Changing careers can seem daunting, especially in the aftermath of a global pandemic that has disrupted the job market. But with careful planning and the right resources, it's attainable.

Join us today as we speak with Christelle Pillot, a career coach and mother of three who helps other mothers navigate the career change path. Crystal's Freedom Catcher Academy has inspired many to take the leap and pursue new career paths.

Don't let fear hold you back from pursuing your dream job. Take the first step and tune in to our discussion.

Meet Christelle Pillott

Christelle Pillot is a career optimization coach, a founder of the Freedom Catcher Academy and a mother of 3.

Christelle has dedicated the last seven years of her life to helping busy parents to recapture their freedom and helping them see that their family can be a true asset for their work or business.

Using tools and techniques to redesign careers, reinvent themselves and simplify and rebalance life areas to gain energy, joy, ease, and a sense of personal and professional fulfillment.

Connect with Christelle

Freebie - 7-day email coaching program, email course: https://www.christellepillot.com/your-ultimate-career-change-guide

Job fit quiz: https://www.christellepillot.com/job-fit-quiz

Website

https://www.christellepillot.com/

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https://www.christellepillot.com/blog

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https://www.instagram.com/freedom_catcher_academy/?hl=en

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/christellepillotcoaching/

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/design-your-life

Program

https://www.christellepillot.com/your-ultimate-career-change-guide

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Hey, money bosses. Welcome back to the money boss podcast. I am excited for my guest today, Crystal, welcome to the show.

Thank you for having me. Welcome, everyone.

So we are talking today how busy parents can recapture their freedom when it comes to their career or business. And so that they can see that their family can be a really true asset for the work that they're doing. Because let's, let's face it, we all have at least three of these realms in our existence, right? We have our CSR in ourselves are individuals, we have a career or we have a business that we work in on and we have our families that we taking, taking care of. So let's talk how all of these areas can strive together. But if you're interested in making a change, and one, let's say it's your career or your business, how can you succeed at that. So I know your career coach, that's what you do for your clients. So let's start by maybe giving our listeners and understanding, you know, what is it that you do? And why do you do it?

Okay, okay. Okay. So, what it is what I do, indeed, I coach women, we with or without family, to feel happy, so to have more fun and more success. So it's really what I am all about more fun and more success. And so, for sure, it's all about Korea, or the activity that we do during the day. And so I what I have seen in my last more than 10 days, 10 years is that there is a lot of women, they want to change, they want to do something different. But they, they don't know what. So for a lot of them, it's like, I would like to do something different. But I don't know what for some of them is, I would like to do something different. I know what I just go for that. But after having retrained themselves, and so on. So they see that it was not really what they were expected. So it was a one change. And I found that really, it's it's a pity. And when you have a family and you put the effort to do the change, but it's it is a one change. So sometimes you don't have the, you don't have enough energy to change again. So I thought it's really great to, to change, but we need some help, sometimes in order to be able to do the right one. And I've seen that as well, with a lot, a lot of people telling me like, I would like to be a coach like you. It's just great what you do. And and then I think when you don't have a clue of what I have to do during one day or one week, it's not only what you can see on the screen. And usually they just don't know about that. So I help people to look at where they are good at to look at their passion, to look at their experience, to look at the values to look at the strength they have, and to create something that really fit their lifestyle and fit the thing that they want to give the word. And when we have fun in that. So we look at how to put that into reality. So it's really like finding Why, what in how. And and then why I'm doing that. So the second part of the question, well, I am French, we can hear that. But I am living in Germany and I came in Germany because of my job my first job and I was a chemical engineer. And I kind of liked it because I learned a lot. But I knew that I wasn't passionate about it and that I just, I just it was just the best thing to do at that moment. And at some point I wasn't growing anymore. And I had already two children and I had to travel all around the world and it was a lot of stress, a lot of energy for nothing meaningful. And I have lost my really my energy and I was depressive and I couldn't really raise my children the way I wanted. I was losing myself I was losing even the relationship with my husband. And the way I was functioning was not the way I wanted to be. So I decided to go back to what fascinates me which is personal development. And I have seen the shift in myself. I have seen that before that I was like a shadow of myself. And then now I am a completely different person with a lot of a lot of energy in the flow. And I have big impact on my family and I have seen that it's very, very important to be happy about the activity that you have during the day. Because that is so impactful on your environment and your children as well, in the lesson that you give to them the role model that you become, it's bigger than just a Korean. So that's why I'm doing that. I think it's really like our duty, to feel empowered to feel alive to, to use our life. And not just to, I don't know, to go through it, like it's okay, ish. That's why

