March 17, 2025 • 26 mins
Join us as Wendy Alexander, founder of Happy Career Hub, shares her transformative journey from being a broke single mother in South Africa to a successful interview and career coach. Wendy knows firsthand the fears that accompany making bold career moves, and she’s here to inspire you to embrace them. Through her story, we’ll discuss the pivotal moments that made her realize the power of investing in oneself and the importance of mentorship and community support. Whether you're stuck in a job you dislike or struggling to land interviews, Wendy dives into the common fears holding people back from career growth. She offers practical strategies for stepping out of your comfort zone and taking actionable steps toward the job and lifestyle you desire. By the end of this episode, you'll feel empowered to face your fears and pursue your career goals with passion!
Listen on Podbean:
https://brainworkframework.podbean.com/
Connect with Wendy Alexander:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendyaalexander/
Connect with Chris Troka:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-troka-3a093058/
Website: https://focused-biz.com/
Website: https://christroka.com/
#brainwork #framework #business #Mentorship #Empowerment #Passion
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
If you want to grow, you need to go andput yourself in the uncomfortable spot
of the opposition a lot of the time.
You're listening to BrainworkFramework, a business and marketing
podcast brought to you by focus- biz.
com.
Chris Troka (00:18):
Welcome back to another episode.
If you're looking to take your careerto the next level, you're going
to want to listen to this episode.
With us today is Wendy Alexander.
She is the founder of Happy Career Hub.
She has a plethora of experiencethat she's willing to share with
us today and tell us more tips andtricks and more about her journey.
Wendy, so thankful to have you here.
Thank you for joining us.
How are you today?
Wendy Alexander (00:38):
I'm well, thank you.
It's morning in Australia.
So I'm wide awake.
Chris Troka (00:42):
Good morning.
Thanks for coming.
We appreciate it.
Always nice to catch up withentrepreneurs from around the world.
We want to know more about your journey.
What were you doing beforethat kind of led you into
starting the happy career hub.
Wendy Alexander (00:54):
So the happy career hub evolved from some support and help I was
giving people in the workplace anyway.
So I had gone through a majorchange in my life 27 years ago.
My relationship ended.
I was pregnant and about to become asingle mother and all I could think
was I need to make more money so Istarted on this journey of talking
(01:16):
to recruiters and hiring people.
I had a natural ability to write.
I loved words and love writing.
So I've been writing my whole life sinceI was a kid but then I started to refine
my resume and use my love of words totell a different and probably a better
story about my achievements and what Icould offer companies and then I started
(01:38):
running that past these hiring people andrecruiters and got feedback from them.
And so I started testing things out inthe market and then ended up landing a
role that tripled my income and so I'monto something here and I also learned
some interview tactics from these hiringpeople as well and between my ability to
write and reframing my whole professionalstory and practicing and practicing the
(02:04):
interview styles, I ended up in this role.
The people around mewho knew my story about.
hitting rock bottom with thatrelationship and then coming out
of it with financial debt and asingle mom started to come for help.
And these were colleagues and friendsand family and that's actually how the
(02:24):
business started but it was very much apart time business because I was too busy
paying off debt and working in corporate
but then when I moved into theentrepreneurial journey of a solo business
owner was when I went through midlifeand that was hit by menopause and all
the changes that come with that and I nolonger felt inspired in corporate anymore.
(02:48):
So I was like, I've got something,it's very part time, I wasn't
doing a lot with it but I've gotsomething here that I can use.
And then switched, made the change aboutfive years ago and have been full time
in the career coaching space since.
So, it was kind of itevolved slowly over time.
The force out of corporate was thephysical and emotional and mental
(03:10):
challenges that I went throughduring that time, during that change.
And then thinking, I did a process,I actually do this process with
a lot of people that I work with.
I started to dig into my storyand what do I really want to do?
What am I good at?
What do I love doing?
And what can I do thatI know will help others?
Because for me, I noticeda thread in my life.
(03:31):
I've always been helpingpeople in different spaces.
Working with the homeless,working with disabled kids.
When I was a teen, there was this threadbut you need to dig a lot of people don't
dig and then they don't find the patternsthat actually bring them joy and so
once I identified my patterns, where myskills were, what my transferable skills
were, that was when I made the shift.
Chris Troka (03:53):
That's amazing.
Wendy Alexander (03:53):
And I love my work now.
Chris Troka (03:55):
Yeah, absolutely.
That's an incredible journey.
I hear that from both a lot ofentrepreneurs and people who are
kind of between career changes.
They are trying to make more money.
They're trying to make purpose and useof all their skills and their talents.
They want to be appreciatedin the work that they do.
So whether they find that through abetter career or working for themselves
(04:16):
or any other fashion, you kind of letthose opportunities and doors open up
for you and then you walk through them.
You said, this is the path Iwant to take and it's gotten
you to where you are today.
Congratulations.
Wendy Alexander (04:27):
Thank you.
Yeah.
Look, I think people strugglewith making change and my message
to a lot of people is don't tryto make big changes all at once.
I've actually never seen that work.
I've never seen people succeed.
You need to come at it from chewing thatelephant one bite at a time, walking
that thousand miles one step at a timebecause I think when you inconsistent
(04:54):
small action and you get those littlewins along the way that's when you
continue to stay motivated becauseit's very easy to give up, especially
when you're becoming an entrepreneurand you're going on that journey.
We do take lots of losses.
Not everything worksout right off the bat.
There were times when I wastransitioning from corporate where I
(05:14):
was earning a bucket load of money.
I was in high powered roles andinto my own business and there were
times I would go, What am I doing?
The steady paycheck is notcoming through the door.
You get used to that steady paycheckespecially if it's a big one and
I was traveling and I was ableto travel and do lots of things.
