If you’re feeling stuck at mid-career, unsure whether to stay, pivot, or start something new this episode is for you.

In this case study, I’m joined by my former client Claire, who went from feeling uncertain about her next move after leaving a role of 13 years in education to gaining crystal-clear career clarity and launching her own consulting business in just three months.

We talk about what it really takes to get unstuck, how to move from overthinking to aligned action, and why clarity doesn’t have to take years when you approach it strategically.

If you’ve been sitting in “what’s next?” mode for longer than you’d like, this conversation will give you both perspective and momentum.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why mid-career transitions can feel heavier and how to navigate them strategically
• The difference between being “stuck” and being unclear
• How Claire moved from uncertainty to launching a consulting business in 3 months
• What actually creates clarity (hint: it’s not more overthinking)
• The mindset shifts required to stop default climbing and start designing what’s next

Action Steps:

1️⃣ Get honest about what feels misaligned.
Instead of asking “What job should I apply for?” ask “What do I no longer want to tolerate?”

2️⃣ Stop gathering endless information and choose one direction to test.
Clarity often comes from action, not analysis.

3️⃣ Define your next 90-day focus.
If you had to move forward strategically for the next three months, what would you prioritise?

👉 Book a clarity call at careerchangemakers.com/claritycall and let’s explore your next best step.

Connect with Claire and learn more about her work - https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-bartkus/

Send a text

🔗Connect with me

LinkedIn: Janine Esbrand

Instagram: @careerchangemakerspodcast

In this episode, I’m speaking directly to the introverts and the “just let me do my good work” professionals who feel resistant to the whole “be everywhere, build your personal brand, post every day” narrative.

Visibility is important for career progression, whether you want to move up internally or explore opportunities externally. But being visible doesn’t mean becoming someone you’re not.

I break down how to approach visibility in a way that feels aligned, strategic, and sustainable, especially if you don’t naturally enjoy being in the spotlight.

I share the three-step framework I use with my coaching clients to help them build visibility without compromising their personality or values.

If you’ve ever been passed up for opportunities and wondered why less experienced people seem to get ahead, this episode will give you clarity and a practical way forward.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why visibility is required for career progression (even if you’re brilliant at what you do)
• The difference between being everywhere and being strategic
• The 3-step visibility framework: Who, How, When
• Why people promote based on perceived potential and how to influence that perception

Action Steps:

1. Identify Your “Who.”
   Ask yourself: Who specifically needs to see me and understand my value?
   A hiring manager? A senior leader? A decision-maker in your industry? Get clear.
2. Choose Your Method.
   Decide how you will raise your visibility with intention.
   This might look like speaking up once in key meetings, booking strategic coffee chats, supporting a senior leader’s project, or attending a targeted event.
3. Set Your Cadence.
   Visibility doesn’t mean constant noise. It means consistency.
   Choose a rhythm that works for you; monthly or quarterly and commit to more than one touchpoint.

If this episode resonated with you and you’re ready to build a visibility strategy that feels aligned to who you are that’s exactly what we work on inside my one-to-one coaching.

Once we’re clear on where you want to go, we design the right visibility plan to get you seen by the right people without forcing you to become someone you’re not.

👉 Book a clarity call at careerchangemakers.com/claritycall and let’s explore your next best step.

And if you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating and review. It helps the show reach more ambitious professionals who need this message.

Send a text

🎙️ Episode Overview

In this solo episode, I’m talking about something I see come up again and again during career transitions: the difference between appearing confident and actually feeling confident.

I work with so many high-achieving professionals who look confident on the outside; capable, accomplished, and put together, yet internally they’re second-guessing themselves, especially when they’re navigating interviews, considering a move, or trying to figure out what’s next in their career.

In this episode, I unpack why “faking it till you make it” doesn’t work long-term when you’re in transition, and what actually helps you build confidence that supports you as you move towards your next role, opportunity, or career chapter.

I also share a recent client example that highlights how confidence grows when you reconnect with your experience, your value, and the evidence of what you already bring to the table.

If your confidence has dipped as you think about what’s next or you’re tired of performing confidence rather than truly feeling it, this episode is for you.

✨ What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why confidence often dips during career transitions, even when you’re highly capable
• The difference between looking confident and feeling confident and why that matters in interviews and career conversations
• Why “fake it till you make it” can leave you feeling scattered and disconnected
• How reflecting on your experience helps you position yourself more confidently for what’s next
• Why confidence comes from action and evidence, not waiting until you feel “ready”

🧭 Action Steps

1. Take stock of your experience: I encourage you to write down what you’ve done, achieved, and navigated especially the things you tend to dismiss.
2. Connect the dots: Look at how your past experience links to the roles or opportunities you’re exploring next.
3. Build confidence through action: Take small, intentional steps outside your comfort zone and pay attention to what you learn along the way.

