Wisepreneurs | Independent Professionals Building Practice on Their Own Terms

Valentine Gatard Future of Work: Workplace Agency from 15 Years Self-Employed

Valentine Gitard spent nearly 15 years self-employed in Paris researching the future of work, completing a master's in organisational studies at La Sorbonne and building a practice around speaking, coaching and hosting the Work Narratives podcast. Valentine explains why French professionals increasingly refuse management roles, how two team members fought because collaboration meant 'respond immediately' to one and 'think before answering' to the other, and why human agency matters more as AI automates routine tasks.  She describes vibe coding an agency assessment app on Lovable connected to Supabase, her research into narrative agency through Finnish researcher Hanna Meretoja, and her work with nonprofit Les Émergences on what they call the quaternary economy, a model where all forms of societal contribution are recognised.  The conversation also covers the debunked tripalium myth about the French word for work and why community remains the most important resource for self-employed professionals. Mentions and references: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber, Hanna Meretoja, Finnish researcher, narrative agency, Laetitia Vitaud, future of work author and Valentine's first podcast guest, Les Émergences, nonprofit promoting the quaternary economy and civic agency Connect with Valentine: Website [https://www.valentinegatard.com/] | LinkedIn: Valentine Gitard [https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentinegatard/] Wisepreneurs explores how independent professionals turn accumulated expertise into sustainable practice. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/support] Connect with Nigel Rawlins Website: https://wisepreneurs.com.au/ [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelrawlins/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelrawlins/] Free assessments - Embodied Intelligence Self-Assessment - Professional Reputation Audit - Business Clarity in Five Lines https://wisepreneurs.com.au/field-guides/ [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/free-assessments/] Please help support the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/supporters/new [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/supporters/new] The Wisepreneur newsletter Practical thinking for experienced independent professionals building practice on their own terms. Each issue: - A preview of who is coming up on the podcast and why their work matters - One idea or practice from a recent guest you can actually use - How to position your accumulated expertise so the right clients find you - How to work with AI tools without handing over your professional judgment Subscribe: https://wisepreneurs.com.au/newsletter [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/newsletter]

Alisha Hook Career Coaching: Networks and Reputation in a Shifting Job Market

Alisha Hook spent 25 years in talent acquisition and HR across Australia and the UK before founding Your Career Edge, a career coaching and fractional talent consultancy based in Melbourne. Alisha explains why professional reputation carries more weight than a polished resume in the current job market, where AI-generated applications have made candidates harder to differentiate.  She covers three trends reshaping how people find work: job hugging, peek-a-boo jobs, and anti-perks.  The conversation extends to practical career coaching strategies including building career advocates, networking as ongoing career currency rather than a last-minute scramble, and understanding what applicant tracking systems actually filter for.  Alisha also discusses her fractional talent work across healthcare, superannuation, and professional services, and her current ICF coaching accreditation through Thought Conductor. Connect with Alisha: Website yourcareeredge.com.au [https://yourcareeredge.com.au/] LinkedIn Alisha Hook Wisepreneurs explores how independent professionals turn accumulated expertise into sustainable practice. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/support] Connect with Nigel Rawlins Website: https://wisepreneurs.com.au/ [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelrawlins/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelrawlins/] Free assessments - Embodied Intelligence Self-Assessment - Professional Reputation Audit - Business Clarity in Five Lines https://wisepreneurs.com.au/field-guides/ [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/free-assessments/] Please help support the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/supporters/new [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/supporters/new] The Wisepreneur newsletter Practical thinking for experienced independent professionals building practice on their own terms. Each issue: - A preview of who is coming up on the podcast and why their work matters - One idea or practice from a recent guest you can actually use - How to position your accumulated expertise so the right clients find you - How to work with AI tools without handing over your professional judgment Subscribe: https://wisepreneurs.com.au/newsletter [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/newsletter]

Johanna Rothman Independent Consulting: Principles That Outlast Every Trend

Johanna Rothman has worked as an independent consultant since 1994 and written 21 books on management, consulting, and professional writing, including Successful Independent Consulting. Johanna uses the Consulting Role Grid from Champion, Kiel and McLendon (1990) to draw a distinction that matters for every experienced professional: hands-on experts who take no responsibility for client growth are really contractors, not consultants.  She explains the nine consulting roles from reflective observer to trusted advisor, why retainer agreements serve both consultant and client better than hourly billing, and how continual planning replaces rigid annual plans.  The conversation includes her reader journey mapping technique for nonfiction books, adapted from Jeff Patton's user story mapping, and her approach to time-boxing daily work. For experienced independent professionals, this episode maps the practical mechanics of building consulting practice around deep expertise. Mentions and references: Successful Independent Consulting by Johanna Rothman Free Your Inner Nonfiction Writer by Johanna Rothman Consulting Role Grid — Champion, Kiel & McLendon (1990) Jeff Patton — user story mapping, adapted for reader journey mapping Connect with Johanna: Website: jrothman.com [https://www.jrothman.com/] | LinkedIn: Johanna Rothman [https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannarothman/] Wisepreneurs explores how independent professionals turn accumulated expertise into sustainable practice. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/support] Connect with Nigel Rawlins Website: https://wisepreneurs.com.au/ [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelrawlins/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelrawlins/] Free assessments - Embodied Intelligence Self-Assessment - Professional Reputation Audit - Business Clarity in Five Lines https://wisepreneurs.com.au/field-guides/ [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/free-assessments/] Please help support the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/supporters/new [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/supporters/new] The Wisepreneur newsletter Practical thinking for experienced independent professionals building practice on their own terms. Each issue: - A preview of who is coming up on the podcast and why their work matters - One idea or practice from a recent guest you can actually use - How to position your accumulated expertise so the right clients find you - How to work with AI tools without handing over your professional judgment Subscribe: https://wisepreneurs.com.au/newsletter [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/newsletter]

