Career Change Maker | Career Clarity, Career Opportunities, Career Pivots, Burnout, Corporate Job, Portfolio Career

Hosted by Janine Esbrand I Career Coach, Career Change Coach, Executive Coach

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335

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-GB

About the show

***Top 1.5% Global Careers Podcast For Corporate Women*** Are you navigating a mid-career transition and wondering what’s next? Have you built a successful corporate career but realised you don’t want your boss’s job? Do you feel the tension between wanting more freedom and not wanting to sacrifice security? If you’re ambitious but no longer willing to burn out for another promotion, you’re in the right place. I’m glad you’re here. This podcast helps high-achieving mid-career women gain career clarity and confidently design their next chapter, whether that means evolving inside corporate, exploring a portfolio career, or building a hybrid path. If you’re ready to stop default climbing and start making strategic, aligned decisions about your future, this podcast will give you the insight and tools to move forward with confidence. Hey 👋 , I’m Janine Esbrand, corporate lawyer turned career strategist and executive coach. For years, I had my eye on the corporate partner title. I kept my head down, worked the long hours, and chased the next big deal because that’s what success was supposed to look like. Then I became a mother. And I realised I didn’t want to build a life around my career, I wanted to build a career around my life. So, I stepped off the default corporate path and designed a portfolio career that allows me to work on my terms, create meaningful impact, and show up fully, both professionally and personally. Now, I help ambitious mid-career women do the same: gain clarity, challenge the default ladder, and design aligned, sustainable careers that reflect who they are now, not who they used to be. This podcast will give you the strategy, mindset and tools to make it happen. So grab your notebook, pour your hot drink of choice and lets design what’s next. Next Steps: 🎙️ Explore for 1:1 Coaching: www.careerchangemakers.com/claritycall 🌐 Visit the Website: www.careerchangemakers.com 📩 Contact Us: hello@careerchangemakers.com

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60 recent

June 12, 2026Episode 32517 min

325 I How To Build Additional Income Streams as a Mid-Career Woman In 2026

Are you a high-achieving corporate woman showing up every day to a role that is your only source of income? Have you spent 15 to 20 years building a massive reservoir of expertise, yet you haven't stopped to figure out how to maximise its value? Have you been wondering what it would actually look like to diversify your income without having to burn down your current career or start entirely from zero? In this episode, I pull back the curtain on her own 10-year journey of building multiple income streams alongside her corporate work. I share how I navigated everything from accidental opportunities to an unexpected physical injury that forced me to quickly recalibrate her revenue levers. It is a powerful reminder that in an uncertain market shifting with AI transformation, true career ownership means building a personal safety blanket before you actually need to use it. Building a portfolio career is not about adding more hustle or overwhelm to your already packed schedule. It is about learning how to strategically leverage the track record you already possess ,so you can put yourself firmly back in the driving seat of your professional life. What you'll learn in this episode:Your expertise is an underutilised asset. Many women sit on far more value than they realise. Instead of jumping into building something entirely new or waiting until you have a website ready, the most effective starting point is a simple career audit mapping what you know, who you have helped, and the exact results you have already produced. The power of starting with one. The biggest trap when building on the side is trying to dabble in multiple ideas at once, leading to quick burnout and a lack of traction. True momentum comes from selecting just one stream, proving the concept with a minimum viable product, and mastering your time before attempting to layer on the next project. The three strategic income buckets. For professional women with deep corporate experience, income diversification generally falls into three main routes. You will learn how to evaluate fractional or consulting work , portfolio board roles , and building your own visible platform through speaking or content creation. Ready to take ownership of your career?If you are ready to stop being passive and want to learn the exact playbook and tools to manage a successful portfolio career, applications are open for the Portfolio Career Academy. This 12-week group coaching experience is specifically designed for high-achieving corporate women ready to turn their corporate expertise into diverse revenue streams. We begin at the end of this month. Head over to careerchangemakers.com/pca to view the details and book a fitting call today. Send us Fan MailInvest in Yourself and Your Career:Community — Join our Network for mid-career women redesigning what's next in their careersCoaching — Apply for The Portfolio Career Academy. Turn Your Expertise Into Multiple Streams of Income & Impact Through Building A Portfolio Career. Connect with me!Website: careerchangemakers.comEmail: podcast@careerchangemakers.comLinkedIn: Janine EsbrandInstagram: @careerchangemakerspodcastCareer Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

June 4, 2026Episode 32419 min

324 | What If the Career You've Been Chasing Is No Longer the One You Actually Want?

