“Working from an office felt so rigid and soulless.”

What work were you doing previously?

I was Charity Account Manager for a not-for-profit organisation.

Prior to that I was Head of Corporate, Events and Trusts at a mental health charity, having worked my way up as a corporate fundraiser.

What are you doing now?

I have a portfolio career working from home:

1. I'm a Certified Positive Intelligence Mental Fitness Trainer and Facilitator based on the work of Shirzad Chamine's New York Times bestselling book Positive Intelligence and Stanford Lectures. I facilitate and lead his 6-week mental fitness PQ program so that people become mentally fitter.

2. I work in the Commercial Team at Virgin Money Giving as a commercial partnerships manager responsible for securing new income streams for charities.

3. I'm an internal executive and leadership coach within Virgin Money.

How did you feel in your work before you decided to make the change?

I went through phases of loving my job, then going through phases where I felt unfulfilled, bored, and kept asking myself "Is this it?"

I really disliked working from an office; it felt so rigid and soulless. Whilst I liked my colleagues, the commute and office environment just weren't for me.

Why did you change?

My dad was a farmer and I grew up knowing that he absolutely loved what he did.

Ever since I left school, I've been on a quest to find work that I love, too.

Whilst I'd changed careers in the past, I still hadn't found the 'thing' that truly fulfilled me and played to my values, strengths, interests, favourite skills and ideal work environment.

I was also nearing my 50th birthday and I knew something had to change.

Plus I wanted to be a role model to my own children.

When was the moment you decided to make the change?

I'd applied to go to an Advanced Internal Coaching Academy at work. I found I absolutely loved the course, the training, and the situations / learning environments we were put in.

Our first assessment was to coach someone in a netball team, then present in front of a room full of Year 6 children sharing 'How my school education shaped the person I am today'. Then, later in the training I coached a prison inmate.

I'd always been interested and curious about human behaviour / psychology; plus my husband was amazing at always putting a positive spin on any situation / challenge he faced, so this sparked my curiosity even more – howcome he was so positive and at times I was so negative, sometimes being martyr-like in my reactions to certain situations?

How did you choose your new career?

I decided to do the Careershifters Career Change Launch Pad. This was the catalyst I needed, to help me get out of my head and into action.

I wanted to make sure that my next career choice was right for me, as I felt like time was running out and I still hadn't found what I was looking for.

Are you happy with the change?

Absolutely. I couldn't be happier.

I get the security of a monthly income through my employed part-time role, plus I get to create and build a new stream of income part-time, through self-employment. I feel I get the best of both worlds.

I love the variety, the people I meet, the freedom, and the flexibility to work from home. Plus, I'm mentally fitter and stronger. I walk the talk and practise building my three core mental fitness muscles through Positive Intelligence.

As a result I'm more content, happier, and I have better relationships with work colleagues, friends, my children and my husband.

I also perform better at work, given I now take action with a clear head. I don't self-sabotage nearly as much through avoiding certain tasks or difficult conversations, jumping from one thing to the next without giving 100% focus, or constantly striving for the next thing.

I'm much kinder and more compassionate with myself now. I don't beat myself up when I make a mistake or something goes wrong. In the past I would have done!

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

I don't miss the commute into London or working in the office!

How did you go about making the shift?

I got really curious and spoke with lots of people who worked in different careers.

I used my networks to have lots of different informational interviews.

I thought about going back to university to train as an Occupational Psychologist. However, after speaking with a few people in that field, I decided it wasn't right for me for a number of reasons – mainly it was theoretical, involved lots of research and essay writing etc, plus it cost lots of money to retrain.

Instead, I decided to start a Counselling Level 2 course at my local college, one day a week, which I absolutely loved. I then went onto Counselling Level 3 and in the same year started a professional coaching course and qualification so I could get accredited.

At the same time, I read about Shrizad's Chamine's Grant programme and after reading his book, Positive Intelligence, decided to also do his course, which involved two evenings a week for 90 mins for a whole year.

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

Over a period of time.

As I've worked in marketing, then in a fundraising / sales role, I was able to transfer my interpersonal skills (i.e. building rapport, etc.) quite easily to the work I now do as part of my portfolio career.

The other skills I built through going on the training courses.

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

My own mental health suffered.

I was so determined to make the change as fast as possible, instead of enjoying the journey and being grateful for all I already had.

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

I stayed working part-time with my existing company.

I also saved monthly whilst making the transition.

The Covid lockdowns helped me to save more, given that I wasn't travelling into London, spending money on lunch, or going abroad on holidays.

What was the most difficult thing about changing?

