Second Act Success Career Podcast
Season 1 - Trusting Your Gut: The Secret to Navigating Career Changes with Confidence
Episode - #144
Host: Shannon Russell
Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate)

[00:00:00] Shannon Russell: Do you ever feel like you need some support as you plan for your next career move? Then I invite you to join my membership, the Career Clarity Collective. Inside, you'll have access to a community of like minded women. You'll also take part in weekly group coaching calls with me. Plus, you'll get a monthly masterclass lesson and a resource to help you start plotting your career pivot.

Head over to secondactsuccess.co to enroll. Or grab the link in the show notes below. I'll see you inside the collective.

Now it's time for an all new episode of the Second Act Success Career Podcast.

Let's dive in.

Hey, you, are you feeling stuck, desperate for a career change or thinking of starting a business, but you're just not sure how to make your first move? I'm television producer turned career coach, Shannon Russell, and this is the second act success career podcast. This is where you will not only get the career advice you've been craving, but you'll get tips [00:01:00] from career and business experts.

along with inspiration from others who have made a career transition to find second act success. Let's get started.

Hello, my friend. Welcome back to the show today. We're talking all about the power of listening to your guts.

When you have to make a decision, when you come to that fork in the road, usually there is stress about what do I do? Where do I go? Now you can whip out a piece of paper and write down a pros and cons list.

You can make a calculated choice

by thinking about the worst case scenario in either path, direction.

You can turn to a friend and ask her for advice to help you decide. Hey, you can even flip a coin and leave your fate in the hands of the universe. And a little bit of luck. All of these options are ways that you can make a choice.

They will all work. You'll choose a direction one way or another. Or you go with your gut. You [00:02:00] pause and you sit in silence with yourself and ask yourself. What do I do?

Listen, I am not a betting gal, but I would put money on the fact that your gut. We'll never steer you wrong.

Your gut is a mixture of your heart, your mind, and your intention. It's going to give you that feeling that one choice is slightly better than the other. Now you may not know exactly what the reasoning is behind that little feeling in your belly, but there is power in that sense that we feel when we listen to that pain inside of us. That pushes us in one direction over the other.

It's so important to take this time to ask yourself. Are you happy? Ask yourself what you want. Because when you do this, you get in touch with your true self. And this, my friend is your guts. And when you know how you were feeling, you will trust your gut that much more. I was listening to Mel Robbins the other day. And [00:03:00] she asked a question that really resonated with me.. She said, what is your life trying to tell you? And she mentioned exactly what we're talking about here right now. It's that gut feeling. She called it a nudge from the universe. This nudge asks you if you've done that thing that you've always wanted to do. Now I'll ask you. Have you. What is your life trying to tell you, have you done that thing? Only you and your gut? No.

Okay, let's bring this around to what you may be going through in your life right now. If you find yourself debating a second act and it can be a career shift, launching a business, quitting your job. Taking a hobby full-time. Deciding to stay home and raise your kids.

Maybe writing that book, you've always thought about

whatever you are daydreaming about. That is what you are considering for your second act career move. And if you are considering a [00:04:00] change of any kind. In your career or in your life, then chances are, you will have to rely on your gut to help you move forward. With any big change. Comes confusion. Pressure stress and fear. Not to mention self-doubt second guessing ourselves all those wishy washy fields that we bring upon ourselves when we have to make a life changing choice.

I want to run through a few ways that you can truly rely on your gut when it comes to making a big life or career decision.

Yeah.

Okay, here are a few ways that your gut can help you. Number one is authentic alignment. Your intuition often reflects your deepest desires. And your gut knows what you truly value and what you are aspiring to.

Trusting your gut can help you identify career paths that really align more authentically. With who you are and what truly matters to [00:05:00] you. By leaning into these feelings and trusting your gut,

this can lead you to finding greater fulfillment in your work and satisfaction in your life overall.

I often talk about the non-negotiables and really knowing your priorities in life. When you look at what you want, when you are making this shift, you know, what you want, you know, what you don't want.

You're looking at your priorities. You are focusing in on those non-negotiables of what you are willing to. Bring into your life in the second act. If you are leaving a toxic job and you're going to another one, you want to make sure that this next step, the second act. Is not going to have that toxicity that is going to bring you that fulfillment that you want.

So by leaning into your gut, Really trusting your instincts.

You can more effectively and authentically find that next move that will truly fit you. Okay. Number two, recognizing opportunities. So your [00:06:00] intuition has a great way of picking up on the subtle cues and signals from the universe. sometimes our rational mind just can't see these things that are right there in front of us.

