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‘Career cushioning’ is a way of proactively protecting your employability while you are still in a job by quietly building your career options, skills and contacts so that a change or shock doesn’t leave you exposed.

What is ‘career cushioning’?

It means putting a career plan ‘B’ and ‘C’ in place in case of redundancy, restructuring, AI driven change or a values clash between you and your employer.

‘Career cushioning’ activities include: upskilling, expanding your network, updating your LinkedIn profile and CV, tracking the market and testing side income streams e.g. by setting up a ‘side gig’.

Why is ‘career cushioning’ a good idea in 2026?

Jobs are becoming more transient and portfolio careers more normal. Individuals who continuously future-proof their careers are in a better position for sustainable career success with the trends to skills-based hiring, flexibility and changes driven by AI.

10 practical tips to cushion your career

1) Clarify direction and risk

• Audit your current role security, industry trends and where off shoring or automation affect you
• Set short and long term S.M.A.R.T. career goals e.g. a narrower niche in a growing emerging specialism for sustainable success.

2) Invest in future-fit skills

• Identify 1-3 high value skills for your future career e.g. AI literacy, data use, leadership, client development and commit to specific courses or projects.
• Use online courses, certifications and stretch assignments, building evidence as you go.

3) Keep your market materials ready

• Refresh your CV and LinkedIn profile at least quarterly, making sure that you are up to date with key words, the changing LinkedIn algorithm and how Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) affect CV design.
• Set up/maintain an achievements log regularly.

4) Nurture and expand your network

• Create a regular clear networking rhythm, e.g. 1-2 on-line meetings a week and a monthly check-in with key contacts.
• Engage visibly on LinkedIn with key contacts, influencers and LinkedIn groups/professional networks – like, comment and share on posts.
• Creating specific times for these activities so that they become part of your routine is a good idea e.g. 7.45-8am on Mondays and Wednesdays for LinkedIn activity.

5) Monitor the market quietly

• Scan job boards and key employers in your industry quietly each week to see what skills and roles are in demand and adjust your CPD (Continual Professional and Personal Development) accordingly.
• Have alerts set up for roles or sectors that you could move into quickly if needed.

6) Strengthen your financial cushion

• Create a financial ‘cushion’ – savings of 6 months to cover all essential expenses, so that you have time to consider options, and invest in a career coach, rather than take the first non-ideal job or contract.
• Consider small low risk projects that build your skills and evidence of the value that you bring, and which increase your options for the future as part of a portfolio career.

7) Look after your well-being and mindset

• If you are feeling anxious about change and uncertainty, which is both common and normal, it is wise to get the appropriate support – an experienced coach, mentor or therapist, with the relevant expertise for your brief.
• Make looking after yourself a high priority – ‘put the oxygen on your own face first.’

8) Protect yourself from AI’s impact

• Define the value that you bring around judgement, client insight, creativity and problem solving in the ‘messy ambiguous situations’ common in our V.U.C.A. (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world, that still need a human.
• Learn the main AI tools used in your sector, and review these regular – AI intelligence is becoming more important and helps to differentiate you in a competitive market.
• Practice prompt crafting, iteration and the critical evaluation of AI outputs.

9) Human Centric skill excellence

• Invest in skills that are becoming more important as AI is introduced more widely: critical thinking, systems thinking, storytelling with data, relationship building and influencing.
• Monitor how AI is affecting the roles in business that interest you.

10) Strengthen your personal brand and opportunity flow

• Build a future focused career story showing that you are future oriented, AI literate and human centric.
• Create case studies and messaging soundbites to demonstrate the value that you uniquely bring.
• Nurture a strong network who understand the value that you bring and can articulate it to others so that you can access the unadvertised market.

Which of these 10 are your top 3 most important to focus on in the next 3 months?

Client examples

Some examples from our career coaching clients of how they are applying career cushioning principles:

• ‘C’ is doing an AI course to build their marketability and AI intelligence.
• ‘A’ regularly does certifications to keep her specialism up to date.
• ‘M’, who works in local government, is creating a long-term career plan for 2028 when streamlining is happening and a move to devolution and a unitary model.
• ‘S’ is creating a short, medium and long term plan to ensure that their career is future-proof.

What examples can you think of career cushioning from people that you know?

Personal examples

How have I applied ‘career cushioning’ as a business owner (Energise is 30 years old this year)?

• Consciously developing a portfolio career, and evolving it as trends change.
• I self-funded a 6-month CPD break to learn talent management, employer branding and employee engagement. It was a big investment that has borne fruit. It has given me more options to my portfolio career, a broader perspective to add value to my clients, seeing talent from both the individual’s and organisation’s perspective, and a wider network of decision makers. I had always done ‘people stuff’ intuitively at work, but my career heritage was in marketing and brand strategy and communications which didn’t cover this, although the key principles are similar.
• Doing a lot of both events and writing over the years has both maintained visibility and built my network consistently over time. Also a lot of networking.
• Trademarking my personal brand ‘The Talent Liberator’ ™ in 2025 has protected an asset with more competition.

What are your top 3 career cushioning priorities?

What actions will you take and when will you take them?

What is ‘job hugging’?

‘Job hugging’ is when someone remains in a job for security, even if they are bored, underutilised or unhappy.

The core driver of ‘job hugging’ behaviour is fear or risk aversion – sometimes called a ‘golden cage.’

What factors are causing ‘job hugging’?

• Economic anxiety
• AI automation fears
• Tough job market
• Shrinking rewards for changing job
• ‘Better the devil you know’ thinking

Overall the gain from moving out of your comfort zone doesn’t feel worth the risk.

Surveys in 2026 and early 2027 indicate that the majority of employees are ‘job hugging’, and planning to stay put for 1-2 years.

If you are job hunting, have been made redundant or seeking promotion where you are, this is a frustrating situation and you need to be extra smart to tackle it!