I was like, I'm transitioninginto a business and I have to be
(05:36):
very focused about my marketing.
I have to be very focused about gettingresults for my clients because at
the end of the day, if you don't getthe results for the clients, business
loses its reputation fairly quickly.
So it was a lot of things that I wasnavigating at the time but I think if
you have identified a strong enoughreason for why you want to be there
(05:59):
whether it is transitioning into a newjob or getting a promotion or going
on your own entrepreneurial journey,once you know the very strong why, I
think Simon Sinek talks a lot aboutwhat's my why or identify your why.
It is the thing that keeps you motivatedbut you also need to understand that
you need to or I encourage people togo at it at a pace that's reasonably
(06:24):
comfortable for them and that's goingto see them have these small wins
along the way because if you don'thave any wins for a year or two years,
you're very easy to become discouraged.
Chris Troka (06:33):
Yes, absolutely.
And I think a lot of people whoare scared and resistant to change
ultimately now want to change becausethat fear of change that is less scary
than the fear of staying the same,making the same paycheck, working for
the same boss, doing the same work,not having those same opportunities.
But again, it's the smallchanges you need to make.
So it's not such a disruptor to yourlife because people like normal, they
(06:56):
are used to normal and inconsistencyso to make those changes, it's a
calculated risk but you have to makethose changes over time in order to
become someone new and try new things.
So it's just a challengebetween people right?
We're just people.
Wendy Alexander (07:12):
Absolutely.
Chris Troka (07:13):
And now you help people specifically with their careers.
People who are probably feelingstuck or maybe maybe their life
is a mess and maybe the career iskind of like attributing to that.
Can you go through whatit's like working with you?
How people can kind of take some tipswith them to further their own careers?
Wendy Alexander (07:31):
So one of the first the foundational piece that I do with
people is actually on my website isthat there's a free resource there
and it's called mining your story.
And what I do with that process is Itake people through this worksheet and
it's about identifying the patternsin your life because in our life,
there are always clues and threadsas to where we can excel, what comes
(07:54):
naturally to us, what do people come toyou for advice because we all like for
example when I was going through peoplewould always come and talk to me about
writing things because they knew I lovedwords, they knew I had this ability.
I mean, I've written people's weddingspeeches for them right some bride grooms
I've written their wedding speech forthem and so what I say to people is mine
(08:18):
your own story and start to identifywhat's the skill patterns in your life.
That just is a natural talent foryou, that you could literally close
your eyes and do it in your sleep.
That's one clue.
The other clue to start identifyingskills that can be transferable
and useful to other people.
For example, if you're wanting to changejobs or going to another industry,
(08:39):
what are your transferable skills?
Because we all have them andthey're usually the soft skills.
They're the emotional intelligence skills.
They're the problem solving skills.
They're the leadership skills,communication skills, all of these things
and you need to highlight those skillsmore as opposed to job specific skills.
So if you're wanting to make transferinto another industry or new job, people
(09:00):
are going to be more interested in thosetransferable skills, especially in today's
market and especially since the pandemic.
So the pandemic changed a lot of things.
The whole working environment changed.
We were locked, in Melbourne, wewere the most locked up city for
200 and something days, long time.
So people work from home.
So employers learned that the skywasn't going to fall down because
(09:24):
people were working from home.
People were actually quite productiveand so they started to introduce
these hybrid environments but what?
Employers started to look for becausewhat they noticed as the pandemic
people started coming back out ofthe pandemic and coming back to
the office and doing the hybrid.
Some days at home, some days inthe office, there was a level
of trauma from that isolation.
(09:45):
And that's across the world.
I, with the client, because I workwith people from across the world
there was a level of trauma and sowhat they started looking for was
these leadership skills, these teamingskills became far more important.
Yes, they want you tohave job specific skills.
So if you're in AI, you need to havesome emerging tech skills and so
on but your ability to collaboratewith people, to lead people, to
(10:10):
help people through difficult timeshave become far more important.
So those are now the skills thatyou need to highlight, right?
A lot of people don't know thatand then one of the other things I
often work through people with iswhat have you overcome in your life?
Because therein lies your resilienceskills and everybody's looking for that.
Doesn't matter what industry you'rein, people are looking for people
(10:32):
who are resilient, who are flexible,who can adapt as things change.
And so what I've seen is a lot of peopledon't want to do that foundational piece
but the foundational piece of identifyingyour talents, your skills, the things
you've overcome, how you've achieved,and what specific things you did to
achieve, that becomes the piece thathelps do everything else around a career.
(10:56):
So when you're writing your resume andyour LinkedIn, you learn to brand yourself
very well when you understand yourfoundational piece and when you're in an
interview, you have stories to reference,examples to reference and so that's one
of the first things I go through withpeople and I always say to them, don't
try to avoid the foundational piece.
(11:18):
And that applies to everything in life.
If we look at our health and anyarea, if we try and avoid setting the
foundations, We don't usually havesolid ground to stand on when we're
trying to make the change and thatparticularly applies to your career.
Do the foundational piece, don't avoid it.
I know for some people it's like,oh, but I don't want to do this.
I just want to get outthere and apply for a job.
(11:40):
Well, you want to bepowerful in your application.
You don't just want to go and hit anyjob and willy nilly apply for a role
that might not suit you because here'sthe other thing, if you start failing at
interviews or failing at job applications,well that has a spin off effect.
Dense your confidence.
People know people, the world is small,so it gets around very quickly especially
(12:04):
among recruiters and hiring people.
This candidate is applying for rolesthat doesn't actually suit them and
if that starts getting around suddenlyyour reputation as a strong candidate
is tarnished and so I suppose thekey message is don't avoid setting
the foundations because it actuallybuilds everything else from there.