But if we can look around and go through our day being open and looking for these signs and being more open to opportunities and really recognize what is around us, that will lead us to more abundance, it will lead us into the direction that we want to go. So really trusting your gut can also help you recognize these unexpected opportunities in these moments.

Keep an eye out if you know that you really want to work with animals. And right now you're in an office job, and you're thinking about how you can move into maybe being a vet tech or working at a pet store or a doggy daycare or being a pet Walker or whatever it might be.

If you're walking down the street and you see a woman walking, a bunch of dogs, you've never seen this woman walking all of these dogs before. [00:07:00] So what are the chances that you run into that today, when you're really making yourself be more open to opportunities around you?

just be open to recognizing what's right there in front of you and. Maybe taking that as a sign. Number three is navigating uncertainty. So career changes is all about being uncertain. You can know where you want to go. You can think, you know where you want to go, but you are not guaranteed to get there.

It is not a certain path. Career changes can really be accompanied by a lot of. Ambiguity, career changes, launching a business, any kind of drastic move like that can really have a lot of confusion. A lot of fogginess around it, a lot of gray area. figuring it out as you move. Your intuition can serve you. Your gut can serve you as almost like a compass. In my business, in my home, arrows are a very big symbol that I [00:08:00] love.

I have arrows all over. I truly feel like That is just a symbol that I like to have around me all the time. And it just symbolizes to me personally. Me moving in a direction to help others and me moving in a direction to grow and expand. What I bring to my family. me moving in the direction of what I want out of my career in my business is so an arrow is my symbol.

When I think about my gut and my intuition, I use that arrow which is my compass to move me forward.

So if you are thinking about your intuition and your gut, trying to navigate through some of those more confusing times or those gray areas. That uncertainty and that stress. Try to figure out what your compass can be. Really lean on your gut and that symbol, that compass, that arrow. And allow it to guide you through those unfamiliar times.

I feel like sometimes that uncertainty or [00:09:00] those hiccups along the road. Are meant to make us pause. They are put in our way for us to take a breath and to sit there and try to figure out that puzzle at that one step.

Because we all know, once you figure out one piece to the puzzle. The other ones will come. Lean into your intuition, lean into your gut and follow your arrow. Follow your compass. As you go through these little tricky times, this uncertainty, these unfamiliar terrains

and use your compass to help you make the decisions when you are faced with that conflict.

Move along one step at a time. And when you come to a hurdle, when you come to a conflict, stop, figure out the problem. Clear your head and figure out your next move.

Next is number four, risk assessment. We've talked about risk assessment here in the podcast before, and I am a big proponent of this. The more, you know, the more educated you are and then therefore the [00:10:00] more confident you are in the decision that you're making. So while you can go through and know on paper exactly where you're moving and the steps you need to get yourself there.

Sometimes your gut instinct can provide you with insights where you say, oh, there might be a risk here.

Listening to your gut when you're deciding which direction to move. Can really help you see if there are risks or rewards in any turn along your career path. It can really help you assess whether a particular decision feels right. In the context of your broader goals and aspirations. It's easy to make a decision along the way, but you want to make sure that whatever risk or decision you're making. Really is going to lead you to that overall launching goal. You don't want to take a risk on something and find yourself moving down another path.

You want to really think about what that risk will do for your overall aspiration, your broader goal.

always keep in mind. [00:11:00] That risks are fine. You want to take those challenges? You want to do what you can, but you want to minimize them. When you're uncertain of what the outcome will be. So just a learn. Educate yourself, get that information and then make a well-educated decision and step forward.

All right, we've got a few more here to get through.

I hope this is all making sense for you as you really take these steps and figure out how you can really use your gut and intuition as you move forward.

Number five is resilience. career transitions often require stepping outside of your comfort zone. Right? We are taking those calculated risks. We are. Choosing the unknown, we are learning and leaping into something new in the hopes that it will fulfill us in the end.

That it'll be that reward, that end goal that we are truly looking for.

trusting your gut in the sense. I can really bolster that resilience and make you [00:12:00] adaptable to whatever is in front of you. Your intuition, your gut can empower you to really navigate these challenges and setbacks with greater confidence. So you know that, okay, there might be some struggles along the way, but I'm going to be resilient.

I'm going to adapt to what is in front of me, because this is not a simple, clear path from a to B, you are going to have those risks. You're going to have that uncertainty. You might have those roadblocks, but you know, your end goal.

Making a career change, making a life change. Is a long game you are working to get to that end result. A lot of times, your gut can really remind you that you are moving along and you're ready for anything. So to be resilient and really adaptable along the way will serve you.

Well.