The impact on employee engagement and productivity of ‘job hugging’ is hard to quantify, but it won’t be helping the much talked about need for growth!

What are the risks of job hugging for mid-career professionals?

In a nutshell, job hugging is especially risky for mid-career professionals because it can create a false sense of security while quietly damaging your long term career prospects growth, influence and future employability.

This is especially dangerous because of the impact of AI on the number of highly prized jobs with competition increasing and a higher level of qualification needed for success.

But there is a bigger impact ………….

The impact is deeper than is immediately obvious – the biggest danger of ‘job hugging’ can turn into ‘strategic caution’, a reduced appetite for change and burnout that affects decision quality and leadership credibility.

This is the opposite of how you need to be – agile in a fast changing and uncertain world, where change is getting faster and more unpredictable.

4 risks to mid-career professionals of job hugging

Risk 1: Career stagnation – staying put out of fear can ‘flatten’ learning, visibility and promotion prospects.

Risk 2: Reduced creativity and initiative – ‘job hugging’ = ‘coasting’ which can lower innovation and make a leader or manager less effective over time.

Risk 3: Burn-out and disengagement – remaining in a role that no longer fits you can produce low energy and a lack of fulfilment, especially for ambitious professionals.

Risk 4: Opportunity cost of missed pay and title gains – missing out on pay increases and a more senior job title plus a broader and new challenges, have a massive impact over time, especially with longer working lives e.g. your pension pot.

So what is the best thing for mid-career professionals to do and how should they do it?

What next?

• You need a future-proof career
• You need to think about the impact of AI now
• You need to energise yourself when you don’t feel energised
• You need to think through different options and make a decision
• You need to do some ‘career cushioning’

Working with an experienced career strategist and coach like myself, can really help to work through the fears and risk-aversion and keep on moving forward, step by step.

What action will you take next and when will you take it?

Get in touch for a no obligation chat.

This blog explores contemporary work trends and worries for mid-career professionals and how AI is changing the nature of career support. It shares insights and facts.

Work worries

These are the key work worries of mid-career professionals. Which ones do you relate to?

AI and job security

• 1 in 5 working Britons are experiencing ‘AI induced anxiety’ or ‘automation stress.’
• 41% feel that their role is less secure than 2 years ago because of AI.
• Many mid-career workers over 45 feel that their experience is being de-valued vs. AI proficiency, especially in creative, legal, customer service, finance and admin roles.

Burnout and chronic stress

• More than 1 in 3 professionals are secretly dealing with chronic stress and burn-out.
• Sabbaticals or career breaks are a useful way for mid-career professionals to deal with burn-out, but this creates a new anxiety about having a gap on their CV.

Career plateau/mid-career dip

• Feelings of stagnation and ‘is this it?’ are common in professionals in their 40s.
• Common fears include: missing out on promotions, being overtaken by younger colleagues, and getting stuck at one level for the rest of their working lives.

Hiring slowdown and pay pressure

• Because of rising employment costs, employers are cautious about recruitment in 2026, with fewer planning to hire, delayed pay rises and slower hiring decisions.
• Employees suffer from anxiety about changing jobs and negotiating better packages and making a mistake, especially with the rising cost of living.

Seeking meaning, purpose and a better quality of life

• Following Covid-19 and the ‘great resignation’ period that followed, mid-career professionals are seeking a better work life balance and more meaning and purpose.
• For skilled professionals, the sense that mid-career is a low point in job satisfaction can amplify feelings about whether they are in the right career at all.

Many mid-career professionals ask themselves:

• “Will AI or younger tech savvy workers make me obsolete?”
• “If I burn out or step back, will I ever catch up financially?”
• “Am I stuck at this level now, and what does that mean for my retirement?”
• “Can I find work that is BOTH secure and enjoyable, without sacrificing my health or family?”

Future-proofing your career

• The majority of professionals neglect their long-term career strategy and only focus on it when they are on the ‘back foot’.
• In uncertain times, it is really important to have a career plan ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’? Do you?
• A portfolio career, when you don’t put all your work ‘eggs in one basket’, is a wise choice. It de-risks your career and gives you options – it is like having ‘career insurance.’

Facts about portfolio careers

• The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) have forecast that by 2030, over 50% of professionals will have a portfolio career.
• In the UK, portfolio careers are becoming the norm, rather than niche.
• The Department for educational research (England) found that 52% of professionals would consider a portfolio career, and 45% would do so if they had more confidence.

Labour market shift
Randstad Work Monitor 2026 report shows that:

• 72-78% of employers think that the linear career model is outdated.
• Only 41% of workers still want a traditional linear career.
• 38% of workers are actively exploring a portfolio career, including switching roles or sectors.
• 40% of talent have taken on a second role, with 36% planning to increase their working hours, in response to living cost pressures.

Growth in fractional roles

• Fractional roles are growing in popularity – nearly 50% of UK businesses already use some form of fractional executives or professionals.
• Fractional executives in the UK have grown by 340% since 2019.
• The fractional role market is predicted to increase by 25% a year until 2028.
• UK start ups have doubled their number of fractional leaders per company since 2022.
• Popular leadership fractional roles are Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Chief Technology/Technical Officer (CTO), Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).

Benefits of working with a career strategist and coach

• Hone and polish your narrative
• Clarity re what value you bring and evidencing this
• Your competitive advantage re other candidates
• Confidential support to overcome actual and perceived blocks
• Compelling career capital goals to build your niche

Are career coaches redundant?

I thought I had better ask AI this prompt (question)!

The other day, I asked Perplexity AI if AI meant that there was no longer a need for career coaches. I felt a bit nervous as I crafted the prompt and pressed enter!

I was relieved when the report appeared in from of my eyes.

No, career coaches are not redundant.

But modern career coaching needs to be AI + career coach.

There is lots of hype about AI around. It has pros and cons, but what roles does AI have in career planning?

