A Deep-Dive Conversation on Career Change, Identity & Authenticity

In this powerful and thought-provoking episode of Gifts Into Gold - Where Money & Soul Collide, I’m joined by Claudia Unger, a transition coach, researcher, and expert in the emotional and practical realities of changing your career or business direction.

Claudia shares her honest journey from a long corporate career into entrepreneurship, and then back into corporate again - revealing what most people never talk about: the internal shifts, the grief, the identity loss, the freedom we crave, and the freedom we actually need.

We explore the tension between responsibility and desire, the truth about consistency in business, the emotional challenges of leaving a job (or returning to one), and what it really means to honour your values of freedom, authenticity and responsibility.

This episode is a deep, beautifully human conversation for anyone navigating transitions, feeling stuck between two identities, or wondering what it really takes to build a life aligned with who you’re becoming.

What We Cover

• Claudia’s journey from travel industry research to entrepreneurship

• Why we underestimate the emotional impact of career transitions

• The real reason consistency in business is harder than learning new skills

• Identity shifts and “grieving” when leaving or returning to corporate

• Freedom as a value: what it means and why it’s different for everyone