(12:25):
And I've seen people who do thatfoundational piece then go on to
excel in interviews, they excel Inwriting their brand, their resume
brand and their LinkedIn brand, evenif they have to submit a cover letter
they become very strong at that.
They learn to very succinctly andvery compellingly sell themselves.
You have to understand your story.
(12:47):
You have to own your story.
You have to be proud of your story beforeyou can actually go out and sell it.
Chris Troka (12:53):
Yes, absolutely.
Some great advice here.
And I love that you focus more onthe rather than trying to apply
to as many jobs as you want.
Similar to like marketing.
Would you spend a bunch ofmoney on advertising just
to get leads that come in?
If you haven't worked on your websiteor what your offer is or how you
present yourself or what your story is.
All those things can help increase theconversion rate and probably give a
(13:17):
perception that you're more valuable.
So how do you get this pay increase?
Learn some hard skills, some value,work on that foundation piece and
then you can build off of that.
So I love that input here.
Something really interesting thatyou shared is the post COVID.
Trauma that happened around theworld and it's interesting to try
to self reflect on that moment.
And what came from that because our humanbehavior, our lives changed quite a bit
(13:41):
and we're still kind of struggling toreacclimate get back to it because some
places they're still worry and threatof coven versus some who didn't have
that much in that perception that way.
So, it's interesting to seehow we were all affected, how
it's changed the workforce.
We're seeing big changes here.
Are there any other changes you'veseen post cobit that employers
(14:04):
should be thinking about candidatesshould be thinking about as well.
Wendy Alexander (14:07):
Well, I think for the younger generation, I think
people have missed the fact thata lot of our young adults and
our teenagers were in isolation.
So there was a big rite of passagethat got missed in their life.
Right.
When we get to a certain age, 19 or theyoung adult years, we go through various
(14:30):
rites of passage and I don't think peoplerealize the psychological impact of
missing that and so what you have is thegeneration coming through at the moment.
And so I'm seeing someuniversity students graduating.
They're still strugglingwith that confidence.
They're struggling withthat ability to communicate.
They're struggling with personconnection and these are the
(14:52):
things that build networks.
And networks are key in business.
They are key in job hunting, all of these.
If you want to get the prime,juicy, really high paying roles in
life, they happen in the networks.
Very few of them are actually advertised.
They happen through networking withpeople through conversations with
(15:13):
people, through people referring peopleand I think that is a piece that was
impacted greatly during that time.
And I think it's going to take awhile for people to recover from
that because I still see the youngones struggling in that space but I
even see some middle aged person, Isee people my age struggling in that
(15:35):
space because we, on the phones, we'regetting all our information from our
phones and our iPads and the computers.
And so then when it comes to that.
in person conversation, people arestill challenged in that space and
that's very important for networking,especially building the kind of networks
that's going to open doors for you.
That doesn't happen oncomputers and gadgets.
(15:57):
That happens with communication,with you potentially going up an
elevator and running into a seniormanager in an elevator and being
able to deliver your elevator speechin, speech in like 30 seconds.
But people can't do that, right?
And so that's where I seethat has been a challenge.
That is one of the unfortunateresults of COVID, right?
(16:19):
And I think that that's not somethingthat's people are going to recover
from that quickly because when there'sa big piece missing, our rite of
passage or our learning a stage oflearning, it takes a while to get
that back and you have to practice.
And what I see is peoplekind of still hiding away.
They're still a little bit reluctant.
(16:40):
It's just one of the reasons I'malso going on podcasts now myself
and talking to people because forme, it's about having a conversation.
The more we have real conversations,we recording this but I'm assuming it's
just going to pretty much go out, right?
People get to see how we're communicatingthe topics that we're discussing.
What's important, what matters,what can help cause entrepreneurship
(17:03):
is not just about making money.
It's about connecting.
In fact, it's more important to connectbecause that's what eventually brings
the clients that make the money, right?
Chris Troka (17:12):
Yes, absolutely.
The more we can lead by example and showpeople how to connect and communicate
that may inspire them and just leadby example again to say, okay, this
is how can be done, should be done.
Just so we can get back to how thingsused to be but in the right way, we can
take some of the positives that camefrom COVID but also fix things that kind
of became disrupted during that time.
(17:34):
But again, it'll take some time.
This is exactly why I do the podcastas well to meet connect with people.
It's great to have conversation, realauthentic people because I think humans
just Naturally want to connect and whenthat was disrupted and became taboo to
want to connect that changed things.
So we're still dealing with the aftereffects now but it'll be interesting
to see how we can help kind ofprovide for the next generation,
(17:57):
even for our own generation.
Our friends, colleagues who are kind ofstruggling in that area as well because
you seem like someone who always loved tolearn you during our pre chat interview,
you talked about learning but alsowanting to share the information with
other people from all the YouTube videos,podcasts, the books, resources that
you've used, is there anything you wouldrecommend to other people who are either
(18:20):
trying to learn more about business?
Essentially, or more focused inthe career space, do you have any
resources that would help them a lot?
Wendy Alexander (18:27):
So I listen to a lot of podcasts.
I also do have a premiummembership on LinkedIn and I
find LinkedIn learning amazing.
So I'm currently doing a coursein generative AI just out of
pure interest because I'm like,this is this is the market.
This is something ishappening in the space.
(18:48):
I'm a writer and I'vesuddenly seen an opportunity.
This is a new emerging technology.
I don't know that much about it but I'ma writer and then I started seeing that
they're looking for writers to train AI.
So people have some fear around AI, right?
And for me, it's like, well get toknow it so how do I get to know AI?
I can use my interest in writingto go and train AI models.
(19:12):
That means I can become one of theresponsible contributors to AI.
It doesn't have to bea doom and gloom thing.
It doesn't have to be something thatwe fear because you have to remember
AI has to be trained by humans.
