The Career Change Maker Podcast | Career Clarity & Career Pivots for Mid-Career Women cover art

The Career Change Maker Podcast | Career Clarity & Career Pivots for Mid-Career Women

The Career Change Maker Podcast | Career Clarity & Career Pivots for Mid-Career Women

Written by: Janine Esbrand - Executive Coach Career Strategist Keynote Speaker
Listen for free

About this listen

For high-achieving women rethinking their careers and navigating career change.

***Top 1.5% Global Career Change Podcast***

If you’ve worked hard to build a successful career but find yourself questioning whether it still fits, you’re not alone (and you’re not wrong for wanting more).

I’m Janine Esbrand, a former corporate lawyer turned Career Pivot Coach, and I created The Career Change Maker Podcast for high-achieving women who feel stuck, bored, or quietly misaligned in careers that no longer fit.

Through my own career pivots and my work coaching hundreds of women through intentional career change and career transitions, I’ve seen what it really takes to step off the default path and make thoughtful, strategic moves without starting over.

Each episode offers honest insights, practical guidance, and grounded encouragement to help you gain career clarity, trust yourself, and move forward with confidence into your next chapter.

This podcast is for you if you want permission to change, clarity on what’s next, and a clear way forward that honours your experience.

🎧 New episodes every week

🔗 Ready to explore your next move? Book a Career Pivot Clarity Call using the link in the show notes.

© 2026 The Career Change Maker Podcast
Careers Economics Personal Success Self-Help Success
Episodes
  • 306 I Closing the Gap Between Goal Setting and Actually Achieving
    Jan 29 2026

    🎙️ Episode Overview

    If you’re great at setting career goals but struggle to actually achieve them, this episode is for you. As we reach the end of January and motivation starts to dip, I wanted to have a real conversation about why so many people get stuck between intention and execution, and how you can close that gap.

    In this episode, I break down the real reasons goals stall. I talk about the danger of taking action without structure, how too much external noise leads to confusion, and why misdiagnosing the problem can keep you spinning your wheels.

    What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    • Why setting the goal is often the easy part and what usually gets in the way after that
    • How lack of structure and too many opinions can lead to confusion, inaction, and burnout
    • Why doing more isn’t always the answer and how to approach things instead

    Action Steps

    • Pause and audit what you’re doing: Look at your actions and ask yourself what the data is telling you about what’s working and what isn’t.
    • Identify the real bottleneck: If you’re not getting results, figure out where things are breaking down instead of trying to do everything at once.
    • Create intentional structure: Start with the end in mind and work backwards to define the right steps, in the right order for you.

    🔗 Book a Career Clarity Call
    If you’re ready to close the gap between the goals you’ve set and actually achieving them, book a clarity call with me at
    careerchangemakers.com/claritycall

    Send us a text

    Show More Show Less
    19 mins
  • 305 I From Career Confusion to Launching an Unexpected Business with Maren Sorber van Halteren
    Jan 22 2026

    From Burnout to Business Owner (Client Case Study)

    In this episode, I’m sharing a powerful career coaching case study with my client, Maren. After moving from the Netherlands to Sweden and building a “squiggly” career across physiotherapy, admin, tech support, HR tech and customer success, she hit a point of exhaustion and misalignment at work.

    Maren came to coaching feeling tired, frustrated, and unsure of her next career move. Together, we explored her strengths, values and ideal work life. What started as a search for a new role turned into something bigger: the clarity and confidence to start her own business and design work that truly fits her.

    What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    • How career coaching creates clarity
      The tools we used to help Maren understand her strengths, preferences and ideal working environment.
    • From self-doubt to self-advocacy at work
      How Maren went from “keeping quiet” to confidently speaking up, communicating her value, and challenging assumptions about what was possible in her career.
    • A practical path from employee to business owner
      How she made a calculated, low-risk transition into entrepreneurship in Sweden, including using a legally protected leave to start her business without losing job security.

    In this episode, we talk about:

    • What burnout and misalignment looked like for her day-to-day
    • Why trying to “figure it all out in your head” keeps you stuck
    • How informational interviews and LinkedIn outreach gave her real-world data
    • The mindset shift from “maybe one day I’ll start a business” to “I’m a business owner now”
    • The emotional reality of starting a business: fear, excitement, headaches… and growth

    Maren also shares how coaching helped her avoid taking the long, indirect “multi-stop flight” in her career, and instead take a more direct route to the work and life she actually wanted.

    Connect with Maren

    Today, Maren runs Floohi, where she helps small and growing businesses:

    • Create calm, systemised operations behind the scenes
    • Streamline workflows and processes
    • Use tools like Notion to bring structure and clarity so founders can focus on what they do best

    If you’re a business owner who feels like everything is in your head and your backend is chaos, you’ll love hearing how Maren supports her clients.

    👉 Connect with Maren and learn more about Floohi via the links in the show notes.

    Considering Coaching?

    If you’re:

    • Drained and disengaged in your current role
    • Wondering what else you could do with your experience
    • Considering a career change or starting a business but don’t know where to start

    this episode will give you a real-life example of what’s possible with structured career coaching, accountability, and a clear plan.

    If you’re ready to explore your next chapter and want support, book a career clarity call.

    Want to connect and share your thoughts on the episode? Send an email to podcast@careerchangemakers.com

    Send us a text

    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • 304 I Why All-Or-Nothing Thinking Is Keeping You Stuck
    Jan 15 2026

    If you’ve been feeling like your only options are to stay miserable or burn it all down, this episode is for you.

    In today’s episode, I’m talking about how all-or-nothing thinking shows up in our careers, particularly for high achievers and why this black-and-white mindset keeps so many capable, talented people feeling stuck, frustrated, and disengaged.

    I share why this way of thinking actually makes a lot of sense given how you’ve been rewarded throughout your career, and why shifting from making “forever decisions” to treating your career as a series of experiments can unlock clarity, confidence, and momentum.

    What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    • Why all-or-nothing thinking feels logical, and how it quietly keeps you stuck
    • How high achievers get trapped by the belief that every career move must be perfect and permanent
    • Why clarity doesn’t come before action, it’s created through action
    • How to reframe career decisions as experiments instead of life sentences
    • What it really looks like to move forward without having everything figured out

    🧭 Action Steps

    1. Notice the binary language you’re using
      Start paying attention to thoughts like “If I leave, I’ve wasted everything” or “If I don’t know the perfect move, I shouldn’t move at all.” Awareness is the first step to change.
    2. Make decisions for a season, not forever
      Ask yourself: What decision makes sense for this next season of my career? Releasing the pressure of permanence makes it easier to move forward.
    3. Actively look for the middle ground
      Instead of choosing between extremes, explore small experiments, tests, or shifts that allow you to gather real data before committing.

    🤍 Ready for Support?

    If you’re navigating the grey area and want support identifying your options, testing what fits, and moving forward with intention, I’d love to help.

    You can book a Career Clarity Call with me to explore whether my one-to-one coaching programme is the right next step. My work is designed to help you move from feeling unsure and stuck to having clarity, structure, and a sense of ease about what’s next.

    If this episode resonated, please share it with someone who needs to hear it.
    The more people who hear the show, the more people I can support in leading their careers with intention.

    Until next time, take care of yourself

    🔗 Get in Touch

    Want to get in touch or give us feedback? Email us at podcast@careerchangemakers.com

    Send us a text

    Show More Show Less
    10 mins
No reviews yet