I know. And I connect to that, as well. Because you see how people, you know, a lot of times go through the motions, right of because you worked so hard to become something right or study something in college and you had a career. And you continue just sort of doing that without asking yourself questions. So like requiring this pause, and deep digging? Is, is I think, the first step. So how I know you highlighted a few things and how you came to that point where you weren't happy and fulfilled and what you were doing. Talk a little a little bit about how can someone when they're sort of finding themselves in the situation? How can they start to just, you know, just open up their mind to maybe potentially there is a change for me? Yeah,

What I see when people come to me, generally, they their energy level is low, they are in like, lack of energy, lack of meaning, like of vision for the future. So it's really like a mindset of I am not enough, I don't have enough. So it's a lack of something. So the first thing that I do believe it's really important, and it's what I have done, really that it's to, to uplift your energy level. And then to really look at, okay, how can I have more energy during the day. So we look at what kind of things I can do during the day in order to have more energy, the things that energize me, that motivate me that engage me, and we look at what can I just forgive, to do. So the thing that drains my energy, because I believe that when we have this lack of mentality, so we don't have the right mindset in order to get the right opportunities and to go and fight for what we think is important. So, but when we are in the right energy, people, so it's like a law of attraction. So people think, Wow, I like how she is I like this energy, I like this person, I just want to have this person in my team, I just want to discuss this project with this one person. And sometimes, even if they see that you don't have the right skills, they don't care because you have the right mindset. So I think the first step is really, you don't really have to move big things. Just look at your daily routines, and change it a little bit and try to have a little bit more energy. And then it's the first step. And when you have that your mindset is different people are coming in talking with you differently. And then you can start to say, Okay, what what is the thing that I would love to do?

I love that a lot. And you know, frankly, one of the I feel like one of the first steps that a lot of people think about right is like, Okay, if I have this new thing that I want to do or want to do something different than my life. Can I afford that financially? So I get that a lot? That's a good question. As a financial planner, and so I'm happy to sit down and crunch numbers with you and no problem write it numbers are pretty straightforward things, there's a lot more than than just the numbers. A lot of times is the hardest part for all, all of us to figure out and that's where your work comes in. So how do you take someone through this process if we start to work on you know, small steps on a daily basis and start to uplift our energy? What you know what tools or what programs or steps do you use to maybe help somebody figure out what it is that they can do in their next phase and next career?

Yeah, it's really good question like a new client of mine. She she asked me the I maybe would like to open a new business. And she's she doesn't know yet. But she's eventually thinking about that. And she asked me but do you have some of your clients being single and starting a new business because she believed that it's easier when you come? In? She believed that it's more complicated when you are alone, which I don't completely agree with that. But, but we don't we all have our In our limiting beliefs somehow. And so what we do is that we look at so in my program, usually we look at three different projects that we could do. One project is usually like the very resonable. One, you know, like where your your mind thing, okay? It's where everybody would want to see me go, because it's reasonable is not to be kids not to see it's kind of safe, and so on. And then we look at two different kinds of project, we are more creative and more out of the box, and maybe more risky. But I always look at how can you do the step with the kind of safe environment because a lot of my clients, they're our mom. So it's not, it's not the moment where we want to take a lot of risk. So what we do is that we really look at, okay, here's what you want to do. And now we are going to see how you can achieve that money wise. So that's mean that, what do you need in terms of money? What kind of help can you receive? Can you do that? Maybe we still have in your full time job, can you start some some gigs or something like that, or maybe you have to go part time, it's what I have done. So I went part time with my engineer job in order to grow my business. And at the moment, my business was stable enough. So I quit my job. And I did that because my husband wasn't happy at all, with the fact that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. So that's another part, as we've said, what kind of risk do you want to take? Or what kind of risk maybe you are environments feel comfortable to take? So there is so many factors, so many things that you have to take into account? And then we put all on the tables? Okay, here's the thing. So what do you want to do now? Do you want to go for this version or this version? And I like to try to have that the numbers down. And then we can see what is the best way.

I liked that I liked that approach to sort of weigh in the three options, like the conservative, like, the more aggressive and something in the middle, you said something that I think prompted another question in my head, what happens? Or how do you help your clients through a phase where maybe you know, this change that they want, and they eager, eager to, to have happen for them, but they don't have the support? Like, you know, like, in your case, your husband wasn't really thrilled you were going to give up your stable career for you know, an idea of being an entrepreneur and a risky business and all of that, how do you help your clients work through that?