We still superior.
Chris Troka (19:27):
Yes.
AI technically can't create.
It's just imitating andreplicating the human instances
and input that we put into it.
Wendy Alexander (19:35):
Correct.
And so that's why it's mymessage is don't fear it.
So go and learn, be a lifelonglearner is what I would say.
I recommend people like Simon Sinek.
I think he's got great resources and hedoes do that piece about start with your
why, which is where I also like to start.
So he's a resource but I also say topeople, open your mind and look at
(20:01):
diverse content even with your politicalstanding, your social standing in
life, try to look at both sides evenif you feel resistant to it because
I tell you, the more you broaden yourmind, the more you're going to learn.
And the better you're going to beable to communicate to a audience.
Which is what you need to do.
You can't only, none of uscan live in echo chambers.
(20:22):
There's very littlegrowth that happens there.
If you want to grow, you need to goand put yourself in the uncomfortable
spot of the opposition a lot of thetime, which is what I do quite often.
And I will say it is uncomfortablesometimes because we have certain thought
patterns that's programmed in us and we'revery attached to our belief systems but
(20:44):
if you're prepared to challenge your ownbelief systems and this is across the
board, you will find that you become morerelatable in the workplace, more relatable
in business, And a bigger connector.
Chris Troka (20:59):
Yes, absolutely.
And I appreciate you sharing theresources and also mentioning AI
because again, AI is just likeany other tool that comes out.
There's a drastic shift inthe way we used to do things.
And now it's up to us to understandhow it fits into business and the
workforce and our lives and everything.
AI can be pretty cool.
(21:20):
I mean, what it's doing now,there's AI assistance that can book
meetings and schedules for you.
Yes.
It can create pictures.
It can create video.
It can create music, full songs,instruments, vocals, everything.
So to see what it can do.
I just appreciate that you learningmore about it first and understanding
how we can adapt into it as opposedto just being resistant to it.
(21:41):
Cause again, it is a big change.
It's a shift but the moreresponsible people we can have
feeding into those best practices.
I feel like the better it's going to be.
Wendy Alexander (21:52):
Yeah.
And look, 1 of the things I learnedin my life that was from growing up
in South Africa in a very difficultenvironment coming to Australia and so on.
is that whenever I feel a resistanceto something within me, I know that
I'm supposed to go and learn about itbecause it's the path to huge growth.
Whatever you resisting is what youactually supposed to go and explore.
(22:14):
That is a great way to look at itbut it's so cruel because that's the
pathway to opening your mind, openingyour eyes and understanding that
perhaps your perception can be changed.
And I think the big thing for all ofus is to challenge our belief systems
and to challenge our perceptions.
The more we do that, the better we grow.
Chris Troka (22:35):
Yes, absolutely.
Now, for those who are interested inlearning more about Wendy and getting
connected with her, where should peoplego to find out more about you online?
Find your offer and get connected.
Wendy Alexander (22:45):
So the website is happycareerhub.
com and I have that free resourcethat I spoke about, the Mining Your
Story is right there and then WendyA. Alexander is my handle on LinkedIn.
I'm very active on LinkedIn.
I do a lot of free videos, free tipsaround interview, coaching, career,
all of that is all on LinkedIn.
(23:05):
I couldn't get Wendy Alexander, so Ihad to put my second name initial in it.
So it's Wendy A. Alexander.
There's a double A in the middlethere but that's where you'll find me.
Those are the two places I'm very active.
Chris Troka (23:16):
That's perfect.
And we'll provide the links available downin the show notes and the description.
So you can get connecteddirectly with Wendy here.
Now one more question we have iswhat is the most effective marketing
strategy that you've encountered?
It seems like it's focused more onthe building relationship aspect.
So what has been the most effectiveway to build relationships?
Wendy Alexander (23:37):
Well, for me, it's around the networking and when back in
my day, I used to have to go to meetupsand hand over your business card.
Now.
This is where I encourage people toreally start using LinkedIn because you
can do build your relationships online.
This is a digital platform.
It is where I've had most of my success.
I've got a decent following on LinkedIn.
(23:58):
It is where most of my current clientscome from and what I do there is I
connect with people and when we starthaving conversations, we chat about,
I always give people career tips and Ifind that the more you give, If you're
prepared to like people's posts, sharetheir posts, give your tip on something
people get to know you and you build thereputation of someone that's trustworthy
(24:23):
because it's about being trustworthy.
It's about giving, always be preparedto give first before you take and
LinkedIn is available now for us andthe generations coming up behind us.
It's the professional networking platform.
So use it is my tip.
Go and use it.
Chris Troka (24:44):
I'd love that.
Yes.
We have to use all the resourcesavailable to us and it's a perfect place
to get connected with other people.
And I do suggest for those who have thecapabilities to maybe start a podcast.
It's a great way to have these oneon one connections with amazing
people to talk about everythingthat they're passionate about.
this is like the ultimatedream to communicate, connect
and work with other people.
(25:04):
So definitely recommend it.
And Wendy, we appreciate you comingon to share your successes, your
journey, everything you've done.
Congratulations to you.
Any last parting wisdomto our audience here?
Anything about your offer?
Last words of advice?
Wendy Alexander (25:17):
The way to get the offer is at the website and I
don't sort of overly promote that.
People will find it, they hopefullyfind it useful but the last piece of
advice is take small action daily.
I have seen success from peoplejust taking that consistent action.
Do something daily towards whatevergoal it is you have, whether it's a
(25:38):
health goal, a finance goal, a careergoal because when you're in action,
you're in movement and the momentyou're in movement, energy is flowing
around you to make something happen.
When you're stagnant, whenyou're not doing anything,
when you're paralyzed by fear.
You stop the energy from working aroundyou so be in movement about your life
(25:59):
and it doesn't have to be big actions.
