Episode 138 - From redundancy to championing flexible work with Elizabeth Willetts
#138: From redundancy to championing flexible work with Elizabeth Willetts
"My big door closing moment was when I was made redundant in the pandemic with 2 small children who were 1 and 3, and thought I would never get a good job again.”
Turing adversity into opportunity. In today's episode I’m talking to Elizabeth Willetts, founder of Investing in Women. Elizabeth’s company grows from strength to strength, if you follow her on socials she is smashing it. But that wasn’t always the case - and, like many success stories, starts when a door is slammed shut.
Like many of us, Elizabeth found herself redundant during Covid in 2020 and decided it was a moment to channel her inspirational grandmother’s entrepreneurial spirit and start her own business.
Elizabeth shares her navigation of overcoming challenges, from grappling with imposter syndrome to tackling the technical hurdles of starting a business. With insights from nearly 20 years in recruitment, Elizabeth also discusses her forthcoming book "Flex," aiming to help others achieve career success on their terms.
"The journey from redundancy to creating my own business wasn't straightforward, but recognising my unique experience in recruitment became a vital pivot point. This inspired me to launch 'Investing in Women', and my upcoming book, 'Flex', shares exactly how you can have career success on your own terms."
The things that helped Elizabeth navigate change
Book: Atomic Habits, by James Clear
Music: Fighter, by Christina Aguilera
“As one door closes, another one definitely, definitely opens. It's about going for things, being curious, and not being afraid because I think life's too short to be afraid.” Elizabeth Willett
More about Elizabeth:
Elizabeth started Investing in Women from her dining room table during the pandemic after being made redundant from her In-House Recruiter role at one of the Big 4. With two toddlers, she didn’t want to work full-time but struggled to find a part-time job at her level of experience, so she decided to put her 17 years of recruitment experience to good use and founded a recruitment company to help people find flexible and part-time jobs. Investing in Women is now an award-winning recruitment company, and her debut book, Flex is due out in January 2025.
Find out more: https://investinginwomen.co.uk/
Connect with Elizabeth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-willetts/
Produced by winteraudio.co.uk