Bex Thomas Intentional Career Breaks: Sabbaticals That Lead to Real Change

Bex Thomas spent 20 years in recruitment before an intentional career break became the catalyst for a portfolio career as a career transition coach, sabbatical coach, and podcast host of Sabbatical Stories. Bex explains her five-question framework for planning intentional career breaks: why you are taking the break, when to take it, where to go, who to spend time with, and who you want to become afterwards.  She describes the financial planning behind extended breaks, including spending time in countries where Australian dollars stretch further.  For experienced professionals sensing their current role no longer fits, Bex shares why the integration period after a sabbatical determines whether the break transforms your career or fades into a distant memory.  She also covers how to negotiate leave when your company has no formal sabbatical policy and why most mid-career transitions turn out to be values realignment rather than seismic change.  Bex describes her own prototyping journey through travel blogging, travel coaching, and travel writing before finding her fit in coaching and podcasting. Connect with Bex: website: bexthomas.com [https://bexthomas.com/] | LinkedIn: Bex Thomas [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bexthomas/] Wisepreneurs explores how independent professionals turn accumulated expertise into sustainable practice. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/support] Connect with Nigel Rawlins Website: https://wisepreneurs.com.au/ [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelrawlins/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelrawlins/] Free assessments - Embodied Intelligence Self-Assessment - Professional Reputation Audit - Business Clarity in Five Lines https://wisepreneurs.com.au/field-guides/ [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/free-assessments/] Please help support the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/supporters/new [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/supporters/new] The Wisepreneur newsletter Practical thinking for experienced independent professionals building practice on their own terms. Each issue: - A preview of who is coming up on the podcast and why their work matters - One idea or practice from a recent guest you can actually use - How to position your accumulated expertise so the right clients find you - How to work with AI tools without handing over your professional judgment Subscribe: https://wisepreneurs.com.au/newsletter [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/newsletter]

Margareta Krizova Freelance Advice: Six Questions for Professional Reinvention

Margareta Křížová offers freelance advice for professional reinvention, sharing six questions that replace the business plan. After co-founding a boutique M&A advisory firm in Prague in 1993, Margareta spent almost 30 years in dealmaking before selling her equity stake at 53 to rebuild as an independent freelancer.  She now combines selective advisory work with entrepreneurship mentoring and runs the NEWTON University Business Accelerator, now in its fifth year with 14 projects in acceleration. Her six questions (what do you sell, who will buy it, why, what is your go-to market, what is your pricing strategy, and do you want to work alone or with partners) cut through the complexity that stops people from starting.  She describes the financial blind spot she calls invisible work, where freelancers fail to count their own hours and underprice as a result. The conversation covers why side hustles work as a low-risk transition from corporate employment and how Margareta uses ChatGPT with Keith Cunningham's The Road Less Stupid as a virtual thinking partner for business decisions. Mentions and references: NEWTON University Business Accelerator, Keith Cunningham, The Road Less Stupid, Third Career (book by Margareta Krizova) Connect with Margareta: website: margaretakrizova.com [https://margaretakrizova.com/] | LinkedIn Margareta Křížová [https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretakrizova/] Wisepreneurs explores how independent professionals turn accumulated expertise into sustainable practice. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/support] Connect with Nigel Rawlins Website: https://wisepreneurs.com.au/ [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelrawlins/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelrawlins/] Free assessments - Embodied Intelligence Self-Assessment - Professional Reputation Audit - Business Clarity in Five Lines https://wisepreneurs.com.au/field-guides/ [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/free-assessments/] Please help support the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/supporters/new [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311675/supporters/new] The Wisepreneur newsletter Practical thinking for experienced independent professionals building practice on their own terms. Each issue: - A preview of who is coming up on the podcast and why their work matters - One idea or practice from a recent guest you can actually use - How to position your accumulated expertise so the right clients find you - How to work with AI tools without handing over your professional judgment Subscribe: https://wisepreneurs.com.au/newsletter [https://wisepreneurs.com.au/newsletter]