Career Detours, Reinvention and the Courage to Build Something New

Career Detours, Reinvention and the Courage to Build Something New

Careers rarely follow the path we expect. In this episode, I'm joined by Rachel Abad to talk about the twists, turns, and unexpected experiences that ultimately led her to founding her own communications consultancy. Growing up in regional North Queensland, Rachel always knew she wanted to leave her hometown and build a career beyond its boundaries. While law was her original plan, missing the grades led her into a Communications degree instead, a decision that would shape the rest of her career. Through internships, she discovered a love of teamwork, fast-paced environments, and working to deadlines. After a challenging start to her job search, Rachel landed a role in a small agency working with Telstra licensees, which eventually led to positions with a Telstra master licensee and later Telstra's head office. Along the way, she developed expertise in stakeholder management, communications, and navigating complex environments, skills that would later transfer seamlessly into infrastructure, rail projects, and community engagement work in Melbourne. But like many people, Rachel's career wasn't without challenges. During COVID, years of pressure and overwork caught up with her. Burnout, hospitalisation, and a diagnosis of intracranial hypertension forced her to reassess her relationship with work, success, and identity. Our conversation explores: ✅ Building a career when the path isn't clear ✅ The value of internships and early career experiences ✅ Stakeholder management and transferable skills ✅ Burnout, recovery, and redefining success ✅ When work becomes too much of your identity ✅ Starting a business and overcoming fear ✅ Finding purpose and meaning in your work ✅ Why nobody really has it all figured out Rachel also shares the story behind founding Looped In Communication, her audience-led research and communications consultancy, and why understanding people sits at the heart of effective communication. This is an honest conversation about career detours, resilience, burnout, entrepreneurship, and the reality that most successful careers are built one step at a time. To connect with Rachel  Website: looped-in.com.au  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-abad-59303452/ Can you also find episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmmaGrahamCareerCoach/videos Your host, Emma Graham, Career Coach and ex-recruiter, is here to help you with:  💡 Gain clarity on what’s important to you  💡 Confidently communicate your value  💡 Build a personal brand and a strong network  💡 Take a strategic approach to your next move  💡 Navigate the job market effectively  💡 Build career confidence with a repeatable success blueprint 🌐 Explore my coaching programs and free resources:  Website: https://www.egconsulting.au/  LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/emmajgraham  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmagrahamcareercoach/ 🎁 Free Resources:  📄 CV Development Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/cv-advice  📄 LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/linkedin-profile-guide 📅 Book Your FREE Career Strategy Discovery Call:  https://calendly.com/emmagrahamconsulting/discovery-call

Surviving A Toxic Workplace: An HR Leader’s Framework for Self-Awareness, Self-Care & Empowerment

In this episode, I’m joined by HR leader and author Teri Chilcoat to talk about the realities of toxic workplace cultures, why so many people stay longer than they should, and what you can do to protect yourself when you find yourself in one. Teri shares her own career journey, unexpectedly finding her way into HR through a temp role, to experiencing severe workplace bullying as the sole HR person inside a toxic leadership environment. That experience ultimately inspired her to write a book designed to help others recognise toxic dynamics earlier and navigate them more effectively. Throughout our conversation, we explore: ✅ The signs and symptoms of toxic workplaces ✅ Why dysfunction often becomes normalised ✅ How toxic environments impact both physical and mental health ✅ The “toxicity triangle” and how unhealthy cultures are sustained ✅ Why high performers are often protected despite poor behaviour ✅ The long-term impact of burnout and chronic stress ✅ How COVID and remote work changed workplace culture ✅ Why younger generations are raising expectations around leadership and wellbeing Teri also shares her practical framework around: ✅ Self-awareness ✅ Self-control ✅ Self-care ✅ Self-empowerment We talk about the importance of focusing on what you can control, building healthier coping mechanisms, recognising red flags earlier, and creating more agency for yourself, even in difficult environments. If you’ve ever questioned whether a workplace was healthy, struggled with burnout, or felt trapped in a difficult environment, there’s a lot in this episode that will resonate. And give you some practical advice and guidance on what to do. To connect with Teri: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teri-chilcoat-phr/ Website: innerauthoritycompany.com Can you also find episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmmaGrahamCareerCoach/videos Your host, Emma Graham, Career Coach and ex-recruiter, is here to help you with:  💡 Gain clarity on what’s important to you  💡 Confidently communicate your value  💡 Build a personal brand and a strong network  💡 Take a strategic approach to your next move  💡 Navigate the job market effectively  💡 Build career confidence with a repeatable success blueprint 🌐 Explore my coaching programs and free resources:  Website: https://www.egconsulting.au/  LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/emmajgraham  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmagrahamcareercoach/ 🎁 Free Resources:  📄 CV Development Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/cv-advice  📄 LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/linkedin-profile-guide 📅 Book Your FREE Career Strategy Discovery Call:  https://calendly.com/emmagrahamconsulting/discovery-call

How to Pitch Your Way Into Your Dream Job | Career Confidence, Visibility & Taking Initiative

