October 29, 2021 • 42 mins
On this week’s episode, we have Valerie Mekki who used to be a retail buyer and product developer for major fashion brands for over 18 years and now she is a content writer and loves it!
In this interview, Valerie fascinatingly shares her career pivots including becoming an entrepreneur, returning to a 9-5 and a lot more! We discuss:
- The false security of job security
- How accreditations and side projects can really help in your career transitions
- The mindset to handle your ego being crushed when working more junior roles in a new career
- How to deal with tough times during your career transition
- Practical ways to make money from your years or decades of previous career experience
- A golden mindset trick to becoming prolific in sharing what you do on social media
- How to restore balance during your transition so you don't burn out
Resources:
- Check out Valerie’s amazing blog about a career change for mid-life professionals at Oh Hello Work Life
- Connect directly with Valerie on LinkedIn here - listen to the end of the episode to learn how to send a LinkedIn message that gets her attention!
- To find out more about prototyping your next career, listen to this episode of the show here
- Book a free 20-min confidential call with Matt to discuss any career or life change challenges you are having here
- Check out more inspiring interviews with full transcripts to scan quickly for career and life change nuggets on the Burn From Within website here
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Matt (00:30):
On this week's episode, we have Valerie Mekki who used to
be a retail buyer and productdeveloper for major fashion
brands for over 18 years.
And now she's a content writerand loves it.
In this interview, Valeriefascinatingly shares her career
pivots, including becoming anentrepreneur.
(00:50):
Returning to a nine to five anda lot more.
We discuss.
The full security of jobsecurity.
How accreditation's and sideprojects can really help in your
career transitions.
The mindset to handle your egobeing crushed when working more
junior roles in a new career.
(01:10):
Practical ways to make moneyfrom your years or decades of
previous career experience.
Uh, golden mindset trick tobecome prolific in sharing what
you do on social media.
And the full show notes andvideos of other interviews are
available@burnfromwithin.comforward slash interviews.
So listen all the way through.
(01:31):
And enjoy I actually came acrossyou on LinkedIn you had some
really really interesting postsabout career change and I delved
into your posts.
I then found you had thisamazing blog called Oh Hello
Work Life, which I think is agreat name.
You don't just have one careerchange You actually have like a
series of pivots in your career.
F irst of all from a retailbuyer for major fashion retail
(01:55):
companies like Forever 21, todelving into entrepreneurship
you started an interior designerand staging company for a couple
of years.
And then you into being asourcing buyer.
So I think that's quiteinteresting.
Tell me a little bit about aboutwhat made you go into
(02:16):
entrepreneurship and actuallyleave your nine to five job and
then also later on return.
Valerie (02:24):
Yeah Well I think my love for entrepreneurship
actually really started being abuyer in the fashion industry
always loved fashion since I waslittle I knew I wanted to be in
the industry and actually Iwanted to be a designer and I
had a degree in design but Iactually ended up being on the
buying side, which really wasmore of my gifts and talents
(02:48):
where I have to be analyticaland creative at the same time
And so when you're a buyeryou're putting out a collection,
you're trying to make sure thatit sells well.
And that kind of goes along withentrepreneurship.
So being in the industry being abuyer and a product developer
for over 18 years, I kind of hadthis like itch that I've always
(03:10):
wanted to itch of being my ownentrepreneur because I was
making so much money for thesecompanies I thought to myself
like one of these days I want totry it on my own because I think
I know what it takes to run abusiness.
So that's what kind of sparkedmy interest.
And actually my beginning intoentrepreneurship, it started
(03:31):
with a layoff.
So I was in the industry forover at that point definitely
over 15 years and unfortunatelythe company that I was working
for they had some financialissues And so the first people
who are let go was going to bemiddle-management and that's
where it was.
But really to be honest with youat that point, I was already
really burnt out in that role.
(03:54):
I had already been doing productdevelopment and buying for over
15 plus years and it started todrain on me.
I wasn't the great mom that Iwas.
I knew that something had tochange And so the layoff
actually forced me to likefigure out what do I want to do
and try next.
And so I decided why don't Ijust try interior design or a
(04:15):
staging company, because I usedto merchandise the stores and I
thought it was just a verylogical step into
entrepreneurship because itwasn't too far from fashion It
still allowed me to be anentrepreneur and I was able to
be creative but wasn'tpassionate about it Matt.
Like I wasn't like into interiordesign I just thought I just had
(04:37):
the right skill sets go intobusiness but I truly believe
you're going to be a businessowner, you should be passionate
about what you're going intobusiness with.
Matt (04:46):
Tell me a little bit about some of the challenges that you
faced in in being anentrepreneur and actually the I
guess the change to having a joband and what that was like
Valerie (04:58):
You know when you're in a job in a company and you have
a full-on team with you, youdon't realize how much you are a
part of one big unity, right?
So even though you think you cando it as a business owner on
your own.
Someone's doing the marketing,right?
Someone's doing the financialpart in this company but when
you're on your own you have towear so many different hats.
(05:21):
And so, if you don't have enoughfinancial runway.
If you don't have the patienceto learn all those things and
especially if you're notpassionate about the business
that you're in, you're going toget very burnt out quickly,
because it won't be worth it tolearn all the accounting stuff,
the marketing stuff.
But I didn't have any experiencein that.
I just knew how to buy, and waspretty good with numbers and
(05:45):
margins but that doesn'ttranslate to being a successful
business owner.
Matt (05:50):
I totally relate to that I mean I left the corporate world
and you know I had theconfidence to start a couple of
businesses went into propertyinvestment and development and
e-commerce as well.
So I I delved into thisentrepreneurship world and
really I was kind of chasingmoney I thought well exactly
like you, you know.
Other companies are just makingmoney and I'm working for them.
(06:12):
Why can't I do myself.
And I realised you know I didhave some certain skills that
worked in those areas but Iwasn't passionate And and
actually that wore me down thatreally wore me down And yeah I
think particularly inentrepreneurship you need to
have that burning desire, thatpassion to pull you through the
hard times especially if you'reworking on your own.
(06:33):
You know when you haven't gotlike a boss to say"Hey, do this"
or teammates to prop you up whenare tough which inevitably there
are in in entrepreneurship.
So you went back into becoming asourcing buyer.
Talk me around the decisionbehind that
Valerie (06:49):
So at that point I already was two years into
almost two years into mybusiness as a solopreneur And I
think you, when you mentionedyou know, you're by yourself.
I was a solopreneur, I didn'task for help I didn't really
seek out for help I always feltlike oh if I'm doing this on my
own as a business owner I haveto do everything on my own which
I don't believe that to be thecase where I am at today but I
(07:14):
had to learn about that, right?
But being a solopreneur, itwas...
I missed being on a team
Matt (07:21):
totally did miss that Yeah I'm quite a social person I
think you might be as well
Valerie (07:26):
I would rather have a smaller piece of something big
than something small and all tomyself.
A hundred percent And so at thattime when my husband had this
opportunity to open up apersonal fitness gym with a
partner I said to him"Hey weboth can't be business owners
Probably one person should haveone stable job and another
(07:49):
person, you know start their ownbusiness.
And he's always been sosupportive of my career.
And finally I felt like it wasmy time to be the supportive
partner in supporting his dreamsAnd so even though I played it
off like I was sad of closing mybusiness deep down inside, I was
(08:09):
so relieved close the businessbecause at that point I was so
burnt out I didn't feel like Iknew what I was doing And that's
really hard to take in when youhave been a high performing
professional for over 18 yearsAnd then it's really humbling to
not know what you're doing forthe for two years and always be
(08:30):
a learner And I took that moreas like you know a rejection I
saw that as a fault but now Isee it as like that's a blessing
you know to learn something neweveryday I think that is a
blessing But at that time I sawit as kind of like a failure
like why can't I make thisbusiness successful And that's
because it's coming off of somany years as a high performer
(08:50):
being something.
Contributing to a large companySo I think when you go into
solopreneurship you have to havethe right mindset of knowing
that there will be failures andhow are you going to push
yourself through it, Or seekingout help So when I had the
opportunity to go look foranother job I was happy to do
that And that's how I ended upbeing back into the industry
(09:13):
that I pivoted out of.
