Hello and welcome to the aligned achiever podcast. I’m your host, Siobhan Barnes, and today we’re going to be talking about the five career pivots, or pivot moments, that can shape your journey in your life and your career. 

Now the reason why I want to talk about this is that so often, when I work with clients, either in a one on one capacity, or in a workshop style setting or in a bigger group container, oftentimes what is at the heart of the challenge is how to navigate a pivot. 

And in life, I think pivots are the only constant. 

We’re constantly pivoting into something new and something different for ourselves. It’s something that is always going to be happening. Who you are today is not the same version of you 10 years ago. 

Sure, there’s a lot of your qualities which are the same, but you will have learned, grown and evolved since that time, and so I wanted to provide a bit of context as to the five pivot moments that I see working with professional women, so that you can see how maybe you might be navigating one of these pivots. And to provide a bit of a roadmap and a guidepost as to what to do when you’re in that particular moment, because it can really feel overwhelming when you are in that pivot point. 

Ultimately, if you’re here, you are most likely someone who is seeking more fulfillment, seeking a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in your pivot. And you know you want to actualise all that potential that you have inside. 

For me, I know that pivoting has been absolutely foundational to who I am today, and it’s really, really important. I was reflecting on my own pivot journey and I think where it all really began was in my late 20s, back in the early 2010’s, you know, I was recalling this, actually, to somebody. We were talking about pivot moments, and I was sharing with this person that, you know, for me, the biggest pivot moment in my life is when I left my corporate role at Goldman Sachs. 

And within that year, I’d left by February. I believe it was the end of February. I got married in March. My sabbatical came up by the end of April, by which time I found out I was pregnant. And by, you know, December, my first child, my firstborn, he came just at the end of the month, right end of the year. And in that time, I went from, you know, engaged, professional, working woman to unemployed, first time mother. And that pivot was huge. 

I don’t think I realised at the time how big of a pivot that was and how much that really shook my sense of identity, confidence, self worth and self belief. And so I share that with you, just to share that I have been in a pivot point, obviously, that was all by choice, and I appreciate it, and very grateful to be able to get pregnant, very grateful to have found a loving partner, and all that that goes without saying, but I will still say it. 

And at the same time, even though it’s something that I was choosing and actively working towards, I didn’t realise the impact it would have on me as an individual amongst all of that. So if you’re navigating life and you’re feeling perhaps a little bit stuck or maybe a bit disengaged, or you’re thinking, Oh, is this really it? Am I focusing on the right things? Am I really in this? Am I happy with where I am in life and work? 

My intention in this episode is to talk to you about the five pivotal moments that can come up in your life and career, and to know what you can do about it. 

So the first pivot point that I think I want to mention, and by the way, these don’t come in a particular order. They really come, I think they can circle back around. We can experience these many, many times. 

But the first one where I want to talk about is the moment of burnout. 

So for many professional women that I work with there comes a time when it all becomes too much, where their work feels like it’s either no longer fulfilling or it’s no longer sustainable. So you know that you’re experiencing burnout when you are feeling really disconnected. 

So it’s not just like I’m feeling tired and I don’t want to go to work. It’s a real deep sense of like depletion, lacking energy, feeling really disconnected, disengaged, not just from work, but also from life itself, right? A loss of motivation, less of an inclination to engage and participate, and it’s really important to address this pivot point, because these burnout moments often force a deeper reflection. 

It can be really hard when you’re in it, but it’s one where you can use it as an opportunity to reflect on what your career and your life priorities are. And as hard as it can be when you’re in it, it can be a real trigger for change. 

Now, I got to that point when I was in my late 20s. It’s part of the reason why I left my corporate career, and I am so passionate about talking about this because back then it wasn’t burnout, wasn’t a topic that people spoke about, but it also, I don’t want to get you to get to that place in order to make a decision, because honestly, it’s really hard when you’re there.

And the more proactive we can be, the better. 

But sometimes, you know, as women, I see this time and time again, we tolerate a lot, we think we can handle a lot, and we keep piling more on our plate, just that little bit more, that’s that little bit more until we hit that breaking point. 

So if you’re here, first and foremost, I feel you and I see you in it, and just know that there is a way through 100% and you deserve to receive support and encouragement in this. So just know that you’re not alone. 

