Most people think that changing careers requires burning everything down and starting from scratch.

But the truth is, career change is not about starting over, it is about translating.

In this episode, I am coaching Maria, a data analyst who feels caught between climbing the corporate ladder and pursuing her passion for wellness coaching.

Through our conversation, we uncover the Advisor Sparketype and realize that the skills she uses to analyze data are the exact same skills she needs to help coaching clients create real change in their lives.

If you have ever felt like your passions and your profession are two completely different worlds, this episode will help you start seeing the pattern that connects them.

What You’ll Learn:

• The Myth of Starting Over: Why you already have the foundation for your next move
• Pattern Recognition: How to identify the core pattern of your work across different roles and industries
• Energizers vs Drainers: How to spot the tasks that actually light you up versus the ones that drain you
• The Advisor Sparketype: How mentoring and guiding others can show up in both your current role and future direction
• Actionable Steps: How to take small, low risk steps to start validating your next move

Episode Timestamps:

• 00:00 The Career Escape Question and why you feel stuck
• 03:27 Debunking the myth of starting from scratch
• 06:19 Coaching Maria and the tension between data and wellness
• 10:56 Identifying the Advisor Sparketype
• 16:22 The moment everything clicks
• 24:29 Zooming out and understanding the real lesson
• 28:17 Three reflection questions to find your direction
• 32:17 Wrap up and next steps

Free Resource: The Career Pattern Guide

I’ve created a free downloadable guide containing the reflection questions and exercises mentioned in today’s show to help you find the pattern in your own experience.

👉 Download it here: https://careerbloomcoaching.com/episode91

Ready for Your Own Career Clarity?

If you are tired of overthinking your next move and want real clarity on what direction makes sense for you, you can book a free 30 minute Career Clarity Call.

We will break down what is keeping you stuck, identify your strengths, and map out a clear next step.

👉 Book your call: https://careerbloomcoaching.com/consultation

Connect with Career Coach Theresa White:

• LinkedIn: @Theresa A. White
• Facebook: Career Bloom Coaching
• Instagram: @theresa_careerbloom
• YouTube: careerbloom
• TikTok: @career.bloom
• Website: www.CareerBloomCoaching.com

#careerclarity #careerdevelopment #careergrowth #careerchange #careertransition #findyourpurpose #purposefulwork #careercoach #professionalgrowth #womenincareers #careeradvice #jobsearchtips #careerpath #personaldevelopment #selfgrowth #workyoulove #meaningfulwork #corporatecareer #sidehustleideas #wellnesscareer #coachingbusiness #onlinecoaching #buildyourbrand #personalbranding #skilldevelopment #careergoals #jobfulfillment #worklifebalance #careersuccess #careerstrategy

Episode 91 Maria

===

On Career Clarity Unlocked, we're all about those light bulb moments. I'm talking to people who are still trying to figure out what they're meant to do, coaching them live to reach that magical yes, this is it moment. And we'll also hear from those who've already found their dream careers and figure out exactly how they did it.

Whether you're looking for inspiration or actionable advice on finding a career you love, I've got you covered. Time to unlock some career clarity. Let's dive in

I see it so often that people look at their experience in one specific way, but they don't see how we can look at it from so many different perspectives. So most people think that they... if they wanna change careers, that they need to start over, pick something new, go back to school, or build something from scratch.

But in almost every coaching conversation I have, that's not actually the problem. The real problem is that they can't see the pattern in what they already do so well. And once you see that pattern, everything changes.

Can I do both? Am I wasting time? What if I choose wrong? And the longer you sit in that space, the more confusing it gets. And that's exactly where Maria was when she came into the coaching session that you will be hearing today. But before we get into the session, I want to break one of the biggest myths that keeps people stuck.

And that myth is, if I want to change careers, I need to start from scratch.

But it's actually not the experience they lack. What they lack is the visibility into the experience they have to look at their experience from a different light, because they don't see the pattern that is there. And there are so many opportunities. An analyst can become a coach, a consultant can become a creator, an engineer can become a founder.

Not because they learn something completely new, but because they realized, "I've been doing this all along, just in a different environment." And in today's episode, what you're gonna hear is that Maria couldn't see this yet, that she was already doing the exact thing that she thought she needed to leave her job to do.

That is the part most people miss. And then most importantly, notice the exact moment where her thinking changes, where she realizes what's already there, where she goes from, "I'm stuck," to, "Wait, I already have this." That moment is the entire point of this episode. And you're gonna hear that there's a point in the conversation where everything clicks for her, where she realizes that no, she won't be starting over, that she already has the exact right foundation she needs.

Theresa: So you said you really liked your role at Goldman Sachs and Operations. Do you enjoy your current role as a data analyst? Equally less, more different. so my prior role at Goldman, I liked it, like I liked a few things.

