: this was my calling.
My hope soared when the firm announced they were creating full-time, dedicated career coach roles. This was it! The perfect opportunity to align my job with my passion. But my excitement was quickly replaced by a gut-wrenching disappointment: there would be no roles based in Belfast.
That was the key indicator. The moment I realised that the path I truly wanted wasn’t available to me there. My recent promotion had already started moving me in the wrong direction, and now the door to my ideal role was firmly closed.
But I didn’t just quit. Honestly, I didn’t have the confidence for that yet. Instead, to clear my head and get a fresh perspective, I made a change internally. I took on a global role within a “Skills First” programme.
That internal move changed everything. It wasn’t a huge leap, but it was enough to show me that I was capable of something different. It proved I could adapt, learn a new part of the business, and thrive outside of my established comfort zone. It was the confidence boost I desperately needed.
Armed with that new self-belief, I started my career coaching business as a side hustle. And finally, earlier this year, I took the leap and made it my full-time work.
I am sharing this detailed story with you not just to talk about myself, but because I see versions of it every single day in the people I work with. I know what it’s like to achieve a goal and have it feel hollow. I know the feeling of having your passion be just one part of your job, and seeing the path to doing more of it blocked.
Most importantly, I know that the journey to a more fulfilling career doesn’t have to be a reckless jump into the unknown. Sometimes, it starts with a small, internal move that builds the confidence you need to take the next step.
My journey taught me the exact steps needed to navigate that change. That’s why I can help you.
If my story resonates with you, and you’re ready to stop wondering “Is this it?”, then let’s have a conversation.
Book a free, no-obligation 30-minute consultation with me. It’s the first step towards building a career that not only looks good on paper but feels right for you.