And I’ll talk a little bit more about what you can do, but to talk about this burnout, you can often experience this, let’s say maybe you’re in your late 20s or early 30s, because you’ve been going hard out of the gate, juggling the early years of your career with the pressure to prove yourself. And you’re kind of getting to this point of like, Ah, I can’t sustain this pace.

I also see this with women in their 40s, when they’re balancing family life and professional responsibilities and the societal expectations of what we should be doing, that can be a period where you can experience burnout, right? You want to be at home with the kids, be there for bath time, maybe school pickups, be there at assembly, but then you’ve got work and all the demands that are coming from you at that side as well. 

And it can also impact you, if you are in your 40s, if you’ve been in the same role for years, and maybe you haven’t been feeling super fulfilled. 

I’ve also seen women at midlife, you know, whatever that might be, mid 40s, mid 50s, you know, up to your 60s, who burn out when they realise that, you know what, work is no longer aligned with the values that I thought were important to me in my 20s, right? 

This is what I mean. We’re always evolving. We’re always changing.

So when you’re in this moment of burnout, first and foremost, what you want to do is admit that, okay, I’m on the path to burn out, or I am burning out, and begin to look at what are those stress triggers that are causing you stress, and to create a system of regular self check ins to maintain balance. 

So there’s a reason why things like meditation and journaling and yoga are helpful, but just know that these are like they’re not solutions. They are ways of coping and ways of building resilience and to be able to handle difficult things. But identifying your stress triggers can be really helpful. Oftentimes, we can’t control those triggers, right? We can’t control the fact that we’ve got a demanding boss or our company is going through a restructure and you have to work extra hours and figure out the solutions on the fly and be more available, or you might have a demanding client, right? You can’t necessarily control that, but what’s within your control is how you support yourself around that stress, right? 

And oftentimes what that can look like is boundary work, right? Setting boundaries around what you can and cannot do, saying no to things, pushing back where you can so that you can foster more of a sustainable pace and look, if you need support, there is no shame in it. Seek out support. Maybe you need to speak to your medical doctor to look at your hormones, right. Maybe you need to work with a coach to receive support. Maybe you want to work with a psychologist to work on some of the fundamental challenges that are driving your burnout behaviours. 

You know, I think oftentimes we think burnout is the result of doing too much, but often it’s the thoughts and behaviours that drive our patterns that cause us to burn out. 

For me as an example, when I burnt out, I was overworking because I had massive imposter syndrome. I didn’t believe I was good enough. And what that meant was my behaviour was, if I’m not good enough and I’m not smart enough, and I don’t feel like I belong and I don’t deserve this job, and oh my god, they’re gonna find me out. What did I do? I worked twice as hard. I was the first one in the office, last one to leave perfecting my decks, and, like, figuring out how I was going to present, and really getting in my head about things, and that led to burnout. 

So sometimes the thoughts, feelings, behaviours, are the things that are driving the burnout patterns, not necessarily the environment that you’re in, which is why it’s really important. 

And if you want to work with a coach who understands this and who has had the personal experience, please reach out to me. I would love to support you. You can book a call with me, and we can figure that out, and you can check out the link to that over in the show notes. 

All right, let’s talk about the second pivot point. 

So the second pivot point is kind of the growth phase. This is when you are seeking alignment between what you’re doing, your values and your passions, and you want to grow.

You want to go into that next level for yourself. So sometimes this can mean, Oh, I know that I’m in the right company. I want to go for that next leadership role. Or it might be like, you know, I want to discover a new career path or deepen your expertise. 

Growth can look like many different things. So again, some examples of when you might be experiencing this. You know, in your early 30s, many women enter a phase of seeking alignment, when they start realising that maybe career advancement in a male dominated industry doesn’t fulfill them as they once thought it would. So they want to create a change, or they’re like, You know what? I want to be that leader. I want to show everyone how it’s done. I think I’ve got great leadership skills. I do want to go up that ladder, and become that leader in this organisation. 

I’ve also seen this with women in their early 40s, after reaching a certain level of success, they may start to question if the career they’ve worked for is really aligned with their personal values, and if they need more personal change. So they want to have growth as an individual. 

And this can also happen, of course, at midlife as well. When you go through a reassessment, maybe your kids have left the nest, and you’re like, actually, it’s time for me. I want to grow my career. I want to take more time to focus on myself and what I want to take a stand for and my own personal goals. 

So if you are in that growth pivot point where you’re seeking to grow into something different, take that time for self reflection. Take that time to ask yourself, like, what really matters to you? What are your priorities? You know, get feedback from trusted colleagues or mentors to gain clarity on your potential for growth. 