Yeah, that's a good question. Indeed. And my husband told me as well, yeah, you are, you are an engineer, you cannot just throw that away. It is. Yeah, I can't. I really can't do that. But for some people, it's they think it's not possible because you studied so long in order to be this kind of person. So yeah, so indeed, so what I do is my parents when they don't have any kind of support, so I tell them, it's really important to find support, but it's okay not to have the support within the family. Because usually, it's what we think we think that if, and I had this problem with my husband, I thought if he cannot support me with my project, so that's mean, that doesn't love me. So it for me, it was really like this, this, catching my man head and I was almost ready to go and say, okay, so if you don't love me, so that's it. But then I have seen that it's completely wrong. It's literally a limiting belief as well again, and I thought that's, it's okay, it is not able to support me because it's not his choice. Because it doesn't have the entrepreneurial mind mindset. He has another kind of mindset, which is a great mindset to just not this one. And then I started to look at as well, the fact that I needed his support, because I was so afraid myself that I needed someone to, to, to hold me. So at the moment I did, I've seen that's what I started to look at the support somewhere else. So now I have really like a support system. I have a lot of friends, they have their own business and we support each other. So it's what I do as well with my coaching is that I do a lot of group coaching in order to get the support as well from other person and depending on the kind of support you need and why you need the support. So the idea is that go and get the support you need. And if you don't have it yet, it's okay. It's fine. It's no more just go and get it so nowadays so easy to meet new people to have the zoom call, I can remember during the lockdown. So every day I went somewhere else. So I had cold in Australia, in Europe in us in a free car. So I met so many people. So even if the people are not here in the same town, they can be big support. So I always say my client, they have to be not aggressive, but really active in order to get the support they need. And my course is for that it's to help them to have the right support and to be able to be creative enough to get the right support, because there is so many things they can do. If you don't have the money, you have to be creative.

Yes, yes. Tony Robbins. I've heard this. Just I mean, I've heard this millions of times before because I'm a big follower of him. But it's not about the money. Right. It's all of resources. He talks about that if you don't have the resources right now, how can you become resourceful? Right, exactly. And so, you know, it's, it's, I think it's the same thing, if you don't have the support that you expect, and it's another myth, I think, we you know, all sorts of belief that the person that we married and we spend, you know, our life with raising children is supposed to give us everything, be our friend, be our lover or be or, you know, financial support, motional support? No, it's not like that. All of these things are, you know, unfortunately, that one person can't have it all, if you're lucky to be one, that you have that support. It's great. So it's, I know, that's why these communities exist, right? That's why you have your coaching business, right to provide that kind of support. So I just, I just wanted you to talk about it. Because it's an important highlighting point for people kind of sitting on the sidelines and being afraid to make that first step because it's like, how am I going to face my significant other what I can't you know, when I, you know, when I'm making this first big step and change.

And things are changing as well. So it's because it's not because at the beginning, this one person didn't support you that at some point is going to be, it's not going to be your big support or your best support. So, now my husband is supporting me. So I'm never asking him about strategic decision, because because again, I don't think is going to work. So if I have program or if I want to invest more, is is not the person that I'm going to ask. I'm going to ask me, my friends. So what do you think, or my coach or so on? So okay, maybe I'm going to invest them and so on. But I'm never going to ask my husband about my invest about my business that is completely separated. But for some other kinds of support. Now, he's completely full on it. And because he in it as well, to have the security for himself. He needed to be sure that I'm I where I would be consequent somehow. And now it's stable. It's there. It's working, he can see the results of my clients. He has some people coming back to me telling me what a great job, and he can hear that. So yeah, I think I think you're great. You are doing a great job, too. So it's like no, he's convinced.

Yeah, like results speak for themselves. Right? They know. Well, that's awesome. It's exciting. For sure. So how how, what kind of clients do you work with? Like, where are they on this journey? Are they like you? I'm sure, you know, we like people we work with. And I have clients too, because that's what I do in my day to day, you tend to attract people that are like you. So are they in the same sort of shoes where they have this professional career, and they studied for a long time to do something. They've been doing it for a while. And then now it's different, or are they really like entrepreneurs switching things? I'm just curious, like, what's, where are they?