And I couldn't literally like, have lunch, um, during the time because , the trading window was still open. So we still had to execute . Our work and everything. Mm-hmm. Um, so it was very stressful, , at Goldman's, but what I like was just the people. Um, at that point I was out of college, so it was my first job, so it was exciting.

Want to be earning money, having freedom mm-hmm. And learning something , completely different from what I learned in school. Yeah. That's what I love. I didn't like my working hours and my schedule. Yeah. Whereas like right now, I love my working hours and my schedule and I also like the people.

Or is it like, no, I actually really like it, I wanna stay there and move in this lane? Or is there something that isn't fully what you want it to be and you might want to be like, okay, this part isn't working so well for me? There's a few things that are not working in the sense of, for example, for me growing vertically in my current role, like it has been, uh, very slow process and steady.

So I would say my career progress has been slow right now. Mm-hmm. And that's something that I'm not enjoying. Yeah. And for your day-to-day work, what are the tasks that you really enjoy? Like what are the moments that you, you really enjoy doing Whatever you're working on and what are the ones that feel heavier?

I'm like, yeah, it's part of my job. I have to do it, but it's not my favorite thing. Yeah. What I like it's doing analysis and sharing insights or sharing a document with like, Hey, this is what happened, here's what I recommend. Mm-hmm. Having more of like the freedom to propose things. Yeah. . And being able to showcase the work, basically.

it's a part of the scope of my team and me and someone else own it. Um, and that I, I don't enjoy doing, doing the same thing. Like, I would rather, , provide insights or,, coming with like a recommendation, but not like for the sake of running the report. Yeah. And then creating it. So the repetitive, that doesn't give any insight than someone benefits from, it's just doesn't feel as interesting.

That building relationships deeper relationships are often very important. And it provides a level of satisfaction when you get to be with someone or guide them along towards a desired outcome that can be friends. And I think it's when you wrote like your business around wellness or fitness, um, I enjoy helping others achieve their satisfaction through healthy routines.

And I've heard quite a lot from friends and others that I inspire and transcend those wives. So that is exactly what an advisor would say of like, enjoying being with someone and advising and guiding them. On a process of healthy routines or wellness or fitness, for example. Yes. So it's like being part of someone's journey and guiding them and coaching them or mentoring them along their journey.

Mm-hmm. And like people admire that and I'm always like, Hey, here's what I do. Like I recommend X, Y, Z. So I have a high interest on that and I feel like I've never done it. I should do it. Yeah. I love that. And I can see how you're lighting up when you talk about it. Yeah. Uh, it, it's one, it's my passion.

Some interesting facts I didn't know. , So mainly diversifying, like who I know, , and yeah, having my own freedom. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I love that. You wrote down, I wanna work for social media related to being financially free and having my own time to work on this.

Tell me a little bit more about that idea. That idea is interconnected to the advisory conversation where I wanna become a coach. Yeah. Um, on the fitness and wellness space. Yeah. Yeah. So the work with social media, would that be the wheel? The wheel to advertise for , wellness or fitness coaching, or where do you see social media fitting in there?

Or would you want to focus just on starting your own business or just on climbing the ladder? Or is that one of the questions that you're not quite sure about? Which is also perfectly fine. I'm not sure. And because I have mixed feelings about it, like, am I gonna be successful in both? Um, I have an ambitious to climb the corporate ladder.

Yeah. And if it goes well, I would definitely shift. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that makes so much sense. I love that.

So what I'm seeing is there is actually quite a big overlap from a very wide lens on what you're doing right now, and the wellness and fitness coaching that would is a big passion for you because in both cases, right, you're like. Looking into the problem, like in the, into the data or into a person figuring out like, okay, what are all the pieces and what are the problems?

I would prefer , basically letting them run the show. Yeah. I wouldn't like not be there when they need help. Like, hey, any question on how to do this, I would definitely help. Right. And I can attest to that because nowadays, like if someone has a question on something that I already finished per se, like providing a forecast for a product launch, I already did what I had to do all the way there.

Uh, where you really step into an advisor role of like, okay, here's the data, but this is what it means for you. This is what we discovered. Here are the recommendations, here's the plan. And then use those same skills as you're building your wellness and fitness business. Um, also as a coach or advisor of like, okay, I'm understanding the problems, putting the puzzle together, researching it, and then creating a plan.

And maybe there'll be a check-in at some point, but that way it's not like holding their hand and having to be on Zoom calls every week. Can you see how your data analysis role and the coaching has those same elements? Does that make sense for you? Yeah. I see a lot of connections now that you help me figure that out.

Yeah. So I can basically translate these skills basically to another Yeah. Industry yeah. I definitely, um, believe you can, and when you're thinking about climbing the ladder or like what you want to be known for or what type of growth you're pushing for, you can think about, okay, what are the skills I wanna develop that relate to becoming a wellness and fitness coach?