• AI is increasing the overall need for career support.
• On-line platforms are making career support accessible to more people.
• ‘Entry level’ coaching can be done by AI, 24/7 and at low cost.

What is AI useful for?

1) Clarifying career direction and options
Example – you paste your CV and a brief of what you want e.g. associate lawyer with more client contact responsibility, and the tool suggests roles that fit your brief and shows you live adverts.

2) Targeted job discovery and automation
Example – you set parameters, e.g. location, salary, hybrid and you receive a daily e mail of pre-approved roles.

3) CVs, job applications and Applicant Tracking System (ATS) optimisation
Example – you paste a job ad and your existing CV and the tool produces a focused version with key skills emphasised and the employer’s language.

4) Interview preparation and performance
Example – you practice that interview question that everyone dreads because it is so huge and open ended! Tell me about yourself.

5) Strategy, tracking and reflection
Example – if you share where you are in a job search process e.g. ‘exploring career options’, the tool will create a tailored workflow for your unique situation.

What can’t AI give you?

• Deep empathy
• Lived experience
• A character reference
• Lateral ideas
• Introduction to useful contacts
• Career vision
• Nuanced listening – with all the senses including intuition
• Being present, being heard
• Reading between the lines of what is being expressed
• How to navigate politics
• Support and techniques to deal with anxiety
• Strategically thinking ‘out of the box’
• Building trust in messy ambiguous situations
• How to navigate complex interpersonal relationships
• Holding clients accountable in a relational way
• Your authentic brand story narrative
• Making sense of career options and decisions
• Changing your identity
• Navigating emotional blocks e.g. stepping up to be a leader
• Nuanced politics
• Accessing the hidden jobs market through personal networks
• A differentiated professional brand and future-proofed career narrative

Experienced human coaches are especially core to effectiveness in mid-career, leadership and high-stakes career transitions.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) predicts that 44% of workers’ current skills are predicted to be disrupted within 5 years.

As AI and automation reshapes roles, more people need help interpreting labour market signals, making strategic choices and navigating the psychological aspects of change, including fear, anxiety, marketing yourself.

With more competition for fewer premium highly prized jobs, confidently and competently marketing and branding yourself is becoming even more important.

Some of our clients have been stuck for up to 10 years before they contacted us. That is a lot of time to be frustrated! Sometimes resisting change can cause physical illness – it is like their body is saying – ‘get me out of this job/toxic culture/career that isn’t me!’

What is a ‘change resistor’?

A change resistor is a person or group who resists or blocks change, driven by fear, loss of control, misunderstanding or preference for the status quo. They create friction in business or social transitions often stemming from anxiety about the unknown, new demands or threats to power/identity.

Why do humans resist change and stay in their comfort zone?

Human beings often resist change until their “back is against the wall” because the brain is wired to prioritise short term safety and familiarity over long term, uncertain benefits, so real change tends to happen when staying the same feels more dangerous than changing. Crisis removes options, amplifies threat signals, and can finally tip that cost–benefit calculation in favour of action.

How the brain handles change
Human motivation is strongly organised around approach (moving toward rewards) and avoidance (moving away from threats), and in ambiguous situations people often default to avoiding risk, even if change could bring rewards.

The “comfort zone” feels psychologically safe, so the brain tends to conserve energy and maintain existing patterns unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise.

Why discomfort must outweigh comfort

Change usually happens when the pain of the current situation becomes greater than the perceived pain or risk of changing: in crisis, the cost of doing nothing suddenly feels unbearable.

The stages of change model shows that people can sit in “contemplation” for a long time, knowing something is wrong but not acting because of internal approach–avoidance conflict.

Fear, uncertainty and social pressure
Fear of the unknown, judgement by others, and lack of social support make breaking out of established patterns feel risky, so people delay change while their current strategies are “good enough”.

What helps people change earlier?
Making the “threat of no change” vivid (e.g. structured scenario planning, health risk information framed in ways that match a person’s motivational style) can shift behaviour before a crisis.

Quotes about change

“In any given moment, we have 2 options: to step forward into growth, or step back into safety.” Abraham Maslow.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” Socrates.

9 self-reflective questions about change

Block out time in your diary to reflect on these questions:

1. What am I noticing in my world?
2. How do I feel about change?
3. How do I know when I am resisting change?
4. When have I successfully embraced change?
5. What are the positives of change?
6. What are the negatives of change?
7. What helps me to embrace change?
8. Who could help me to embrace the change that I need to make?
9. What’s the question that I most need to ask myself about change?

Career capital is the value of competencies, knowledge and individual personality attributes and other career assets that you have to produce economic value.
In competitive markets, career capital is even more important than usual.
In times of redundancies with supply of workers outstripping demand, the market will be more competitive. If the quality of two candidates is the same, what will differentiate them to be chosen?

What is career capital?
Your career assets combined = your career capital; the sum total of your time, talent and potential. You need to consider it in terms of its present and future value when considering your long-term career prospects. If the internet is an ocean full of ‘fish’ i.e. opportunities, you need the right ‘bait’ to catch the ‘fish’ you want, whether it is a job or a self-employed project. Career capital helps you to do this.
What ‘fish’ do you want to catch e.g. employer or clients?
What will your ‘bait’ be?

Why is career capital important?
The market for workers is changing. In future, employers will have reduced permanent headcount and resource up on an as needed basis with individuals and employers rated transparently on-line.

Are you ready for this new world of work?

Differentiation and visibility on-line is critical.

Career assets

Your career capital is made up of multi-faceted career assets which accrue over time.