Matt (09:15):
Let's talk a little bit about your blog I love your blog
I think it's fantastic I ohhello Work-life great name Oh
hello Work-life dot com andpeople would check it out.
Now i t's got so much greatcontent for people going through
a mid-life career change and I Iparticularly love like the
practical advice that you givefor career pivots and you know
(09:37):
the tough transition periods incareer change What inspired you
Valerie to start your blog Ohhello Work Life and how did you
decide following on from thatthat you were going to be a
content writer?
Valerie (09:50):
So what sparked the blog I have to back up a little
bit So I found a job as asourcing buyer went back into a
buyer role and I thought I hadjob security I was just like
okay I'm settled, I'm good LikeI've had a very successful
career in the corporate life.
I took a lower level buying rolewhich I was totally fine with I
just wanted to put my head downand work but that job security
(10:14):
is a false security because ayear and seven months later I
was laid off due to thepandemic.
The company wasn't doing well Iwas the first one hired so I was
the first one to let be let goSo what I thought I was getting
job security, it really wasn'tRight And nothing is ever
guaranteed to us whether you'regoing to get laid off possibly
or maybe just even have a changeof heart.
(10:36):
So I just didn't want people tohave this false sense of of
security and that people shouldprepare themselves for anything
that may come to them Apandemic.
A layoff.
A change of heart So that's whatlaunched Oh Hello Work Life, as
the blog.
Matt (10:51):
And as you as you launch that I mean I can tell that
you're passionate about thissubject, career change.
Valerie (11:00):
Actually you know the blog it actually started off as
a side project because in myresume I've always had only in
store experience I've never hadwork around the e-commerce
department I was never reallyexposed to like the digital part
of the industry So but the onlythings that I saw that was out
(11:21):
there that were available for ajob Cause I I was still looking
for a job to be honest with youwhen I started the blog was
anything that was like had todeal with e-commerce or online
presence, right?
So I started the blog as a sideproject to show my future
employers Hey I can staydigitally relevant Like I know
how to launch a WordPress blogtake a look It was supposed to
(11:44):
be a case study But I alsowanted to make sure And I know
that if I was going to put timeand effort into something that I
better be passionate about thetopic so that's where I decided
to choose career pivoting asmain topic for oh Hello Work
Life And so I was never a writergrowing up I was always known to
(12:08):
be like the creative one theartistic one in the family I was
never known to be the writer.
Horrible speller! But really Iwas just really just more
curious about like learning howto be a better writer.
Learning about SEO.
And that kind of just helpedbuild my confidence as a writer
if you were to tell me like Valyou're going to be a writer in
(12:30):
you know X amount of years Iwould have been Like that's
that's not possible but it'sreally my curiosity of learning
that helped drive that through
Matt (12:40):
Obviously you are in this journey now of of like being a
content writer and getting gigsand kind of developing this
career Talk me through like howyou developed your confidence
that you could actually makethis career
Valerie (12:56):
The confidence really came with putting myself online
because you can publish a blogBut you can't expect it to be
picked up by search enginesautomatically It takes a long
time for any article that's outthere to get picked up from a
search engine Right so meanwhileyou as a writer you have to do
(13:16):
your own marketing for your workSo that meant that I had to put
away my fears of showing uponline on LinkedIn and posting
every day So when I make a postI always referenced back to a
blog article So that's what thisdocumentation on my career
journey It kind of sparked withHey I want people to read the
(13:36):
blog so that actually meant thatI need to show up on social
media to share with them whatI'm writing about.
So I had to work my way up withmy confidence but I was really
showing up every day on LinkedInand sharing my career change
journey.
That's what has helped me becomemore confident as a content
creator and also a contentwriter.
Matt (13:57):
You've been certified by HubSpot and you've kind of
followed a accreditation routein your career Let's talk about
the effect of of accreditation'sand qualifications when pivoting
and going into new careers Howdo you think that has helped you
and would you advise that forpeople that are starting a new
(14:19):
path?
Valerie (14:19):
Absolutely I would say that you should look into
whatever courses that offer acertification so that you can
show your certification onLinkedIn that is definitely has
helped me gain some credibilitybecause it will take time for
people to trust that you knowwhat you're doing whether it's a
(14:41):
company or clients.
So having accreditation willgive you that credibility on
your profile I'm very bigbeliever in starting a side
project that you can share tobuild your personal brand online
like LinkedIn or Instagram.
People are interested in whatyou're doing and what you're
learning and you should sharethat with people It will never
(15:04):
count right Like if you don'tshare what you're up to and what
you're learning it actually willnever count Right so, but you
need that credibility You needsomething other than you think
that you're going to make acareer change and someone's
going to hire you.
No your resume doesn't...
it won't have the validation Itwon't hold itself up.
(15:27):
So you have to create your ownopportunities by doing side
projects and getting certified.
Matt (15:34):
I'm kind of also interested about like
transitions because a lot ofyour blog is really around how
to manage transitions andchallenges in pivots
particularly for mid life careerprofessionals What do you think
has been some of your biggestchallenges in transition in
career transition handled those?
(15:56):
I
Valerie (15:56):
think for me my first experience is getting the
clarity.
Getting really super clear onwhat you want to pivot into next
Maybe it's because I was laidoff and unemployed, I didn't
have the time to spend a lot toto experiment to to take my time
(16:18):
to find out what I really wantedto do.
I had to really hunker down andget really super clear What did
I want to do next What is mypurpose?
Where are my gifts and talents?
So I think it's really good tohave those personality tests
They take those personalitytests I don't know if you've
ever taken like Cliftonstrengths finder via Insta
(16:40):
character institutes Those thosepersonality tests really can
help you kind of figure out whatare your natural gifts and
talents because maybe youweren't able to use it in your
previous career But now that youhave the time to say okay what
do I really want to do And whatam I really good at Maybe that
can give you that clarity thatyou need to to go into the
(17:01):
career that you could benaturally good at because you
don't have the time to likelearn so much right Like you
need to go off with yourinherent gifts and talents.
Matt (17:12):
I mean I totally recommend doing some psychometric tests to
bring awareness about like yourstrengths I did an episode with
with Terese Toohey who is who isa coach on that And we actually
talked through my psychometricreport the strength profile
report and how it's helped me inmy own kind of career journey So
(17:34):
for those listeners that areinterested in how useful that is
check out that earlier episodeWhat is around the corner for
you in your career like have youhow much have you planned and
Valerie (17:46):
Gosh.
What is unexpected?
Well I know now I really enjoycontent writing about SEO Like I
finally feel like the passionthat I had in fashion
merchandising and buying like Ifeel that again.
So that's like a knowing.
You know when you feelpassionate and you find your
(18:08):
purpose again, then you're opento whatever happens You can plan
as much as you can But now thatI'm focused on this is what I
want to do and I'm open to theopportunities that lead me to
grow into this content writingand now content marketing for
other clients I can feel it AndI know that this is going to be
(18:29):
a longer road for me I know thatit won't be a only two year blip
like how I was with theentrepreneurship because I
lacked passion Last time when Imade the first career pivot I
was just doing it logically Iwas like oh yeah I can do this
because it seems like I've donesomething like it before I could
do it again.
But this time around it's sodifferent because I'm so excited
(18:52):
about learning something newevery day in the fields SEO and
writing.
So, it's just really justfinding that passion again.
Matt (18:59):
One of the things I noticed in a recent post you did
actually Valerie was aroundactually having like multiple
jobs during transitions And Iknow you mentioned about I think
you were working in weekends asa Wedding coordinator
coordinator and you're doinglike you know content writing
And actually there's a few otherprojects that you're involved in
(19:21):
actually the reality of ofstarting a new business or being
freelance or having a new careeris you need to be all hands on
deck especially to manage thingsfinancially as well and a lot of
people struggle with that Youknow you mentioned earlier about
You know you were veryexperienced You've been in the
buying industry for what 18years You know you got to kind
(19:44):
of senior position and when youchanged your career it was like
you were starting all over againIt was same with
entrepreneurship as well How doyou deal with that Like cause a
lot for a lot of people it'slike an ego crush It's like
can't work I can't job that paidless than what I was on before
And I have so much experience inanother industry How could I
(20:07):
possibly do this Like you seemto like just take everything in.
