Lauren’s story

Now might be a good time to avoid massive career flux but can you really stay where you are and get more out of your current job? Here’s Lauren’s story:

Lauren came to one of my group sessions at the start of the year to get a taster of the Designing Your Life principles and set some intentions for 2020.

She, like others in the group, was in a tough place. Ambitious, with young children, she was doing the juggle that working mums do. On top of that work was a tough place to be; she
was already practicing gratitude, setting boundaries aligned with her values and focusing on her emotional health. What else could she do? She’s got 2 options, right? Stay or leave? No, because there’s always a third way in design thinking! Lauren needed to stay in her role for financial reasons and because she cared deeply about the work, so we looked together at how, by shifting focus – remodelling her role – she could do that.

In the follow-up 1:1 sessions we focused on strengths; the strengths of those she admired, her own strengths and validated them using a positive psychology approach to the traditional 360. She began to value herself and rely less on outside approval.

We added mindfulness to her toolbox – the daily practice of noticing the stories we tell ourselves – not the sitting about kind!

We got ruthless about which courses, projects and actions she would take on to align withher interests and ambitions and she graciously turned down anything that wasn’t that.

She told her story, so mentors and collaborators knew which opportunities she wanted to be part of.

“Life is busy and hard sometimes. Only scratching the surface leaves so many unanswered questions and, quite frankly, I felt overwhelmed. I had a lot of techniques and experience under my belt, but nothing seemed to sit right or feel enough. Having a plan, and one which I wanted to follow, was the conversation that I needed and it brought more than I could have imagined to the table for me to action. It truly has allowed me to step into MY career design and MY life and ask the right questions of myself.  Thank you, Fiona!”

Lauren has remodelled her role to suit her strengths, interests and ambitions and you could
do the same. If you’d like to

  • Feel valued at work
  • Increase your focus and enjoyment
  • Improve your boundaries and reduce the risk of burnout
  • Think, feel and behave differently in the same role

I’m booking 2-hour sessions for £175 in August to support clients who want to get the best out of where they are currently by designing a work-life that works for them.