Small action steps lead to big success.
Chris Troka (26:04):
I love that.
Wendy, great advice.
Thank you so much for your tips andtricks and bringing some enthusiasm
and charisma to the podcast.
Great having you on as a guest.
I hope you have a great restof your 2024 and looking
forward to the successful 2025.
You're setting up for yourself.
Congratulations.
Wendy Alexander (26:20):
Thank you very much.
Wonderful to be here.
Chris Troka (26:22):
Thank you.
If you want to grow, you need to go andput yourself in the uncomfortable spot
of the opposition a lot of the time.
You're listening to BrainworkFramework, a business and marketing
podcast brought to you by focus- biz.
com.
Chris Troka (00:18):
Welcome back to another episode.
If you're looking to take your careerto the next level, you're going
to want to listen to this episode.
With us today is Wendy Alexander.
She is the founder of Happy Career Hub.
She has a plethora of experiencethat she's willing to share with
us today and tell us more tips andtricks and more about her journey.
Wendy, so thankful to have you here.
Thank you for joining us.
How are you today?
Wendy Alexander (00:38):
I'm well, thank you.
It's morning in Australia.
So I'm wide awake.
Chris Troka (00:42):
Good morning.
Thanks for coming.
We appreciate it.
Always nice to catch up withentrepreneurs from around the world.
We want to know more about your journey.
What were you doing beforethat kind of led you into
starting the happy career hub.
Wendy Alexander (00:54):
So the happy career hub evolved from some support and help I was
giving people in the workplace anyway.
So I had gone through a majorchange in my life 27 years ago.
My relationship ended.
I was pregnant and about to become asingle mother and all I could think
was I need to make more money so Istarted on this journey of talking
(01:16):
to recruiters and hiring people.
I had a natural ability to write.
I loved words and love writing.
So I've been writing my whole life sinceI was a kid but then I started to refine
my resume and use my love of words totell a different and probably a better
story about my achievements and what Icould offer companies and then I started
(01:38):
running that past these hiring people andrecruiters and got feedback from them.
And so I started testing things out inthe market and then ended up landing a
role that tripled my income and so I'monto something here and I also learned
some interview tactics from these hiringpeople as well and between my ability to
write and reframing my whole professionalstory and practicing and practicing the
(02:04):
interview styles, I ended up in this role.
The people around mewho knew my story about.
hitting rock bottom with thatrelationship and then coming out
of it with financial debt and asingle mom started to come for help.
And these were colleagues and friendsand family and that's actually how the
(02:24):
business started but it was very much apart time business because I was too busy
paying off debt and working in corporate
but then when I moved into theentrepreneurial journey of a solo business
owner was when I went through midlifeand that was hit by menopause and all
the changes that come with that and I nolonger felt inspired in corporate anymore.
(02:48):
So I was like, I've got something,it's very part time, I wasn't
doing a lot with it but I've gotsomething here that I can use.
And then switched, made the change aboutfive years ago and have been full time
in the career coaching space since.
So, it was kind of itevolved slowly over time.
The force out of corporate was thephysical and emotional and mental
(03:10):
challenges that I went throughduring that time, during that change.
And then thinking, I did a process,I actually do this process with
a lot of people that I work with.
I started to dig into my storyand what do I really want to do?
What am I good at?
What do I love doing?
And what can I do thatI know will help others?
Because for me, I noticeda thread in my life.
(03:31):
I've always been helpingpeople in different spaces.
Working with the homeless,working with disabled kids.
When I was a teen, there was this threadbut you need to dig a lot of people don't
dig and then they don't find the patternsthat actually bring them joy and so
once I identified my patterns, where myskills were, what my transferable skills
were, that was when I made the shift.
Chris Troka (03:53):
That's amazing.
Wendy Alexander (03:53):
And I love my work now.
Chris Troka (03:55):
Yeah, absolutely.
That's an incredible journey.
I hear that from both a lot ofentrepreneurs and people who are
kind of between career changes.
They are trying to make more money.
They're trying to make purpose and useof all their skills and their talents.
They want to be appreciatedin the work that they do.
So whether they find that through abetter career or working for themselves
(04:16):
or any other fashion, you kind of letthose opportunities and doors open up
for you and then you walk through them.
You said, this is the path Iwant to take and it's gotten
you to where you are today.
Congratulations.
Wendy Alexander (04:27):
Thank you.
Yeah.
Look, I think people strugglewith making change and my message
to a lot of people is don't tryto make big changes all at once.
I've actually never seen that work.
I've never seen people succeed.
You need to come at it from chewing thatelephant one bite at a time, walking
that thousand miles one step at a timebecause I think when you inconsistent
(04:54):
small action and you get those littlewins along the way that's when you
continue to stay motivated becauseit's very easy to give up, especially
when you're becoming an entrepreneurand you're going on that journey.
We do take lots of losses.
Not everything worksout right off the bat.
There were times when I wastransitioning from corporate where I
(05:14):
was earning a bucket load of money.
I was in high powered roles andinto my own business and there were
times I would go, What am I doing?
The steady paycheck is notcoming through the door.
You get used to that steady paycheckespecially if it's a big one and
I was traveling and I was ableto travel and do lots of things.
I was like, I'm transitioninginto a business and I have to be
(05:36):
very focused about my marketing.
I have to be very focused about gettingresults for my clients because at
the end of the day, if you don't getthe results for the clients, business
loses its reputation fairly quickly.
So it was a lot of things that I wasnavigating at the time but I think if
you have identified a strong enoughreason for why you want to be there
(05:59):
whether it is transitioning into a newjob or getting a promotion or going
on your own entrepreneurial journey,once you know the very strong why, I
think Simon Sinek talks a lot aboutwhat's my why or identify your why.
