Why I’ve Been Quiet
You may have noticed I’ve been quiet lately on the blog front. This is because I’ve been needing to figure out my own next career alignment steps – ironically the same work I help my clients to do.
For the past two years, I’ve been juggling working with VetLed delivering Human Factors training, running Vet Harmony and running Lilypod, our floating glamping business. Add parenting a neurodiverse child and surfing the waves of perimenopause into the mix, and you can probably imagine how full life has felt.🤪
Each of these things brings meaning and joy – yes, even the lessons I’m learning through perimenopause – but trying to do all of them simultaneously left me starting to feel off balance.
The Curse of Competence
Something needed to give and yet I was reluctant to pull back from anything. This is a pattern I see frequently in my clients.
We’re a competent bunch as veterinary professionals. We’re really fab at a lot of different skills and we’re frequently highly empathic and want to help wherever possible.
I call it the ‘Curse of Competence’ sometimes, as if we’re not careful our lives can become far too busy, overcommitted and complex.
I hear so often from clients:
“I should be able to do all these things.”
“If I let go of something, or change jobs, I’ll be letting someone down.”
“I enjoy all of it, so it would be a shame to stop.”
Sound familiar? It’s a mindset I’ve coached others through, and have had to coach myself through it too.
Finding My Own Alignment
This past year showed me that even aligned, meaningful work can become unsustainable if there’s too much of it or you are trying to excel at too many different things.
When you feel like you’re off-balance and need to work out what to do about it, it’s helpful to have support, external sound boarding and a structured process to follow to help navigate the decision making process.
I’m lucky enough to be able to do this for myself using my own tools and techniques, distilled and refined over the last 24 years as I have successfully navigated through 10 different clinical and non-clinical diversifications within the profession.
One of my great inspirations, Brené Brown, talks about being ‘both a map maker and a traveller’ in her work, alluding to the fact that while she lights the way for others with her knowledge, she is still figuring out her own path along the way.
My own career twists and turns are the learning ground for the work I do, and every time I go through another career pivot I’m able to incorporate those new learnings into what I teach and share.
In the early days of my career, the pivots came from necessity to stop my mental and physical wheels falling off. 🤯
Nowadays they come through conscious choice, whenever I sense I am out of alignment and need to move back towards fulfilment, balance and purpose. 😇
That’s why I’ve made the decision to step back from my regular VetLed role even though I’ve loved being part of the team and will still champion their amazing work and do some bits with them, so that I can focus fully on Vet Harmony. This work – helping vet professionals find clarity, purpose, and to redesign their careers to fit who they truly are and what works for them is what I love most and am utterly passionate about.
Your Springtime Offer
So why am I sharing this?
Well, I’d love to help you master this skillset of career alignment too!
From now until 31st March, you can book and pay for 1:1 or group coaching at my current rates, even if we start our sessions(s) together later. It’s a gentle nudge to prioritise your career and life alignment this Spring and also grab a bargain while you can as I’ll be shifting to my new 2025 pricing in April.
I’ve also been working behind the scenes on a refreshed group coaching offer and a brand new website – both coming very soon! If you’re thinking about coaching or curious about what’s on offer, now’s the perfect time to get in touch.
📥. Check out the PDF below for a summary of my two main client types, what I help with, my coaching process and the results I typically get for people to see if I’m the right person to help you. 😍
I can’t wait to support more of you in finding your path forward.
Jenny x