Next is number six, which is honoring your inner voice. Your gut is your inner voice. It is that feeling inside your [00:13:00] heart, your mind. Your body that is telling you. What you truly want or giving you that warning, that something doesn't feel right or giving you that warning that it's now or never. Our gut tells us so many different things.

It's just a matter of listening now. Your gut represents. The wisdom that is inside of you, it encompasses. All of your past experiences. It knows what you've done throughout every step of your life. It knows your values. It knows your personality. It knows what you're working towards. By trusting your gut and listening to that inner voice and really, really honoring it. You're moving along. Keeping your eye again, on that end end goal.

you're making decisions that are really true to yourself therefore allowing you to really see the vision that you have for your future, because that's what we're doing when we're starting a second act, we are thinking about the future and how we can set up. [00:14:00] This life for our future self, right?

We want to honor our inner voice and trust in our gut. And again, it goes back to really trusting. Your gut in these situations to know that your gut knows you as well as you do, and it is not going to lead you astray. Honor that voice. Listen, talk to yourself and keep moving forward to get to your end goal.

Lastly is accelerating decision-making.

This is number seven on my list. Now in situations where time is of the essence, you need to leave that job. You need to start that business. Your clock is ticking, You know what you want to do and how to get there, your intuition can actually help you make quicker and more decisive decisions. Knowing that time is ticking. Knowing that there is a deadline looming. Trusting your gut can streamline decision making processes and really [00:15:00] prevent that indecision. We talked about it before. There's a lot of uncertainty, there's a lot of questions and challenges that come up when we're changing from what we're used to, into something that is new. There's that fear again, right?

There is a lot up in the air. So when you are trusting in your gut, you are allowing your gut, your intuition, that inner feeling, your inner voice, make decisions for you. In a really proper decision-making way.

You are not over analyzing you're not being plagued with indecision as much because you can trust in your gut and know that you are making decisions that are aligned with what you truly want and for what you're working towards. So it really enables you to kind of seize opportunities more effectively and make those decisions a little bit quicker. You can probably think of times in your life where a decision was really, really hard.

Maybe that's now for you, but you might be able to think of other times in your [00:16:00] life. Where a decision was really easy.

Maybe it was when you got accepted to your dream school and your answer was yes.

Before you could even think about the tuition costs. Maybe it was when your partner proposed to you and you shouted. Yes. I'm going to marry you before they even got off of their knee. , some decisions you just know, you just embrace the uncertainty in that situation because you are 1000% sure of what you want at that moment. That is a time where you used your gut. Think about those times in your life, where you were a little bit uncertain. And you weren't sure what to do, so therefore you need to lean into your gut a little bit more, be more trusting, knowing that the more you trust that intuition and that inner voice. The more accelerated your decision-making process will be to get you from where you are now to where you want to be.

Okay.

That was my list for you. [00:17:00] Seven ways that listening to your gut will help you get to your goal that much faster. Ultimately trusting your gut when making a career change decision is all about tapping into your inner wisdom. That intuition is there to help you make decisions that resonate with your authentic self, that much faster.

it also kind of makes that path, that movement. From the career you're in now to your next venture, that much more meaningful. You want to enjoy the process.

And I know you might be listening saying there's nothing enjoyable about. This kind of decision-making. However, I think when you really do trust yourself and you know that you're leaning on your gut, you're making that decision together, you and your gut, right. You and your inner self. That you really can't be led astray. Too far, if at all. You are believing. That your gut knows you best. You are going to walk along your [00:18:00] career path journey to where you want to go for your second act in a way where you're really guided a little bit more because you're more focused on the true meaning behind you wanting this change.

I hope this conversation. Helps you think more about using what you have already inside of you as a tool to help you in this process? Because you can take all the tests, you can rewrite the resume, you can take the courses you can learn and read and listen to podcasts and do all of the things. But you have your biggest ally right there inside of you. So it is important to really trust your gut

And use it to help you reach your career goal.

All right. Thank you for spending some time with me today. I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please share it with a friend. It would mean so much to me I will be back again next week with an all new episode. I will see you then. Thanks so [00:19:00] much. Make it a great day.

Hey, my friend, are you looking for a way to level up your career or help you on your career change journey? I have a free resource for you. It is my level up career journal. You can grab it now for free at secondactsuccess.co/careerchange. And download it now.

[00:19:21] Shannon Russell: Thank you for joining us. I hope you found some gems of inspiration and some takeaways to help you on your path to Second Act Success. To view show notes from this episode, visit secondactsuccess.co. Before you go, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a single episode. Reviews only take a few moments and they really do mean so much.

Thank you again for listening. I'm Shannon Russell and this is Second Act Success.