It is the thing that keeps you motivatedbut you also need to understand that
you need to or I encourage people togo at it at a pace that's reasonably
(06:24):
comfortable for them and that's goingto see them have these small wins
along the way because if you don'thave any wins for a year or two years,
you're very easy to become discouraged.
Chris Troka (06:33):
Yes, absolutely.
And I think a lot of people whoare scared and resistant to change
ultimately now want to change becausethat fear of change that is less scary
than the fear of staying the same,making the same paycheck, working for
the same boss, doing the same work,not having those same opportunities.
But again, it's the smallchanges you need to make.
So it's not such a disruptor to yourlife because people like normal, they
(06:56):
are used to normal and inconsistencyso to make those changes, it's a
calculated risk but you have to makethose changes over time in order to
become someone new and try new things.
So it's just a challengebetween people right?
We're just people.
Wendy Alexander (07:12):
Absolutely.
Chris Troka (07:13):
And now you help people specifically with their careers.
People who are probably feelingstuck or maybe maybe their life
is a mess and maybe the career iskind of like attributing to that.
Can you go through whatit's like working with you?
How people can kind of take some tipswith them to further their own careers?
Wendy Alexander (07:31):
So one of the first the foundational piece that I do with
people is actually on my website isthat there's a free resource there
and it's called mining your story.
And what I do with that process is Itake people through this worksheet and
it's about identifying the patternsin your life because in our life,
there are always clues and threadsas to where we can excel, what comes
(07:54):
naturally to us, what do people come toyou for advice because we all like for
example when I was going through peoplewould always come and talk to me about
writing things because they knew I lovedwords, they knew I had this ability.
I mean, I've written people's weddingspeeches for them right some bride grooms
I've written their wedding speech forthem and so what I say to people is mine
(08:18):
your own story and start to identifywhat's the skill patterns in your life.
That just is a natural talent foryou, that you could literally close
your eyes and do it in your sleep.
That's one clue.
The other clue to start identifyingskills that can be transferable
and useful to other people.
For example, if you're wanting to changejobs or going to another industry,
(08:39):
what are your transferable skills?
Because we all have them andthey're usually the soft skills.
They're the emotional intelligence skills.
They're the problem solving skills.
They're the leadership skills,communication skills, all of these things
and you need to highlight those skillsmore as opposed to job specific skills.
So if you're wanting to make transferinto another industry or new job, people
(09:00):
are going to be more interested in thosetransferable skills, especially in today's
market and especially since the pandemic.
So the pandemic changed a lot of things.
The whole working environment changed.
We were locked, in Melbourne, wewere the most locked up city for
200 and something days, long time.
So people work from home.
So employers learned that the skywasn't going to fall down because
(09:24):
people were working from home.
People were actually quite productiveand so they started to introduce
these hybrid environments but what?
Employers started to look for becausewhat they noticed as the pandemic
people started coming back out ofthe pandemic and coming back to
the office and doing the hybrid.
Some days at home, some days inthe office, there was a level
of trauma from that isolation.
(09:45):
And that's across the world.
I, with the client, because I workwith people from across the world
there was a level of trauma and sowhat they started looking for was
these leadership skills, these teamingskills became far more important.
Yes, they want you tohave job specific skills.
So if you're in AI, you need to havesome emerging tech skills and so
on but your ability to collaboratewith people, to lead people, to
(10:10):
help people through difficult timeshave become far more important.
So those are now the skills thatyou need to highlight, right?
A lot of people don't know thatand then one of the other things I
often work through people with iswhat have you overcome in your life?
Because therein lies your resilienceskills and everybody's looking for that.
Doesn't matter what industry you'rein, people are looking for people
(10:32):
who are resilient, who are flexible,who can adapt as things change.
And so what I've seen is a lot of peopledon't want to do that foundational piece
but the foundational piece of identifyingyour talents, your skills, the things
you've overcome, how you've achieved,and what specific things you did to
achieve, that becomes the piece thathelps do everything else around a career.
(10:56):
So when you're writing your resume andyour LinkedIn, you learn to brand yourself
very well when you understand yourfoundational piece and when you're in an
interview, you have stories to reference,examples to reference and so that's one
of the first things I go through withpeople and I always say to them, don't
try to avoid the foundational piece.
(11:18):
And that applies to everything in life.
If we look at our health and anyarea, if we try and avoid setting the
foundations, We don't usually havesolid ground to stand on when we're
trying to make the change and thatparticularly applies to your career.
Do the foundational piece, don't avoid it.
I know for some people it's like,oh, but I don't want to do this.
I just want to get outthere and apply for a job.
(11:40):
Well, you want to bepowerful in your application.
You don't just want to go and hit anyjob and willy nilly apply for a role
that might not suit you because here'sthe other thing, if you start failing at
interviews or failing at job applications,well that has a spin off effect.
Dense your confidence.
People know people, the world is small,so it gets around very quickly especially
(12:04):
among recruiters and hiring people.
This candidate is applying for rolesthat doesn't actually suit them and
if that starts getting around suddenlyyour reputation as a strong candidate
is tarnished and so I suppose thekey message is don't avoid setting
the foundations because it actuallybuilds everything else from there.
(12:25):
And I've seen people who do thatfoundational piece then go on to
excel in interviews, they excel Inwriting their brand, their resume
brand and their LinkedIn brand, evenif they have to submit a cover letter
they become very strong at that.
They learn to very succinctly andvery compellingly sell themselves.
You have to understand your story.
(12:47):
You have to own your story.
You have to be proud of your story beforeyou can actually go out and sell it.
Chris Troka (12:53):
Yes, absolutely.
Some great advice here.
And I love that you focus more onthe rather than trying to apply
to as many jobs as you want.
