#176 The career come down: What to do when work isn’t working for you with Stefanie Sword-Williams
"The door that closed for me was not necessarily somebody else shutting a door, but me shutting the door on putting work above everything but my health."
What happens when the drive for success, identity, and achievement gets shaken by something that stops you in your tracks? In this episode, Stefanie Sword-Williams, founder of Fuck Being Humble and author of Career Comedown, shares her experience of a "lifequake", an unexpected, seismic event that forces you to reassess everything, including your relationship with work.
I chatted to Stefanie about why the "career comedown" is such a common but rarely named phenomenon, the pitfalls of always chasing the next high, and why sometimes the bravest thing is to decide which doors you yourself need to close.
This is a very honest, refreshing, conversation about vulnerability, working out when (and what) to share, the myth of always being at the top, and how to check in with yourself whether you're feeling stuck, successful, or searching for the next thing.
Stefanie's Change Toolkit:
Soundtrack: Let Me Blow Ya Mind by Eve & Gwen Stefani
Book: Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff and The Power of Regret by Daniel Pink
"Thasunda Brown Duckett said, job titles are rented, they come and go, but what remains true is the story we tell about ourselves. For anyone going through career transitions or industry changes, please remember that.”
About Stefanie
Stefanie is a change maker, brand advisor, and system rethinker dedicated to challenging norms and helping people and businesses leave a lasting legacy. With a background in advertising and 8 years spent mastering storytelling, she founded F*ck Being Humble in 2018 to rewrite the narrative around self-promotion, empowering people to be unapologetically proud of their achievements. Through keynotes, workshops, and strategic advisory, she helps global brands and forward-thinking individuals rethink how they show up in the world.
Website: https://www.fuckbeinghumble.com/
Produced by winteraudio.co.uk
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