This month we spoke with Rebecca Ferreira. Following university, Rebecca worked as a Teaching Assistant and in Hospitality while exploring her career options. During this time, she discovered a genuine interest in Advertising and Production. As a result, she is now working in Advertising and PR as a Creative and Strategy Executive, with the aim of also expanding her work into Media Production.We hear how initially Rebecca shied away from a creative career due to her perceptions around what it...

In this honest and heartfelt episode, we hear from Chris Rice. Chris worked in marketing for the film and entertainment industry since leaving university back in 2006. He achieved senior roles within global agencies and brands before making the move to become freelance in 2020. In 2023, he decided that a more wholesale change was needed, and, today, while still working in his original industry, he is also retraining to become a plumber.Chris opens up about how his constant search for ‘more’,...

We’re back after a short break over the summer! In this episode, we kick things off with the brilliant Mie Kayser Jensen. Before deciding to change career, Mie worked as a Communications and Social Media Executive at a luxury travel company in London. When she moved to Australia and took a job in sales, she realised she needed a career change. Since finishing her Masters in Journalism, Mie has been working with news podcasting, and now writes about lifestyle and motherhood.Alice and Mie...

This month, it was a real pleasure to speak to Philippa Dunn. Philippa began her career with a brief stint as a press officer, before building a career in fundraising and philanthropy for cultural and environmental charities. Having gone freelance in 2020, she is now a creative strategist for a range of third sector clients. She's also a writer (having just completed her first novel), and runs a small holiday cottage business, too - so no two days are ever the same in her new portfolio...

Ayisha Gulati started her career at an Investment Bank, where she spent six years. Whilst it was a career she was happy to pursue at the start, it soon lost it’s novelty, especially when Covid struck and WFH meant she was faced with the undeniable fact that it just wasn’t what she wanted anymore. Despite others encouraging her to stick with a career that carried status and prestige, Ayisha knew a change was needed. In this episode, we hear how volunteering (and a chance Instagram story)...

For April’s episode, we spoke to career changer, Milly Pelmore. Before making the leap into sports coaching and education, Milly worked in the charity sector, running innovation teams to develop new products and services in a wide range of areas including health, sport for good and children’s services. Although motivated by the end goal of supporting people, a life behind the desk wasn’t enough, and last year Milly left it all behind with the goal to ‘figure it out.’ Milly talks about how she...

This month, it is an absolute pleasure to welcome onto the podcast the renown career strategist, and author of 15 books on careers and work, John Lees, who’s best-selling book ‘How To Get A Job You Love’ was last month's WHS Travel’s Business Book of the Month.  In this episode, we discuss the three most common perceived barriers to a career change - money, the sunken cost fallacy, and confidence. John shares incredibly helpful ways to open up and shift your thinking around these obstacles...

In this episode, we speak to Rosie Croft, who worked in fashion buying for 12 years, working with some of the world’s most prestigious brands. After years of feeling dissatisfied, Rosie changed career, and is now a skilled artisan craftswoman, creating bespoke handmade lampshades using antique fabrics.We hear how the magic words ‘portfolio career’ opened Rosie’s eyes to what a diverse and varied career aligned to her values could look like, and how helpful it was to experiment with her ideas...

In this episode, we speak to Hector Hughes, who quit his job in a tech start-up in order to co-found the now infamous digital detox cabin company, Unplugged. We hear how a mild Quarter-Life Crisis led Hector to re-consider the life path that he was on, resulting in him attending a silent retreat in the Himalayas. Following that experience, and a much needed push, he made the decision to make the most out of life, and start his own company with a friend. Hector talks openly about the ups and...

In this episode, we hear from Jenna Mcavoy, whose career has taken many turns, all fuelled by a desire to help and empower others. Her career journey shows how one chapter can unknowingly lead onto another, and the importance of knowing and verbalising what you want in order to make things happen. Jenna also shares the common barriers her clients face when achieving their goal requires changing the way they think and behave, and how to overcome these obstacles. 

We have something a bit different this month. We speak to Vida Skreb, who is a Neuroscientist and Leadership Coach (and a career changer, too, as it happens). Vida helps us understand why contemplating a career change, or any change for that matter, is so challenging for us humans. We delve into the neuroscience of the brain to find out where our fears and doubts come from, why we procrastinate, and we often avoid change, even when we know it’s what we need. By understanding a bit more about...

This month, we hear from career changer, Christina Frowein, who started her career in hotels and the travel industry, after her BA in Hospitality Management. After doing that for 8 years, she went back to university to follow her passion, earning a MA in Coaching and Leadership, and now works for a coaching startup. Christina’s journey highlights the effectiveness of a stepping stone approach to changing career, and how following your gut instinct can help move you forward. She talks candidly...

This month, we hear from Hannah Stange, who, 12 months ago, made a complete career change from the finance and private equity sector, into the Probation Service. Hannah’s career change reminds us that it’s important to follow our gut when it comes to making decisions, and that ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ in that Alice herself left the Probation Service to embark on a new career in coaching. Hannah highlights the importance of financial planning when your career change may...

In this episode, we speak to Rachel Schofield, who worked for the BBC as a journalist and news presenter for 20 years, before training as a career and personal development coach. Rachel discusses how even ‘sexy' jobs can have their downsides, and how it can be hard to let go of a career that defines a large part of your identity. We hear how simply exploring and testing your new ideas first can free you up to move forward, as well as how to overcome common fears related to career change....

This month we hear from career changer, David Horrich. Previously, he was the founder and CEO of 100% Studios, a group of 3 fashion e-commerce photography studios in London. After selling that business, David moved into real estate investment, via the founding of a tech startup and a short career in finance. David provides a candid and philosophical account of his career change journey, talking through the windy road of change, and why it’s OK not to always have it all figured out before...

In this month’s episode we hear from Spencer Williams, who changed career from retail management into garden design and horticulture. Spencer talks openly and honestly about the impact being in a career he simply fell into was starting to have on his mental health, and how the death of his father and turning 40 prompted him to bite the bullet and start his own horticultural business. Spencer also highlights how helpful it was to 'test drive’ his ideas first, and how utilising his network...

In this episode, we hear from career changer (and my dear friend) Jemma Khan about her intriguing journey from being an Account Manager for an IT recruitment company, to starting a whole new career as a Wedding Florist. Having dabbled with a few ideas related to her hobbies, Jemma found solace in a floristry course, which opened her eyes to a career in the field. By overcoming the challenges of starting a wedding-related business at the start of a global pandemic, Jemma shares how her...

The first episode of The Career Change Diaries kicks off with a fascinating interview with career changer and TOMME founder, Kelly Gunner. Having previously worked in music, Kelly moved into advertising as she started to build fashion brand TOMME alongside her full time job. In this open and honest interview, we hear how Kelly finally made the key decision to go full time on her own business, what’s been most challenging about the career change, what she’s learnt along the way, and what...