Is that natural or was theresome kind of initial resistance
and if so how did you overcomethat?
Valerie (20:17):
I'm going to go back to being passionate about it Right
Like.
I am passionate about being acontent writer and a marketer
and whatever it takes for me tocontinue on this road I checked
that ego at the door If it meansthat I have to work on the
weekends and being a weddingcoordinator assistant, I'm fine
(20:39):
with that You know why Becausethat's a Saturday night that I
wouldn't be doing anythinganyways If it gives me the
freedom to write for my clientsthe following week I am all in
It's really about the longtermgoal not what the short sprints
are in between but it's thelong-term goal And if you're
passionate about what you wantonce again to accomplish, then,
(21:01):
you just have to just go for itand whatever it takes You of
have to be like that resourcefulscrappy 20 year old again right
Like when you first started offin your career and you were like
I really want to get into thatdream job and that that dream
company and I'll be an internI'll just wait tables and like
(21:21):
that's what you sometimes haveto do Granted I'm very blessed
and have a supportive husbandwho allows me to have this time
in my life financially tosupport us But we both, our
family lifestyle has definitelychanged And I am very grateful
that my family is supportivethat we all dial back how we are
(21:45):
spending so that I can moveforward So know that's not for
everyone's situation, but I alsothen go back to okay then try
that side hustle, try that sideproject.
Make sure that you're tryingthose things out first before
you commit to making these bigchanges financially and like
mindset wise.
Matt (22:06):
Yeah I mean I talk about this as well you know
prototyping your career tryingdifferent things out and seeing
how they feel when you're inwhen you're doing a least an
area of what you're thinking ofdoing And it manages your risk a
lot better as well playing thatway you mentioned about like you
know having this strong visionof your future of like where you
(22:30):
were going especially when timesare tough and you you know
taking on other roles that younot necessarily gonna be careers
but they're they're getting youto where you want to be How do
you set a vision like how do youknow where you want to go And
how do you regularly, I guesscheck into that like do.
For example, do you have aspecific goal in mind with
(22:51):
regards to content writing Doyou want to work for certain
organizations or own a certainamount of money or publish books
Like is your vision and how didyou create it to to to drive you
through these transitions you'vebeen going through?
Valerie (23:06):
Yeah so I do have a vision and it's all really it's
all coming from I'm not surewhere I heard it on a podcast
recently on it's Hello Mondaywith Jessi Hempel.
And she had this guest on andthey created this exercise It
was called the Ten Year Plan Andbasically you're supposed to
write down a day in the life 10years from now or even five
(23:29):
years from now.
I did 5 years from now becauseI'm mid life I don't have that
much time I want to get going Soa five five years from now would
that day look like for me Andit's so descriptive time from
the time you open your eyes tothe time you've laid your head
on the bed and it detailed everysingle thing And I think that's
part of visualization So whenyou start to write it down and
(23:54):
you can like smell the coffee orit can you can see like what
your home office looks like.
That has really helped me keepthat in line and vision every
single day like I'm not workingto get through this task today
I'm working towards thatFive-year what that day in that
life would be like five yearsfrom now So holding on to that
vision it starts withvisualization for me and and it
(24:16):
was in and it made sense for meto write it down So I know that
there is a website that you cando that exercise is a pretty
simple landing page but hashelped me is is visualization
Matt (24:28):
Yeah that was pretty interesting that you've that and
I'm a massive fan ofvisualization I'm an NLP trainer
and I trained new linguisticprogramming and my career
coaching clients we go throughvisualization exercises to
basically get ideas from yourunconscious about what it is you
(24:50):
actually really want like whatwhat would be an exciting future
And you need to take time toexplore that unconsciously I
think And it's really refreshingto hear that that you use that
to get you through transitionand it's working well for you.
What are some of the mostpractical ways to start making
(25:12):
money when you are in atransition whether it's online
or offline like from your ownexperience or maybe from people
that you know who've done careerpivots how can people start to
get into the side gig world andyou know make money so they are
able to even kind of think aboutnew careers cause with zero
(25:33):
money and and like just leavingyour job you know it's high
stress and it's probably notachievable for a lot of people
to just do that So for those whoare kind of looking for a
transition and easing out of acareer that they want to be in
what are some kind of practicalways or paths that people can
(25:54):
take to start making money?
Valerie (25:57):
So I have a definition of what a career There's a
difference between a careerpivot and a career change.
A career pivot In my mind Ivisualize it as you have one
foot steps still in your lastcareer and another foot pivoting
out So that's my first tip forsomeone who is not really ready
to make a complete career changeyou have one foot planted in
(26:20):
your old industry, be aconsultant, right?
Or write a course.
There's so much good informationthat you have built as a
mid-career professional that youcan share it with people.
Granted like you know like youwant you have your eyes that you
want to pivot out of it but itdoesn't mean that you get rid of
all of that great knowledge andwisdom that you can share with
(26:44):
someone else.
So I have been offering myservices and I have a couple of
clients that I help them throughlaunching a fashion line.
So I utilise what I learnedbefore as leverage to monetize
why I pivot to my new career asa content writer So I have a lot
of things going on but that'sthat's just the season that I'm
(27:05):
in but always making sure thatyou are leveraging whatever you
have learned from your past Andhow can you monetize that first
before thinking that you aregoing to make money.
Matt (27:15):
Yeah So that's interesting So consulting is obviously like
a a great route particularly forkind of mid-career professionals
that have built you know kind of10, 15, 20 years of experience
in a discipline Like that isvaluable knowledge and like how
can you extract that knowledgeand give that value to other
people And it's certainlypossible.
(27:36):
So consulting is one way.
I guess like courses blogginglike is there any other kind of
routes that you can extract thatand turn into some cash?
Valerie (27:47):
We live in such a great time where we have two things
going for us We have selfpublishing platforms like Udemy
or Kajabi right So all ourexpertise and our knowledge of
what we've learned in the past.
How can you narrow it down andget it simplified in a course so
that other people can learn fromit That's how people are
(28:09):
learning these days They'regoing online and they want on
demand learning.
So you can create a course andthat's what's amazing about
being this time is that you canmonetize your knowledge and then
you also have social media likeLinkedIn to promote it.
So those are the two things thatI would recommend that people
start really focusing on is howcan you monetize your knowledge,
(28:33):
and then how do you build yourpersonal brand online to share
it with people so that peoplecan sign up for your courses or
your consulting services.
Matt (28:43):
Yeah I mean there are so many opportunities and I guess
it can be quite overwhelminginitially And that's why you
know kind of checking out usefulresources on what other people
have done blog is great for thisaround how to monetize side
gigs, so please you knowencourage people to check that
out And many useful resources onthe internet as well I guess
(29:05):
some of the biggest lessons thatyou've learned in your in your
journey so far you know withvarious pivots entrepreneurship
and and you know now like acareer that you're you have a
strong vision for.
If you look back in time withhindsight the power of hindsight
would you have done anythingdifferently?
And what lessons have youlearned on this journey?
Valerie (29:30):
The biggest lessons I have learnt is that I don't need
a company to define my value orwho I am.
I have always leaned into thefact that even getting a
part-time job I wish I had youknow a company that I can lean
into I always put my value ofwhat I am professionally, attach
(29:55):
it to a company So what I'mlearning now is that I actually
can do this on my own I don'tneed validation from a company
to say oh she's really good atcontent writing We hired her
part time No it doesn't have towork like that It's by creating
helpful and valuable content outthere And then people will reach
(30:18):
out to you and say Hey I sawwhat you did how can how can I
be your client Cause I need helpwith that So that's why I think
I love content marketing somuch, just because you're giving
value You're just giving valueYou don't have to sell yourself
You're giving value and you'renot waiting for validation from
a company to say you're good atwhat you do So that's what I've
(30:40):
recently learned And I'm goingto hold onto that belief because
that I don't want to go backdown that false sense of
security that I had before whichended me up here again And I
Just want to take those blindersoff and really start believing
in myself and what I can provideAnd that's just by providing
helpful content or helpfulvaluable content out there.