In the operations field of like people in the financial space, maybe early career like coaching and mentoring them, where you can also practice those skills and then branch that out into, um, wellness and fitness. That could be just a possible in between step. Okay. Um, on that topic, , some of those things you've mentioned, like for example, I have coach informally, , some friends who have come from finance backgrounds and they did the same masters that I did, and then they wanted to land a job here as a, within the business analytics realm.

Yeah. Yeah, I love that. And yes, you didn't do that to be paid, but you did that. This is still an accomplishment, that still experience you carry and have no matter if they paid you for it or not, right? Like you've done that work and you helped them. Um, so shaping your career around those things that light you up while being mindful to not go into a role where it's like overloaded on meetings where it drains your battery, but more roles, right?

like you are really good at creating the plan, creating recommendation. Walking them through instead of Right. The other alternative, like especially when it comes to coaching would be you have the plan, but you have a call every week where you walk them through a piece of it, encourage them to do that.

Um, your style would probably more lean into, it's like, okay, here's the overall plan. We have a three months, a six months, 12 months plan. And then if they need like check-ins or adjustments, you're there to help with that. Um, yeah. Yeah. That sounds like a plan. I love that.

By the end of the week you'll have an email from me. Okay. Um, and I'll include. Guidance on personal branding, like what, what you can build your personal brand around. And then also some job titles or career directions that I see really aligned with what we discovered today.

Okay. Perfect. I love it. Good. Any other thoughts, questions? How does all of it feel for you? Amazing. Yeah. I really enjoy having this conversation. Oh, I love that. I'm so glad we had this time.

Now let's take a moment and zoom out of what just happened here. Because where the real value of that coaching conversation you just heard is that Maria came into the session feeling like she had two different paths, her corporate career and her passion for wellness and coaching. And underneath that was a question so many people carry.

Below the work Maria has done and wants to do is a core pattern, and what we need to do is identify the core pattern. So in her case, that is she takes messy inputs, finds the real problem, turns it into clear recommendations and a plan that helps people move forward.

That is what she does in her job. That's what she naturally does for people in her life, and that's exactly what she wants to do in coaching. So the insight wasn't pick this path or that path. The insight was these are the exact same skills applied to different problems, and the only difference is the subject matter and the context she does it in.

It also doesn't come from simply making a choice between two options. Where it comes from is seeing patterns, and you need high-level pattern recognition to identify what is the underlying pattern and what does that translate into for your next step. The key is recognizing the pattern underneath everything you do and want to be doing.

And once you see the pattern, your options expand, your confidence increases, and your path becomes so much clearer. In today's session, before that moment, it feels like she was stuck between choices. After that moment, she realized that she's been building towards something all along.

It also includes solving meaningful problems, not just doing tasks, but actually figuring things out. The next part is turning insights into action 'cause she doesn't just wanna analyze, but she wants to turn that into recommendations. Then, of course, it's, must be about helping people improve, guiding, advising, supporting.

So now I wanna bring this back to you because if you're listening to this, there's a reason this probably resonated. So let's slow it down and turn this into something that you can actually use. And because you might be out on a run, on a walk, in your car, doing the dishes, or doing whatever busy life is throwing at you at the moment.... What I'm gonna cover now, the reflection questions, collected for you in a document that makes it really easy to follow along on this exercise, and you can download that for free on careerplumecoaching.com/episode91.

What are the moments where you're just, "Ah, this is... I just love doing this just for the sake of doing this"? Second question: What do people naturally come to you for? Do they come to you for advice, support, help, guidance? What is it people are seeking from you? Where, what do you do for others, even if you're not paid for it?

And that is your brain doing its job, protecting you from danger, AKA change. Yeah, our brain does not like change, so the moment we're introducing new ideas, our brain goes like, "Stop, not wanna hear about it. I can come up with all the different reasons it won't work." And it probably gonna throw at you like, "Nope, you don't have enough experience," or, "Well, of obviously you'll have to start over," or, "You would have to quit your job first," or, "You are not ready."

And I really wanna emphasize that you will not have to start from zero if you want to make a change professionally. You need to see and recognize what you already have, the experience that you have. And then you don't need to just throw that away and make a massive leap, but you need to take small steps in the direction that's already showing up in your specific situation.

Does that feel like the alignment I'm looking for and I've been seeking? Now, to bring us back to the beginning of this episode, we started off talking about the idea that change means starting from scratch. And by now, you have seen that this is not the case. That this belief comes from looking at your experience from one specific perspective.

The link for that is in the show notes as well. And last but not least, don't forget to join me again next week for another episode full of insights, inspiration, and actual advice on finding a career you love. Because you shouldn't and you don't have to settle. Please keep chasing what makes you come alive because the world needs more people who have come alive.

Schedule your free 30-minute call today on careerbloomcoaching.com. And before you head out, be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you never miss an episode. If today's conversation gave you new insights and inspiration, please leave a review. It really helps us reach more amazing listeners like you.

And don't forget to share this episode with a friend or on social media. Your support truly means the world. Thanks for hanging out with me, and I'll see you next time.