Get A Shift On: Healthcare Career Change and Business Stories

Most career change stories skip the hard bit.
This one doesn’t.

In this episode of Get A Shift On, I’m joined by Kevin Matthew, a former secondary school teacher, university lecturer, and education entrepreneur who went on to build multiple businesses across e-commerce, property, and digital travel… and then hit a point where it all nearly collapsed.

Kevin’s journey spans education, health, entrepreneurship, burnout, depression, and a complete rethink of what work is actually for. From launching innovative physical-activity programmes in schools, to scaling a nationwide personalised gift brand, to facing the brutal reality of post-COVID business decline — this conversation goes right to the edge of what happens when effort no longer equals security.

We talk honestly about:

• What it feels like when a “successful” business stops working

• The mental toll of carrying financial pressure for your family

• Why traditional employment and the 9–5 model are breaking down

• How transferable skills from teaching, education, and leadership actually translate into business

• The difference between working harder and working differently

• Why many people don’t need another job - they need a second income stream

• What “front-loading effort” really means in modern business

• And how Kevin and his family are preparing to leave the UK, world-school their children, and redesign life around freedom rather than rota-driven work

This isn’t a get-rich-quick story.
It’s a real conversation about resilience, review, rebuilding, and choosing a life that fits.

Kevin shares hard-earned lessons about:

• Building systems instead of burning yourself out

• Why reviewing your business matters more than starting it

• The truth about network-based and digital business models (without the nonsense)

• Why younger generations are rejecting traditional career paths

• And why effort still matters - no matter how you earn your money

If you’re a professional who feels capable but stuck…
If you’ve outgrown your job but can’t yet see the next step…
If you’re carrying the quiet pressure of being the provider…
Or if you’re questioning whether the way you’re working is worth the cost.

This episode will give you something far more useful than motivation.

It’ll give you perspective.

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AI isn’t coming for your job tomorrow.
But the career you’re relying on might not exist in the same way five years from now.

In this solo episode of Get A Shift On, I break down what’s really happening as AI, automation and restructuring quietly reshape the job market , and why this moment is the smartest time in decades to build leverage, not panic.

I examine:

• Why AI disruption doesn’t mean mass unemployment, but does mean massive career change

• How redundancy fear can become your permission to pivot

• Why side hustles, consulting, coaching and fractional work are exploding right now

• The 7-step Personal Exit Plan I use with clients to move from stuck employee to confident independent

• How to use AI as your assistant, not your replacement

• And why the “safe” job you’re protecting isn’t as safe as you think

This episode is for you if:

• You feel stuck in a job you’ve outgrown

• You’re worried about redundancy or industry change

• You’re curious about AI but unsure how it fits your future

• You want more control over your income and time

• You’re thinking about starting something before you’re forced to

You’ll also get practical actions you can take this week to:

• Audit your real-world skills
• Define your ideal working life
• Test your idea before quitting
• Talk to your employer about flexibility
• Use AI for research and content
• Remove the fear-based excuses holding you back

AI isn’t the villain.Staying stuck while the world shifts is.

Follow the show if you refuse to stay stuck.

Free tools

• Escape Readiness Quiz

• Via Nova Personal Exit Plan resources
  

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Redundancy has a way of stripping everything back,identity, confidence, purpose. In this episode, former detective and corporate security leader Willie Nicol shares how losing his job became the turning point that forced him to change his mindset, rebuild his life, and find real fulfilment.

After 31 years in the police and seven years in corporate security, Willie was made redundant after “working himself out of a job.” Angry, bitter, and burning with resentment, he dismissed coaching as “mumbo jumbo” — until one unexpected three-day course shifted everything.

Now a mindset coach specialising in helping burned-out men rediscover confidence, clarity, and direction, Willie explains how reframing internal dialogue, upgrading your “mindset operating system,” and learning to stop self-sabotage can change the course of your life.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How redundancy can become a catalyst for real change
• Why your internal dialogue shapes your outcomes
• How to shift from fear-driven thinking to empowered action
• The danger of living on autopilot in work and life
• Why most people stay stuck, and how to escape it

If you’re trapped in a job that no longer fits, struggling after redundancy, or quietly asking “is this it?”, this conversation will hit home.