Accolades

• Patents
• Awards
• League table rankings e.g. Chambers
• Who’s who listing

Academic

• Higher qualifications e.g. MBA, PHD, MSc/MA
• Links with academia or prestigious universities e.g. guest lecturer

Endorsements

• Client testimonials/employer references
• Peer testimonials/endorsements

Published works

• Articles
• Chapters
• Books
• White papers

Talent

• Multiple mastery areas
• In-demand skills e.g. creativity, big data management
• Languages
• Good emotional intelligence e.g. empathy

Networks

• Professional association involvement
• Membership of respected clubs
• Size & diversity of network
• Quality of network e.g. senior decision makers, high net worths

Events

• Hosting an event
• Speaking at an event
• Conference speaking
• Conference chairing

Charitable

• Pro bono
• Trustee post

Career credibility

• Prestige/trophy employers & clients e.g. FTSE 100
• Senior leadership positions e.g. C-Suite

Miscellaneous
• Personal brand

What would you add? How would you rate your career capital?

10 tips for healthy career capital

1. Create a career strategy and ensure your career capital is aligned with it
2. Define your ‘fish’ – i.e. target employers or clients
3. Make time to think about what ‘bait’ is the best to catch your ‘fish’
4. Audit your career capital quarterly and define career asset S.M.A.R.T. goals
5. Ensure you have insights about what is important to and valued by your target audience
6. Define your personal brand
7. Measure stats for your career capital so you can monitor progress
8. Monitor your reputation – e.g. set up Google alerts & track your name/brand using AI
9. Use/monitor LinkedIn stats to evaluate the quality and profile of your network
10. When, where and how will I make time to accrue my career capital?
    Thought leadership is one of our specialisms. How can we help you develop yours?

What is a career pivot?

A career pivot is a planned, purposeful change in career direction. It can be a move to a related field, or to something completely new. Whatever its direction, a pivot is a meaningful change that requires thought and careful planning.

Why are mid-career pivots growing in popularity?

• shifting mindset towards prioritising fulfilment, purpose, and personal growth over conventional markers of success.
• pursuing work that aligns more closely with one’s interests, values, and aspirations.

Changing career expectations
Many individuals are redefining success on their own terms, placing greater emphasis on factors such as passion, purpose, and personal growth. A mid-career pivot allows them to pursue careers that are more aligned with these values.

Lifelong learning culture
In an era of rapid technological advancement and industry disruption, the need for continuous learning and adaptation has never been more evident. Many individuals recognise the importance of upskilling throughout their careers, making mid-career pivots a natural extension of this commitment to lifelong learning.

Work-life integration
As work-life balance becomes increasingly important to professionals across generations, many are seeking career paths that offer greater flexibility, autonomy, and meaning. A mid-career pivot can provide an opportunity to realign one’s work with personal values and priorities, leading to a more fulfilling and sustainable lifestyle.

Entrepreneurial opportunities
The rise of the gig economy and the proliferation of digital platforms have lowered barriers to entry for aspiring entrepreneurs and freelancers. Many individuals are leveraging these opportunities to transition into entrepreneurial ventures or pursue passion projects that may not have been feasible earlier in their careers.

Increased job mobility
With the rise of remote work and the globalisation of talent markets, job mobility has never been higher. This increased fluidity allows individuals to explore opportunities across industries, geographies, and organisational structures, making mid-career pivots more appealing.

Why have a career pivot?

• economic uncertainty due to global events
• industries’ rapid transformation through technological advancements
• yearning for personal development
• alterations in industry landscapes
• pursuing a hobby
• broaden your abilities
• explore fresh challenges
• find work settings that resonate with your principles and aspirations
• burn-out – desire for less stress

What would you add?

Herminia Ibarra at London Business School, one of the leading thinkers in this space, summarized the key drivers of career change:

• Situational (external) drivers: external market forces, such as the economy or the talent landscape; organizational changes, such as restructuring; and emerging opportunities, usually seen as “pull” factors.
• Personal (internal) drivers: internal factors include the “skills, talents, preferences, past experiences, developmental stage and self-conceptions that individuals bring to their work role and career,” personal networks and “triggers,” and opportunities that mobilize people towards the pursuit of new pathways.

Tips for a smooth career pivot

• Pivot proactively
• Understand the job market
• Choose growth areas e.g. cybersecurity and data analytics, green jobs, healthcare, mental health
• Grow your network
• Have informational interviews in your areas of interest
• Attend industry events
• Read high quality market reports e.g. PwC, EY
• Set up Google alerts
• Use AI e.g. Perplexity to learn about growing career options
• Monitor skills shortages
• Work with an experienced career coach
• Develop your career pivot story
• Embrace uncertainty
• Have a career plan A, B and C
• Accept that no shortcuts exist
• Take steady consistent steps forward
• Take stock regularly – make a regular time to review
• Think through different scenarios
• Evaluate the risks
• Have a financial cushion
• Be positive
• Believe in yourself
• Manage negative self-talk
• Be curious and open minded
• Create tests/experiments
• Be open to ‘happenstance’
• Identify your transferable skills
• Do what energises you
• Have a walkaway point
• Trust your intuition
• Use critical thinking to prevent ‘wishful thinking’ and make fact based decisions.
• Have a good support network
• Transfer internally
• Redesign your existing job
• Define your purpose
• Rebrand yourself
• Create accountability buddies

Barriers to a successful career pivot

• Fear of starting something new
• Feeling like it’s too late in a career
• Thinking a career pivot having a negative connotation
• Worrying that you will disappoint parents who funded your education
• Lack of time
• Not knowing how to ask people to help you

What barriers would you add?

Self-reflective questions

• What things do I like most about my current/past job(s)?
• What are the jobs or careers of people I find fascinating, interesting, or successful?
• What distinctive skills do people see in me, and what specific indicator(s) makes people see them (credentials, behaviours, experience, etc.)?
• What are the most impressive elements of my resume? (Focus on unique and difficult accomplishments.)
• What skills would I love to have acquired in three to five years’ time?
• What things do I dislike most about my current/past job(s)?
• What are the jobs or careers of people I find boring and uninteresting?
• What new jobs or careers exist that require my skills and interests?
• What organizational cultures resonate with me, because they fit with my own values, style, and preferences?
• If I could have three different careers between now and retirement, which ones would I pick (if there were no obstacles or limits, and if I were a great fit)?