What If the Career You've Been Chasing Is No Longer the One You Actually Want?Are you showing up every day to a career you worked incredibly hard to build, yet something quietly feels off? Are you a mid-career woman who has ticked every box on the success checklist, only to find yourself wondering whether this is really it? Have you been carrying a definition of success that your younger self set, but haven't stopped to ask whether it still fits who you are today?In this episode, Janine opens with a surprisingly moving story about dropping her son off for his first school trip abroad. He ran off to join his friends without a backward glance, and in that moment she realised how much had shifted without her fully noticing. It became a powerful mirror for what so many mid-career women experience: we change, quietly and gradually, but we rarely give ourselves permission to let our careers change with us.Yet so many mid-career women never give themselves permission to move into what comes next. We keep showing up to a version of our careers that no longer fits, waiting for the fulfilment to return rather than recognising that the season has already shifted. What you'll learn in this episode:Ambition doesn't disappear, it matures. For mid-career women, ambition often becomes more specific, more personal, and more aligned with who you actually are now rather than who you were told to be. If your career feels hollow despite your success, it is not a sign that you have failed. It is a sign that you have grown beyond the version of yourself who set those original goals.The high achiever's trap. Your discipline and commitment are genuine strengths, but they can quietly become a cage. When you are someone who always follows through, it becomes hard to pause and ask whether the thing you committed to still deserves your commitment. Staying on a path out of habit is not ambition; it is rigidity dressed up as strength. This is the exact moment to separate direction from discipline.You do not have to burn it all down. Evolving your ambition is not about walking away from everything you have built or starting from zero. It is about recognising that a new season calls for a different way of showing up. The most fulfilled mid-career women are not those who abandoned their careers, but those who leveraged their years of expertise to move in a direction that fits who they are now, whether that is a lateral move, a portfolio career, or simply a long-overdue recommitment to a path they actually want to be on.Ready to build your portfolio career? Apply for the Portfolio Career Academy kicking off at the end of June!Send us Fan MailInvest in Yourself and Your Career:Community — Join our Network for mid-career women redesigning what's next in their careersCoaching — Apply for The Portfolio Career Academy. Turn Your Expertise Into Multiple Streams of Income & Impact Through Building A Portfolio Career. Connect with me!Website: careerchangemakers.comEmail: podcast@careerchangemakers.comLinkedIn: Janine EsbrandInstagram: @careerchangemakerspodcastCareer Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

May 28, 2026Episode 32317 min

323 I How To Get Your Employer's Support To Build On The Side

Are you worried about what happens if your employer finds out about your side business? Are you ready to stop letting fear hold you back and start turning your 15 or 20 years of experience into an impactful asset? Have you been wondering whether a portfolio career could be your next move, but you're feeling stuck on how to navigate the corporate boundaries? In this episode, I share a personal story about what happened when a previous employer found out about the coaching business I was building on the side. Instead of the negative response I had braced myself for, they ended up inquiring about my return-to-work course and paying me to pilot it internally! Handled well, this conversation doesn't have to be a risk - it can actually become your very first opportunity. Building a portfolio career isn't about being disloyal to your role. It's about moving with intention and strategically leveraging the incredible value already sitting in your toolkit.What you'll learn in this episode:Your expertise is an under utilised asset. The experience you have spent decades building is highly valuable. You don't need a perfect business plan, a website, or a fully formed idea to get started; you just need to realize that you are sitting on far more value than you think.The 4 steps to getting your employer's support. I break down the exact framework to position your side build professionally: starting on your idea first, auditing your employment contract (checking for outside interests, conflicts, and IP clauses), identifying the mutual value add, and framing the disclosure conversation around the what, the how, and the why it isn't a conflict.Turning corporate boundaries into career value. Discover how building a side practice actually sharpens your communication, commercial thinking, and leadership skills - ringing an upgraded strategic skill set and brand visibility right back to your day job.Ready to build your portfolio career? Join the waitlist for the Portfolio Career Academy launching at the end of June! I will be sharing exclusive details about the program, how it works, and opening up our founding member cohort to those on the waitlist first. Send us Fan MailInvest in Yourself and Your Career:Community — Join our Network for mid-career women redesigning what's next in their careersCoaching — Apply for The Portfolio Career Academy. Turn Your Expertise Into Multiple Streams of Income & Impact Through Building A Portfolio Career. Connect with me!Website: careerchangemakers.comEmail: podcast@careerchangemakers.comLinkedIn: Janine EsbrandInstagram: @careerchangemakerspodcastCareer Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

May 21, 2026Episode 32224 min

322 | What Is A Portfolio Career? And Why You Should Build One.

