Life as an expat is a crazy mix of marvellous and challenging moments. Sometimes this whirlwind can end up in an unfulfilling career. It's easy to feel alone and without direction.

But it doesn't have to stay this way. Rethinking your career in a new location is a wonderful way to challenge yourself and meet expats who can relate to your story.

With this case study, I would like to paint the picture of how the coaching process is applied in real life and how it helped one of my clients concretely.

The Covid pandemic has allowed people the time to reflect and through this reflection a trend has developed: what was once a wish to make a career change has morphed into a need. The necessity for more flexible schedules to accommodate child and elder care combined with millions of people longing to live closer to their more authentic selves has created a burgeoning interest in the benefits of career coaching.

It’s not always about making a 180-degree shift. Sometimes – as in this case – it’s about knowing you’re ready for the next step, but don’t have a clear idea what that very next step looks like!

In retrospect, 2020 is a year that every single human being will remember. If they’re too young to remember, I bet last year will get extra attention in history books (and shall we say online learning history courses!) for all to refer back to.

The foundation of coaching is grounded in the belief that clients have the answers and solutions to their own challenges, and they are their own keys to their success. Starting with this premise, we can see the Coach as a medium for their clients to come up with insights and discoveries in addition to providing a continuous source of accountability.

Many people are not looking to re-invent themselves by choice, but by necessity. Choosing the right coach is a must because there is something very vulnerable  about being laid-off. You most likely don’t feel at your most positive and powerful so finding the right person to accompany you through these tough times is essential. 

In this blog entry, I want to to demystify how career coaching and career counseling differ. Full discloser: there are a million different opinions out there and it comes as no surprise that there is confusion around the terms. 

Career transitions can happen at any point throughout your life, but we do notice that a common time to reconsider our choices is during our midlife transition. Important career decisions that are made during this period of our lives tend to involve some psychological process and emotional responses that are completely different from the career decisions we make at the initial stages of our career. I believe it is important to understand what is actually happening during the midlife transition if we want to understand how to approach a midlife career change.

You’ve designed a plan and the next step involves choosing behaviors that are most appropriate for creating change. In the case of career transitions, this may mean participating in fact-finding activities (research, events and/or professional groups) that would support an informed decision or change related to career direction or college major.

Design the work you’ll love - You have done the reflective work. You have a fair idea of what the next professional you is going to look like. It’s getting clearer and clearer every day and you feel positive about your move. You’ve liberated yourself from your limiting stories and you’re ready to jump. And now what? Perhaps you’ll find the HOW remains unclear. Let’s look at the steps you can take to meet your new professional self.

The most common way we hear about envisioning and visualization is how athletes increase their performance with practice. On its own, practice will mostly likely create results but when combined with visualization performance increases by 32%!

Move forward by releasing limiting thoughts

Mantras, stories, and our community are very often blocking us from making the career change we want.

In this self-assessment process, taking your time to let your new thoughts simmer and sit for a while will be key in making a change that can stand the test of time. The last thing you want to do is to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire, ending up in a new job that still isn't right for you, so make sure to ponder the following questions carefully and give them the time they need.

Are you stuck in a career that feels like it no longer fits who you are?  Are you ready for change but have no idea how to start the process or figure out what else you could do? I recommend beginning with self-reflection.