The On Change Project
The On Change Podcast is evolving
Where it all began
In 2017 I was feeling stuck at work and looking for a way to position myself differently at work. I felt like I’d done everything right, been a good girl, taken on all the difficult projects and I made my bosses look really good by being a dutiful and competent 2IC. I was looking for a gap in the company structure, which I could claim and build out, or if not that, then leave and do my own thing (this was a recurring theme in my corporate career).
I had just done a course on change management and I loved the process, so I thought maybe I could do this - be an expert on change management. Problem was, I wasn’t, so I thought I’d interview people who were already experts on change management, learn from them and become a thought leader on the subject, and so…the On Change podcast was born.
You can read more on why I started the podcast here.
The Podcast
The podcast became my creative outlet, while in the real world I was grafting and being good corporate citizen. I used the podcast to explore all the topics I was curious about, and mostly they focused on change and people who had gone through big transformations in their lives. I made podcasts for the following reasons:
Establishing myself as a thought leader
Trying to reach an audience of one (that one person who could promote me)
Exploring topics that interested me
Getting to know interesting people
Expanding my network
Broadening my MBA experience (by interviewing my class mates & lecturers)
Gathering stories for a book I’m writing
For fun
And yes, I did carve out an area for myself where I got to do change management, I did get that promotion and I led large transformational projects for the company. AND I met some interesting people and had some fun along the way.
Listen to the On Change Podcast.
The Business
When I eventually left my corporate career, I first took a break to reflect on what I might do with the rest of my life. I ran a series of experiments on myself to see whether any of my fantasy jobs (those jobs I would dream about while stuck in boring meetings) could actually turn into a meaningful pivot for me. I did a coaching course, a yoga teacher training course, planned to do a landscaping course, etc, and what I learned was that the thing I loved most about my corporate career was the mentoring and coaching of my team and younger employees - that was the best part of my job! I should mention that one of my previous bosses also said I taught him to be a human being at work, so it seems I was coaching upwards as well.
I’ve now started an executive and life coaching business and naturally, because my podcast was called On Change, it made sense to use that name for my business too. For the business I changed the logo to show how a coaching journey towards living a more balanced life bears fruit.
Be part of my tribe
In this newsletter I will be sharing my thoughts on the topics I am curious about, much like why I started a podcast, but here I can test my thoughts with you, and share podcasts, videos and articles that I find interesting.
Initially I would like to share a series of articles I am writing. These pieces will form the basis for a book I am writing on taking conscious and deliberate breaks from work. These are based on a series of podcasts I made on taking constructive breaks from work, my own sabbatical story and some research.
I would love for you to:
Give me feedback
Ask questions
Share your related stories
Point me to research that might be helpful
Tell me what you want more (or less) of
You are also welcome to point out my clumsy writing, spelling and grammatical errors. English is my second language after all.
Welcome to my Substack!