Could your years of experience be worth more than your salary suggests?Are you at a point in your career where the ladder no longer feels like the only way up?Are you curious about what it would mean to stop putting all of your expertise into one organisation and start using it in ways that work for you?Have you been quietly wondering whether a portfolio career could be your next move but not sure where to begin?In this episode, I share the moment that changed everything for me - coming back from a mission trip in East Africa and sitting at my desk realising the contrast between the impact I'd just been making and the work I was returning to. I didn't want to burn down what I'd built. So instead, I built on the side. And that decision changed everything.A portfolio career isn't a leap into the unknown. It's a smarter way to use what you've already got.What you'll learn in this episode:Your expertise is already an asset. The foundation of any portfolio career is what you already know - not just your job title, but the depth of experience, the problems you've solved, and the value you create every single day. You've been too busy doing the work to notice how much you've accumulated.Building your safety net. A portfolio career gives you income streams and visibility outside your organisation - and in a market full of layoffs and restructures, that's not a distraction from your career, it's an insurance policy for it.Starting small and building smart. A portfolio career isn't a dramatic exit or starting from zero. It's taking what you've already built and intentionally redesigning how you use it. One speaking opportunity, one piece of content, one conversation outside your organisation - that's genuinely all it takes to begin.Send us Fan MailInvest in Yourself and Your Career:Community — Join our Network for mid-career women redesigning what's next in their careersCoaching — Apply for The Portfolio Career Academy. Turn Your Expertise Into Multiple Streams of Income & Impact Through Building A Portfolio Career. Connect with me!Website: careerchangemakers.comEmail: podcast@careerchangemakers.comLinkedIn: Janine EsbrandInstagram: @careerchangemakerspodcastCareer Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

May 14, 2026Episode 32110 min

321 | You Don't Have a Career Problem, You Have a Visibility Problem

Have you been feeling that restless, unsettled feeling at work and assuming the answer is a new job, a new industry, or starting over somewhere fresh? Before you make that leap, I want you to pause - because for many of the brilliant women I've worked with, the problem was never the role. It was visibility.In this episode, I'm making the case that what you're missing might not be a career change - it might just be that the right people don't know you exist yet.I share a moment from a few years ago when I visited my old law firm and a woman I'd never met recognised me straight away - not from work, but from LinkedIn. That moment shifted everything for me. My expertise had a life beyond my job title, and it happened because I chose to show up consistently and share my perspective outside of my organisation.If your experience and insight are only known inside your company walls, your expertise is being under-leveraged. And that's what we're unpacking today.What we cover:• How to tell whether you have a role problem or a visibility problem• Why your existing expertise is already an asset - it just needs to be seen beyond your organisation• How visibility outside your company creates real choices: speaking, writing, consulting, advisory and fractional workYou don't need a huge following or a viral moment. You just need a consistent, strategic approach to sharing what you know. And you don't need to start from scratch - you just need to start being seen.Send us Fan MailInvest in Yourself and Your Career:Community — Join our Network for mid-career women redesigning what's next in their careersCoaching — Apply for The Portfolio Career Academy. Turn Your Expertise Into Multiple Streams of Income & Impact Through Building A Portfolio Career. Connect with me!Website: careerchangemakers.comEmail: podcast@careerchangemakers.comLinkedIn: Janine EsbrandInstagram: @careerchangemakerspodcastCareer Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

May 7, 202611 min

320 | You've Built a Successful Career But Don't Want Your Boss's Job. Here's What's Next