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“Get Your Mojo Back 3 Day Challenge” - https://wnc.willienicolcoaching.com/lets-go 

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Are You Ready to Escape Your Job and Build Your Own Business? Take the 2-minute Business Escape Readiness Test and discover your personalised action plan! - Business Escape Readiness Test 

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What happens when you lose it all, the business, the money, the confidence,and have to start again?

Ben Walton knows. After nine years running restaurants in London, he shut the doors for good, moved to Brighton with newborn twins, and faced the reality of feeding his family with no business left to run.

In this episode, Ben opens up about rebuilding from scratch, from losing friends’ money to finding his first freelance clients, setting prices that felt “grown-up,” and turning those early projects into On A Plate Growth, his food & beverage marketing consultancy.

We talk about:

- the brutal honesty of starting over after failure

- finding momentum when income isn’t guaranteed

- why community beats hustle culture

- how to build a freelance business that actually works.

Ben’s story isn’t about overnight success, it’s about resilience, self-belief, and sustainable growth in the messy middle.

🎙️ Listen for real insight, real humour, and the quiet truth about freelancing after failure.

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Frustrated at Work? Want to know if you are ready for a career change? ⁠Answer these 10 questions and find out⁠!

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Are you an ambitious UK business owner juggling bookkeeping, tax bills and cash-flow stress? In this episode of Get A Shift On, we’ll fast-track you from financial chaos to clarity, giving you control and confidence as you grow.

In this episode of I sit down with Chartered Accountant and Root2Growth founder Rayanne Armand as she shares real-world steps for small business owners and career-changer, covering how to set up Xero correctly, build cash-flow confidence, price your services for profit, and prepare for tax without the last-minute scramble.

What you’ll learn • How to break the “I’m not a numbers person” mindset and use your data as a growth engine.
• How to move from reactive bookkeeping to real-time accounting and predictable routines.
• Proven time-saving strategies and apps for small business finance so you can free up your time.
• For founders approaching or exceeding £500k turnover: what financial insight you really need to scale sustainably and price for profit.
• How a Virtual Finance Department or trusted advisor becomes part of your team, not just a compliance cost.

Rayanne also opens up about her own career transition from corporate firms to founder-life, showing how you can shift from long hours and low margins into a business that serves your life, not the other way around.

Links + Resources - Rayanne- Become a Xero Hero – DIY programme: https://www.rayarmand.com
- Root2Growth – Done-for-you accounting support: https://www.root2growth.co.uk

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Listen, subscribe and follow Get A Shift On for more insights into career change, business startup, growth strategies and finance made simple.

Topics Include:small business accounting uk, business finance tips, xero accounting for entrepreneurs, cash flow for small business, how to start a business uk, pricing for profit, career change startup, accounting made simple, virtual finance department, founder finance routines

What happens when a paramedic on the brink of burnout rebuilds his life, and turns his healing into a global podcast reaching 10 million listeners?

In this powerful episode of Get a Shift On, host David Birchmore talks with Martin Hewlett, certified clinical hypnotherapist and creator of the chart-topping Calming Anxiety Podcast. Together, they unpack how Martin transformed PTSD and emotional trauma into a purpose-driven career, blending rewind therapy, mindfulness, and AI-powered podcast strategy to help others find calm.

You’ll hear Martin’s refreshingly honest take on how to:

• Recover from career burnout and trauma without losing your sense of purpose.

• Use rewind therapy to silence old wounds and rewire the mind for peace.

• Apply guided meditation, deep breathing, and positive affirmations to conquer anxiety and build unshakable self-belief.

• Leverage AI tools (ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Notebook LM) to grow a podcast or business organically

• Turn adversity into impact, because reinvention isn’t about escape; it’s about alignment.

Martin’s story is part healing, part entrepreneurial awakening, and part masterclass in how AI can democratize podcasting for creators without a marketing budget.

Whether you’re a healthcare professional seeking career change, a podcaster chasing growth, or someone ready to reclaim your calm and confidence, this episode delivers practical wisdom, compassion, and a nudge to finally follow your truth.

Listen to Calming Anxiety Podcast: Daily Meditation & Sleep Hypnosis for Anxiety Relief

https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety--4110266
https://open.spotify.com/show/2BLdPSFfzWaYKiXYV0Nqvo?si=346a219800a94f04
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/calming-anxiety/id1485448436
https://www.youtube.com/@CalmingAnxiety

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Frustrated at Work? Want to know if you are ready for a career change? Answer these 10 questions and find out!