What is the question you most need to ask yourself?

Do you have a career plan ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’?

I strongly recommend that you action this now.

How’s your head space?

This bulletin is about head space. We all have a head.

But we don’t always have head space.

Do you?

Definition of head space

‘A person’s state of mind or mindset.’

‘The ability to enable and understand how to control our thoughts and feelings to affect their impact on ourselves or others.’

Head space is very important in life generally and especially at work.

Your head space

• How much head space do you get each day? Each week? Each month?
• How much head space do you create for yourself?

2 simple questions, aren’t they?

For some people, the only time they get head space is on holiday or when they are asleep.

Are you one of them?

Tips to create head space

• Switch off your Iphone, tablet and computer
• Choose a quiet environment that you like e.g. a quiet coffee shop, park or garden
• Ringfence time in your diary by having coaching sessions
• Take a dog for a walk – yours or someone else’s
• Spend time in nature
• Go on a train or bus journey into the countryside when it is quiet and look out of the window

My head space

Favourite places for me to create head space are:

• Our allotment
• An off-peak train journey going the opposite way to commuters
• House sits
• A quiet spacious coffee shop
• By coaching myself
• Looking at the flames in a wood burning stove

What are yours?

Benefits of head space

• ‘Check-in’ with your thoughts and feelings
• Make sense of what is bothering or frustrating you – head space allows thoughts and feelings to surface so that they can be addressed.
• Write down your ‘not getting around to list’ so that it can be tackled.
• Time to list progress, achievements and learnings.
• Allows you to ‘decompress’.
• Reclarify your priorities.
• Purposefully reflect.
• Time and space to coach yourself.
• Remind yourself of what you already know but had forgotten.
• Enables new insights and ideas to form and emerge.
• Give yourself a ‘body scan’ to notice any pain or discomfort.
• Monitor your inner dialogue/head chatter.
• Notice any negative unhelpful things that you are saying to yourself.
• Brainstorm how you could work more expediently.
• Time to think clearly without any pressure.
• Peace/time to reflect and process thoughts and feelings.
• Make sense of difficult situations and what to do next.
• Read ‘between the lines’ of what someone is expressing but not saying explicitly.
• To prevent impulsive unhelpful reactions to what someone is saying or doing.
• To manage stress and recharge.
• To contemplate important things that you don’t usually get time for.
• Reassess a project, task or relationship.
• Think about how you could simplify or improve a process.
• Think of solutions to problems.
• Make goals smarter and more compelling.
• Reframe boring tasks so they feel more motivating to tackle.
• Identify causes of overwhelm.
• Pinpoint the cause of why you are procrastinating so that you can get started and not waste time.
• List causes of tension in a relationship.
• Develop a strategy to tackle a difficult conversation.
• Review the mix of your portfolio career.

Which 3 of these do you most relate to?

Self-reflective questions about head space

• What’s stopping me from creating head space?
• When is the best time to create head space in my week?
• Who prevents me from having head space?
• What could more head space enable me to do that I don’t have enough of?
• Where is my ideal environment for headspace?
• What action will I take to give myself more head space?

What is a good question for you to ask yourself about head space?

What is the definition of a setback?

A setback means “A reversal in progress.”

What is the definition of a bounce back?

Bounce back means: “Recovering or recuperating.”

A setback whether expected or unexpected can leave you feeling like ‘the rug has been pulled from under your feet’ and like a curved ball that can knock you sideways.

Quotes about setbacks

“Temporary setbacks are overshadowed by persistence.” Quentin L Cook.

“Every setback is an opportunity to learn and grow stronger.” Unknown.

“Every setback is a setup for a comeback!” Joel Osteen.

“A setback has often cleared the way to greater prosperity. Many things have risen to more exalted heights.” Seneca.

Types of setback

Setbacks can be personal or professional and they are very diverse in nature: financial, health, relationships, cultural, economic, reputation, prospects, skills etc.

How would you segment them?

• Boss leaves – your manager, with whom you had a brilliant working relationship, leaves for another company.
• Redundancy – you are let go in a challenging jobs market.
• Trusted supplier retires/sells franchise – the accountant you have trusted for years retires and you inherit a new one that you did not choose
• AI developments threaten prospects – Automation and AI are replacing your profession or reducing opportunities. e.g. copywriters and customer service operators.
• New party changes policy – e.g. Trump in America re DEI and foreign aid jobs.
• No pay rise – you had been banking on getting a pay rise to cover increases in rent/mortgage and utility bills, but don’t get one, leaving you worried and stressed.
• Training budget cuts – you chose an employer because of the fantastic training they offer, but after you join, the programme is pulled, leaving you disappointed.
• Increased competition – more competitors are entering your profession, making it harder to attract clients, secure the role that you want.
• Economic meltdown – the global economic crash of 2007/2008 caused mass redundancies and you didn’t know how you would secure another role.
• Skills obsolescence – you apply for jobs and find that your skills are ‘past their sell by date’, and what employers are now looking aren’t the skills and qualifications that you you have.
• Pandemic ‘curved ball’ – an unexpected health pandemic turns everything on its head, necessitating massive adjustment, which you find challenging as you don’t like change.
• Ageist boss – your new boss who is 35, is ageist and you see your prospects of promotion and training shrinking, leaving you demotivated.
• Sexist boss – your new boss is sexist and you now dread going to work when you previously loved your job.
• New leader culture change – a new CEO with a very autocratic leadership style, very different to the previous leader’s meritocratic style, changes the company culture for the worse.
• New company strategy – your employer changes its strategic focus, and your specialism is no longer part of its future plans.
• Direct report leaves – a valued member of staff who you trained up and spent a lot of time developing leaves for a better salary, leaving you disappointed and with increased workload.
• Recruitment/headcount freeze – sales are really good and looking really promising, but your company freezes headcount leaving you tired and feeling burnt out.
• No promotion – you are not promoted when you expected to be, and feel demoralised.
• Lack of recognition – you expected to gain an award or be featured in accolades for your profession, but this does not materialise, leaving you feeling deflated.
• Poor appraisal – you have a bad appraisal with lower marks then you were anticipated and feel disillusioned.
• Performance management – your boss isn’t happy with your work and puts you on a performance management process, making you feel very stressed and afraid that you will be sacked.
• Disruptor competitor – an unexpected launch seriously affects the sales of your employer e.g. China tech App, better and lower price.
• Don’t get dream job – you are second choice for a role that you really wanted, your dream job and you feel crushed after 4 rounds of interviews and a massive investment from you in time and energy.
• Seen as a threat – you offer to help with events at your employer to broaden your experience, but the event manager sees you as a threat and thinks that you are after their job.
• Partner made redundant – your partner is made redundant, leaving you as the sole breadwinner and you feel very under pressure.
• Split up with partner – you split with a long-term partner and now have to fund 100% of rent/mortgage and living costs yourself.
• Poor health – you develop a health condition which affects your energy levels and vitality.
• Returner out of touch with technology – you feel out of date returning to work after taking time out to dedicate to raising your children and feel on ‘the scrap heap.’
• Overqualified – you aren’t shortlisted for a job because you are perceived to be overqualified and your potential younger boss is threatened by this and thinks you are after their job.
• Project/contract cancelled – a contract you were massively excited about doing is cancelled because of budget cuts, leaving you worried.
• Death of a loved one – person or pet leaves you feeling really out of sorts understandably and unable to concentrate and focus. Your emotions are swirling.