Are you feeling like your ambition has outgrown the four walls of your organisation? Do you find yourself thinking "I don't want my boss's job" — and wondering what that means for your future? Are you curious about what it looks like to monetise the expertise you already have, without blowing up the career you've worked hard to build? In this episode, I'm sharing why your knowledge is far more portable and scalable than you've been led to believe. I explore why most professionals limit themselves to a single upward track inside one organisation, how to start seeing your existing knowledge and insights as valuable assets, and why building alongside your career - rather than walking away from it - is one of the smartest moves you can make right now. The way the job market is moving, with layoffs, restructures and constant change, waiting for your organisation to provide security is no longer a strategy. But here's the thing - you don't have to start from scratch. You already have the inventory. It's just about learning how to use it differently. What you'll learn: • Your expertise is already an asset: How to identify what you're already doing, saying and solving - and see it as the foundation for building beyond your role. • Building your safety net: Why creating other income streams and visibility outside your organisation isn't a luxury - it's an insurance policy for your career. • Starting small and building smart: Why one speaking opportunity, one piece of content, or one conversation outside your organisation is genuinely all it takes to begin. "Your ambition hasn't disappeared - it's just outgrown a single track. Now it's time to redirect it."Ready to Start Building? • I'm opening up 10 spots for ambitious mid-career women who are ready to create additional income streams using the expertise they already have. We get started at the end of June. Head to LinkedIn, find me @Janine Esbrand, and send me a message with the word START to find out more.Send us Fan MailInvest in Yourself and Your Career:Community — Join our Network for mid-career women redesigning what's next in their careersCoaching — Apply for The Portfolio Career Academy. Turn Your Expertise Into Multiple Streams of Income & Impact Through Building A Portfolio Career. Connect with me!Website: careerchangemakers.comEmail: podcast@careerchangemakers.comLinkedIn: Janine EsbrandInstagram: @careerchangemakerspodcastCareer Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

April 30, 202639 min

319 | Why High-Achieving Mid-Career Women Get Passed Over For Promotions (And How AI Can Fix It) with Orlando Haynes

Are you doing great work but struggling to get the recognition or opportunities you know you deserve?Do you find yourself going into reviews or conversations without clear proof of the impact you’ve made?Are you curious about how to take real ownership of your career and position yourself for what’s next?In this episode, I sit down with Orlando Haynes, a talent acquisition leader turned founder, to explore what it really takes to build and communicate your career value. He shares how a pivotal moment in his own career made him realise that doing the work is not enough if you cannot prove it.We talk about the importance of documenting your achievements, learning how to speak the language of performance, and why taking action now is more powerful than waiting until you feel fully ready.Orlando’s journey from corporate recruiting to building an AI-powered platform is a powerful reminder that your experience is never wasted. Every role, every lesson, and every step you’ve taken can become the foundation for something bigger when you choose to leverage it.What You'll Learn:Clarity before action: How to get clear on what you want from your career and recognise the value you already bring so you can move with intention.Proof over perception: Why doing great work is not enough and how documenting your achievements can directly impact your growth, recognition, and earning potential.The language of performance: How to communicate your work in a way that resonates with decision-makers and positions you for promotions and new opportunities.“It doesn’t matter what you do. It matters what you can prove.”Connect with Orlando HaynesGet a 14 day FREE TRIAL of Career Capital with the code 'JANINE14'Send us Fan MailInvest in Yourself and Your Career:Community — Join our Network for mid-career women redesigning what's next in their careersCoaching — Apply for The Portfolio Career Academy. Turn Your Expertise Into Multiple Streams of Income & Impact Through Building A Portfolio Career. Connect with me!Website: careerchangemakers.comEmail: podcast@careerchangemakers.comLinkedIn: Janine EsbrandInstagram: @careerchangemakerspodcastCareer Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

April 24, 2026Episode 31814 min

318 | How To Avoid Being Blindsided By Redundancies Or Layoffs

Are you feeling anxious about your career as the economic landscape shifts beneath your feet?Do you find yourself wondering whether you're doing enough to protect the career you've worked so hard to build?Are you curious about what it actually looks like to take back control of your professional future - without waiting for someone else to hand it to you?In this episode, I share exactly how to build your career safety net in uncertain times. I explore why self-awareness is your most underrated professional asset, how to diversify both your income and your impact, and why taking small, strategic steps right now matters far more than waiting for the perfect moment.Economic uncertainty has a way of making us feel reactive - like things are happening to us rather than for us. But the truth is, you have more agency than you think. When you get clear on what you truly want, seek the right support, and start moving - even incrementally - everything begins to shift. You don't have to wait for a crisis to start building something more secure.What you'll learn:Clarity before action: How to identify what you truly want from your career and pinpoint the gaps standing between you and it.The power of the right support: Why seeking out a coach or mentor - and doing your due diligence to find the right one -can be a career-changing decision.Diversifying your income and impact: Practical strategies to expand your professional reach beyond your current role, without burning everything down to do it."You are the CEO of your career. Don't wait for someone else to build your safety net — build it yourself."Send us Fan MailInvest in Yourself and Your Career:Community — Join our Network for mid-career women redesigning what's next in their careersCoaching — Apply for The Portfolio Career Academy. Turn Your Expertise Into Multiple Streams of Income & Impact Through Building A Portfolio Career. Connect with me!Website: careerchangemakers.comEmail: podcast@careerchangemakers.comLinkedIn: Janine EsbrandInstagram: @careerchangemakerspodcastCareer Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

