What have you got to lose? Sarah Manning-Ball asked herself this question before setting up Glorious Grazes and Posh Picnics. In this episode, she tells us her career change story from working in the corporate world to following her dream of opening her own food business. At the end of the interview, Sarah asks a question for you to explore if you are thinking about a career change.

Themes during Sarah’s interview include mental health, imposter syndrome, career coaching, and practical steps towards making dreams happen. It carries a content warning because Sarah talks about suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression at several points during the episode.

We recorded this approximately one year after our coaching session together, on 8th June 2023 while sitting next to a waterfall along a beautiful brook in the Peak District National Park.

Here’s the list of the questions I asked Sarah:

• What makes your picnics glorious and posh?
• Where did the perspective that food is glorious come from?
• What made you decide to create a business around this love of yours?
• How are you feeling now compared to how you were feeling in the corporate world?
• What made you suddenly see things so clearly?
• Do you think part of it was about giving yourself permission to follow something you really enjoy?
• What were the first few steps you took to make it happen?
• What grew out of that?
• What role has nature played in your journey so far?
• How does that compare to how you would deal with anxiety beforehand?
• What sort of environments do you work in now?
• How do you manage the challenges of working with people now?
• Have you needed to set boundaries with people?
• What’s it like between the excitement of getting a booking and the commitment involved with that?
• Have you had any wobbles since you started the food business?
• What’s one of the highlights that you’d like to share?
• What would you say to your younger self now knowing this information?
• Do you believe in there being the perfect time to make a change like this?
• What’s your method of working through your fears?
• What question would you like to ask people who are in a similar headspace as you were just a few months ago?

Glorious Grazes and Posh Picnics

Take a look at Sarah’s website to find out more about her work, and follow Glorious Grazes and Posh Picnics on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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Final notes

Visit About The Adventure website to email Sarah, the podcast host, with your comments, questions or suggestions for future guests. Subscribe to Sarah's newsletter to receive episodes in your inbox, along with career change interviews and career coaching questions.

Podcast music is by Tsarzi and artwork by Tiffany-Francis Baker.

Thanks for listening!