Matt (31:05):
Yeah I mean one thing I really noticed about you and
your posts is you're prolific.
You, you do a lot of content youwrite a lot and you know on your
blog, on LinkedIn and and likeon social How do you get so
consistent with that?
It seems like you're passionateall the time when you're
(31:25):
writing.
Is that is that just a naturalthing or are you kind of
disciplined in how you achievethat?
Because I think that'sparticularly for people that are
you know going into freelancingor entrepreneurship getting
yourself out there can be achallenge and yeah I guess you
know it's it's partly aconfidence and self-belief thing
(31:46):
How did you rise to thatchallenge And and what advice do
you have for others who might bestruggling with getting
themselves out there online toshare, you know, their talents?
Valerie (31:59):
I just did a video couple of days ago about If you
don't see yourself representedout there and that's a really
big thing for me then be theperson inspires someone, right?
Because even on LinkedIn Ididn't really see people like me
sharing their failures and whatwas happening to them.
(32:20):
And I think over the course ofthe pandemic people started to
become more comfortable abouthearing those journeys and they
really It really touched themand I would get personal
messages, DMs all the time, Istill get them, so because I
didn't see someone out therelike myself I was like well I
don't want anyone to go throughwhat I went through So if I
(32:41):
don't see anyone else sharing soI'm I'm going to go ahead and
and do it I had really nothingto lose And so I started to
share and then I started to getfeedback from people, you know,
telling me keep going, becauseyou're sharing a story that I
can't share.
So sometimes when you're you'reputting yourself out there it's
not for you It's for the peoplewho are like watching it and
(33:05):
commenting on it or sending youthat private message.
That's what drives me to beconsistent and to show up with
my messages.
It's really for them.
I write for them too.
That's what the blog is allabout.
Matt (33:17):
You know people pick it up as you said You had companies
like HubSpot who picked up yourblog and said this is great
writing Like you're a greatwriter What was it like when you
kind of first had a recognitionof your work because when you're
doing stuff like blogging andwriting it especially in the
(33:38):
early stages.
No one, you don't get therecognition.
You might get a few initiallyfamily members but it takes a
while to to to develop first ofall that discipline but then
also to actually earn thatrecognition and and get it and
get that feedback What was itlike when you when you got that
feedback initially fromcompanies like HubSpot and how
(34:01):
did that I guess change yourmotivation or experience in
pursuing your career.
Did it did it kind of spur youon further or...
Valerie (34:10):
I was completely surprised when they reached out
to me.
The reason why I was surprisedis because I'm such a goal
oriented person a high performerIt wasn't even in my realm of
possibility that a company likeHubSpot would even read my blog
and reach out to me So that'slike the kind of unexpected
(34:32):
beauty about a career change islike when if you're just focused
on building up your excellencein your new career And you're
just focused on doing that andserving out that value, people
will start to notice You don'thave to tell people.
You just show up consistently doit, give the value, share it.
You have to share it online,right?
That's how people will noticeyou.
(34:54):
But if you don't have to have agoal like I'm going to have this
company recognize me.
That doesn't have to be in yourgoal Your goal should just be
striving for excellence in yourin your new career and then all
the opportunities kind of fallin place.
So it was a surprise but it wasa nice surprise.
Matt (35:12):
Let's talk about you know you you you mentioned were a
little bit burnout in in work inin your previous career how has
Balance and work-life balancechanged during your career
journey it like now and balancedsomething that you is important
(35:34):
to you and you want to kind ofin check now that you in more
control of your destiny of yourcareer?
Valerie (35:43):
You're right Absolutely And you're more in control of
your destiny, Before when I wasin the corporate world I was
such a high performer I feltlike I had to go at this
lightning speed to get promotedto be recognized from leadership
That was the only way, wasworking on weekends working at
night And that takes a toll butit takes a toll on you.
(36:06):
And for me I ignored any how Ifelt.
Whether that wa s mentally oreven physically I just like
pushed it down and just keptperforming Cause that's the only
way I knew how to get promotedNow, where I'm at today is I am
more in tune with my body.
(36:27):
I pick up on the signs if I'mnot if I'm feeling like my
energy is low and I can't giveany more creative writing, I
stop.
I stop and I listen to myselfand say"I'll just pick up the
work tomorrow".
And I set boundaries up formyself with my phone actually So
even though I'm creating contentonline.
Engaging online and have clientsI do create this rule that my
(36:51):
phone doesn't go into the roomwith me at night and I don't
pick up my phone until after Ifinished my morning routine of
working out and meditation.
And that's when I pick up thephone again.
I think it's really important tocreate that boundary and space
for yourself so that you canshow up in your best way and
form.
Matt (37:10):
I I very recently went on another 10 day Vipassana retreat
which is like a silentmeditation retreat where you
have no phone no internetnothing And then you're
meditating all day for ten daysAnd I really noticed like how
addicted I was to my phone yetagain before the retreat And
afterwards I'm like now I'm alot more conscious of it but
(37:32):
it's having that discipline andthat routine to meditate but
also being conscious of beingglued to your phone all the time
I mean for me it gives it givesme so much more clarity my
head's clear so I can actuallythink about make better
decisions and in business inlife And so that resonates with
(37:56):
me having that set plan toallocate for balance and and in
life and in your career I thinkis very, very helpful and I'm
glad you shared that Where canpeople find out more about you
even contact you foropportunities to work together
(38:16):
or just speak with you andconnect with you.
How can they do that?
Valerie (38:19):
LinkedIn is my jam I'm always on there That's how we
met I'm so glad that you reachedout and so you can always
contact me through messaging onLinkedIn I love voice notes on
LinkedIn It's my favorite typeSo that's a hint.
I will listen to your voicenotes and I will send one back
to you because I get so manyconnections.
(38:43):
And usually it doesn't have likea personal note or anything like
that But if you want me to replyback, writing a personal note or
leaving a voice message.
That will get my attention Idefinitely will reply back.
Another way of getting incontact with me is through
Instagram at oh hello work-lifeor through my blog which is oh
hello worklife.
Matt (39:03):
Awesome And all of those links will be in the show notes
of this episode that leads meonto my last question Valerie
which is, I see someone wholives with passion purpose and
balance I call that mixture toburn from within What do you
think is the number one thingthat's made the biggest
(39:25):
difference for you to burn fromwithin?
Valerie (39:26):
Well I would have to say this time this career change
and this drive and passion Ialways have my daughter in mind.
So when I was in the corporateworld I was just so focused on
being the breadwinner of thefamily and in such a high
achiever.
But now as my daughter she's ateenager.
I could see her becoming a youngadult and she's going to be a
(39:49):
career professional herself.
I want to make sure that I'm agood example of what it is to
have that passion purpose andbalance that you talk of.
Not driven by you know, having,wanting to get promoted and
validated from a company likebeing very fulfilled with who
you are.
Showing up with your gifts andtalents I just want to be that
(40:11):
example to her so that shedoesn't have to walk down that
road of trying to findvalidation from different places
with really it just really isyou..
Matt (40:21):
Wow That's an amazing drive And you know I don't have
kids at the moment Valerie but Iplanned kids And I think the
path that I'm on right now interms of following my passions
and and making sure that I'malways in check of how how
purposeful I spend my time andand I have a balance before the
(40:48):
life They're important to me Ithink you're like that is in the
back of my mind when I visualizemy future Having kids for
example like being the kind ofperson that I want I'd like to
inspire them to be you know notcoming home from work and maybe
earning lots of money but thatbeing miserable and unfulfilled
(41:08):
and know do I want would I wantmy kids to like that and and
have that path No And so thatexample I think is actually one
of the reasons why it drives meto do is to kind of share these
inspirational stories Valerie sothat you know more can inspire
(41:29):
their kids to to follow asimilar path So that's a
beautiful share at the endValerie it's been an absolute
pleasure What I loved about thatconversation was Valerie's
openness in sharing a strugglesand lessons learned in her
career change journey.
