Finding Meaningful Work in a Chaotic World: How to Build a Social Impact Career (with Dolores Rio)
If you’ve ever looked at the state of the world and thought, I want to do something that actually matters, but had no idea where to start, this episode is for you.
In this conversation, I’m joined by Dolores Rio, a Professional Certified Coach and former humanitarian leader with 23 years in global public health, to break down what it actually looks like to build a meaningful career right now.
Dolores spent over two decades working on the frontlines of global health, helping design and deliver programs that addressed everything from child malnutrition to large-scale public health crises, shaping systems that determine whether people have access to food, care, and basic survival.
Now, she helps women who feel called to something more figure out what that actually looks like and how to move toward it without starting over.
We get into how to tell the difference between reacting to everything going on in the world and feeling a genuine, lasting pull toward impact, what social impact careers actually look like today, and how to move in that direction without starting over.
🔥 WHAT WE GET INTO
→ how to tell the difference between reacting to the world and a real, consistent pull toward meaningful work
→ why “meaningful work” doesn’t have to mean nonprofits or NGOs and what other paths actually exist
→ how social impact careers are shifting right now and where new opportunities are opening up
→ how to translate your existing skills into impact-focused roles without starting over
→ what hiring managers are actually looking for when you’re coming from a different background
→ why having conversations before applying will save you time, energy, and wrong moves
→ how to think about purpose and pay in a way that actually reflects your quality of life
→ how to use the Five Ps framework to define what you actually want from your career
→ where future demand is heading including climate, healthcare, AI, education, and more
⏱ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:53 Meaningful Work Questions
01:50 Meet Dolores Rio
03:28 Despair vs Purpose
09:35 Defining Impact
11:27 How Social Impact Work is Changing
16:43 New Career Paths
20:40 Transitioning from Corporate
23:24 Networking Before Applying
25:57 Purpose vs Pay
29:37 Quality of Life
30:57 Impact Moments
34:16 First Steps
36:04 Five Ps Framework
37:46 Future Demand
45:25 Closing
🚀 IF YOU’RE READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP
If this conversation made you realize you want something different, but you’re not sure what that looks like yet:
Join my free masterclass:
👉 [http://www.careerbloomcoaching.com/masterclass]Start Your Career Change in 3 Simple Steps [http://www.careerbloomcoaching.com/masterclass]
I’ll walk you through how to:
→ get clear on what you actually want
→ identify roles that actually fit you
→ move forward without starting over
CONNECT WITH CAREER COACH DOLORES RIO:
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doloresrio/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/doloresrio/]
CONNECT WITH CAREER COACH THERESA WHITE:
* LinkedIn: @Theresa A. White [https://linkedin.com/in/theresawhite]
* Facebook: Career Bloom Coaching [https://facebook.com/career-bloom-coaching]
* Instagram: @theresa_careerbloom [https://www.instagram.com/theresa_careerbloom]
* YouTube: careerbloom [https://www.youtube.com/careerbloom]
* TikTok: @career.bloom [https://www.tiktok.com/@career.bloom]
* Website: www.CareerBloomCoaching.com [http://www.careerbloomcoaching.com]
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