Similar to like marketing.
Would you spend a bunch ofmoney on advertising just
to get leads that come in?
If you haven't worked on your websiteor what your offer is or how you
present yourself or what your story is.
All those things can help increase theconversion rate and probably give a
(13:17):
perception that you're more valuable.
So how do you get this pay increase?
Learn some hard skills, some value,work on that foundation piece and
then you can build off of that.
So I love that input here.
Something really interesting thatyou shared is the post COVID.
Trauma that happened around theworld and it's interesting to try
to self reflect on that moment.
And what came from that because our humanbehavior, our lives changed quite a bit
(13:41):
and we're still kind of struggling toreacclimate get back to it because some
places they're still worry and threatof coven versus some who didn't have
that much in that perception that way.
So, it's interesting to seehow we were all affected, how
it's changed the workforce.
We're seeing big changes here.
Are there any other changes you'veseen post cobit that employers
(14:04):
should be thinking about candidatesshould be thinking about as well.
Wendy Alexander (14:07):
Well, I think for the younger generation, I think
people have missed the fact thata lot of our young adults and
our teenagers were in isolation.
So there was a big rite of passagethat got missed in their life.
Right.
When we get to a certain age, 19 or theyoung adult years, we go through various
(14:30):
rites of passage and I don't think peoplerealize the psychological impact of
missing that and so what you have is thegeneration coming through at the moment.
And so I'm seeing someuniversity students graduating.
They're still strugglingwith that confidence.
They're struggling withthat ability to communicate.
They're struggling with personconnection and these are the
(14:52):
things that build networks.
And networks are key in business.
They are key in job hunting, all of these.
If you want to get the prime,juicy, really high paying roles in
life, they happen in the networks.
Very few of them are actually advertised.
They happen through networking withpeople through conversations with
(15:13):
people, through people referring peopleand I think that is a piece that was
impacted greatly during that time.
And I think it's going to take awhile for people to recover from
that because I still see the youngones struggling in that space but I
even see some middle aged person, Isee people my age struggling in that
(15:35):
space because we, on the phones, we'regetting all our information from our
phones and our iPads and the computers.
And so then when it comes to that.
in person conversation, people arestill challenged in that space and
that's very important for networking,especially building the kind of networks
that's going to open doors for you.
That doesn't happen oncomputers and gadgets.
(15:57):
That happens with communication,with you potentially going up an
elevator and running into a seniormanager in an elevator and being
able to deliver your elevator speechin, speech in like 30 seconds.
But people can't do that, right?
And so that's where I seethat has been a challenge.
That is one of the unfortunateresults of COVID, right?
(16:19):
And I think that that's not somethingthat's people are going to recover
from that quickly because when there'sa big piece missing, our rite of
passage or our learning a stage oflearning, it takes a while to get
that back and you have to practice.
And what I see is peoplekind of still hiding away.
They're still a little bit reluctant.
(16:40):
It's just one of the reasons I'malso going on podcasts now myself
and talking to people because forme, it's about having a conversation.
The more we have real conversations,we recording this but I'm assuming it's
just going to pretty much go out, right?
People get to see how we're communicatingthe topics that we're discussing.
What's important, what matters,what can help cause entrepreneurship
(17:03):
is not just about making money.
It's about connecting.
In fact, it's more important to connectbecause that's what eventually brings
the clients that make the money, right?
Chris Troka (17:12):
Yes, absolutely.
The more we can lead by example and showpeople how to connect and communicate
that may inspire them and just leadby example again to say, okay, this
is how can be done, should be done.
Just so we can get back to how thingsused to be but in the right way, we can
take some of the positives that camefrom COVID but also fix things that kind
of became disrupted during that time.
(17:34):
But again, it'll take some time.
This is exactly why I do the podcastas well to meet connect with people.
It's great to have conversation, realauthentic people because I think humans
just Naturally want to connect and whenthat was disrupted and became taboo to
want to connect that changed things.
So we're still dealing with the aftereffects now but it'll be interesting
to see how we can help kind ofprovide for the next generation,
(17:57):
even for our own generation.
Our friends, colleagues who are kind ofstruggling in that area as well because
you seem like someone who always loved tolearn you during our pre chat interview,
you talked about learning but alsowanting to share the information with
other people from all the YouTube videos,podcasts, the books, resources that
you've used, is there anything you wouldrecommend to other people who are either
(18:20):
trying to learn more about business?
Essentially, or more focused inthe career space, do you have any
resources that would help them a lot?
Wendy Alexander (18:27):
So I listen to a lot of podcasts.
I also do have a premiummembership on LinkedIn and I
find LinkedIn learning amazing.
So I'm currently doing a coursein generative AI just out of
pure interest because I'm like,this is this is the market.
This is something ishappening in the space.
(18:48):
I'm a writer and I'vesuddenly seen an opportunity.
This is a new emerging technology.
I don't know that much about it but I'ma writer and then I started seeing that
they're looking for writers to train AI.
So people have some fear around AI, right?
And for me, it's like, well get toknow it so how do I get to know AI?
I can use my interest in writingto go and train AI models.
(19:12):
That means I can become one of theresponsible contributors to AI.
It doesn't have to bea doom and gloom thing.
It doesn't have to be something thatwe fear because you have to remember
AI has to be trained by humans.
We still superior.
Chris Troka (19:27):
Yes.
AI technically can't create.
It's just imitating andreplicating the human instances
and input that we put into it.
Wendy Alexander (19:35):
Correct.
And so that's why it's mymessage is don't fear it.
So go and learn, be a lifelonglearner is what I would say.
I recommend people like Simon Sinek.
I think he's got great resources and hedoes do that piece about start with your
why, which is where I also like to start.