Which setbacks have you experienced?

Which setbacks can you mitigate for if you take action now?

Examples

• One of our clients was rejected for a job, they felt deflated. I reminded them what they really wanted and that this role didn’t align with this. They were successful in being chosen out of 100 candidates to get a much better role that had everything and more on their wish-list.
• In the aftermath of the global economic financial crash of 2007/2008, many Tech professionals attended our Energise ‘Steer your career’ 1 day workshop. Their technology expertise and qualifications were out of date and not in demand by employers, something that they did not realise as they hadn’t looked into the future and monitored trends.

My own setbacks

• Failing one ‘A’ level – I got an ‘O’ – the worst grade you can get! This was my only science ‘A’ level Biology, of 3 ‘A’ levels! I still got a place at the only degree course that I wanted to do in the whole of the UK, a science degree!
• Being made redundant – in a recession with a 16% interest rate 100% 3.5 X mortgage. But being made redundant enabled a move to the consultancy side, much more ‘me’ and I got a job locally, so I didn’t need to move home. In hindsight, it was a gift!
• Self-funded CPD 6-month CPD break just before the global financial crash of 2007/2008. Very very challenging at the time, but I found my inner Energise ‘turbo boost button’ and built strong resilience to uncertainty. I was glad that I had looked ahead at trends and developed a portfolio career giving me options. Career coaches are very useful when mass redundancies are happening. I gained a DWP government contract to support professionals and executives with ‘Steer your career’ workshops for 2.5 years until the economy recovered.

From setback to bounce-back

Setbacks aren’t nice, but often they force you to re-evaluate and spend time on important not urgent tasks easily put off. The vast majority of people choose career coaching, not proactively and strategically, but when they are finding things challenging. This is human, very common and natural.

Positives of setbacks include:

• Opportunity to re-evaluate.
• Fresh look at spending/outgoings.
• Explore new opportunities.
• Consider retraining.
• Research a career pivot.
• Create or edit a future-proof portfolio career.
• Look at emerging trends.
• Update your LinkedIn profile.
• Tackle ‘important not urgent’ tasks you have put off.
• Update your personal brand.
• Create a new personal web site.
• Join a new network.
• Invest in a training course to prevent skill obsolescence.
• Job redesign – relook at the structure of your team, so that members can play more to their strengths.
• Plan a future financial cushion via savings.
• Set new career capital goals – things that make you marketable.

What would you add?

An unexpected testimonial

“I didn’t actually become Rachel’s client, but I should have done. Nearly twenty years ago, she sat with me on a park bench outside Saint Paul’s Cathedral and tried to explain to me about career change and my potential, but I didn’t listen because I couldn’t at the time. I thought about her often, so I’m writing this recommendation now unsolicited and without her knowledge. Her words have resonated with me ever since then, but it’s taken me nearly 20 years to realize exactly what she was saying. She is an incredible person who is insightful, brings joy, clarity and light to all whom she comes in contact with. There is no doubt in my mind, that my life would have been significantly different if I’d been open to what she had to say back then. I have no hesitation in recommending Rachel”.

Pete Gourri.

What is a career impasse?

The definition of the word impasse is “A situation in which no progress is impossible.”

When you are having an impasse, it can feel very difficult. Stasis, lack of progress, impotent, disempowered etc.

The good news is that an impasse is only temporary – it will shift! It can shift as a result of a career epiphany!

What is a career epiphany?

The definition of the word epiphany is “A moment of sudden and great revelation.“

A career epiphany is a sudden revelation about your career that shifts the impasse. It is like a welcome release of tension – you feel relief, empowered and able to move forward again.

5 tips to shift a career impasse

Tip 1) This model really helps to crystallize your thoughts – ask yourself and write down your responses to these 4 questions:

1. Where am I and why am I there?
2. Where could I be?
3. How could I get there?
4. How will I know that I have achieved what I set out to do?

Tip 2) Get a coach – an experienced strategic one.

Tip 3) Coach yourself. Take yourself to a quiet coffee shop, garden or park with a notebook. Ask yourself “What’s the block?”, “What’s stopping me?” “What is the positive intention of this career impasse for me?”

