Transform Your Career by Suzi Mosley Payne

Episode Summary:

‍In this episode of Transform Your Career Success, host Susie Mosley-Fay interviews Dr. Carrie Graham about taking control of your career destiny and making empowered choices about your professional path. The conversation focuses on women in corporate environments who may feel stuck, unfulfilled, or plateaued in their careers, emphasizing that it's normal and healthy to change direction at any career stage. Dr. Graham shares her personal journey from healthcare provider to adult learning strategist, discussing how she struggled with external validation early in her entrepreneurial journey before realizing she had everything needed to make decisions independently. The discussion explores the difference between external and internal motivation, comparing externally motivated people to trees swaying in the wind versus internally motivated individuals who remain rock solid in their convictions. Both hosts share their experiences of career transitions - Susie's decision to leave a senior corporate role to return to self-employment, and Dr. Graham's evolution from seeking approval to operating from internal validation. They address the common challenge of comparison with peers and the pressure to stay in roles simply because of time invested or external expectations. The conversation emphasizes that careers don't have to follow linear paths, and it's perfectly acceptable to take "left turns" or pursue completely different directions. They discuss how personal evolution sometimes outpaces professional environments, leading to feeling stuck when work doesn't evolve with individual growth. The episode concludes with encouragement to find quiet spaces for reflection, understand personal motivations, and remember that validation comes from within rather than external sources.

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Listen Here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R79MOKGhde8

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10 Key Points:

1. Career paths don't have to be linear - it's okay to take left turns and create squiggly career journeys
2. Personal evolution sometimes outpaces professional environments, leading to feelings of being stuck
3. External validation creates instability like trees swaying in wind, while internal motivation provides rock-solid foundation
4. Comparison with peers and societal expectations can trap people in unfulfilling career situations
5. Time invested in a career path doesn't obligate you to continue if it no longer serves you
6. Building supportive networks of like-minded colleagues is more valuable than seeking family approval for career decisions
7. Understanding your personal "why" for career changes is more important than others understanding your motivations
8. Skills and experiences from previous careers can be transferred and built upon in new directions
9. Feeling stuck often indicates that work isn't evolving with personal growth and changing priorities
10. Taking control of career destiny requires recognizing you have the power of choice, even between undesirable options

10 Takeaways/Action Items:

1. Create a supportive network of like-minded colleagues who understand your professional journey and challenges
2. Find quiet spaces for reflection to understand what truly lights you up and what your personal motivations are
3. Stop seeking external validation for career decisions and develop confidence in your internal judgment
4. Recognize that feeling stuck may indicate your personal evolution has outpaced your current work environment
5. Transfer existing skills and experiences to new career directions rather than feeling you must start over completely
6. Define success on your own terms rather than accepting societal or peer definitions of career achievement
7. Approach each day as an adventure and opportunity for growth rather than viewing work as routine obligation
8. Remember that time invested in a career path doesn't obligate you to continue if it no longer serves your goals
9. Build skills and development plans to bridge gaps between current abilities and desired career directions
10. Trust that you have everything needed within yourself to make empowered career decisions and life changes

Key Insights:

‍Dr. Graham emphasizes that true career empowerment comes from operating with internal motivation rather than seeking external validation, comparing externally motivated people to trees swaying in wind while internally motivated individuals remain rock solid in their convictions. She advocates for recognizing that personal evolution sometimes outpaces professional environments, and when this happens, it's not only acceptable but necessary to make career changes that align with your current growth and values rather than remaining stuck in roles that no longer serve you.

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Resources‍

Listen Here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R79MOKGhde8

Read >  Implementation Framework for Organizational Change

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