The Career Breakers Show

52: Bonnie Wan: From Brand Strategy to Life Strategy

Bonnie Wan is a Career Breaker. She spent 30 years in the world of advertising and brand strategy, helping companies get clear on who they are, what they value, and where they’re going. On paper, it was a successful, long-standing career. But behind the scenes, she was navigating the same tension many high-achievers face—trying to hold it all together while something deeper felt misaligned. In a moment of frustration and uncertainty in her personal life, Bonnie turned her strategy work inward and created what would eventually become The Life Brief—a way to get clear on what really matters and make more aligned decisions. In this episode, Bonnie shares how her career evolved from brand strategy to life strategy, how “The Life Brief” helped her make major life and career decisions, and how she ultimately made the leap from a long corporate career into the work she does today. She also shares how she now helps individuals and organizations get “sticky” on what makes them distinctly valuable, so they can focus their time and energy on what truly matters. If you’re feeling stretched thin, questioning your priorities, or trying to figure out what comes next in your career, this episode is for you. Listen now and follow the show for more inspiring stories of career pivots, pauses, and transitions. If this episode resonated, I would love for you to share it with someone who might need to hear it too. Every follow and listen helps me know this work is reaching others and encourages me to keep going. Thank you so much for your support. ❤️ Notes: Here’s some links to things we discussed in this episode.  Bonnie’s book and website, The Life Brief: https://thelifebrief.com/ [https://thelifebrief.com/] Bonnie’s upcoming offering: https://www.meawisdom.com/workshop/find-your-f-yes-a-guide-to-no-regrets-living/ [https://www.meawisdom.com/workshop/find-your-f-yes-a-guide-to-no-regrets-living/] Brad Kleiner’s Farm to Forest Dinners: https://groundedbycedarroot.com/events-registration/ [https://groundedbycedarroot.com/events-registration/] Interested in career coaching with Adriane? Get in touch anytime at: ⁠adriane@adrianeejones.com⁠ [adriane@adrianeejones.com]

51. Sarabeth Berk Bickerton: From Professional Identity Crisis to Seen, Known, and Valued

Dr. Sarabeth Berk Bickerton is a Career Breaker. Her career never followed a straight line. From studying both art and theory to becoming an educator, researcher, and innovation leader, Sarabeth found herself constantly navigating roles that didn’t quite fit into one clear category. Along the way, she experienced multiple professional identity crises—moments where she questioned not just what she did, but who she was in her work. In this episode, Sarabeth shares how those moments led her to study professional identity and ultimately build her body of work around helping others understand who they are beyond their job titles. She talks about the concept of hybrid professionals, why the idea of “fit” is breaking down in today’s workforce, and how her journey shaped her books More Than My Title and Seen, Known, and Valued. If you’ve ever felt misunderstood in your work, struggled to explain what you do, or wondered where you truly belong in your career, this episode is for you. Listen now and follow the show for more inspiring stories of career pivots, pauses, and transitions. If this episode resonated, I would love for you to share it with someone who might need to hear it too. Every follow and listen helps me know this work is reaching others and encourages me to keep going. Thank you so much for your support. ❤️ Notes: Here’s some links to things we discussed in this episode.  Sarabeth’s latest book: https://a.co/d/00bsMlYf [https://a.co/d/00bsMlYf] Sarabeth’s website and books: https://www.morethanmytitle.com/about-sarabeth-berk [https://www.morethanmytitle.com/about-sarabeth-berk] Sarabeth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarabethberk/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajoshlevine/] Sarabeth on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/morethanmytitle/ [https://greatmondays.com/] adriane@adrianeejones.com