Usually it's more of them, usually. So it's academic people. So indeed, they have a career. And it's a well paid career. That's usually one fact. And they don't feel completely fulfilled with the carrier they have. And they, they have an idea about maybe, like, I have one client she wanted to be to stay in our job first but to start to be like photograph or something like that. So she Oh, she wasn't sure. So that's the kind of clients so they have an idea about what they could do, but they don't know exactly how, or they have really no clue. I don't like what I do now. But I have no clue what to do next, what could be my next best step. They have no program to change and to find another job. That's not a program, but they don't want to find another job. They Want to find a meaningful job? And I have a lot of them, usually a lot, my clients is very international, so they are in Europe or the US, or in China everywhere. And they have or they don't have children depending.

Yeah, cuz I was I was, this is sort of a topic for me is I am a mom, not a new mom anymore, but still have a very young son, Liam, who's just four. And so you know, making a career change, when you have so much responsibility on your hand, I'm sure adds an additional stress right, to you and to the family dynamic. So you can see how your significant other can be resistant to that. So how do you see your clients kind of navigating the family aspect? And yeah, and a change?

Yeah, and it was in that's why I'm doing what I do and how I do it as well. It's because at the moment, I wanted to change, I had like two small children between one and three years old. And, and then then I have been pregnant for the third one. So all my children were between zero and five years old. And yeah, three children. And I was still engineer and I wanted, I had my, my certification as a coach, it took two years, and my husband wasn't completely aligned with me. And my prayer at that moment was I had some coach, Career Coach around me, but it was all men. And telling me that eventually, they had a family too. But they were traveling around, and I knew that the wife was at home with the children. So I was like, Yes, I understand. But it's not exactly the same. And, and they always went into this career path. And so yeah, but sure I have the career path, but I have the rest, and I cannot ignore them, I cannot ignore my three children. And I can ignore that I cannot sleep enough and that I don't have that much time. So what I do with my clients is we really work on the family parts. And I do a lot of team building at home. So I teach my clients how to do less. But to be a better mom. So to be a better man, while doing less, let's let's put it that this way. And, yeah, in order to get more energy more time, and to not feel guilty about the fact that eventually they are going to use their time for their own career, and maybe even money for their own good and not for the children of the family. Because there is a lot of guilt, usually, and then we have to go against, we have to break that.

You know, I know you've probably seen this too, but here in United States, right? Because through the pandemic that we just lived. In the last few years, a lot of women had to make career changes, or let's say caregivers, right, because it's not just entirely women 100% For the most part, but those who take care of children because of what pandemic presented. And so it sort of was a force, right? Because we were in the situation where you had to do something because you have kids at home that didn't go to school. So you had to find yourself in some sort of a role or either you just fully quit what you were doing. But if you like I'm hearing a lot more stories and conversations just around with clients or friends about you know, people starting their own side hustles so or, you know, gigs on the side or businesses and they're not going back to the normal environment, right to the engineer career or whatever career you had before. How do you see that? You know, do you see that with your clients? And how do you how do you see them sort of making changes because they're, for example, it was something that happened to them, not because they wanted to make that change.

When I with my clients, I don't really have that. So like I have like a fly flight attendant. And she was really shocked by the pandemic because she thought that she would always have a job but during the pandemic, so she had no job anymore. She was really shocked about that. And then she thought, Okay, I really have to develop something else. So now she's flying again and she has a normal life back. But then she developed something on the site to be sure that if something like that happened again, she would be able to hook up with it. What I have is expert women, expert women, sometimes they have the same scenario. They come like in Germany, they don't speak German. They don't they don't have the childcare system that they have maybe been in France and somewhere else. And then they are here in the cannot work. And they feel completely lost. And then they have to reinvent themselves. It's not because they choose really that it's more because they are they have to cope with this with the solute situation. So I do have that, like more than because of the pandemic. It's kind of kind of the same effect. Yeah, I have like, a nurse, she couldn't be a nurse in Germany anymore. And it was really like a passion. So she had to let go on a dream job in order to find something is. Yeah, I do have that sometimes.

Yeah, it seems like there was definitely we did. I didn't even think about that. But there's definitely like a choice, right? You can make a choice to change your career. Or you can be put in a situation, where are you like, I've got to be more creative with my life. So I feel like, I'm glad you brought up this question. Because I feel like everyone should have a plan B, in case things don't work out. So yeah, hopefully they do. But if you're you know, if you're finding yourself in a situation where you got to be more creative, I really do think that someone like you could be a really great resource to even have a conversation because I think most people don't understand what a coach can do. Especially, career coach.