Courage and self-belief that it would all work out, especially as I was nearing 50.

What help did you get?

My husband was super supportive – I think it’s very important that your partner is onboard.

I also worked with a coach and still have one.

What resources would you recommend to others?

I've read multiple books on career change, multiple books on personal development / human behaviour as these all spark my interest.

Definitely get a few people to champion you whilst making the change.

Your mindset is critical. And setting aside time, either daily or weekly, to make change happen is, too.

What have you learnt in the process?

The power of connecting with other people who either work in the career you'd like to get into or who have already been through a career change themselves.

It's a journey, not a destination. I've learnt to enjoy the journey. To slow down. Mental Fitness is everything.

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

Really understand your values, favourite strengths, favourite skills, interests and passions, motivators, and ideal work environment.

Get really curious. Explore anything and everything that sparks your interest.

Connect with people.

Get into action. Experiment with side projects. Use Ted Talks and YouTube for inspiration.

Set aside regular time slots each week to do the above.

We caught up with Hazel recently to see how her shift was working out, four years on. Here's what she's been up to, and the biggest lessons she's learned.

What's changed for you in your career since we first published your story?

I'm now self-employed working as an Executive & Personal Coach, Mental Fitness Trainer and Leadership Workshops.

I was made redundant in December 2021 as Virgin Money Giving, the not for profit company I worked for, was closed down.

This was such a gift and opportunity as I was able to start my own business finally at the grand young age (!) of 51.

I’m now in my fourth year self employed and this year has been the turning point. I've worked with a range of companies with their high potential leadership talent and senior leaders to shift the culture from “command and control” to “inspire and trust”.

I've also worked with individuals privately who’d like to change careers, or get promoted, or who are feeling “stuck”, “disillusioned” or “overwhelmed”.

I ran 8 week mental fitness training programmes so individuals are able to handle any challenge from a place of empathy, curiosity, creativity, consider the bigger picture and more ease and flow.

I also ran “Executive Day Retreats” or “Positive Vision Days” in nature to help individuals figure out what’s next and an action plan. I held free lunch and learn sessions in companies and local communities to share ideas, mental fitness training and topics related to leadership challenges.

How do you feel about your work now?

Simple, I absolutely love it!

I get to connect deeply with another human being and guide them to a better place with their career, health, and relationships.

I get to use my expertise, experience and all that I’ve learnt over the last 30 years. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I find human behaviour and entrepreneurship fascinating.

I get to choose when I work, where, who with, when and how. I continue to learn and grow daily and am hugely inspired by my coaching clients.

What challenges have you come up against since making your shift, and how exactly have you dealt with them?

In my first year I experienced the darkest period in my entire life.

My hormones were all over the place – perimenopause, my husband was unemployed and I was a solopreneur for the first time in 30 years.

I was waking at 3am with tightness across my chest with a barrage of negative thoughts. It felt like the joy had been sucked out of my life and nothing seemed to shift it.

I experimented with so many things. I changed my diet, exercised daily and tried different supplements.

Looking back now, I think my nervous system was in overdrive given all the changes so cortisol was high, progesterone, oestrogen and testosterone levels were falling etc.

My mood, motivation and mojo had exited! What helped the most was turning towards the tightness in my body, towards the barrage of negative thoughts, turning towards with love and compassion.

And journaling daily first thing after waking to get what was in my head out on paper.

How is the financial side of things panning out, and is this what you'd expected?

It took me longer than anticipated to earn what I wanted to earn.

This year has been the turning point, it’s like the stars have aligned!

What have you learned, since making your shift?

So so much!

I’ve learnt more about human anatomy, philology and health. Mental fitness and resilience. Tools to master my own nervous system.

I've learnt about the power of connection and collaboration. The power of visualisations and creating clients from a place of love, generosity and service.

And I continue to grow and learn daily through my own coach supervisor, books, videos, podcasts and continuous training.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

If you're thinking about starting your own business or know you want to change career or want to get promoted, fear and your habitual patterns keep you “stuck” and “comfortable”.

It’s only when you grow your self awareness and turn towards fear and take consistent daily action when things change. Overcoming your fears are so so satisfying. You can do anything you want to! 

From public speaking to becoming a better leader, parent, colleague to speaking up to negotiating a higher salary to changing careers to getting that promotion etc, it all starts with taking action.

If you need a guide or support, structure, challenge, accountability, I’d love to help. 

To learn more about Hazel's offerings, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/hazelmartincoach/

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

Hazel took part in our Career Change Launch Pad. If you're ready to join a group of bright, motivated career changers on a structured programme to help you find more fulfilling work, you can find out more here.