If I Were Your Career Coach: 5 Things to Focus on for the Rest of 2025

Burnout at Work: Why You Don’t Need to Work Harder to Matter More

Burnout at work is affecting more professionals than ever, especially Gen Z and millennials who care deeply about their jobs but feel constantly overwhelmed and exhausted. In this episode of I Hate My Job! Now What?, Sarah explains why burnout isn’t a motivation problem and why working harderwon’t make you more valuable. Instead, she challenges the culture of urgency, overwork, and constant responsiveness, and invites you to shift from measuring success by volume to measuring it by impact. Through real client patterns, research, and career stories, Sarah explores how burnout often shows up when capable people areoperating below their strategic level. If you’re burned out, frustrated, or stuck in a cycle of doing more but feeling less effective, this episode offers a calmer, more sustainable way to think about work—and practical reflection questions to help you work differently. Reflection Questions: Is this a moment for full effort—or is good enough actually appropriate here?Before I say yes, what problem am I really being asked to solve?Who else should be involved to increase the impact of this work?If I’m irritated by this task, is it a signal that I need to reframe how I’m approaching it? Resources & Links: Learn more about coaching at: ⁠sarahdecker.com⁠ [www.sarahdecker.com] Follow Sarah on Instagram ⁠@advanceprofessionalcoaching⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/advanceprofessionalcoaching/]·       Share this episode with your work bestie! Chapters: 00:00 Understanding Burnout in Today's Workforce 03:01 Redefining Value and Impact at Work 06:50 The Toxicity of Performative Busyness 09:22 The Importance of Relationships in Career Success 15:00 Shifting from Effort to Impact

Checking In on Your Relationship With Your Career- A Quiz!

What if you evaluated your career the same way you evaluate your relationships? In this Valentine’s-themed episode, I invite you to take a simple four-question “quiz” to check in on your relationship with your work. We explore four common career patterns—including outgrowing a role, working in an unbalanced dynamic, going through the motions, and the on-again, off-again relationship so many people recognize. This isn’t a “quit your job” episode—it’s an honest, compassionate check-in designed to help you notice patterns, feel less alone, and reflect on what you want next, at your own pace. Quiz:1.     How stretched do I feel in my current role — intellectually, creatively, or professionally? 2.   How trusted do I feel where I work? 3.    How energized do I feel by my work most days? 4.    How often does the question, ‘Is this still right?’ come up for me? Resources & Links: Learn more about coaching at: sarahdecker.com [www.sarahdecker.com] Follow Sarah on Instagram @advanceprofessionalcoaching [https://www.instagram.com/advanceprofessionalcoaching/] Share this episode with your work bestie!

If I Were Your Career Coach: 5 Things to Focus on for the Rest of 2025

Feeling pulled in a million directions as the year ends? In this episode, Sarah invites you into the passenger seat of her SUV for five grounding, deeply human reminders that will help you release what’s draining you, honor what you truly need, and walk into 2026 with more clarity, peace, and self-trust. Reflection Prompts: * What do you not want to do anymore — and how do you know? * What feels forced in your life right now? * What makes your body tighten, hold its breath, or feel drained? * Where in your life are you tolerating something that has already ended? * What are you carrying out of habit that you no longer want to bring into the new year? * Where can you choose meaning over obligation this season? Resources & Links: * Learn more about coaching at ⁠sarahdecker.com ⁠ [https://www.sarahdecker.com/] * Follow Sarah on Instagram ⁠@advanceprofessionalcoaching ⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/advanceprofessionalcoaching/] * Share this episode with your work bestie 💛 Chapters: 00:00 The Busy Parent's Productivity Secret 02:18 Grounding in Overwhelming Times 05:11 Identifying What You Don't Want 08:41 The Power of Peace and Productivity 11:09 Recognizing Burnout and Moving On 14:57 Letting Go to Make Space 18:23 Choosing Presence Over Performance 19:41 Summary

Resumes: What Actually Gets You Into the Yes Pile

In this episode, career coach and hiring manager Sarah Decker opens the lid on what really happens when someone scrolls your resume over lunch — and what moves you into the yes, no, or maybe pile. Homework: Begin your Master Resume 1. Word Document: Header First and Last Name Email address, Phone Number, City State 2. Professional Summary 3. Recent Work Experience Job Title Employer Accomplishments, Experience, Impact (Repeat for all Jobs) 4. Education 5. Skills and Certifications Resources & Links: * Learn more about coaching at ⁠sarahdecker.com ⁠ [https://www.sarahdecker.com/] * Follow Sarah on Instagram ⁠@advanceprofessionalcoaching ⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/advanceprofessionalcoaching/] * Share this episode with your work bestie 💛 Chapters: 00:00 A Day in the Life: Balancing Work and Family 02:52 The Importance of a Strong Resume 06:00 Sorting Resumes: Yes, No, and Maybe Piles 09:06 Crafting the Perfect Resume: Key Elements 11:55 Navigating Job Applications: Strategies for Success 15:07 Understanding ATS: Making Your Resume Stand Out 18:12 The Power of Language: Framing Your Experience 21:04 Encouragement for Women: Apply for the Job 23:55 Creating Your Master Resume: A Living Document 27:04 Final Thoughts: The Resume as a Door Opener

When Chaos Becomes a Calling: The Story Behind Advance Professional Coaching

In this episode, I share the very real, very messy story of how Advance Professional Coaching was born in the middle of early-pandemic chaos. It’s a reminder that sometimes your calling arrives in the most overwhelming seasons of your life. Reflection Prompts: 1. Where are you feeling a spark or pull... even in the middle of your fully, messy life? 2. Who has already reflected a skill, talent, or gift back to you that you're not using yet? 3. What is one tiny step toward a shift you could take without blowing up your whole life? Resources & Links: * Learn more about coaching at sarahdecker.com [https://www.sarahdecker.com/] * Follow Sarah on Instagram @advanceprofessionalcoaching [https://www.instagram.com/advanceprofessionalcoaching/] * Share this episode with your work bestie 💛 Chapters: 00:00 Navigating Life During the Pandemic 03:15 The Unexpected Opportunity 05:34 Building a Coaching Business 08:33 Embracing the Working Mom Identity 10:58 Finding Time for Growth 13:12 The Birth of Advanced Professional Coaching 15:28 Reflection and Moving Forward 16:57 Notes to Past Self