Courage to Quit Podcast

Today my guest is Chris Spurvey. He is based in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, and a graduate of Memorial University, where I also went to school. We connected through a piece of content I posted online about maybe six months or a year ago. He has been helping me build my coaching business and a series of other things. He had many pivots and done many reinventions throughout his career: from a marketing desk job out into the world of sales. He joined a consulting company and later on built his independent consulting business. He is also the author of the best-selling business book, It’s Time to Sell: Cultivating the Sales Mind-Set. Topics covered: 01:45 Chris’s reasons for his career pivots 04:20 Chris’s career transition story 07:35 Expose yourself to new things 13:25 Outgrow your current environment 18:25 Use intuition when making career-changing decisions 23:57 See “failure” as an opportunity to learn 28:28 How Chris moved from working in a consulting company to building his independent consulting business 32:28 Turning negativity into creativity 34:46 Chris’s career-switching advice: Make the best and highest use of yourself 38:21 Coaching and mentoring are worth your investment

In this episode, I chat with Yusshy Mendoza, a mechanical engineer who has recently gone through a career pivot from ExxonMobil to the consulting world with Accenture. He had been in the oil and gas industry for 12 years - in ExxonMobil for 10 - and had a chance to do a lot of different roles before moving to management consulting. Topics covered: 01:10 Yusshy’s career transition story 06:05 Changing careers takes courage 08:35 How Yusshy navigated his career pivot 13:13 Talk to your spouse (or family) about your decision 18:13 Build a network even before quitting your job 23:23 Getting a job through referrals 27:40 Networking is important for career success 33:25 Yusshy’s career-switching advice: Just trust yourself and do it.

My guest for this episode is Laura Cashin, a good friend of mine from St. John's, Newfoundland, and also my coaching client who has recently gone through a pivot from working in an aerospace company into building her consultancy. She initially started her career in tech, then moved to the advertising industry, and most recently in aerospace. She has been in traditional Human Resource and progressive leadership roles in the HR operations side of businesses. Eventually, she decided to be a solopreneur and started her HR consultancy called Blueprint Human Resources. Topics covered: 01:14 Laura’s career transition story 02:42 COVID-19 and burnout 05:13 The importance of self-reflection 13:14 Be true to what you want 18:44 Life after quitting (and before starting a new venture) 23:31 If you need help, just ask 29:10 Lean on other professionals - you don’t have to do everything on your own 37:47 Laura’s career-switching advice: Talk about it and put effort into it Connect with Laura on LinkedIn, Website https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-cashin-b222b438/ https://blueprinthr.ca Email Laura at laura@blueprinthr.ca

Today on the podcast, I speak with a fellow Canadian engineer Ellie Albadvi who studied chemical engineering and worked as a process engineer after graduation. Then, she wanted to be more involved in the overall vision and how it connects to the financials, so she pivoted into business development in engineering. However, she realized that the engineering company was not for her, so she made a big pivot by moving to management consulting. After two and a half years, she decided to pivot into tech, specifically business operations, because it was very close to the kind of work that she would do in management consulting. And in the whole interim, she has been trying to start something on the side for herself because of all the pivots she went through. She wants to help other people get through their career pivots as well. Topics covered: 01:06 Ellie’s story about her career pivots 05:05 People are much more helpful than we think 11:03 How Ellie networked and built connections 13:57 Career pivot challenges 16:10 Be patient when you’re in between jobs 20:30 The best investment you can make is having a career coach 24:08 Curiosity leads to opportunities 33:52 Don’t be afraid to bring your skills into your new job 35:33 How to effectively communicate your life story and the value that you can bring to the company through Storytelling 40:12 Keep a career log of every little win or learning 43:26 Money, impact, and self-expression 50:40 Vulnerability is not a weakness 57:33 How to be more visible on LinkedIn 1:00:35 Ellie’s career-switching advice: Think about how your career pivot is going to impact your life Links and Resources: Connect with Ellie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliealbadvi/ Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans (book): https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Your-Life-Well-Lived-Joyful/dp/1101875321 The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (book) https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Way-25th-Anniversary/dp/0143129252