And look if this is something that you’re interested in, this is, this is what I support my clients with in the Pivot Pathfinders Collective, which will be open for enrollment again shortly. So if you would like to learn more about that, just pop your name over at the wait list, which you can find over at the show notes. 

But growth is really when you are seeking to evolve into your next level, like your next level, leadership, pushing your capabilities, your strengths, to see how far you can go. 

The third pivot point that we have is when we step into more of this leadership role.

Leadership doesn’t always come naturally, and for many women, it’s a pivot that can be really transformative. There’s a strong sign that you’re in this pivot point when you want to lead, influence or manage a team, or you’re stepping into a new role where more leadership is required. Maybe you have to back yourself and be like, You know what, I can do this harder thing, this challenge that I haven’t yet done before. 

And why it’s so important is that leadership is a major growth point in any professional woman’s life. You know, stepping into leadership changes how you see your potential and how others see you. 

I remember when I was going, I’m sharing examples of myself, so you can kind of see what I mean by this and it’s not just theory. I remember for myself, when I was working at a coaching school teaching other coaches the feminine embodiment modality. That’s The School of Embodied Arts created by Jenna Ward, that role of stepping into master coach and master facilitator and showing other coaches how to use this modality and like not just from a theory perspective, but from a facilitation perspective, that was me stepping into a leadership role and saying, Yep, I know how to I know how to do this. And it changed the way I saw myself as a space holder and the ability to hold groups. It changed the way I showed up when I was the community manager and advising and supporting the students in the community spaces. And that really changed how I perceived my leadership, because I could take a part of that and say, You know what. I know my stuff. I know how to lead and influence here. 

So you might be feeling called to step into your leadership awakening and like developing into your potential in your late 20s, early 30s, maybe you’ve got that role as, like a team leader or a project manager, or you’re in a senior role, or one with lots of responsibility, and it can be like such an exciting time because you want that, but also uncertainty, because you’re like, oh gosh, can I do this? 

And at the heart of all of this, it all comes down to self trust. Trusting that you have the skills, the ability to figure it out. 

I’ll give you a little spoiler alert. So many women come to me saying, I’m not ready yet. I don’t think I’m good enough. And I always bring them back to the fact that you might not have done something before, but what you do have is the ability to problem solve and to cope, right, and to handle the challenge that comes your way. That is the skill. It’s hard to define and nail down, but believe you me, I know that if you’re listening to this podcast, you’re a high achiever. You know how to get things done and you know how to figure stuff out. Okay, maybe you haven’t been in this leadership role before, but you will grow into that role. You will figure it out. You will step up that I know to be true. So it all comes down to self trust. 

I’ve seen this leadership awakening also happen, you know, with women in their 40s, when they’re promoted into an even more senior management position, and they start realising, hang on a minute, I want to lead my way authentically and with purpose. 

I once had a client who was working at an investment bank, and she got this feedback that she was, you know, going for that next level, you know, the big, big level. And the feedback she was given was, oh, you know, maybe you need to be less soft or less compassionate and be more like this. And she’s like, You know what? If I’m gonna get this role, I’m gonna get it my way with my strengths that have got me here today. And so it took some time just to, like, trust that and not let somebody else have their opinion over her, right? It’s that kind of thing, like trusting your unique leadership style. 

I often work with clients who have more of this compassionate, empathetic, kind leadership style and trusting that that’s okay, right? To bring that into your leadership, if that’s authentically you. I mean, there are many different flavours that we need, right? When we’re leading something, we don’t just want the one flavour we need, all the flavours. Picture the ice cream store, right? You don’t just want to have one flavour, vanilla or chocolate. You want to bring yours, right? So you get to do that. 

I’ve also seen women have their leadership awakening when they’re like, 50 and beyond, when they’re like, You know what? I want to mentor somebody. I want to start a new leadership initiative, and I want to start that next area of leadership for myself. So when you’re in this leadership awakening, the invitation here is to continue to cultivate that growth mindset, to see your leadership ability as a skill to be nurtured, not something you have to be born with. 

You have phenomenal coping skills. You have what it takes to figure it out. You are a person of integrity, and you’re going to show up and do your best. Trust that and let that go with you as you step into that next level leadership. 

And look, maybe you do want to invest in leadership development, whether that is coaching, mentoring or formal programs. Allow yourself to receive the support you need in nurturing your leadership. 

