Happen To Your Career - Meaningful Work, Career Change, Career Design, & Job Search

Between a job that demands 10+ hours a day, a family that needs you the moment you walk through the door, and a never-ending list of obligations, finding the space to even think about what you want next feels impossible. But it doesn't have to be.

You asked, and we're answering.

In this special Q&A episode, we're tackling one of the most common questions we hear from people all over the world: how do you make a career change when you have zero time and energy left to give?

We'll break down exactly how real people, just like you, have made meaningful career progress without overhauling their entire schedule or waiting for the perfect moment that never seems to come.

What you'll learn

• Why meaningful career change happens in the margins — and how to find those hidden pockets of time in your day
• How one engineer working 10–11 hour days used a single lunch hour to land a new role
• Why knowing when you do your best work is the secret to making faster progress with less effort
• The two questions you need to ask yourself before taking any other step toward a career change
• How to stop waiting for the "perfect" amount of time and start building real momentum today

Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here!

Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation

Free Resources

What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out!

Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over.

Related Episodes

1. Figuring Out Your Perfect Career Match (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
2. Changing Careers (When You Don't Know Your Next Job Title) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Switching industries doesn't mean starting over. The skills you've built over 20+ years are transferable, and learning to translate them is the difference between feeling stuck and landing a better job in a completely new field. This episode walks through why your industry isn't where your value actually lives, how to reposition transferable skills for any new field, and the 3-step framework high performers use to make a career pivot without losing the seniority, salary, or recognition they've already earned.

What you'll learn

• Why most high performers stay stuck in their current industry, and the belief that's keeping them there
• The functional vs. industry-specific way to think about your skills (and why this shift is the unlock for any career pivot)
• The 3-step framework for making a career pivot without starting over: taking inventory of your transferable skills, finding functional overlap in your target industry, and building your bridge story
• Glenn's story: how a 20-year healthcare sales veteran pivoted into a Regional Director role at a values-aligned company after a life-changing diagnosis
• Taj's story: how multiple pivots across athletics, music, and coaching prove the through-line isn't the industry — it's how you want to live
• The reframe that changes everything about how hiring managers in a new industry see your background

Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here!

Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation

Free Resources

What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out!

Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over.

Related Episodes

1. Changing Careers (When You Don't Know Your Next Job Title) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
2. Executive Burnout: Making A Midlife Career Change (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

The difference between work that drains you and work that energizes you usually isn't the role. It's whether your strengths fit the environment you're using them in.

This episode walks through when your strengths actually matter for finding career fit and work you actually love, why matching your strengths to a job title is the wrong approach to career happiness, and how to identify the work environments where your unique combination of strengths will actually be valued.

You'll also hear why the right environment isn't really about the company itself, it's about whether the people around you value the strengths you bring, and why values alignment usually matters more than strengths alignment when you're starting to figure out what actually fits.

What you'll learn:

• Why trying to match your strengths to a job title doesn't create career fit or job satisfaction, and what actually does
• The two situations where strengths-based career planning is genuinely useful for finding meaningful work: spotting clear career non-fits and identifying the right work environment
• How to tell when the people around you, not the role itself, are the real reason your work feels draining and unfulfilling
• Why values alignment matters more than strengths alignment when you're starting a career change or career pivot
• How to use your strengths as a filter for career fit and workplace happiness instead of a roadmap for which jobs to apply to
• The signs your current career path isn't working and how to address job dissatisfaction before it turns into burnout

Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here!

Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation

Free Resources

What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out!

Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over.

Related Episodes

1. Should I Quit My Job? How to Know It's Time (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
2. Stuck in a Career You're Unhappy With? Fear Of Taking Risks Could Be Keeping You There (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Mentioned Episode:

1. Mid-Career Family Sabbatical: How to Design an Intentional Career Break (Without Coming Back to the Same Burnout) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Thinking about a mid-career sabbatical, a family career break, or an intentional career pause, but worried about coming back to the same burnout?

Whether you're considering a year-long family sabbatical, designing your first intentional career break, or wondering whether consistent employment is actually required for a fulfilling career, this episode of Happen To Your Career breaks down what a designed mid-career sabbatical looks like in 2026, and how to come back to real career reinvention instead of the same burnout you tried to escape.

Research shows most career breaks lose all their gains within 1 to 4 weeks of returning to an unchanged environment. It's called the fade-out effect, and it's why most sabbaticals feel like expensive vacations instead of life-changing pivots.

HTYC career coach Laura McClernon walks through the 10-year design process behind her family's year-long mid-career sabbatical, the Die With Zero memory-dividends math that made it make sense, and the Ideal Career Profile framework she used to design a career break that actually makes her career better.

What you'll learn:

• What a designed mid-career family sabbatical actually looks like
• The difference between an intentional career break and a reactive one (and why most fail in the first 4 weeks back)
• How to plan a mid-career sabbatical without losing career momentum or explaining a massive resume gap
• The Die With Zero memory-dividends math that makes a mid-career break make sense
• Why most career breaks lose all their gains in 1 to 4 weeks, and the design principle that beats the fade-out effect
• The first step this week if you want to design your own family sabbatical or intentional career break

Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here!

Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation

Free Resources

What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out!

Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over.

Related Episodes

1. How to Figure Out What You Really Want (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
2. Discover Your Strengths to Find Your Ideal Career (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Dealing with career burnout in 2026 — or could it actually be boreout? Whether you're experiencing job burnout, work burnout, quiet burnout, or boreout at work, struggling with a lack of career satisfaction, or wondering why you've lost motivation in a job that looks fine on paper, this episode of Happen To Your Career breaks down exactly what career burnout and boreout in 2026 look like, how to fix burnout and boreout for good, and how to find real career satisfaction.

83% of corporate professionals report burnout right now, and among women in senior leadership, that number jumps to 43%, more than double what it was in 2019. But the signs of burnout most people are experiencing today don't look like the burnout symptoms you've been told to watch for — many of them are actually boreout.

If you're high-performing, still delivering, still holding it all together, but something inside you that used to care about your work has quietly disappeared, you're not dealing with traditional burnout. You're likely dealing with boreout: the under-challenged, under-utilized, chronically bored version of burnout almost nobody talks about. And boreout is the kind that keeps people stuck for years in jobs that look great on paper but slowly drain them of any career satisfaction. In this episode, we break down the difference between boreout and burnout, why boreout turns into burnout if left unaddressed, the two distinct types of career burnout (situational burnout vs. career burnout), how to recover from boreout and burnout, and exactly how to find career satisfaction in 2026.

You'll hear Lisa's story of 7 years of boreout at a "good job" before landing a role she's genuinely excited about — and the exact framework she used to get there.

What you'll learn:

• What career burnout and boreout in 2026 actually look like (and the new signs to watch for)
• Boreout vs. burnout: the difference (and why confusing them keeps you stuck)
• Why boreout is the most under-diagnosed form of burnout in 2026
• The 3 forces driving boreout, job burnout, and work burnout in 2026
• Situational burnout vs. career burnout: how to know which one you have
• How boreout quietly turns into full career burnout
• How to fix boreout and burnout without quitting reactively
• How to recover from burnout and rebuild career satisfaction
• Why changing jobs doesn't fix career burnout or boreout (and what actually does)

Listen now to learn what career burnout and boreout in 2026 actually look like, how to tell the difference, how to fix both, and how to find the career satisfaction you've been missing.

Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here!

Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation

Free Resources

What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out!

Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over.

Related Episodes

1. Should I Quit My Job? How to Know It's Time (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
2. Executive Burnout: Making A Midlife Career Change (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Looking for a high-paying remote job in 2026? Whether you're trying to find remote work in a tough job market, navigating a career change to remote, or wondering why your remote job search isn't working, this episode of Happen To Your Career breaks down exactly how to land a high-paying remote job in 2026 and where the best remote roles are actually being filled.

Only 4% of job postings in 2026 are labeled fully remote. Not 20%. Not 50%. Just 4%. That's the entire pool every remote job seeker is competing over. And the best high-paying remote roles, the ones with real compensation, real flexibility, and real ownership, were never posted in the first place.

If you've been applying to remote jobs for months and hearing nothing, the problem isn't your resume, your industry, or your experience. The problem is that you're searching in the wrong 4% of the market while 96% of remote opportunities are happening somewhere else entirely.

In this episode, we break down the three types of remote job seekers (the Escapee, the Skeptic, and the Pivoter), the three roads that consistently land high-paying remote jobs, and the exact strategy clients like Rachel used to go from 4 months of applications to 3 weeks to an offer.

What you'll learn:

• Why only 4% of jobs are remote in 2026 and where the other 96% are hiding
• The 3 strategies that actually land high-paying remote jobs
• How to find remote jobs without applying to job boards
• Why your remote job search isn't working (and how to fix it)
• How to change careers and go remote at the same time
• Are remote jobs going away in 2026? The honest answer
• How to negotiate flexibility into your current role
• The Ideal Career Profile method for finding work-from-home jobs that fit

Listen now to learn how to find a high-paying remote job in 2026, land hidden remote roles, and stop wasting months applying to job boards that aren't working.

Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here!

Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation

Free Resources

What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out!

Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over.

Related Episodes

1. Designing Career Experiments and Testing New Careers (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
2. How to Figure Out What You Really Want (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Stuck in the wrong career in 2026? Here's what most career advice ignores: the cost of staying in the wrong career isn't just how you feel on Sunday nights. It shows up in your body. It shows up in your bank account. And it quietly shapes your entire professional identity, often before you ever realize it's happening.

Whether you're trying to figure out how to change careers without taking a pay cut, how to find the right career fit, or why staying in a job you hate is costing you more than you think, this episode breaks down the three hidden costs of career misfit and exactly how real people finally got it right.