There's so much value in hearingsomeone's story of their career
pivots.
And how they handledtransitions.
(41:52):
So your journey doesn't have tobe as bumpy.
If you want support with yourcareer pivots or a complete
career change?
Book a free call with me on burnfrom within.com.
Forward slash call.
Well, that's burned fromwithin.com forward slash call.
Until next time.
Live with passion, purpose, andbalance.
(42:12):
And burn from within
On this week's episode, we have Valerie Mekki who used to
be a retail buyer and productdeveloper for major fashion
brands for over 18 years.
And now she's a content writerand loves it.
In this interview, Valeriefascinatingly shares her career
pivots, including becoming anentrepreneur.
(00:50):
Returning to a nine to five anda lot more.
We discuss.
The full security of jobsecurity.
How accreditation's and sideprojects can really help in your
career transitions.
The mindset to handle your egobeing crushed when working more
junior roles in a new career.
(01:10):
Practical ways to make moneyfrom your years or decades of
previous career experience.
Uh, golden mindset trick tobecome prolific in sharing what
you do on social media.
And the full show notes andvideos of other interviews are
available@burnfromwithin.comforward slash interviews.
So listen all the way through.
(01:31):
And enjoy I actually came acrossyou on LinkedIn you had some
really really interesting postsabout career change and I delved
into your posts.
I then found you had thisamazing blog called Oh Hello
Work Life, which I think is agreat name.
You don't just have one careerchange You actually have like a
series of pivots in your career.
F irst of all from a retailbuyer for major fashion retail
(01:55):
companies like Forever 21, todelving into entrepreneurship
you started an interior designerand staging company for a couple
of years.
And then you into being asourcing buyer.
So I think that's quiteinteresting.
Tell me a little bit about aboutwhat made you go into
(02:16):
entrepreneurship and actuallyleave your nine to five job and
then also later on return.
Valerie (02:24):
Yeah Well I think my love for entrepreneurship
actually really started being abuyer in the fashion industry
always loved fashion since I waslittle I knew I wanted to be in
the industry and actually Iwanted to be a designer and I
had a degree in design but Iactually ended up being on the
buying side, which really wasmore of my gifts and talents
(02:48):
where I have to be analyticaland creative at the same time
And so when you're a buyeryou're putting out a collection,
you're trying to make sure thatit sells well.
And that kind of goes along withentrepreneurship.
So being in the industry being abuyer and a product developer
for over 18 years, I kind of hadthis like itch that I've always
(03:10):
wanted to itch of being my ownentrepreneur because I was
making so much money for thesecompanies I thought to myself
like one of these days I want totry it on my own because I think
I know what it takes to run abusiness.
So that's what kind of sparkedmy interest.
And actually my beginning intoentrepreneurship, it started
(03:31):
with a layoff.
So I was in the industry forover at that point definitely
over 15 years and unfortunatelythe company that I was working
for they had some financialissues And so the first people
who are let go was going to bemiddle-management and that's
where it was.
But really to be honest with youat that point, I was already
really burnt out in that role.
(03:54):
I had already been doing productdevelopment and buying for over
15 plus years and it started todrain on me.
I wasn't the great mom that Iwas.
I knew that something had tochange And so the layoff
actually forced me to likefigure out what do I want to do
and try next.
And so I decided why don't Ijust try interior design or a
(04:15):
staging company, because I usedto merchandise the stores and I
thought it was just a verylogical step into
entrepreneurship because itwasn't too far from fashion It
still allowed me to be anentrepreneur and I was able to
be creative but wasn'tpassionate about it Matt.
Like I wasn't like into interiordesign I just thought I just had
(04:37):
the right skill sets go intobusiness but I truly believe
you're going to be a businessowner, you should be passionate
about what you're going intobusiness with.
Matt (04:46):
Tell me a little bit about some of the challenges that you
faced in in being anentrepreneur and actually the I
guess the change to having a joband and what that was like
Valerie (04:58):
You know when you're in a job in a company and you have
a full-on team with you, youdon't realize how much you are a
part of one big unity, right?
So even though you think you cando it as a business owner on
your own.
Someone's doing the marketing,right?
Someone's doing the financialpart in this company but when
you're on your own you have towear so many different hats.
(05:21):
And so, if you don't have enoughfinancial runway.
If you don't have the patienceto learn all those things and
especially if you're notpassionate about the business
that you're in, you're going toget very burnt out quickly,
because it won't be worth it tolearn all the accounting stuff,
the marketing stuff.
But I didn't have any experiencein that.
I just knew how to buy, and waspretty good with numbers and
(05:45):
margins but that doesn'ttranslate to being a successful
business owner.
Matt (05:50):
I totally relate to that I mean I left the corporate world
and you know I had theconfidence to start a couple of
businesses went into propertyinvestment and development and
e-commerce as well.
So I I delved into thisentrepreneurship world and
really I was kind of chasingmoney I thought well exactly
like you, you know.
Other companies are just makingmoney and I'm working for them.
(06:12):
Why can't I do myself.
And I realised you know I didhave some certain skills that
worked in those areas but Iwasn't passionate And and
actually that wore me down thatreally wore me down And yeah I
think particularly inentrepreneurship you need to
have that burning desire, thatpassion to pull you through the
hard times especially if you'reworking on your own.
(06:33):
You know when you haven't gotlike a boss to say"Hey, do this"
or teammates to prop you up whenare tough which inevitably there
are in in entrepreneurship.
So you went back into becoming asourcing buyer.
Talk me around the decisionbehind that
Valerie (06:49):
So at that point I already was two years into
almost two years into mybusiness as a solopreneur And I
think you, when you mentionedyou know, you're by yourself.
I was a solopreneur, I didn'task for help I didn't really
seek out for help I always feltlike oh if I'm doing this on my
own as a business owner I haveto do everything on my own which
I don't believe that to be thecase where I am at today but I
(07:14):
had to learn about that, right?
But being a solopreneur, itwas...
I missed being on a team
Matt (07:21):
totally did miss that Yeah I'm quite a social person I
think you might be as well
Valerie (07:26):
I would rather have a smaller piece of something big
than something small and all tomyself.
A hundred percent And so at thattime when my husband had this
opportunity to open up apersonal fitness gym with a
partner I said to him"Hey weboth can't be business owners
Probably one person should haveone stable job and another
(07:49):
person, you know start their ownbusiness.
And he's always been sosupportive of my career.
And finally I felt like it wasmy time to be the supportive
partner in supporting his dreamsAnd so even though I played it
off like I was sad of closing mybusiness deep down inside, I was
(08:09):
so relieved close the businessbecause at that point I was so
burnt out I didn't feel like Iknew what I was doing And that's
really hard to take in when youhave been a high performing
professional for over 18 yearsAnd then it's really humbling to
not know what you're doing forthe for two years and always be
(08:30):
a learner And I took that moreas like you know a rejection I
saw that as a fault but now Isee it as like that's a blessing
you know to learn something neweveryday I think that is a
blessing But at that time I sawit as kind of like a failure
like why can't I make thisbusiness successful And that's
because it's coming off of somany years as a high performer
(08:50):
being something.
Contributing to a large companySo I think when you go into
solopreneurship you have to havethe right mindset of knowing
that there will be failures andhow are you going to push
yourself through it, Or seekingout help So when I had the
opportunity to go look foranother job I was happy to do
that And that's how I ended upbeing back into the industry
(09:13):
that I pivoted out of.
Matt (09:15):
Let's talk a little bit about your blog I love your blog
I think it's fantastic I ohhello Work-life great name Oh
hello Work-life dot com andpeople would check it out.
Now i t's got so much greatcontent for people going through
a mid-life career change and I Iparticularly love like the
practical advice that you givefor career pivots and you know
(09:37):
the tough transition periods incareer change What inspired you
Valerie to start your blog Ohhello Work Life and how did you
decide following on from thatthat you were going to be a
content writer?