Intro Today my guest is Brandon Quinn, a program manager at Amazon who went through multiple pivots. He was a civil engineer by background but only stayed in this field for the first couple of years as he wanted to get more into a business-focused role. His first pivot happened only a year and a half after graduation when he started at ExxonMobil's Global Projects Company. He had a couple of roles at ExxonMobil that gave him the engineering and project management introduction. Then, he went back to Washington, DC and took another pivot as a consultant for the Deloitte Advisory Group. After that, he took a big pivot when he moved to Amazon and is currently working in program management for talent acquisition. He is now out of the engineering space but still uses the skills learned from his previous roles. Topics covered: 4:00 Brandon’s reason for his career pivot: To have more control over his work 9:03 Networking by having conversations about shared backgrounds 13:01 Random resume drops might not work 15:47 Brandon's strategy to a successful job application 18:55 Focus on the roles that you are most qualified for and are aligned with your interest 25:20 How Brandon used his engineering background to do talent acquisition 27:55 How Brandon communicated his cross functional skills during interviews 31:13 How Brandon prepared for an interview - using the STAR method, not preparing scripts, and doing mock interviews 39:30 Make a strategic career plan and see if it works or not 43:33 Brandon's career-switching advice: Pick what you value most and do not be afraid to do that

Resources: Book a call: https://calendly.com/gregfsmyth/new-connections-2 Courage to Quit Blueprint: https://blueprint.gregfsmyth.com/free Profiles: Susan's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-susan-e-murray-72858312/ Greg's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/gregoryfsmyth Episode Summary In this episode, I chat with Susan Murray who has made a big career transition from working in the educational system to building an independent consulting firm. She went from being a teacher to a principal, district personnel, and senior education leader over her 25 years in Education. The big pivot happened to her in 2012 when she did not get a job but used that as a learning point to set herself on a different path - moving to business and leadership. Topics covered: 01:27 Susan’s career transition story 04:05 Susan's catalyzing moment - moving away from the education system 09:11 How Susan managed the vulnerable stages alone 15:58 Being a professor, consultant, coach, and strategic advisor 18:27 Making a difference in people’s lives through leadership 21:50 Consulting is more than just giving advice 26:45 How to find your WHY - your reason/s behind wanting a career-change 28:30 How to build trust with new colleagues 39:01 Susan’s career-switching advice: Start with a good strategic plan. 44:38 Be ready to put up with microaggressions Embrace uncertainty and take bold steps when making big changes The vulnerabilities and the willingness to step away from comfort, how often have we seen that? Step out of your comfort zone. [Take] bold steps. Leaning in. Until you jump off that ledge and realize that you are not alone - but you are - there will be a lot of fear, uncertainty, empty hotel rooms, and alone time that you have to learn to figure out and use wisely. So in that depth of alone-ness, of solo time, is when you figure yourself out. Understand WHY you want a career change Until you can truly own it and address the whys of the change or the pivots that you are looking at, get beyond “not getting the job”. Get beyond more money or less money, or step away from the need to travel, to be, or do different things. There is a deeper why. There is a sense of freedom and ownership of something for you or for whoever it is, that is deeper than just the fact that you did not get a job. Start with a good strategic plan when changing careers Do it. Go for it. [Take] bold steps. Plan for them. Nothing happens without a plan. We have lots of dreams. We have lots of things that we see ourselves doing. But unless we have a good strategic plan behind us, that vision will never become a reality. Learning is key, but trying is key too. Have your ducks in a row. If you are leaving Education after 20 years, there are some considerations you need to make… What does your pension look like? What does financial stability look like? What risks are you willing to take professionally, financially, and even personally, within your own family? Can they handle you being away for months at a time? …those sorts of things that require a notebook, that require you to sit down and write them down right so that you are able to make wise moves.

Links: Andrew's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewgoodridgenl Greg's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/gregoryfsmyth Courage to Quit Blueprint: https://blueprint.gregfsmyth.com/free Book a call: https://calendly.com/gregfsmyth/new-connections-2 Intro: Andrew Goodridge, a mechanical engineer from my hometown in St. John’s, shares his career transition story from being a Project Manager with TechnipFMC, a global oil and gas company, to a Product Manager with Mysa, a smart thermostat company. He was one of the early participants in my Career Pivot Program, which helped him land a position just a few weeks after finishing the course. Topics covered: 01:10 Andrew’s main reason for making a career change 06:34 Networking might be easier than you think 11:40 Pre-interview challenges 13:14 How Andrew prepared for an interview 17:30 How Andrew showcased his experiences on his resume 21:47 How Andrew navigated his first 3 months at the new job - getting to know his colleagues, setting up one-on-ones, and making use of his past experiences 26:06 Andrew’s career-switching advice 29:20 If you’re mentally prepared for a career shift, then just commit to it. How Andrew showcased his expertise on his resume: I weeded out all the fluff in my resume and really focused on projects that I could showcase and had an impact on, whether it was financial, or just the sheer volume of responsibility. Once I did that, I could tell that my resume really highlighted my skills. How Andrew navigated his first 3 months at the new job: The first month was pretty overwhelming, not from a sense of pressure from the company or any names, but it was much like taking your time and getting up to speed. You need to start slowly so then you can run later. But regardless of that, it was still pretty overwhelming. It was a new industry. New role. New language. New people. I wanted to meet as many people as I could to get past that awkward stage. So for the first month, I'd probably set up two to three one-on-ones with anyone in the company that was willing to chat with me. After that, I finally started to get to know people. One of the common messages I got from the team, which was encouraging, was to take my past experiences and use them there. Do not get discouraged easily: I had probably three or four interviews earlier that year. It is pretty easy to go to it and think you did well and then get the old email saying, “Hey, you were not successful." It is very easy to get discouraged after that, but there will be more job opportunities, and you will probably learn something every time you go into an interview. You get a little bit better, well-practiced at it, probably know what not to say and what to focus on next time.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/gregoryfsmyth Courage to Quit Blueprint: https://blueprint.gregfsmyth.com/free Book a call: https://calendly.com/gregfsmyth/new-connections-2 Topics covered 👇 - Are you running away from something or towards something? - The compensation dip & how long it took to recover - How he landed his first Product Manager role - The importance of focus during the job hunt - Ways to mitigate the career pivot penalty - The importance & difficulty of reflection - How pride/ego plays a role in a piv