April 16, 2026Episode 31715 min

317 | The Two Days That Accidently Changed My Career

Are you feeling stuck in your career but not quite ready to walk away from everything you've built? Do you find yourself wondering if there's a way to pursue what lights you up without throwing your success out the window? Are you curious about what it really looks like to reinvent yourself gradually, on your own terms?In this episode, I share my own story of how a two-day coaching seminar cracked open a door I didn't even know was there. I explore why curiosity is one of the most underrated career tools you have, how I built a coaching practice, podcast, and leadership programmes alongside my legal career, and why you absolutely do not need to make a huge leap to start moving toward something more fulfilling.I was a successful corporate lawyer - and by all measures, things were going well. But something kept pulling at me. A seminar, a spark of curiosity, and one small step at a time led me to a career I never could have planned but wouldn't trade for anything. The best part? I didn't have to give up everything I'd worked for to get there.What You'll Learn:Curiosity is data: Why those recurring interests and quiet nudges are worth paying attention to - and what to do with them.The portfolio career approach: How to explore and test new directions alongside your existing role, without the risk of starting from scratch.You can be many things: Why embracing multiple identities and interests doesn't dilute your career - it enriches it."You don't have to make a huge leap. Open the door a little, follow your curiosity, and see where it leads."Send us Fan MailInvest in Yourself and Your Career:Community — Join our Network for mid-career women redesigning what's next in their careersCoaching — Apply for The Portfolio Career Academy. Turn Your Expertise Into Multiple Streams of Income & Impact Through Building A Portfolio Career. Connect with me!Website: careerchangemakers.comEmail: podcast@careerchangemakers.comLinkedIn: Janine EsbrandInstagram: @careerchangemakerspodcastCareer Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

April 9, 2026Episode 31627 min

316 I What It Really Looks Like to Build a Career Around Your Values with Tara Chklovski

Are you feeling stuck in your current role but not quite ready to hand in your resignation? Do you find yourself wondering whether the career you've built truly reflects what matters most to you? Are you curious about what it really looks like to build a career around your values, and how one woman did exactly that on a global scale?In this episode, I sit down with Tara Chklovski, founder of Technovation, to explore what it really looks like to build a career driven by purpose and impact. We cover how social norms shape the careers women feel able to pursue, why confidence is a skill that can be cultivated, and how aligning your work with your values can create a ripple effect far beyond your own life. Whether you're navigating a transition or simply craving more alignment, this episode will inspire you.Tara Chklovski, founder and CEO of Technovation, is reshaping opportunities for young women in technology. Inspired by her experiences growing up in India and working as an aerospace engineer, she developed a widely-adopted education model that combines mentorship, hands-on learning, and entrepreneurship to prepare girls to thrive in tech. Named by Techcrunch as “teaching the next generation of AI innovators,” she has built Technovation into a movement reaching 400,000+ people across 160+ countries. Her research shows that AI education for girls could unlock a $200 billion opportunity for the world economy. Through Technovation and The AI Forward Alliance (TAIFA), she’s preparing 25 million young women to lead in AI innovation and tackle global challenges.What You'll Learn:Build a Career With Purpose: How Tara's journey from aerospace engineering to global nonprofit leadership shows what it truly looks like to build a career around impact and values.Challenging Social Norms: How deeply ingrained social norms shape the career choices of girls and women worldwide - and how we can begin to challenge them.Confidence as a Skill: Why confidence isn't something you're born with, and how to cultivate it through real-world experience and problem solving."Build a career around your values, and the impact you create will reach far beyond what you can imagine."Invest in Yourself and Your Career:Community — Join our Network for mid-career women redesigning what's next in their careersCoaching — Join the Career Navigator Coaching Programme: My high-touch, 1-to-1 experience to help you build a career aligned with your life. Book a Career Clarity Call to discussConnect with Tara ChklovskiAnyone interested in being a mentor, please check out technovation.org to learn more.Send us Fan MailInvest in Yourself and Your Career:Community — Join our Network for mid-career women redesigning what's next in their careersCoaching — Apply for The Portfolio Career Academy. Turn Your Expertise Into Multiple Streams of Income & Impact Through Building A Portfolio Career. Connect with me!Website: careerchangemakers.comEmail: podcast@careerchangemakers.comLinkedIn: Janine EsbrandInstagram: @careerchangemakerspodcastCareer Change Makers on Apple Podcasts