💬 Ready for Support?

If you’re in the middle of a career transition and want to feel more confident in interviews, networking conversations, and decision-making, I’d love to support you.

👉🏽 Book a Clarity Call at careerchangemakers.com/claritycall and let’s explore how coaching can help you move forward with confidence as you step into your next career chapter.

Send us a text

🎙️ 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

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

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

As we move through the first full working week of January, many professionals find themselves reflecting on their careers and questioning whether the path they’re on still fits.

In this episode, I reflect on my biggest career pivot - stepping off the default legal career track while on maternity leave and how that single decision shaped a fulfilling portfolio career over the last 10 years.

This episode is an invitation to rethink rigid career paths, embrace experimentation, and give yourself permission to choose again as your life, priorities, and seasons change.

✨ What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why clarity often comes after action, not before and why waiting to have it all figured out keeps many people stuck
• How I made her first career pivot without taking a reckless leap, and how small, strategic transitions can de-risk change
• Why careers are meant to evolve and how to design work that fits your life, not just what looks good on paper

🧭 Key Themes We Explore

• Stepping off the “default” career path
• Redefining success after major life transitions
• Overcoming fear, identity shifts, and fear of judgement
• Building a portfolio career aligned with your strengths
• Testing, experimenting, and making intentional pivots
• Giving yourself permission to choose differently

🎯 Action Steps

1. Reflect on whether your current career still fits the season of life you’re in now, not the one you were in when you chose it.
2. Identify what you don’t want anymore, clarity often starts there.
3. Consider where you could experiment or test before making a bigger change.

🤍 Work With Me

If you’re at a crossroads and want support designing a career that fits your life, not just one that looks good on paper, this is exactly the work I do with clients in 1:1 coaching.

👉 Book a Career Clarity Call

🔔 Enjoyed This Episode?

If this resonated, share it with a friend who might need permission to choose again in 2026.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and keep moving towards a career that truly fits.

Send us a text

If logging into LinkedIn or Instagram at the start of the year has left you feeling behind, overwhelmed, or questioning whether you should be doing more already — this episode is for you.

In this episode, I explore why January so often triggers panic action, how social media rewards speed over alignment, and why rushing into goals can actually delay the results you want most.

I share why slowing down to gain clarity has become one of the most powerful career strategies I’ve seen — especially for high-achieving professionals in mid-career.

If you’re in a season of questioning, recalibrating, or figuring out your next move, this conversation will help you release the pressure to “hit the ground running” and instead move forward with intention.

✨ What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why January creates panic action and how comparison fuels rushed decision-making
• The difference between motion and traction in your career
• Why rushing into goals can lead to burnout, misalignment, or repeating the same patterns
• How to recognise when you’re in a figuring-it-out season (and why that’s strategic, not a failure)
• The power of pausing before making a big career move especially if you’re feeling stuck or restless
• Practical ways to slow down, tune out the noise, and take aligned next steps

🧠 Key Takeaway:

You’re not behind, you’re becoming intentional.

The season before clarity is not wasted time. It’s where the right decisions are made.

🛠️ Action Steps: How to Move Forward Without Rushing

1. Create space to pause
   Step away from the noise — social media, opinions, expectations and notice what’s actually driving your urgency.
2. Get curious about what’s not working
   Before jumping to a new goal, role, or plan, identify what specifically feels misaligned in your current situation.
3. Take one small, aligned action
   That might be booking thinking time, auditing what you’re saying yes to, or having a clarity-focused conversation with someone who can help you see the bigger picture.

🤍 Want Support With Your Next Step?

If you’re feeling the urge to make a move but don’t yet have clarity on what that move should be, you don’t need more information — you need space to think it through properly.

👉 Book a Career Clarity Call with me and we’ll explore:

• What’s really driving the urgency you’re feeling
• Whether this is a season for action, rest, or recalibration
• The most aligned next step for you — not based on comparison, but intention

🌿 Monthly Pause & Plan Sessions

I also host a complimentary Pause & Plan session once a month for professionals and leaders who want to step away from the noise and plan with intention. Join our next session.

🔗 Work with me in 2026

If you’re in a season of figuring things out and want personalised support, you can explore working with me 1:1 inside my Career Navigator coaching programme.

Send us a text