All right, the fourth pivot moment that I see in a professional woman’s life is the reinvention moment. 

This is the moment where you go, you know what? I don’t think I’m happy as this version of me anymore. It’s when you feel a strong urge to perhaps change industries, take on a new role, or maybe even build a business that aligns closely with your deeper purpose. Or maybe it’s when you’re navigating a change in personal circumstances, when you become a mother, when you become an empty nester, when you become married or you become divorced, right? These moments are when you’re reinventing who you are and what matters. And this pivot also requires courage and deep self trust, and it really sets the foundation for a new chapter of professional fulfillment. 

So again, you could be in your early 30s beginning to question the path that you’ve chosen. Maybe you want to pivot from corporate to an entrepreneurial one, or maybe you want to shift industries. 

Or maybe you’re in your 40s, and after years of success in a certain area, you’re like, you know what I’ve learned, all that I can here and I want to go in, and I want to pivot in the new direction that’s more aligned with my passions, or I see the future in this other area, and I want to bring my skill set there. 

Or perhaps it’s like midlife, when women really decide to reinvent themselves and experience something completely new, right? Maybe it’s like, you know what? I’ve spent a good chunk of my years doing this one thing really passionate about something else I’m going to change. 

So when you’re in this reinvention moment, break down your pivot into smaller steps so it feels less overwhelming and more achievable. Find a mentor or a coach to guide you through the reinvention process and help you stay accountable. This is absolutely aligned with my Pivot Pathfinders Collective program. 

So if you’re in this season and you’re in this pivot point, come on over and check it out. It’ll support you around this. And I give you the exact steps you need to take to navigate your pivot towards something more meaningful. Because this can feel like a really overwhelming time. 

All right, the fifth and final pivot moment that I see when it comes to a professional woman’s working life is when they’re focused on really leaving a legacy, right? 

This is when you feel like you want to create a lasting impact. You want to give back. You’ve done so much, and you perhaps want to mentor younger versions of you, maybe your children, maybe younger women, maybe you know a certain group of people and to really create a lasting impact in your industry or community. 

So this is the stage where you might want to step into your full potential and begin shaping the future for others. So it can include things like mentoring, public speaking or taking on strategic leadership roles right being on boards, for example. 

So I find that it’s when women are in their 40s and beyond that they can start thinking about legacy and how they can make a mark through maybe mentorship or starting a non profit, maybe even publishing a book based on their expertise. Some women take on high level advisory roles, become public thought leaders, or build systems that impact that industry or community. And it’s really about making an impact for others.

You’ve proven yourself. You’ve got that financial stability, and now it’s time to give back. So when you’re in this season, thinking about how you best want to do that, and thinking about, what’s that sustainable platform for your impact, whether that is to partner with someone, to start something up, to write, to speak, create programs. There are so many different ways that you can do that. 

And again, this all comes back to you throughout all of these pivotal points. It all comes down to self trust and knowing that you’re enough and you can navigate this change point and to realize that life is here to be lived and to be experienced. 

There is no one linear path, and I think now more than ever, the non linear path is becoming the norm. For some people, they will stay in corporate and stay at the same company and work their way up, and that will be right for them. For others, they will have portfolio careers doing lots of different things. Others will change companies and zig and zag, and that’s okay, too. 

The thing I want to leave you with is to trust that you are enough and that you’re doing it right your way, no matter what. 

At the end of the day, your aligned achievement, your version of success, should be your metric, that you measure things by how successful you feel, how aligned you feel, how fulfilled you feel. That’s all personal, and nobody can tell you otherwise. 

So just to recap, what are those five pivotal moments? 

The first pivotal moment is when you’ve burnt yourself out. 

The second pivotal moment is when you’re growing and you’re seeking more alignment. 

The third is when you have your leadership awakening and you want to step into that leadership role. 

The fourth is when you have a reinvention moment and you want to create a massive career pivot. 

And the fifth is that legacy phase where you want to create a lasting impact. 

So as I’ve talked through these five different pivot points, I encourage you to think about where you currently are in your journey, and if you would like support to navigate this, come on over to the show notes. 

And if you need to book a call with me, you can if you’re interested in the Pivot Pathfinders Collective, you can sign up for the wait list to hear more. 

But let yourself be supported, whether that’s by me or by someone else. 

Please know that you are not alone. 

You are here for a reason beyond merely hustling, grinding and merely surviving. You matter.