Valerie (09:50):
So what sparked the blog I have to back up a little
bit So I found a job as asourcing buyer went back into a
buyer role and I thought I hadjob security I was just like
okay I'm settled, I'm good LikeI've had a very successful
career in the corporate life.
I took a lower level buying rolewhich I was totally fine with I
just wanted to put my head downand work but that job security
(10:14):
is a false security because ayear and seven months later I
was laid off due to thepandemic.
The company wasn't doing well Iwas the first one hired so I was
the first one to let be let goSo what I thought I was getting
job security, it really wasn'tRight And nothing is ever
guaranteed to us whether you'regoing to get laid off possibly
or maybe just even have a changeof heart.
(10:36):
So I just didn't want people tohave this false sense of of
security and that people shouldprepare themselves for anything
that may come to them Apandemic.
A layoff.
A change of heart So that's whatlaunched Oh Hello Work Life, as
the blog.
Matt (10:51):
And as you as you launch that I mean I can tell that
you're passionate about thissubject, career change.
Valerie (11:00):
Actually you know the blog it actually started off as
a side project because in myresume I've always had only in
store experience I've never hadwork around the e-commerce
department I was never reallyexposed to like the digital part
of the industry So but the onlythings that I saw that was out
(11:21):
there that were available for ajob Cause I I was still looking
for a job to be honest with youwhen I started the blog was
anything that was like had todeal with e-commerce or online
presence, right?
So I started the blog as a sideproject to show my future
employers Hey I can staydigitally relevant Like I know
how to launch a WordPress blogtake a look It was supposed to
(11:44):
be a case study But I alsowanted to make sure And I know
that if I was going to put timeand effort into something that I
better be passionate about thetopic so that's where I decided
to choose career pivoting asmain topic for oh Hello Work
Life And so I was never a writergrowing up I was always known to
(12:08):
be like the creative one theartistic one in the family I was
never known to be the writer.
Horrible speller! But really Iwas just really just more
curious about like learning howto be a better writer.
Learning about SEO.
And that kind of just helpedbuild my confidence as a writer
if you were to tell me like Valyou're going to be a writer in
(12:30):
you know X amount of years Iwould have been Like that's
that's not possible but it'sreally my curiosity of learning
that helped drive that through
Matt (12:40):
Obviously you are in this journey now of of like being a
content writer and getting gigsand kind of developing this
career Talk me through like howyou developed your confidence
that you could actually makethis career
Valerie (12:56):
The confidence really came with putting myself online
because you can publish a blogBut you can't expect it to be
picked up by search enginesautomatically It takes a long
time for any article that's outthere to get picked up from a
search engine Right so meanwhileyou as a writer you have to do
(13:16):
your own marketing for your workSo that meant that I had to put
away my fears of showing uponline on LinkedIn and posting
every day So when I make a postI always referenced back to a
blog article So that's what thisdocumentation on my career
journey It kind of sparked withHey I want people to read the
(13:36):
blog so that actually meant thatI need to show up on social
media to share with them whatI'm writing about.
So I had to work my way up withmy confidence but I was really
showing up every day on LinkedInand sharing my career change
journey.
That's what has helped me becomemore confident as a content
creator and also a contentwriter.
Matt (13:57):
You've been certified by HubSpot and you've kind of
followed a accreditation routein your career Let's talk about
the effect of of accreditation'sand qualifications when pivoting
and going into new careers Howdo you think that has helped you
and would you advise that forpeople that are starting a new
(14:19):
path?
Valerie (14:19):
Absolutely I would say that you should look into
whatever courses that offer acertification so that you can
show your certification onLinkedIn that is definitely has
helped me gain some credibilitybecause it will take time for
people to trust that you knowwhat you're doing whether it's a
(14:41):
company or clients.
So having accreditation willgive you that credibility on
your profile I'm very bigbeliever in starting a side
project that you can share tobuild your personal brand online
like LinkedIn or Instagram.
People are interested in whatyou're doing and what you're
learning and you should sharethat with people It will never
(15:04):
count right Like if you don'tshare what you're up to and what
you're learning it actually willnever count Right so, but you
need that credibility You needsomething other than you think
that you're going to make acareer change and someone's
going to hire you.
No your resume doesn't...
it won't have the validation Itwon't hold itself up.
(15:27):
So you have to create your ownopportunities by doing side
projects and getting certified.
Matt (15:34):
I'm kind of also interested about like
transitions because a lot ofyour blog is really around how
to manage transitions andchallenges in pivots
particularly for mid life careerprofessionals What do you think
has been some of your biggestchallenges in transition in
career transition handled those?
(15:56):
I
Valerie (15:56):
think for me my first experience is getting the
clarity.
Getting really super clear onwhat you want to pivot into next
Maybe it's because I was laidoff and unemployed, I didn't
have the time to spend a lot toto experiment to to take my time
(16:18):
to find out what I really wantedto do.
I had to really hunker down andget really super clear What did
I want to do next What is mypurpose?
Where are my gifts and talents?
So I think it's really good tohave those personality tests
They take those personalitytests I don't know if you've
ever taken like Cliftonstrengths finder via Insta
(16:40):
character institutes Those thosepersonality tests really can
help you kind of figure out whatare your natural gifts and
talents because maybe youweren't able to use it in your
previous career But now that youhave the time to say okay what
do I really want to do And whatam I really good at Maybe that
can give you that clarity thatyou need to to go into the
(17:01):
career that you could benaturally good at because you
don't have the time to likelearn so much right Like you
need to go off with yourinherent gifts and talents.
Matt (17:12):
I mean I totally recommend doing some psychometric tests to
bring awareness about like yourstrengths I did an episode with
with Terese Toohey who is who isa coach on that And we actually
talked through my psychometricreport the strength profile
report and how it's helped me inmy own kind of career journey So
(17:34):
for those listeners that areinterested in how useful that is
check out that earlier episodeWhat is around the corner for
you in your career like have youhow much have you planned and
Valerie (17:46):
Gosh.
What is unexpected?
Well I know now I really enjoycontent writing about SEO Like I
finally feel like the passionthat I had in fashion
merchandising and buying like Ifeel that again.
So that's like a knowing.
You know when you feelpassionate and you find your
(18:08):
purpose again, then you're opento whatever happens You can plan
as much as you can But now thatI'm focused on this is what I
want to do and I'm open to theopportunities that lead me to
grow into this content writingand now content marketing for
other clients I can feel it AndI know that this is going to be
(18:29):
a longer road for me I know thatit won't be a only two year blip
like how I was with theentrepreneurship because I
lacked passion Last time when Imade the first career pivot I
was just doing it logically Iwas like oh yeah I can do this
because it seems like I've donesomething like it before I could
do it again.
But this time around it's sodifferent because I'm so excited
(18:52):
about learning something newevery day in the fields SEO and
writing.
So, it's just really justfinding that passion again.
Matt (18:59):
One of the things I noticed in a recent post you did
actually Valerie was aroundactually having like multiple
jobs during transitions And Iknow you mentioned about I think
you were working in weekends asa Wedding coordinator
coordinator and you're doinglike you know content writing
And actually there's a few otherprojects that you're involved in
(19:21):
actually the reality of ofstarting a new business or being
freelance or having a new careeris you need to be all hands on
deck especially to manage thingsfinancially as well and a lot of
people struggle with that Youknow you mentioned earlier about
You know you were veryexperienced You've been in the
buying industry for what 18years You know you got to kind
(19:44):
of senior position and when youchanged your career it was like
you were starting all over againIt was same with
entrepreneurship as well How doyou deal with that Like cause a
lot for a lot of people it'slike an ego crush It's like
can't work I can't job that paidless than what I was on before
And I have so much experience inanother industry How could I
(20:07):
possibly do this Like you seemto like just take everything in.
Is that natural or was theresome kind of initial resistance
and if so how did you overcomethat?
Valerie (20:17):
I'm going to go back to being passionate about it Right
Like.
