Ep. 24: Your Job Doesn't Define You- How to Move Forward After a Career Transistion

Career Design Podcast

Episode 24

SPEAKERS

Dana, Lindsay

Lindsay 00:00

I'm Lindsay Mustain and this is the career design podcast made for driven ambitious square pegs and round holes type professionals who see things differently and challenge the status quo. We obliterate obstacles and unlock hidden pathways to overcome and succeed where others have not stagnation feels like death. And we are unwilling to compromise our integrity and settle for being average in any way. We are the backbone of any successful business and those who overlook our potential are doomed to a slow demise. We do work that truly matters aligns with our purpose, and in turn, we make our lasting mark on the world. We are the dreamers, doers, legends, and visionaries who are called to make our most meaningful contribution and love what we do.
Lindsay 00:42

I am so excited about today's podcast. Welcome to the career design podcast. And let me introduce you to Dana Davis. And Dana Davis is a senior HR leader and the founder of forward-focused HR solutions. And we're going to talk a little bit today about how your job search actually impacts your worthiness, identifying your zone of genius, and how to take that and invest in yourself moving forward to intentionally design the career of your dreams. So Dana, thanks for joining me today.

Dana 01:08

Thank you, Lindsay. I'm really excited to meet with you.
Lindsay 01:11
Me too, you had some amazing things to say about really the idea around intentional career design. So tell us why your job doesn't define you?

Dana 01:21

Well, you know, I think that it's really easy to, define ourselves by our job, I worked for x company. And really, you have to look at yourself as the whole person. So if you take the job away, which for most people in this program, that's the case, whatever the reason might be it, you still need to invest in yourself as your person your craft, what brings you joy, because your job going away is a business decision. For whatever reason, you found yourself in this place, looking for a new role in designing your career way forward. You know, it doesn't diminish the work that you provided, you're still, you know, a very valuable human being. And this is your opportunity to reset and decide how you want to move through the transition, because the changes and events, and the transition is what you're working through right now.

Lindsay 02:13

I love this so much. So I think when we say we're not our job like we tend to say like we when people introduce themselves at parties, they're like, Ah, what do you do for work? Like, it's a part of our identity. And I feel like that erodes when we have a job loss, whether it's because of a transition or because it is a business decision. And that job has ended, that we somehow become unworthy, but that remains whole, you still have intrinsic value as a human?

Dana 02:37

Absolutely, absolutely. And you need to find ways to affirm that for yourself. Whether it be some of the other interests that you have taken some time to, you know, Gardening if that's what you love to do. So you know, don't, you know, sit in your office and just continually job search or figure out, you know, where am I going to work next, you know, you need to care for that whole person and dedicate a certain amount of time Yes To what do I want to do going forward? Who do I want to be? What type of work do I want to do? What type of company do I want to work for? You know, because you have a say in that and looking at the cultures, but also caring for Who am I What do I like to do? I like to garden I like to travel, I like photography. So I did carve out some time during my journey to invest in those things, too. As the whole, Dana.

Lindsay 03:27

I love that because we are not our work, we tend to identify that one of the things you talked about was potentially reaching burnout. And that when we go and go and go, and we work so hard, and we identify our worth as a human, which means we put all of our focus and emphasis on our job that we forget about the other parts about this. So I think the other thing you're talking about here is owning your genius and really determining what you want in your life now.

Dana 03:53

Right! Exactly, you know, I didn't, I realized now that I'm you know, three steps removed, that I was burned out, I'd worked for the same company for nine and a half years, and I gave everything I had to, you know, be a professional and help that company succeed. I have burned out my health was it my health was having issues, don't realize it when you're in it. It's not until you take two steps backward, you're like, oh, okay, my children haven't been to the dentist for two years. I wonder why that is. Maybe it's because I didn't have balance. And you know, the stress that I was carrying was impacting my health, but you don't realize it when you're in it. So it really takes some time to evaluate. You know, how that impacted you and how you want to manage that going forward.