What if the opportunity you wanted didn’t exist yet and you had to create it yourself? In this episode, I’m joined by social media and content agency founder Kim James to talk about the power of initiative, visibility, and backing yourself before you feel fully ready. Kim shares how she went from growing up on a macadamia farm and starting out in operations at Reece, to pitching her way into the first content marketing role for one of Australia’s biggest brands at just 24. At a time when the business had almost no social media presence, Kim identified an opportunity, pitched a strategy directly to leadership, and created her own pathway into marketing. We also talk about: • Building confidence through action, not before it • Reframing rejection, fear, and imposter syndrome • Why visibility matters for career growth • Learning through doing and backing your ideas • The realities of redundancy, reinvention, and starting again • AI’s real impact on marketing careers • Why “closed mouths don’t get fed” Kim also shares her experience moving into AI and data work after the 2022 redundancies. Before realising she wanted to focus on people, creativity, and strategic thinking, ultimately buying out her co-founder and building a business more aligned with her strengths and values. This conversation is a great reminder that careers are rarely linear, and that some of the biggest opportunities come from putting yourself forward before you feel fully ready. To connect with Kim: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-elizabeth-james-19216376/ Website: buildwedge.com Can you also find episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmmaGrahamCareerCoach/videos Your host, Emma Graham, Career Coach and ex-recruiter, is here to help you with:  💡 Gain clarity on what’s important to you  💡 Confidently communicate your value  💡 Build a personal brand and a strong network  💡 Take a strategic approach to your next move  💡 Navigate the job market effectively  💡 Build career confidence with a repeatable success blueprint 🌐 Explore my coaching programs and free resources:  Website: https://www.egconsulting.au/  LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/emmajgraham  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmagrahamcareercoach/ 🎁 Free Resources:  📄 CV Development Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/cv-advice  📄 LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/linkedin-profile-guide 📅 Book Your FREE Career Strategy Discovery Call:  https://calendly.com/emmagrahamconsulting/discovery-call

Initiative, Responsibility, and Owning Your Career: Leadership Lessons From A Veteran CEO

What does it really take to build a long, successful leadership career? In this episode, I’m joined by Barry Moline, who shares the story behind his 29-year career as a CEO and the experiences that shaped his approach to leadership. Barry didn’t follow a conventional path. He started as a high school teacher, where he developed the foundations of clear communication and patience, before leaving the profession due to structural changes. From there, he moved into energy engineering during the 1980s energy crisis, and later joined the Peace Corps in Guatemala with his wife. That experience became a defining moment. Building programs from scratch, navigating uncertainty, and learning resilience all played a role in shaping his leadership style and ultimately opened doors to opportunities in Washington, DC and beyond. Throughout our conversation, one theme comes up again and again, initiative. From unexpectedly refereeing a major hockey game as a teenager to “raising his hand” for opportunities throughout his career, Barry shares how taking responsibility and stepping forward, even when you don’t feel fully ready, can shape your trajectory in ways you don’t expect. We talk about: ✅ How “raising your hand” creates visibility and opportunity ✅ The mindset shift from employee to leader ✅ Why persistence and ownership matter more than having a perfect plan ✅ How to run effective brainstorming sessions and encourage honest input ✅ The importance of developing future leaders and thinking beyond yourself ✅ Simple but powerful communication techniques (including better listening) ✅ Why you need to take ownership of your career, not wait for it to happen This is a practical, experience-led conversation about leadership, responsibility, and the small decisions that shape long-term careers. To connect with Barry: Website: barrymoline.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-moline/ Can you also find episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmmaGrahamCareerCoach/videos Your host, Emma Graham, Career Coach and ex-recruiter, is here to help you with:  💡 Gain clarity on what’s important to you  💡 Confidently communicate your value  💡 Build a personal brand and a strong network  💡 Take a strategic approach to your next move  💡 Navigate the job market effectively  💡 Build career confidence with a repeatable success blueprint 🌐 Explore my coaching programs and free resources:  Website: https://www.egconsulting.au/  LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/emmajgraham  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmagrahamcareercoach/ 🎁 Free Resources:  📄 CV Development Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/cv-advice  📄 LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/linkedin-profile-guide 📅 Book Your FREE Career Strategy Discovery Call:  https://calendly.com/emmagrahamconsulting/discovery-call

Navigating Burnout: The Journey from Corporate Overload to Reinvention

What does burnout actually look like, and how do you move through it? In this episode, Emma sits down with Isabelle Tremblay, a senior Marketer with 25 years of experience in corporate Canada. Discover how a once thriving workplace culture transformed into a hustle driven environment after multiple mergers. Isabelle shares her experience of managing two executive-level roles at the same time with large brand portfolios, navigating a 20+ person team, and balancing the pressures of a difficult divorce and her daughter’s mental health crisis. This led to her breaking point and the diagnosis of situational stress disorder (burnout) that followed. Isabelle talks through her journey of healing through medication, self-development, and a transformative daily meditation practice that became her lifeline. After leaving the corporate world and redefining success for herself, Isabelle took a new and different path, authoring her book “Love Leads Succeed.” Where she advocates for love and service-based leadership, emotional intelligence, and prioritising mental health over toxic hustle culture. Key Topics Covered: * The impact of corporate culture on mental health * Strategies for overcoming burnout * The importance of emotional intelligence in leadership * Practical tips for prioritising mental health in a demanding work environment This is such an honest and brave conversation. And another example of how the worst thing that’s happened to you might turn out, in hindsight, to be the best thing.  To connect with Isabelle: Website: eyenovating.ca LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/isabelle-tremblay-21109226 YouTube:@LoveLeadSucceed Can you also find episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmmaGrahamCareerCoach/videos Your host, Emma Graham, Career Coach and ex-recruiter, is here to help you with:  💡 Gain clarity on what’s important to you  💡 Confidently communicate your value  💡 Build a personal brand and a strong network  💡 Take a strategic approach to your next move  💡 Navigate the job market effectively  💡 Build career confidence with a repeatable success blueprint 🌐 Explore my coaching programs and free resources:  Website: https://www.egconsulting.au/  LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/emmajgraham  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmagrahamcareercoach/ 🎁 Free Resources:  📄 CV Development Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/cv-advice  📄 LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Guide: https://www.egconsulting.au/linkedin-profile-guide 📅 Book Your FREE Career Strategy Discovery Call:  https://calendly.com/emmagrahamconsulting/discovery-call