I am passionate about being acontent writer and a marketer
and whatever it takes for me tocontinue on this road I checked
that ego at the door If it meansthat I have to work on the
weekends and being a weddingcoordinator assistant, I'm fine
(20:39):
with that You know why Becausethat's a Saturday night that I
wouldn't be doing anythinganyways If it gives me the
freedom to write for my clientsthe following week I am all in
It's really about the longtermgoal not what the short sprints
are in between but it's thelong-term goal And if you're
passionate about what you wantonce again to accomplish, then,
(21:01):
you just have to just go for itand whatever it takes You of
have to be like that resourcefulscrappy 20 year old again right
Like when you first started offin your career and you were like
I really want to get into thatdream job and that that dream
company and I'll be an internI'll just wait tables and like
(21:21):
that's what you sometimes haveto do Granted I'm very blessed
and have a supportive husbandwho allows me to have this time
in my life financially tosupport us But we both, our
family lifestyle has definitelychanged And I am very grateful
that my family is supportivethat we all dial back how we are
(21:45):
spending so that I can moveforward So know that's not for
everyone's situation, but I alsothen go back to okay then try
that side hustle, try that sideproject.
Make sure that you're tryingthose things out first before
you commit to making these bigchanges financially and like
mindset wise.
Matt (22:06):
Yeah I mean I talk about this as well you know
prototyping your career tryingdifferent things out and seeing
how they feel when you're inwhen you're doing a least an
area of what you're thinking ofdoing And it manages your risk a
lot better as well playing thatway you mentioned about like you
know having this strong visionof your future of like where you
(22:30):
were going especially when timesare tough and you you know
taking on other roles that younot necessarily gonna be careers
but they're they're getting youto where you want to be How do
you set a vision like how do youknow where you want to go And
how do you regularly, I guesscheck into that like do.
For example, do you have aspecific goal in mind with
(22:51):
regards to content writing Doyou want to work for certain
organizations or own a certainamount of money or publish books
Like is your vision and how didyou create it to to to drive you
through these transitions you'vebeen going through?
Valerie (23:06):
Yeah so I do have a vision and it's all really it's
all coming from I'm not surewhere I heard it on a podcast
recently on it's Hello Mondaywith Jessi Hempel.
And she had this guest on andthey created this exercise It
was called the Ten Year Plan Andbasically you're supposed to
write down a day in the life 10years from now or even five
(23:29):
years from now.
I did 5 years from now becauseI'm mid life I don't have that
much time I want to get going Soa five five years from now would
that day look like for me Andit's so descriptive time from
the time you open your eyes tothe time you've laid your head
on the bed and it detailed everysingle thing And I think that's
part of visualization So whenyou start to write it down and
(23:54):
you can like smell the coffee orit can you can see like what
your home office looks like.
That has really helped me keepthat in line and vision every
single day like I'm not workingto get through this task today
I'm working towards thatFive-year what that day in that
life would be like five yearsfrom now So holding on to that
vision it starts withvisualization for me and and it
(24:16):
was in and it made sense for meto write it down So I know that
there is a website that you cando that exercise is a pretty
simple landing page but hashelped me is is visualization
Matt (24:28):
Yeah that was pretty interesting that you've that and
I'm a massive fan ofvisualization I'm an NLP trainer
and I trained new linguisticprogramming and my career
coaching clients we go throughvisualization exercises to
basically get ideas from yourunconscious about what it is you
(24:50):
actually really want like whatwhat would be an exciting future
And you need to take time toexplore that unconsciously I
think And it's really refreshingto hear that that you use that
to get you through transitionand it's working well for you.
What are some of the mostpractical ways to start making
(25:12):
money when you are in atransition whether it's online
or offline like from your ownexperience or maybe from people
that you know who've done careerpivots how can people start to
get into the side gig world andyou know make money so they are
able to even kind of think aboutnew careers cause with zero
(25:33):
money and and like just leavingyour job you know it's high
stress and it's probably notachievable for a lot of people
to just do that So for those whoare kind of looking for a
transition and easing out of acareer that they want to be in
what are some kind of practicalways or paths that people can
(25:54):
take to start making money?
Valerie (25:57):
So I have a definition of what a career There's a
difference between a careerpivot and a career change.
A career pivot In my mind Ivisualize it as you have one
foot steps still in your lastcareer and another foot pivoting
out So that's my first tip forsomeone who is not really ready
to make a complete career changeyou have one foot planted in
(26:20):
your old industry, be aconsultant, right?
Or write a course.
There's so much good informationthat you have built as a
mid-career professional that youcan share it with people.
Granted like you know like youwant you have your eyes that you
want to pivot out of it but itdoesn't mean that you get rid of
all of that great knowledge andwisdom that you can share with
(26:44):
someone else.
So I have been offering myservices and I have a couple of
clients that I help them throughlaunching a fashion line.
So I utilise what I learnedbefore as leverage to monetize
why I pivot to my new career asa content writer So I have a lot
of things going on but that'sthat's just the season that I'm
(27:05):
in but always making sure thatyou are leveraging whatever you
have learned from your past Andhow can you monetize that first
before thinking that you aregoing to make money.
Matt (27:15):
Yeah So that's interesting So consulting is obviously like
a a great route particularly forkind of mid-career professionals
that have built you know kind of10, 15, 20 years of experience
in a discipline Like that isvaluable knowledge and like how
can you extract that knowledgeand give that value to other
people And it's certainlypossible.
(27:36):
So consulting is one way.
I guess like courses blogginglike is there any other kind of
routes that you can extract thatand turn into some cash?
Valerie (27:47):
We live in such a great time where we have two things
going for us We have selfpublishing platforms like Udemy
or Kajabi right So all ourexpertise and our knowledge of
what we've learned in the past.
How can you narrow it down andget it simplified in a course so
that other people can learn fromit That's how people are
(28:09):
learning these days They'regoing online and they want on
demand learning.
So you can create a course andthat's what's amazing about
being this time is that you canmonetize your knowledge and then
you also have social media likeLinkedIn to promote it.
So those are the two things thatI would recommend that people
start really focusing on is howcan you monetize your knowledge,
(28:33):
and then how do you build yourpersonal brand online to share
it with people so that peoplecan sign up for your courses or
your consulting services.
Matt (28:43):
Yeah I mean there are so many opportunities and I guess
it can be quite overwhelminginitially And that's why you
know kind of checking out usefulresources on what other people
have done blog is great for thisaround how to monetize side
gigs, so please you knowencourage people to check that
out And many useful resources onthe internet as well I guess
(29:05):
some of the biggest lessons thatyou've learned in your in your
journey so far you know withvarious pivots entrepreneurship
and and you know now like acareer that you're you have a
strong vision for.
If you look back in time withhindsight the power of hindsight
would you have done anythingdifferently?
And what lessons have youlearned on this journey?
Valerie (29:30):
The biggest lessons I have learnt is that I don't need
a company to define my value orwho I am.
I have always leaned into thefact that even getting a
part-time job I wish I had youknow a company that I can lean
into I always put my value ofwhat I am professionally, attach
(29:55):
it to a company So what I'mlearning now is that I actually
can do this on my own I don'tneed validation from a company
to say oh she's really good atcontent writing We hired her
part time No it doesn't have towork like that It's by creating
helpful and valuable content outthere And then people will reach
(30:18):
out to you and say Hey I sawwhat you did how can how can I
be your client Cause I need helpwith that So that's why I think
I love content marketing somuch, just because you're giving
value You're just giving valueYou don't have to sell yourself
You're giving value and you'renot waiting for validation from
a company to say you're good atwhat you do So that's what I've
(30:40):
recently learned And I'm goingto hold onto that belief because
that I don't want to go backdown that false sense of
security that I had before whichended me up here again And I
Just want to take those blindersoff and really start believing
in myself and what I can provideAnd that's just by providing
helpful content or helpfulvaluable content out there.
Matt (31:05):
Yeah I mean one thing I really noticed about you and
your posts is you're prolific.
You, you do a lot of content youwrite a lot and you know on your
blog, on LinkedIn and and likeon social How do you get so
consistent with that?
It seems like you're passionateall the time when you're
(31:25):
writing.