Lindsay 04:37

I love that. And I like to refer to what we call the Blessed Trinity, which are three things like what is my health, what's my wealth, and what's my relationships and those relationships can be with you and yourself or you and your family or your loved ones are the people who are in your community. Your health is mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, all of the different bodies of health there. And then wealth is not just about occupation, but how do I make sure I feel safe and protected that I can actually spend the time to do what I need to do. And to the opportunity to pause. A lot of times I think about my transitions in my life, that Welcome to your crisis has actually been, well has been one of the most illuminating while the pain is so acute. It's one of the most illuminating things that happen because we get to determine what we really want. And what we get to focus on as soon as we can take a step away from the pain and away from the identifying of being a failure. And like, this is why the idea of you, not your job is so important to really think What does Lindsay or Dana or person listening to this? What do I want? Next? Not What does somebody hand to me, but what do I intentionally want to design in my life? What do I want to create and cultivate to really be the best version of me as I step forward?

Dana 05:52

Right, right, exactly. And, you know, my, my thought around for was forward focused HR was just that, you know, I had something to bring to people with, without the framework of a company around me, there are people that need coaching, there are people, you know, looking to manage change, looking to develop better communication skills, which are things that I'd done previously under a corporate umbrella. And that's something that I still, I still want to contribute. And now I have an opportunity to contribute that to a broader audience. And I would not have had an opportunity to create it had I not had this pause, to reevaluate,

Lindsay 06:30

and it is a pause. And a lot of times, it's a gift. It's a gift, it sounds so bad. But Marcus Aurelius, the obstacle is the way and a lot of times the path, the scenic route, as we like to say, in a crowd is one of the greatest gifts that we can get. So I think one of the other parts here is that you talked about was investing in you. So when you think about investing in yourself, this is time and resources. Right?

Dana 06:52

Right? Exactly, exactly. Carve some time out for yourself, even if it's just, you know, finding a spot in your day to go, you know, take a walk, get some fresh air go meet up now that we can, you know, meet up with a friend and have, have coffee or just, you know, do something to invest in, in reviving your spirit, because it is really easy to get down on yourself. And, you know, feel frustrated that there's no way forward. But it's up to you to create that way forward.

Lindsay 07:21

Absolutely. And I like that you talked about what brings you joy, what brings you joy, and if you can look at that, and we can enjoy, bring joy and body joy in personal, we can embody it in professional. So we need to think about how do we find balance in both because usually one is neglected, especially if all of our worth as a human being is tied to our work. That means we haven't done enough work on ourselves to make ourselves realize we are sovereign humans that have to contribute. happen to that genius and the things that make you inherently you Those are your greatest gifts and how you serve the world at large.

Dana 07:54

Absolutely, absolutely. 100% agree.
Lindsay 07:57

So what would you say, Dana? What's one thing if you're somebody who's going through a transition now, what would you say? What's the thing, the one big secret here to move forward?

Dana 08:09

Find that joy for yourself. And find a way that you know, when you're interacting with your family, or interacting with your talents and your skills, which are part of who you are, where you can still feel productive. Because I think that, you know, looking for a new role or a new career, a new job can be brutal, because you feel like you put so much in and so much and in so much in and you're not necessarily you know, getting a return in terms of response. So find a craft a hobby, an activity, a trip, something where you can feel productive, and then that really reinforces that intrinsic value as a human because you always have the intrinsic value as a human.

Lindsay 08:56

Yes, that travels with you no matter what I love this data. So if people want to get in contact with you, whether they be a forward-focused HR solution or they're interested in your leadership perspective, how can you reach you?

Dana 09:06

You can email me at [e-mail]

Lindsay 09:12

Forward focus H.com fantastic. Dana, thank you so much for being on the podcast with me today. You are incredible.
Dana 09:18
Thank you so much, Lindsay.