Hello and welcome to the final episode in the ‘Inspiring Creative Career Change’ series. Starting a podcast was never on my agenda until one sunny September afternoon last year I couldn’t think of doing anything else, and so the Chez Hanny podcast was born. I feel so privileged to have been able to connect with, and interview, thirteen women who have all made changes in their career at some point in their life. and I first connected on Substack in September 2023 and we discovered quickly...

It was back in 2012 when I discovered adventure athlete Sophie Storm Roberts. I read an article in a magazine about the Three Peaks Challenge that she had completed with fellow adventurer Sean Conway and I was totally hooked. At that time, I was a super keen cyclist and reading about Sophie’s achievements contributed to inspiring me to complete a triathlon in 2013. Since then I’ve followed Sophie’s journey on social media. She left a promising career in sales with a tech start-up in search...

It was an absolute dream to spend an hour chatting to a few weeks back. Emily was made redundant last year, but instead of it causing the devastation that many would experience from this kind of news, Emily used it as a springboard to gather a new experience in a different country with her brand new husband (after getting married in Vegas, of course!). Emily and I talk about the desire for flexibility over security, the benefits of maternity cover roles and why moving from job to job doesn’t...

Like me, began her career as a teacher. Over the past few years she found herself making a big change due to an “unplanned, pandemic-induced transition” and now absolutely considers herself to be a writer. In this episode, we talk about giving yourself permission to become a writer, honouring the ideas when they come and listening to whispers. Have you ever found yourself to be an ‘Ideas volcano’ where you can’t stop coming up with (and spewing) new ideas? Maria mentions this piece of mine...

Korynn and I first connected on Substack several months back, and as soon as I’d discovered a little about her career journey, I knew I needed to hear more and share this inspiring woman’s story of determination and immense creativity. To check out Korynn’s amazing work, take a look at her website: www.korynnmorrison.com and Instagram page Subscribe to Korynn’s Substack page here: Whilst I’m here, a reminder that I am hosting the next online gathering of the Chez Hanny Create Ensemble taking...

Funnily enough, I was in France on holiday in October when I discovered Elisabeth Parry’s writing. It was this post about moving to France, renovating a beautiful old building and having a 7ft grand piano hoisted via crane into a top floor window that caught my eye. Three of my favourite things: music, home renovation and France! I knew I needed to know more about how Elisabeth and her partner had realised their dream, and so I was delighted when she agreed to chat to me for this podcast...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chezhanny.substack.com Yesterday, I sat for a while and pondered what my personal hopes for 2024 are. I prefer the term ‘hope’ to ‘resolution’. I’ve never been good at sticking to resolutions and they always feel too extreme and seem an obvious way to set yourself up for failure. In music, the word resolution refers to when two or more pitches become concordant after a period…

I am thrilled to share the final podcast episode of 2023 with you today. Don’t worry there are still a few more to come in 2024, but I did make the jingle a little festive for this one just to acknowledge the season 🔔 🎵🎄 Vanessa and I first connected here on Substack several months back and I was delighted when she agreed to be interviewed for the podcast. Listen to today’s episode to hear how Vanessa has approached decision making and career-change in her life. I guarantee it will leave you...

Hello! Today's post is a new episode of the Inspiring Creative Career Change podcast. More on that shortly, but first… In case you missed it Last Wednesday I wrote a rather spontaneous piece assessing whether I am a control freak or not: And then on Sunday, I posted my first ever video. 8 minutes of chat on spontaneity, libraries and online parents' evening: To listen to all previous podcast episodes, click here. I’ve taken the paywall off episode 4 temporarily so catch it while you...

This week, Chez Hanny has gone international! I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to interview writer and journalist , 48 who is based in Texas, USA. Kristi’s career has taken a number of twists and turns as she has navigated caring for her family alongside carving out a way of working that she loves. You can find Kristi here on Substack where she has a wonderful page Almost Sated which she describes as ‘A space for growth-minded women who are done with diets and defining their...

Today’s episode features an interview with . As well as being the writer of one of my favourite Substacks (The Research Objective), Hannah is a user researcher who left her full-time, salaried job to go freelance in order to gain the freedom and flexibility she was craving. Hannah can be found on LinkedIn and here on Substack: In the interview, Hannah mentions the following courses and book: * Upfront Female Confidence Course - www.weareupfront.com * She Rises with Confidence -...

This week’s episode features an interview with the inspirational Mindset Trainer . At the age of 50, Caroline had a life changing experience which gave her the permission she needed to to leave her business communications job and discover exactly what it was that she was born to do. Caroline has a page here on Substack: You can find out more about Caroline’s work on her website and Linked In page. Caroline and I would love to hear your thoughts on the episode, so please do start a...

I had the great pleasure of interviewing florist Amy Carlile for this episode of Inspiring Creative Career Change. Amy studied maths and finance at university and went on to become an actuary before realising that it wasn’t right for her. She now has her own floristry business, specialising in wedding flowers. I chat to her about how she made the leap and the challenges she faced along the way. Amy is based in Surrey, UK and you can see her work here: www.amycarlileflowers.com Instagram:...

After much talk, it’s here! The Chez Hanny podcast which seeks to inspire creative career change through sharing stories of women who have taken a risk and followed their calling. I’m coinciding the launch of my podcast with International Podcast Day! In today’s episode, I kick off the series by sharing my own story of how I left my teaching job to become an interior designer. I’ve also written about it which you can read by following the links at the bottom of the page, but this audio...