Is that is that just a naturalthing or are you kind of
disciplined in how you achievethat?
Because I think that'sparticularly for people that are
you know going into freelancingor entrepreneurship getting
yourself out there can be achallenge and yeah I guess you
know it's it's partly aconfidence and self-belief thing
(31:46):
How did you rise to thatchallenge And and what advice do
you have for others who might bestruggling with getting
themselves out there online toshare, you know, their talents?
Valerie (31:59):
I just did a video couple of days ago about If you
don't see yourself representedout there and that's a really
big thing for me then be theperson inspires someone, right?
Because even on LinkedIn Ididn't really see people like me
sharing their failures and whatwas happening to them.
(32:20):
And I think over the course ofthe pandemic people started to
become more comfortable abouthearing those journeys and they
really It really touched themand I would get personal
messages, DMs all the time, Istill get them, so because I
didn't see someone out therelike myself I was like well I
don't want anyone to go throughwhat I went through So if I
(32:41):
don't see anyone else sharing soI'm I'm going to go ahead and
and do it I had really nothingto lose And so I started to
share and then I started to getfeedback from people, you know,
telling me keep going, becauseyou're sharing a story that I
can't share.
So sometimes when you're you'reputting yourself out there it's
not for you It's for the peoplewho are like watching it and
(33:05):
commenting on it or sending youthat private message.
That's what drives me to beconsistent and to show up with
my messages.
It's really for them.
I write for them too.
That's what the blog is allabout.
Matt (33:17):
You know people pick it up as you said You had companies
like HubSpot who picked up yourblog and said this is great
writing Like you're a greatwriter What was it like when you
kind of first had a recognitionof your work because when you're
doing stuff like blogging andwriting it especially in the
(33:38):
early stages.
No one, you don't get therecognition.
You might get a few initiallyfamily members but it takes a
while to to to develop first ofall that discipline but then
also to actually earn thatrecognition and and get it and
get that feedback What was itlike when you when you got that
feedback initially fromcompanies like HubSpot and how
(34:01):
did that I guess change yourmotivation or experience in
pursuing your career.
Did it did it kind of spur youon further or...
Valerie (34:10):
I was completely surprised when they reached out
to me.
The reason why I was surprisedis because I'm such a goal
oriented person a high performerIt wasn't even in my realm of
possibility that a company likeHubSpot would even read my blog
and reach out to me So that'slike the kind of unexpected
(34:32):
beauty about a career change islike when if you're just focused
on building up your excellencein your new career And you're
just focused on doing that andserving out that value, people
will start to notice You don'thave to tell people.
You just show up consistently doit, give the value, share it.
You have to share it online,right?
That's how people will noticeyou.
(34:54):
But if you don't have to have agoal like I'm going to have this
company recognize me.
That doesn't have to be in yourgoal Your goal should just be
striving for excellence in yourin your new career and then all
the opportunities kind of fallin place.
So it was a surprise but it wasa nice surprise.
Matt (35:12):
Let's talk about you know you you you mentioned were a
little bit burnout in in work inin your previous career how has
Balance and work-life balancechanged during your career
journey it like now and balancedsomething that you is important
(35:34):
to you and you want to kind ofin check now that you in more
control of your destiny of yourcareer?
Valerie (35:43):
You're right Absolutely And you're more in control of
your destiny, Before when I wasin the corporate world I was
such a high performer I feltlike I had to go at this
lightning speed to get promotedto be recognized from leadership
That was the only way, wasworking on weekends working at
night And that takes a toll butit takes a toll on you.
(36:06):
And for me I ignored any how Ifelt.
Whether that wa s mentally oreven physically I just like
pushed it down and just keptperforming Cause that's the only
way I knew how to get promotedNow, where I'm at today is I am
more in tune with my body.
(36:27):
I pick up on the signs if I'mnot if I'm feeling like my
energy is low and I can't giveany more creative writing, I
stop.
I stop and I listen to myselfand say"I'll just pick up the
work tomorrow".
And I set boundaries up formyself with my phone actually So
even though I'm creating contentonline.
Engaging online and have clientsI do create this rule that my
(36:51):
phone doesn't go into the roomwith me at night and I don't
pick up my phone until after Ifinished my morning routine of
working out and meditation.
And that's when I pick up thephone again.
I think it's really important tocreate that boundary and space
for yourself so that you canshow up in your best way and
form.
Matt (37:10):
I I very recently went on another 10 day Vipassana retreat
which is like a silentmeditation retreat where you
have no phone no internetnothing And then you're
meditating all day for ten daysAnd I really noticed like how
addicted I was to my phone yetagain before the retreat And
afterwards I'm like now I'm alot more conscious of it but
(37:32):
it's having that discipline andthat routine to meditate but
also being conscious of beingglued to your phone all the time
I mean for me it gives it givesme so much more clarity my
head's clear so I can actuallythink about make better
decisions and in business inlife And so that resonates with
(37:56):
me having that set plan toallocate for balance and and in
life and in your career I thinkis very, very helpful and I'm
glad you shared that Where canpeople find out more about you
even contact you foropportunities to work together
(38:16):
or just speak with you andconnect with you.
How can they do that?
Valerie (38:19):
LinkedIn is my jam I'm always on there That's how we
met I'm so glad that you reachedout and so you can always
contact me through messaging onLinkedIn I love voice notes on
LinkedIn It's my favorite typeSo that's a hint.
I will listen to your voicenotes and I will send one back
to you because I get so manyconnections.
(38:43):
And usually it doesn't have likea personal note or anything like
that But if you want me to replyback, writing a personal note or
leaving a voice message.
That will get my attention Idefinitely will reply back.
Another way of getting incontact with me is through
Instagram at oh hello work-lifeor through my blog which is oh
hello worklife.
Matt (39:03):
Awesome And all of those links will be in the show notes
of this episode that leads meonto my last question Valerie
which is, I see someone wholives with passion purpose and
balance I call that mixture toburn from within What do you
think is the number one thingthat's made the biggest
(39:25):
difference for you to burn fromwithin?
Valerie (39:26):
Well I would have to say this time this career change
and this drive and passion Ialways have my daughter in mind.
So when I was in the corporateworld I was just so focused on
being the breadwinner of thefamily and in such a high
achiever.
But now as my daughter she's ateenager.
I could see her becoming a youngadult and she's going to be a
(39:49):
career professional herself.
I want to make sure that I'm agood example of what it is to
have that passion purpose andbalance that you talk of.
Not driven by you know, having,wanting to get promoted and
validated from a company likebeing very fulfilled with who
you are.
Showing up with your gifts andtalents I just want to be that
(40:11):
example to her so that shedoesn't have to walk down that
road of trying to findvalidation from different places
with really it just really isyou..
Matt (40:21):
Wow That's an amazing drive And you know I don't have
kids at the moment Valerie but Iplanned kids And I think the
path that I'm on right now interms of following my passions
and and making sure that I'malways in check of how how
purposeful I spend my time andand I have a balance before the
(40:48):
life They're important to me Ithink you're like that is in the
back of my mind when I visualizemy future Having kids for
example like being the kind ofperson that I want I'd like to
inspire them to be you know notcoming home from work and maybe
earning lots of money but thatbeing miserable and unfulfilled
(41:08):
and know do I want would I wantmy kids to like that and and
have that path No And so thatexample I think is actually one
of the reasons why it drives meto do is to kind of share these
inspirational stories Valerie sothat you know more can inspire
(41:29):
their kids to to follow asimilar path So that's a
beautiful share at the endValerie it's been an absolute
pleasure What I loved about thatconversation was Valerie's
openness in sharing a strugglesand lessons learned in her
career change journey.
There's so much value in hearingsomeone's story of their career
pivots.
And how they handledtransitions.
(41:52):
So your journey doesn't have tobe as bumpy.
If you want support with yourcareer pivots or a complete
career change?
Book a free call with me on burnfrom within.com.
Forward slash call.
Well, that's burned fromwithin.com forward slash call.
Until next time.
Live with passion, purpose, andbalance.
(42:12):
And burn from within
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