So he's a resource but I also say topeople, open your mind and look at
(20:01):
diverse content even with your politicalstanding, your social standing in
life, try to look at both sides evenif you feel resistant to it because
I tell you, the more you broaden yourmind, the more you're going to learn.
And the better you're going to beable to communicate to a audience.
Which is what you need to do.
You can't only, none of uscan live in echo chambers.
(20:22):
There's very littlegrowth that happens there.
If you want to grow, you need to goand put yourself in the uncomfortable
spot of the opposition a lot of thetime, which is what I do quite often.
And I will say it is uncomfortablesometimes because we have certain thought
patterns that's programmed in us and we'revery attached to our belief systems but
(20:44):
if you're prepared to challenge your ownbelief systems and this is across the
board, you will find that you become morerelatable in the workplace, more relatable
in business, And a bigger connector.
Chris Troka (20:59):
Yes, absolutely.
And I appreciate you sharing theresources and also mentioning AI
because again, AI is just likeany other tool that comes out.
There's a drastic shift inthe way we used to do things.
And now it's up to us to understandhow it fits into business and the
workforce and our lives and everything.
AI can be pretty cool.
(21:20):
I mean, what it's doing now,there's AI assistance that can book
meetings and schedules for you.
Yes.
It can create pictures.
It can create video.
It can create music, full songs,instruments, vocals, everything.
So to see what it can do.
I just appreciate that you learningmore about it first and understanding
how we can adapt into it as opposedto just being resistant to it.
(21:41):
Cause again, it is a big change.
It's a shift but the moreresponsible people we can have
feeding into those best practices.
I feel like the better it's going to be.
Wendy Alexander (21:52):
Yeah.
And look, 1 of the things I learnedin my life that was from growing up
in South Africa in a very difficultenvironment coming to Australia and so on.
is that whenever I feel a resistanceto something within me, I know that
I'm supposed to go and learn about itbecause it's the path to huge growth.
Whatever you resisting is what youactually supposed to go and explore.
(22:14):
That is a great way to look at itbut it's so cruel because that's the
pathway to opening your mind, openingyour eyes and understanding that
perhaps your perception can be changed.
And I think the big thing for all ofus is to challenge our belief systems
and to challenge our perceptions.
The more we do that, the better we grow.
Chris Troka (22:35):
Yes, absolutely.
Now, for those who are interested inlearning more about Wendy and getting
connected with her, where should peoplego to find out more about you online?
Find your offer and get connected.
Wendy Alexander (22:45):
So the website is happycareerhub.
com and I have that free resourcethat I spoke about, the Mining Your
Story is right there and then WendyA. Alexander is my handle on LinkedIn.
I'm very active on LinkedIn.
I do a lot of free videos, free tipsaround interview, coaching, career,
all of that is all on LinkedIn.
(23:05):
I couldn't get Wendy Alexander, so Ihad to put my second name initial in it.
So it's Wendy A. Alexander.
There's a double A in the middlethere but that's where you'll find me.
Those are the two places I'm very active.
Chris Troka (23:16):
That's perfect.
And we'll provide the links available downin the show notes and the description.
So you can get connecteddirectly with Wendy here.
Now one more question we have iswhat is the most effective marketing
strategy that you've encountered?
It seems like it's focused more onthe building relationship aspect.
So what has been the most effectiveway to build relationships?
Wendy Alexander (23:37):
Well, for me, it's around the networking and when back in
my day, I used to have to go to meetupsand hand over your business card.
Now.
This is where I encourage people toreally start using LinkedIn because you
can do build your relationships online.
This is a digital platform.
It is where I've had most of my success.
I've got a decent following on LinkedIn.
(23:58):
It is where most of my current clientscome from and what I do there is I
connect with people and when we starthaving conversations, we chat about,
I always give people career tips and Ifind that the more you give, If you're
prepared to like people's posts, sharetheir posts, give your tip on something
people get to know you and you build thereputation of someone that's trustworthy
(24:23):
because it's about being trustworthy.
It's about giving, always be preparedto give first before you take and
LinkedIn is available now for us andthe generations coming up behind us.
It's the professional networking platform.
So use it is my tip.
Go and use it.
Chris Troka (24:44):
I'd love that.
Yes.
We have to use all the resourcesavailable to us and it's a perfect place
to get connected with other people.
And I do suggest for those who have thecapabilities to maybe start a podcast.
It's a great way to have these oneon one connections with amazing
people to talk about everythingthat they're passionate about.
this is like the ultimatedream to communicate, connect
and work with other people.
(25:04):
So definitely recommend it.
And Wendy, we appreciate you comingon to share your successes, your
journey, everything you've done.
Congratulations to you.
Any last parting wisdomto our audience here?
Anything about your offer?
Last words of advice?
Wendy Alexander (25:17):
The way to get the offer is at the website and I
don't sort of overly promote that.
People will find it, they hopefullyfind it useful but the last piece of
advice is take small action daily.
I have seen success from peoplejust taking that consistent action.
Do something daily towards whatevergoal it is you have, whether it's a
(25:38):
health goal, a finance goal, a careergoal because when you're in action,
you're in movement and the momentyou're in movement, energy is flowing
around you to make something happen.
When you're stagnant, whenyou're not doing anything,
when you're paralyzed by fear.
You stop the energy from working aroundyou so be in movement about your life
(25:59):
and it doesn't have to be big actions.
Small action steps lead to big success.
Chris Troka (26:04):
I love that.
Wendy, great advice.
Thank you so much for your tips andtricks and bringing some enthusiasm
and charisma to the podcast.
Great having you on as a guest.
I hope you have a great restof your 2024 and looking
forward to the successful 2025.
You're setting up for yourself.
Congratulations.
Wendy Alexander (26:20):
Thank you very much.
Wonderful to be here.
Chris Troka (26:22):
Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!