Tip 4) E mail me to receive your free Energise article ‘Overcoming procrastination’ – it is a fascinating topic and ‘Becoming unstuck’.

Tip 5) Give yourself time to enable your thoughts and feelings to rise to the surface.

What tips would you add?

Client examples

Debi
Debi, having been made redundant, kept on saying that she wanted a new job in the area that she has been working in for decades. Project management in the design industry. But her body language and energy was telling me a different story. ‘Reading between the lines’ is an important coaching skill.

In a coaching session she sat forward in her chair while I remained still and silent. ‘No’. She exclaimed emphatically. ‘What I really want is to run cheese holidays in France.’ So she is.

Caroline
Caroline realised that she had spent all her life being responsible and working in an industry that wasn’t really her – PR, and communications for government. When I helped her to understand her values, what was really important to her, the no 1 value was freedom. She left London and PR, moved to rural Herefordshire, got a horse and dog and now shows dogs. She is living her most important value every day.

Mary
Mary had become a lawyer because her parents thought it was a good idea. She was working in an especially political law firm as a commercial lawyer. She was signed off work with stress. Coaching with me helped her to realise what vocation was right for her. She retrained as a therapist and is thriving in her new vocation.

My own examples

Epiphany 1
My career began in client-side marketing in the food industry. I remember seeing the career progression ahead to Marketing Manager, Marketing Controller and Marketing Director. In my employer at that time, people stayed for many years so there were no promotions opening up. In addition, I have never ‘played politics’ and this would have been essential to progress where I was.

My career epiphany came from reflecting on what parts of the marketing vocation I enjoyed most, and it was the brand, design and communication elements. In that moment, I decided to move to the agency side and become a brand strategist, a role much more me! It was. I did it employed and then freelance for 4 years.

Epiphany 2
I have focused on 1 target audience for over 20 years – law firms/private practice, written lots of articles, chapters and books. For someone who loves variety and newness, this is a long time! I found myself feeling really demotivated to take action – a career impasse around the very thing I specialise in and had worked really hard to build up my career capital in.

It was a chance conversation with someone that created the shift and led to a career epiphany. “I can imagine you being really useful to help Consultant Lawyers” they said.

I looked on-line about Consultant Lawyers and the platform law firms that had been set up – a part of the legal profession which is growing hugely. The epiphany came when I was really honest with myself– I had never liked the law firm model. The fee earning targets, the politics, the tradition, the 6 minute fee earning units of time and pressure to succeed, and the ‘pushing people out’ who were deemed not good enough.

Consultant Lawyer was a role that I could relate to and which provided working mothers especially with benefits so that they could enjoy a healthy work life blend and get fair rewards for the effort that they put in. This was a massive and important shift for my business Energise and a new direction that was not only growing, it was and is very ‘me’.

Epiphany 3
After 28 years of running my own business, I have written about just about every possible career topic to help people. Newness, variety and originality are important to me. It felt like a content and inspiration impasse!

The epiphany came unexpectedly! I had written an article and recorded a webinar about personal branding. “I know, I need to trade mark my own personal brand ‘The Talent Liberator’ – it is a brand asset.” And so I have! ™

Epiphany 4
I am pretty decisive by nature, so when I found myself not moving a project forward – it was a frustrating impasse. I had worked really hard researching and writing a white paper. Then I felt stuck – the next step felt really daunting in the fast changing digital age! I found a white paper about best practice publishing and campaigns to create awareness about it, and the project came to an unexpected and frustrating stop.

You don’t have to do this bit yourself, I told myself. The epiphany was that I needed to write a really clear brief, in fact 2 briefs, 1 for the white paper and 1 for the campaign so that I could expediently outsource it to someone with the skills and experience and get it done! Everything shifted.

• What career impasses have you had?
• What have been your career epiphanies?

Coaching

Did you know coaching is an unregulated market?

This means that anyone can set up as a coach after a weekend course. Because of this, there is more and more competition. Coaches, like other professionals need to monitor trends and reposition themselves with changing needs and motivations (internal) and trends and market changes (external).

I have been coaching for nearly 25 years and love it as much as I always have!

How does career coaching helps shift a career impasse and create a career epiphany?

These are extracts in their own words from a recent career coaching client about how they found coaching useful. They successfully achieved their career goal. Out of 100 candidates, they were offered the job and really impressed the interviewers.

• The process of being coached helps you identify both your strengths and weaknesses, enabling you to take tailored action on areas of your life that can be improved or expanded.
• In my opinion, coaching is one of the most effective forms of rediscovery.
• Having someone by your side, guiding you through a reflective process, allows you to uncover parts of yourself that may have been hidden, unnoticed, or underutilized.
• It neutralizes limiting beliefs you have about yourself and helps you break down everything you are or have, allowing you to view it in a positive light and helping you rewrite any story that’s holding you back from achieving your goals, and being the best version of yourself.
• Being coached helped me realize that my past experiences weren’t obstacles but stepping stones that shaped some of my greatest strengths today.
• Through coaching, I was able to identify the values that motivated me, work on my skills, build my confidence, and tailor my job search to roles and companies that were the right fit. I learned to trust that the right opportunity would come.
• Coaching supports you through transitional periods – when your current situation isn’t where you’d like it to be, and some days feel more daunting than others.
• Since starting coaching, I have noticed a significant increase in my confidence. I also learned valuable techniques to improve my organization and time management skills.
• I discovered that having a vision, alongside small, achievable goals helped me keep me committed to my long-term dreams. I became more organized, patient, and kind to myself, while also raising my standards in terms of what I could achieve and what I deserved.
• Coaching enabled me to showcase my personality, experience, skills, and job expectations with far more confidence, allowing me to excel and stand out from other candidates.
• I am also confident that coaching will continue to be an invaluable tool in helping me perform well in my role.
• Overall, coaching provided me with the tools not only to find a job but also to find the right job for me – being more proactive and intentional with my search. Given the market conditions, I was able to achieve this very quickly, and within the timeframe set for this to happen.
• Rachel is not only an extremely talented person with a wealth of experience and expertise, but she is also a wonderful individual with exceptional people skills. She genuinely cares about her clients and is willing to invest her talent and time until her clients’ goals are achieved. She truly is a talent liberator, and her personality shines through her coaching style.
• Rachel is very approachable, and from the first day of coaching, she makes you feel comfortable opening up, being honest and vulnerable, which allows you to create great professional and personal plans. She is also excellent at tailoring her approach to what works best for each client, making feedback always welcome, and ensuring you never feel forced or stuck. Her ability to connect with people makes coaching feel very personal and very pleasant. Each session feels unique, and her learning resources are incredibly insightful. Overall, her coaching style makes results tangible and attainable quite quickly.