50. Elizabeth Aldana: The Breakup Before The Breakdown

Elizabeth Aldana is a Career Breaker. Her career followed a path many ambitious professionals are taught to chase. She worked hard, moved up, took on bigger roles, and built a career that looked successful on paper. But along the way, she began to realize that endurance is not always the same thing as alignment, and that staying too long in something that no longer fits can come at a real cost. In this episode, Elizabeth shares how a series of career breakups helped her build self-trust, resilience, and a new way of thinking about change. She explains how experiences like moving to Singapore, recovering from burnout, and stepping away from roles that no longer aligned eventually shaped the framework she now uses in her coaching and speaking work as The Breakup Artist. Together, we talk about what it means to break up not just with jobs, but with patterns, expectations, and definitions of success that no longer serve you. If you are questioning whether it is time to make a change or trying to trust yourself enough to take the next step, this episode is for you. Listen now and follow the show for more inspiring stories of career pivots, pauses, and transitions. If this episode resonated, I would love for you to share it with someone who might need to hear it too. Every follow and listen helps me know this work is reaching others and encourages me to keep going. Thank you so much for your support. ❤️ Notes: Here’s some links to things we discussed in this episode.  Elizabeth on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/283z4p2u [https://tinyurl.com/283z4p2u] Elizabeth’s website: https://breakupartist.coach/ [https://breakupartist.coach/]

49. Josh Levine: Learning from Past Pivots to Navigate Work in the Age of AI

Josh Levine is a Career Breaker. His career began in the world of graphic design, working at a small brand strategy firm in the Bay Area. Over time, he realized his strengths extended beyond design into facilitation and helping leaders make meaning together. That realization set him on a path toward building his own business, Great Mondays,. And now he has spent more than 15 years helping organizations think more deeply about culture, purpose, and the role work plays in people’s lives. In this episode, Josh shares how following his curiosity led him from design into culture work, even before most people understood what culture really meant. He reflects on the realities of building a business over time, the energy it takes to keep evolving your work when the world changes, and what it means to pivot again as the world of work shifts rapidly in the age of AI. He also shares why he launched his new project, The Job Market Sh*t Show, and what he is learning about hiring, imbalance, and the future of work. If you are navigating change in your career or trying to understand how to stay relevant in a rapidly shifting world, this episode is for you. Listen now and follow the show for more inspiring stories of career pivots, pauses, and transitions. If this episode resonated, I would love for you to share it with someone who might need to hear it too. Every follow and listen helps me know this work is reaching others and encourages me to keep going. Thank you so much for your support. ❤️ Notes: Here’s some links to things we discussed in this episode.  Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajoshlevine/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajoshlevine/] The Job Market Shit Show: https://joshlevine.substack.com/ [https://joshlevine.substack.com/] Josh’s business: https://greatmondays.com/ [https://greatmondays.com/]

48. Jess Weisz: Breaking the Rules of Careers and Life

Jess Weisz is a Career Breaker. Her career began the way many high achievers are taught it should. She started in consulting at McKinsey, moved into strategy at the Bank of Montreal, and followed a path that looked successful on paper. But internally, something wasn’t working, and over time, she began to question the rules she had been following. In this episode, Jess shares how stepping away from traditional expectations led her through multiple career chapters, from corporate to venture-backed tech to a self-directed sabbatical. She explains how those experiences shaped Rule Breaker, the platform she created to help working parents challenge unrealistic expectations, make more intentional choices, and redefine what success looks like for themselves. If you’ve been questioning the path you’re on or feeling the pressure to do it all and do it perfectly, this episode is for you. Listen now and follow the show for more inspiring stories of career pivots, pauses, and transitions. If this episode resonated, I would love for you to share it with someone who might need to hear it too. Every follow and listen helps me know this work is reaching others and encourages me to keep going. Thank you so much for your support. ❤️ Notes: Here’s some links to things we discussed in this episode.  Rule Breaker Reset, small group coaching for high-achieving working parents: https://reset.rulebreaker.co/ [https://reset.rulebreaker.co/] Rule Breaker newsletter: https://rulebreaker.substack.com/ [https://rulebreaker.substack.com/]