“The lifestyle I was living wasn’t sustainable.” 

What work were you doing previously?    

I used to be a Marketing Director for a major Record Label.

The label specialised in ‘catalogue’ music, so anything from 1970s up to late 00s.

What are you doing now?    

I work in Marketing for a Swedish fashion company.

Why did you change?

I experienced burnout in my previous role.

Alongside the burnout, I experienced some significant changes in my personal circumstances that rocked my perspective on life.

Both of these things made me realise that I wanted to make a change, in terms of my working environment and the way I wanted to work going forward.

When was the moment you decided to make the change?

It was more of a gradual realisation than a single moment.

I’d had a wonderful career within music. I'd worked with some incredible people and artists, and I'll always be so grateful for that. At the same time, I realised the lifestyle I was living just wasn’t sustainable.

So I started widening my circle more by going to more community events and trainings. I even trained as a sound therapist! 

As I engaged more with new things and new people, I gradually realised there were other options out there and that life doesn’t always have to be lived with dread.

How did you choose your new career?

I spent quite a lot of time on the Careershifters website reading through the blogs and exploring different ideas. 

I was struggling to identify exactly what I wanted my next career to be. I was then given me the chance to work in one of the UK Newbie stores near me as what I thought would be a 'stepping stone' role.

That experience helped me understand what values I was looking for from a company.

After about nine months of working in-store, I started to see opportunities where I could bring my previous experience into the business, particularly around marketing.

I approached the company with some ideas, and that conversation led to me creating a role for myself and growing from there.

Are you happy with the change?

I’m so happy with the change!

I love being part of a company that’s at the forefront of the fashion industry’s transition towards greater sustainability and more responsible business practices. And personally, I truly value how creative I can be within our campaigns and the level of autonomy I have in my role.

At the moment, our focus in the UK is very much on community, particularly around our growing second-hand and pre-loved offering. So I’m getting to work on lots of local initiatives that help drive awareness and conversation around that, which I’m loving.

There’s lots of travelling around, and so I’m enjoying the flexibility within my role to work from wherever makes sense to get the work done.

What do you miss and what don't you miss?

I miss some of the artists I got to work with and being around such great culture.

I don’t miss late night calls to Los Angeles!

How did you go about making the shift?

I’ve been very fortunate to have two incredible managers, one in the UK and one in Sweden, who have always been open to my ideas.

After giving myself a bit of a pep talk and deciding to put myself out there, I pitched for a new role within the business.

They were hugely supportive and helped shape a role around the skills and value I could bring, which has been a fantastic way to make the transition.

How did you develop (or transfer) the skills you needed for your new role?

I learnt a lot about retail and its operations (and still am learning!) from some brilliant people whilst I was in store.

That helped me understand customer behaviour and perceptions more acutely.

And of course I've benefitted from my previous years of experience marketing and working with individual artists. I’ve enjoyed transferring those skills into a new environment.

What didn’t go well? What wrong turns did you take?

Things almost always take longer than you expect.

I’ve learnt to relax into the speed of change and not try too hard to force it. I also spent a lot of time thinking I needed to start from scratch, and it really did take me a while to realise the skills I already have.

How did you handle your finances to make your shift possible?

It was, and still is, a stretch.

I’m lucky to have a very supportive family.

I’ve also learnt how much fun it is to meet friends and go on long walks with packed lunches to catch up, instead of spending money!

What was the most difficult thing about changing?

Adjusting to a life less frantic, finances, and lots of self-doubt.

What have you learnt in the process?

I've learnt that there are more possibilities out there than you can even imagine!

What do you wish you'd done differently?

I wish I'd not got stuck in my head so much.

I also wasted time worrying what other people thought of what I was doing.

What would you advise others to do in the same situation?

If it's financially viable for you, I'd always recommend a ‘stepping stone’ role if you are feeling stuck and unsure.

It won’t always evolve into something permanent, but you’ll learn a lot, and benefit of being out in a new world!

What resources would you recommend to others?

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. 

It's a fantastic read that helped me quieten the noise in my head.

What lessons could you take from Katie's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.