Yeah, and I had a discussion this week with a client of mine, and she's really in burnout. So completely burned, she's not able to work again. But then she slowly because she's not active anymore. So in she sees that she had been doing 15 years in the same company working more or less the same things. And she had been in this same same path to in 15 years. And she wasn't able to see anything else. And now because we work together, even if she's not ready yet to work again. But she is starting to have new ideas. And she okay, maybe I could do that. And if it's not working, it's okay. And she's starting to be flexible, which wasn't possible for her before, because she had only this one model, this one company, this one way of working. And now she's thinking, okay, maybe I could do that. And if it's not working, I could do that, I could do that. And that on the top. And, and so I can see that our creativity is moving as she gets flexible. And then she she doesn't feel stuck anymore. Because I think that when we stay in the same company during so many time, and we feel again, the energy level is down. So we just can't find any solution anymore. And we think that it's over, it's the game is over. And it's not true. So you can you can start again. So even I have client with 60 They start something new, like wow, that's amazing.

Yeah, so of course, right? Like, it's 60s, and you 50 or whatever, to the at least that's what they say here new. So it's, I'm sure it's universal. But I do love the aspect of this being universal, you know, wherever you are in your career journey, where however old you are, you know, whether you're and also to the world is flexible these days, right? You can work and do things everywhere. You don't have to be home base, you are an example of that. So having resources like yours are so awesome. If we had to if we had to have a an opportunity for our listeners to connect with you, what are some of the, you know, resources you have for like somebody just leaving, like, you know, tapping into this space, or even having a hearing this conversation for the first time and saying, oh, maybe that's me. Maybe I'm you know, to look at this. So I know you've mentioned that you have a few programs, or even just the first like quiz that they can start to explore. So please share that.

Yeah. And I like that, like the question. Maybe that's me, because indeed, at the beginning is we are all like, Well, I'm not sure if it's me or not. So there is so many people like that even if you go to yet. It's like I'm not sure I am the right person for for this kind of coaching. So what I on my website, so my website is my name, it's Crystal pilot.com. You have a quiz. And this quiz is just to see how your job fits you. So if it's the right job for you, so you have at the end, so like three different results. And so maybe it's just the perfect job for you and congratulation. You are part of the 10% of the people having a great job and enjoying it a lot. Or it's okay. But maybe you can do some adjustment, you can improve it, or it's not the right one in there. You really have to do something because it's not ending well. So if you stay in this situation, so the quiz is a fun quiz, everybody so 50 Women helped me to put that together. either. And they all say that's just great. So give me is really a good feeling. And now I understand how, why why I have this feeling. So that's the quiz on my website. And if you want to go further, so you can find on my website as well, seven day email free course, in order to start to think about the different steps you would have to do if you wanted to change your career. Seven days, it's just an email coming to you. And then you can have a look at it, you can do the exercises or just think about the about them. And at the end, if you really want to go further, I think the best way is just to chat with me and have a casual conversation and then to see if it's a good fit or not. And if I can help or not.

That's awesome. I would be happy to include the links for both. I think it's really, again, like sometimes people don't even know that that's maybe something they should explore. So I'm glad we're having this conversation today. And before we close, are there any last minute thoughts? You wanted to share with anyone really thinking about this topic?

Hmm. I thought, yeah, I think it's so why why I'm so passionate about it is that it's not just a job. It's not just a career, but it's really like putting meaning in our life. And I believe that it's our duty, to have a meaningful life. It's our duty, because if we all have a more meaningful life, if we all use our strength, our talents, to do what we can do best why we are on this earth, I do believe that the world would be a better place because we would be all more motivated and more, more of we would who all have more fun, and then would give something different to our children as well. I believe as well as, as parents, it's our duty to be happy is to show the past to our children in and so that's why I'm so passionate about that. And so what I want would like to give to the people is that it's not selfish to, to go in this direction. If the contrary of selfishness, it's really like to open the door of so many beautiful things, and to have more impact with your environment. So because people usually think Whoo, where I am, where I am, the thing that I can have more than what I have right now, but I think it's really not selfish. It's really the contrary. So that's why we should all look at that in this way in just dig a little bit further in this direction.

I love it. Thank you so much. This is a really awesome closing. Very, very great to connect with you, Christelle.