Client testimonial

“I met Rachel at a networking event, and after hearing about her services, I approached her to learn more about her and her business. From the very first conversation, I was impressed by how knowledgeable and insightful she is—immediately, I knew she was someone I wanted to learn from. We stayed in touch and collaborated on several projects, and over time, Rachel became a valuable mentor in my professional journey. She introduced me to an incredible network of contacts, and her guidance helped shape my career in meaningful ways.

Working with Rachel has been an absolute pleasure. Her ability to share her extensive experience with warmth, and enthusiasm makes learning from her very enjoyable. Her expertise has not only helped me professionally but has also had a positive impact on my personal growth. Anyone who meets Rachel will undoubtedly leave feeling re-energised!”

Leonna Mora.

What makes you unique?

Can you complete this sentence “The only {insert your profession} who………”

Differentiating yourself is hard! Many people are too close to themselves to see clearly what makes them unique and to be able to articulate it.

Working with someone to help you to define what differentiates you and how to articulate this and communicate it in a compelling and integrated way, on-line and face to face is time and money well spent.

I can help you.

What is differentiation?

The definition of differentiation is ‘the act of showing or finding difference between things that are compared.’

The phrase ‘quite unique’ is an oxymoron!

Unique means ‘being the only one of its kind, unlike anything else.’

You can influence people’s perceptions by thinking about what messages you communicate.

You know that you have been successful when you hear them express your messages.

Why is differentiation important?

Differentiation is important because it creates memorability and impact.

With lots of options to choose from and huge amounts of content on-line, differentiating yourself helps you to stand out from the crowd, in a good way.

This applies whether you are employed or self-employed.

How can you differentiate yourself?

There are many different ways of differentiating yourself.

Thinking about the different senses: sight, sound, touch, feeling, taste, smell can elicit ideas.

• An unusual life which gives you a perspective e.g. expat (adaptable to change) or orphan (resilient) from your life experience
• Languages you speak
• A distinctive personal brand
• An impactful verbal business card
• An infographic
• A unique model/approach
• A client specialism
• A sector specialism
• An accreditation or certification
• An item of clothing e.g. a brightly coloured scarf
• A visual prop
• A distinctive pair of spectacles
• A hairstyle
• A stylish hat
• An in-demand skill e.g. AI or digital
• Out of the box thinking because of dyslexia
• A cartoon avatar

Which ones do you use?
Which ones appeal to you?
Which additional ones to the list above would you add?

Examples of differentiation

• A friend of mine is a personal trainer. Her personal brand is ‘The Body Architect’.
• A lawyer called Jody Hill wears brightly coloured suits, when most lawyers wear black suits. She is easy to spot at a networking event face to face and on-line.
• A photographer uses the verbal business card ‘I shoot people’ when asked what he does at a networking event.
• A designer has plastic business cards with gold blocking creating visual differentiation and a premium impression.
• Someone in my network always wears a pale grey suit and a pale pink tie. He is instantly recognisable in images on LinkedIn at different events, surrounded by a sea of dark suits.
• A plumber brings a giant plunger as a visual prop when doing his 60 second introduction at BNI (Business Networking International) networking events

What examples can you think of?

Personal examples

• Wearing a vibrant orange scarf when doing events, cashmere in Autumn/Winter and silk in Spring/Summer.
• My personal brand ‘The Talent Liberator’ ™.
• I had an unusual and memorable prop which I gave to coaching clients. It was a clear test tube, closed at both ends containing clear liquid and small metallic moons, starts and hearts. Shaking it and then letting it settle was a great metaphor for clarity and insights gained in coaching sessions. My clients loved it, and it really stayed in their memories and hearts, decades after we first worked together !
• Using visual props at events e.g. a trumpet (blow your own trumpet – marketing yourself) and a hamster wheel – unfulfilled stuck in a rut jobs.
• Sending New Year cards in early January, not Christmas cards in December.
• NOT sharing selfies when networking!

What could you do to differentiate yourself from other people who do what you do?

5 self-reflective questions to differentiate yourself

1. How is your life/career journey different to other people who do what you do?
2. What are your 2 best strengths?
3. How has your career path shaped your approach and perspective?
4. What do people seek you out for – skill e.g. problem solving, quality e.g. empathy, specialist knowledge or experience?
5. What unusual and distinctive adjectives could bring to life what differentiates you when introducing yourself at networking events?
6. What metaphors or analogies could you use to distinguish yourself?

6 tips to differentiate yourself

1. Create a word cloud using testimonials about you from clients or colleagues.
2. Create a range of verbal business card sentences and bounce them off people who know you to get feedback and polish and hone them.
3. Choose a visual item of clothing and wear it consistently e.g. an orange scarf or pink tie, to create a visual signature.
4. Do research to find out what really matters to your target audience
5. Imagine that you have a ‘magic wand’ – ask a prospect or target employer what would be their ideal solution.
6. Search your job title on LinkedIn and see how your competitors summarise themselves and how they design their LinkedIn banner.