Happen To Your Career - Meaningful Work, Career Change, Career Design, & Job Search
How do you find meaningful work that pays really well? How do high performers find purpose and happiness in their career? The hope that there is more out there than feeling anxious, burned out, unfulfilled and stuck in your career has led you here! If you're ready to find work you love that allows you the flexibility and autonomy to prioritize the things most important to you, then you're in the right place! This kind of work not only exists, but there's a better way to get there (and it's not scrolling through job boards). This podcast will challenge you to reconsider what meaningful work looks like and expand your beliefs on what is truly possible for your career & life (and even your job search). Join Scott Anthony Barlow, CEO of Happen To Your Career (HTYC), as he brings you weekly learnings through conversations with successful career changers and experts in psychology, negotiation, signature strengths, happiness, work culture, and unconventional career change. Past guests include Daniel Pink, Gretchen Rubin, Marshall Goldsmith, Jen Sincero, Jenny Blake, Nir Eyal, Vanessa Van Edwards, J.J. Sutherland, Mac Pritchard, Lauren McGoodwin ( Career Contessa ), Dave Stachowiak ( Coaching For Leaders ) Work doesn't have to suck. You truly can find work you freaking love! Let us show you how you can "happen to your career."
Episodes
What happens when you realize you're making big life and career decisions without truly knowing what brings you joy or fulfillment? Scott reveals how measuring the invisible parts of your life—enjoyment, memories, and meaningful work—can completely shift the way you make decisions and guide you toward more intentional choices and a career that genuinely fits.
What you'll learn
- ...
If you want a better career in 2026, don't wait until January to figure out what needs to change. These five year-end reflection questions will help you build your life and career on purpose instead of drifting into the new year.
What you'll learn:
- How to refl...
After years of high achievement and nonstop burnout, Katie realized her "success" was costing her health, peace, and presence with her family. Through deep coaching and redefining her relationship with work, she rebuilt her career around balance, boundaries, and value… not hours or titles.
What you'll learn
- How to recognize when burnout signals a deeper misalignment
- Why redefi...
Learn why most careers are chosen accidentally, how Scott rebuilt his life after burnout, and why intentional career design is the key to meaningful work. Includes free access to the full Happen To Your Career audiobook.
What you'll learn
- The surprising origin of the word career—and what it reveals about how we choose work
- Why most people make accidental, reactive career decis...
After years of trying different jobs and feeling lost, Sarah Hawkins believed meaningful work wasn't possible for her. But when she learned to see her many interests as a strength, everything changed. Hear how Sarah rebuilt her confidence, embraced her multipotentialite nature, and found fulfilling work that truly fits.
What you'll learn
- How to identify your unique strengths a...
Most people try to convince companies to hire them, but the real secret to career growth is creating conversations that naturally lead to job offers. In this episode, Scott shares a step by step approach to turning genuine curiosity into meaningful work opportunities. Perfect if you want a career change without endless online applications.
What you'll learn
- How to express inte...
Most people think job searching is a numbers game: apply everywhere and hope something sticks. But let's flip that idea completely. In this episode, Scott shares 7 counterintuitive strategies that will help you land not just a job, but the right job — and even multiple offers to choose from.
What you'll learn
- How getting hyper-specific about what you want leads to more offers
- ...
When Quynh Killpack left Vietnam to study in the U.S., she never imagined her journey would lead to true career freedom. From visa stress and uncertainty to a flexible, meaningful global career, Quynh's story shows how clarity, courage, and self-awareness can transform your work and life. In this episode, you'll hear how she built confidence through action, created remote work that fits her values and family, and designed a life fi...
What happens when your job turns into constant stress, 12-hour days, and endless office politics? For Shreya, the answer was a full-scale career reboot. After burning out at a Big 4 firm, she took a leap of faith, quit without another job lined up, and used the Happen To Your Career process to find a role that finally fit her values, strengths, and lifestyle.
What you'll learn
- ...
Everyone says the job market is impossible right now — but the data tells a completely different story. In this episode of the Happen to Your Career Podcast, Scott breaks down why the job market isn't as bad as you've been told, what's actually making job...
After losing her job, Laura MacDonald turned unemployment into a data-driven experiment in career clarity. By tracking 66 job applications, learning to say no to the wrong roles, and focusing on her Ideal Career Profile, she discovered what truly makes work fulfilling.
What you'll learn
- How to use career experiments to test what truly fits before committing
- The difference betw...
After years of chasing the "perfect" career, Kat Bolikava discovered that true fulfillment came from clarity, not change. Hear how she challenged limiting beliefs, asked for growth, and transformed frustration into confidence and purpose. Her journey proves that meaningful work doesn't always mean a new job — it starts with knowing yourself and daring to ask for more.
What you'll learn
Ever tell yourself "I'm just not good at networking"? You're not alone—and you might be more wrong than you think. In this episode, discover how some of the most successful career changers aren't natural networkers at all, but introverts and analytical thinkers who found ways to make connecting feel authentic. Learn the simple reframe that turns networking from schmoozing into experimenting.
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Are you stuck in your career because you can't stop overthinking every decision? You're not alone. In this episode, we dive into why overthinking keeps you paralyzed, how fear of failure plays into it, and—most importantly—how to finally take confident action toward the work you actually want.
You'll learn practical steps to move forward, shift from analyzing to experimenting, and start creating momentum in your career (even if you...
Ever feel trapped in work that doesn't fit, convinced certain career paths just aren't for you? Aaron spent over a decade believing he'd "tried law and failed" when he'd never actually tried at all, while Steph kept fitness as a side hustle because she believed "you can't make money in fitness." Their breakthroughs reveal how the biggest career obstacles aren't external barriers—they're the limiting stories we tell ourselves, and w...
Most people think networking means awkward small talk and business cards. But Darrah Brustein proves real networking is about authentic connection, not transactions. In this episode, she shares how to reach busy people, build genuine relationships, and make networking something you actually enjoy.
What you'll learn
- The key to connecting with busy professionals without being ig...
Ever feel like you're gambling with years of your life every time you change jobs? Most people think career change means picking the "right" opportunity and committing — only to find out too late it's wrong. But what if you could test and validate what you want before making the leap?
What you'll learn:
- Why career experiments are the fastest way to find work that truly fits (w...
After years of constant job searching, endless pivots, and chasing new degrees, Amy Haggerty realized she wasn't the problem; her career path was. This episode dives into her transformation from chronically unfulfilled employee to thriving creative entrepreneur, and how she finally built a business aligned with her strengths, passions, and values.
What you'll learn
- How Amy spe...
Making a career change is hard enough. Doing it while your family and friends question your every move? That's a whole new level. In this episode, Rebecca Maddox shares how she left a high-status political law career, dealt with unexpected pushback, and reframed her interviews to land a role that truly fit her life and goals.
What you'll learn
- Why Rebecca walked away from a "d...
What happens when your "dream career change" doesn't fit? Louie left a 15-year career in medical imaging for IT—only to discover the stress was wrecking his health and family life. In this episode, he shares how he quit without a backup plan, used LinkedIn networking to reconnect with his old field, and landed a role that gave him balance, purpose, and energy again.
What you'll learn
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