What you'll learn

• Why your body may already be signaling a bad career fit — and why the exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix and the stress that weekends don't touch isn't something you just push through
• The truth about "golden handcuffs" — how a good salary, flexibility, and supportive colleagues can become a cage that keeps you stuck longer than you ever intended
• The most dangerous career mistake most people make twice — leaving reactively, without knowing what you actually want, and ending up in another version of the same wrong fit
• How to identify your Ideal Career Profile — why the people who land in the right career start with signature strengths and personal values, not job titles or industries

Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here!

Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation

Free Resources

What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out!

Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over.

Related Episodes

1. Figuring Out Your Perfect Career Match (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
2. An Overthinker's Guide To Making Better Career Decisions (Spotify /Apple Podcasts)

Just got laid off in 2026? Whether you're trying to figure out what to do after a layoff, how to job search after being laid off, or how to land a better job without taking a pay cut, this episode breaks down exactly what to do in the first 48 hours after receiving the news.

For most who experience a layoff, their first instinct is to fix it fast. Polish the resume. Post "open to work" on LinkedIn. Start applying Monday morning. That instinct is the exact move that turns a 3-month job search into a 9-month one, and the reason most laid-off professionals end up taking a pay cut instead of a pay raise.

The first 48 hours after a layoff decide the next 9 months of your career. Most laid-off professionals make the same mistakes in those first two days, and those mistakes cost them months and thousands of dollars. A small percentage do the opposite, and they often end up earning more in their next role.

In this episode, we unpack the 3 biggest mistakes laid-off professionals make and the 3 actions that actually move you forward. Whether you're navigating a tech layoff, corporate layoff, or any career change after being laid off, this is the layoff recovery guide for 2026.

What you'll learn

• What to do in the first 48 hours after a layoff (and what NOT to do)
• The 3 layoff mistakes that add 6 months to your job search
• How to negotiate severance and avoid signing away leverage
• How to job search after a layoff without taking a pay cut
• How to turn a layoff into a pay raise and a career upgrade

Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here!

Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation

Free Resources

What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out!

Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over.

Related Episodes

1. Designing Career Experiments and Testing New Careers (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
2. Changing Careers (When You Don't Know Your Next Job Title) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Mentioned Episodes:

1. HTYC642: From Layoff to Leveling Up Your Career (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
2. HTYC644: Laid Off and Scared? How to Turn Setbacks Into Career Opportunities (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Job searching in 2026 has become harder than ever. Whether you're navigating a career change, looking for a job in a tough job market, or trying to get hired when AI is flooding hiring inboxes, this episode of Happen To Your Career breaks down the secret to effectively job searching in 2026 and how to land a job you love without sending hundreds of applications.

What you'll learn

• Why specificity (not volume) is what actually gets you hired in 2026
• How to stand out when AI is writing everyone else's applications
• How to build your Ideal Career Profile to focus your job search
• How to use AI in your job search without sounding like a bot
• How to get hired through real conversations (not cold applications)
• Why applying to fewer jobs leads to more job offers

Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here!

Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation

Free Resources

What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out!

Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over.

Related Episodes

1. How to Figure Out What You Really Want (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
2. Six Career Experiments To Help You Discover Your Ideal New Role (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
3. Changing Careers (When You Don't Know Your Next Job Title) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Mentioned Episodes:

1. HTYC393 - Changing Careers (When You Don't Know Your Next Job Title) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
2. HTYC419 - Leveraging What Makes You Unique: The Key to Your Career Change (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
3. HTYC510 - How To Turn Rejection Into An Opportunity With Your Ideal Organization (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
4. HTYC558 - The Secret to Effectively Job Searching in 2024 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
5. HTYC692 - The 4 AI-Proof Skills That Pay Really Well (Even With AI Job Displacement) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Career change after 30 years? Career change at 50+? Mid-career pivot?

If any of those describe where you are right now, this episode is for you.

Monika Herdlick spent 30 years as a flight test engineer and Army Reserve helicopter pilot. By every external measure, she was winning — federal service, world travel, flexibility, a strong paycheck. But the work had quietly stopped fitting, and she didn't know how to leave the good job she'd outgrown.

What Monika did next is the part of every career change story people don't talk about: months of quiet, uncomfortable work — networking conversations, career experiments, sitting in the in-between space without a plan.

The result? She was hired as Director of Programs and Partnerships at a growing defense company for a role she never applied for. Part-time by design. With room to finish her yoga instructor certification and keep bees.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to know it's time to leave a good job after 30 years
• How to make a career change at 50+ without starting over
• How to get hired without applying through strategic networking
• Why clarity comes from action, not the other way around
• How to build a mid-career pivot that actually fits your life

If you're considering a career change after 30 years in the same field, this conversation will show you what's possible.

Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here!

Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation

Free Resources

What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out!

Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over.

Related Episodes

1. Designing Career Experiments and Testing New Careers (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
2. Should I Quit My Job? How to Know It's Time (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)