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/gregoryfsmyth Courage to Quit Blueprint: https://blueprint.gregfsmyth.com/free Book a call: https://calendly.com/gregfsmyth/new-connections-2 Show notes: Adrian Leung, MBA, P.Eng shares his career pivot story from Reservoir Engineer to Product Manager. Topics covered: What motivated him to make a career pivot How he determined career satisfaction A surprising response to "what was easier then you expected?" What was the hardest part of his pivot How this pivot has change his perspective Who helped Adrian make his pivot What would he do different, if he has his time back

Landon Fisher is a mechanical engineer that made a big career transition from working for an Icelandic fish process company to managing new technology introductions at Tesla. He tells his story during this episode of Courage to Quit. Topics covered: - How he learned about New Product Introduction - His biggest challenge of getting up to speed - Making the case for the hiring manager - Putting his experience into context - His motivation for the pivot - Handling the first 90 days

My wife (Amanda Baker) and I discuss the reflection stage of our career transition. This included 2 primary exercises (Defining our values & signing a contract to each other)

Julie Brown shares her career pivot story to drive the energy transition (Part 1) Topics covered - First actions she took in her pivot - What she would do differently - Learning the difference between project vs. program management - Oversimplifying your experience - How to use LinkedIn Job alerts - Why she persused clean tech vs. software

Andrew shares his career pivot story from Subsea robotics to Rocket Lab Outline: How Andrew started his career and context and moving to New Zealand His concerns about being too specialized How he translated his experience from robotics to rockets How Andrew build a competency matrix to communicate his skills Reviewing Linkedin profiles of current employees and their background What helped him close his job offer How Andrew's first pivot informed his second What he regrets about his first pivot What gave him the confidence to turn down a good job offer

This Q&A covers Dima El Machnouk pivot from the United Nations in Beirut to Facebook in California. She leverage an MBA at Stanford University to execute the pivot from the non-profit world. After spending a year at Facebook, Dima decided to blaze her own trail with Unleash, her start-up that helps millennials find meaningful careers. Video Links: www.linkedin.com/in/dimaelmachnouk/ www.unleashhub.com www.pivotmethod.com www.gregfsmyth.com Outline: 0:00 Introduction 1:04 Why did you do an MBA? 2:11 What did you get from your MBA? 3:10 What was easier than you expected? 4:26 What did you not like about working in a big company? 6:08 What would you do differently? 6:41 What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing (Pivot to entrepreneurship)? 7:50 What advice do you have for someone considering an MBA?

Jenny shares her story of leaving ExxonMobil to pursue an MBA & Board Roles Topics covered 👇 Why Jenny decided to leave the oil industry Jenny's pursuing of board roles in Australia Why Jenny took on an MBA How to start networking after 19 years with the same company How jenny translated her experience

My wife and I answer a series of questions about our career pivot from the Oil Industry to Silicon Valley (in 2016). Outline:👇 0:00 Intro 0:59 What was easier than you expected? 1:18 What was harder than you expected? 1:41 Can you talk about the day you quit your job? 1:56 Do I have to throw away my experience? 2:05 There is nothing at the end (Quitting or retiring) 3:56 Having a supportive partner 5:11 Did you focus on a single company? Was this a good idea? 6:13 Advice for a Petroleum Engineer with 2 years of experience? 6:41 Will I be an outsider working in tech? 7:27 How did you start networking? 8:37 Did you apply online and wait? 10:00 Is a resume writer worth it? 10:19 How did you find the right job to apply for? 11:47 How did you showcase your experience? 14:00 How to translate your experience? 14:59 What would you do differently?