Career change after burnout

Paramedic PTSD recovery

Hypnotherapy for trauma

rewind therapy explained

Calming anxiety podcast growth

AI podcast SEO strategy

Using AI for podcast marketing

Guided meditation for anxiety relief

Mindfulness for stress reduction

Transitioning from healthcare to entrepreneurship

AI tools for podcasters

Overcoming imposter syndrome

Career pivot inspiration

Building confidence through affirmations#CareerChange #PodcastGrowth #MentalHealthAwareness #AnxietyRelief #Mindfulness #PTSDRecovery #Hypnotherapy #RewindTherapy #CalmingAnxiety #AIForCreators #AIinPodcasting #GuidedMeditation #StressRelief #BurnoutRecovery #EntrepreneurMindset #PurposeDrivenLife #FollowYourTruth #HealthcareToEntrepreneur #GetAShiftOnPodcast #DavidBirchmore #MartinHewlett

When psychotherapist Amanda Hitchin lost her job during the pandemic, she didn’t just face redundancy, she faced an identity crisis. After 16 years in education and leadership roles, Amanda’s world suddenly stopped. But that shock became the springboard for something extraordinary: founding Colchester Children’s Counselling, hosting The New Therapist in Town podcast, and earning a spot in the UK’s Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs.

In this episode of Get A Shift On, Amanda joins Dave to talk about how a forced ending became the start of everything she’d always wanted. It’s a story about courage, creativity, and the power of saying, “I can’t do it... yet.”

Amanda’s journey began in the classroom, teaching and leading safeguarding teams through the chaos of the pandemic. But when redundancy struck, she was suddenly without direction, and without the security she’d built her life around.

Instead of retreating, Amanda took her payout and invested in herself. She trained as a psychodynamic counsellor, balancing studies, therapy fees, and bills, all without a student loan. It wasn’t easy. It was growth mindset in action.

What started as one rented room turned into a thriving three-room practice with a nine-person team, a unique psychotherapy sensory room, and national recognition for her impact. What she thought was a setback became the permission slip to build a career on her own terms, one rooted in compassion, autonomy, and purpose.

• Pressure Makes a Diamond – Every challenging season can refine you. Amanda’s toughest teaching years became the foundation for her success in therapy and business.

• Adopt a Growth Mindset – Replace “I can’t” with “I can’t yet.” Learn, evolve, and treat mistakes as part of mastery.
• Redundancy Isn’t the End – It can be your launchpad. Amanda used hers to fund a master’s degree and a new life.

• Outsource the Bits You Hate – Focus your energy on what fuels you. Delegate, automate, and protect your emotional bandwidth.

• You’re Never Too Old to Retrain – Whether 28 or 58, if there’s something calling you—answer it. The next chapter could be the best yet.

Amanda’s story is proof that growth isn’t comfortable, but it’s worth it. Redundancy didn’t end her career; it reignited it. Her journey is a reminder that courage often looks like sending that first text, renting that first office, or admitting you’re ready for something new.

🎙️ Listen now to Get A Shift On and discover how Amanda turned uncertainty into empowerment.

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Frustrated at Work? Want to know if you are ready for a career change? Answer these 10 questions and find out!

"I thought leaving corporate meant losing everything — money, identity, even stability. Turns out, it was the start of finding myself again."In this episode, I talk with Doris Walsh, founder of Happy Bunny Coaching, about what really happens after you walk away from a twenty-year corporate career. Doris shares her story of voluntary redundancy during COVID, uprooting her family to Greece, and confronting the uncomfortable question so many of us avoid: What do I want to be when I grow up?!

We explore how cultural expectations shaped her parenting and identity, how she learned to let go of perfection, and what freedom actually feels like when you finally stop chasing other people’s definitions of success. Doris opens up about fear, finances, and finding balance as a mother, wife, and business owner, and why, despite earning less now, she’s never felt richer.

This isn’t just another “quit your job” story, it’s a conversation about redefining enough, rebuilding confidence, and learning to live with purpose, play, and a whole lot more peace.

If this episode sounds familiar, please follow, leave a quick review, and share it with someone who’s may need to it!Follow Doris

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Frustrated at Work? Want to know if you are ready for a career change? Answer these 10 questions and find out!Chapters

00:00 The Journey of Career Change

07:01 Embracing Personal Growth and Freedom

18:49 The Impact of Corporate Life on Parenting

30:38 Navigating Financial Concerns and Mindset

46:23 The Role of Coaching in Personal Transformation

58:23 Happy Bunny Coaching: Helping Others Find Joy

01:11:10 End and Close

What happens when a kid from Armagh, told he wasn’t good enough, ends up kicking Exeter Chiefs to Premiership glory, and then has to start all over again after retirement?

Gareth Steenson, better known as Steeno, spent 18 years in professional rugby, from his early days in Ulster to becoming the Chiefs’ reliable No.10 during their rise to the very top of English rugby. In this episode I sit down with him as he opens up about the setbacks, sacrifices, and pivotal moments that shaped his career, and what life looks like now he’s swapped the pitch for coaching and business.

We talk about leaving home young and chasing opportunities in Rotherham and Cornwall, coping with the loss of his father during a critical season, and finding his place at Exeter just as the club was building towards promotion.

Steeno reflects on the highs of lifting trophies, the brutal lows of self-doubt, and the reality of leadership when the game plan falls apart.

Off the field, we dig into what resilience really means, how coaching the Irish Women’s Squad is reshaping his view of the game, and why running The Stand Off bar in Exeter taught him as much about teamwork as rugby ever did.

If you’ve ever faced rejection, had to reinvent yourself, or wondered what’s next after the career you thought would last forever, Steeno’s story will make you think twice about what resilience, risk, and real success look like.

If you enjoyed this episode, do me a favour: hit like, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and subscribe so you don’t miss the next conversation. The more people we reach, the more stories like Steeno’s can inspire someone else to make their next move and be happier in their career. Follow Steeno here:

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Frustrated at Work? Want to know if you are ready for a career change? Answer these 10 questions and find out!#GetAShiftOn #InspiringStories #LikeShareSubscribe #CareerTransitions #Rugby #EliteSport

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Steeno's Rugby Journey

01:32 From Soccer to Rugby: Early Beginnings

03:10 Schoolboy Rugby and Early Recognition

04:21 Transition to Professional Rugby

05:31 Career Growth at Exeter Chiefs

07:21 The Evolution of Rugby and Player Development

10:44 Women's Rugby: Growth and Professionalism

14:03 The Role of Technology in Modern Rugby

17:11 Adapting to Change: Lessons from Rugby to Life

19:43 The Importance of Team Culture and Community

24:29 Community and Team Spirit in Rugby

25:54 The Journey to Premiership Glory

28:19 Leadership and Team Dynamics

32:39 Transitioning to Coaching and New Opportunities

35:31 Defining Resilience and Leadership

39:11 Advice for Life After Sports

43:27 Close

What happens when a former international journalist swapsfrozen peas, Russian winters, and breaking news… for villains, audiobooks, andcorporate commercials?

James Brown swapped the newsroom for the booth and built a thriving voice over business from scratch in his Devon studio. In this episode, he reveals the unfiltered truth about starting a creative business later in life, the wins, the mistakes, and the skills he never knew he’d need.

We explore James’s journey from documentary-maker in Russia to voice actor, covering how he navigated family responsibilities, COVID, and the total career pivot that came next. You’ll hear practical strategies for finding work through audition sites and direct marketing, tips for self-directing from a home studio, and why corporate and commercial work became his foundation.

We also dive deep into resilience, why having a savingsbuffer matters, and James’s take on AI vs. human creativity and why authentic storytelling will always win. Plus, he shares a glimpse into his latest gaming project, including a chilling live performance as The Lord of Lonelinesshimself.

If you’ve ever dreamed of building a business around yourvoice, or any passion, this episode will inspire you to start, adapt, and keep creating.

Please like, share and subscribe for more career change andtransition tips, tricks and more...

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Frustrated at Work? Want to know if you are ready for a career change? Answer these 10 questions and find out!Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Career Change and Voiceover Industry

04:10 James Brown's Journey: From Consultancy to Voiceover

08:33 Experiences in Russia: Journalism and Documentaries

16:58 Cultural Insights from Russia: A Unique Perspective

25:20 Voiceover Artistry: Crafting Characters and Stories

30:41 Crafting Compelling Brand Narratives

33:08 The Art of Voice Direction

36:09 From Journalism to Voiceover: A Journey

40:39 Navigating the Entrepreneurial Landscape

45:20 AI's Impact on Voiceover and Creativity

49:52 Exploring New Horizons in Voice Acting

56:16 End and close