What happens when the career you built starts to feel like it’s slowly burning you out?

Kesha Omarali was working in tech and startups — ticking all the “right” boxes — until burnout, self-doubt and a growing sense of misalignment forced her to rethink everything.

In this conversation, she shares how she made the leap from corporate life into becoming a full-time artist and content creator, and what it actually takes to rebuild your identity from scratch.

We go beyond the highlight reel of “following your passion” and get into the real emotional and practical side of a creative career pivot: the fear of starting over, the discomfort of being seen online, and the messy process of figuring it out in public.

Kesha also breaks down how she’s built a creative business from the ground up — including how she approaches brand collaborations, pricing her work, growing on social media, and staying grounded in authenticity while still thinking strategically.

This is a conversation about creativity, but also about identity, money, confidence and learning to trust yourself again after burnout.

⚡ In this episode:

→ Leaving tech and navigating a full identity shift into art
→ Burnout, self-doubt and the fear of being judged
→ What actually helped her start posting and building online
→ Growing a personal brand without losing authenticity
→ How to approach brands and secure collaborations
→ Pricing creative work and learning to value your art
→ Turning content creation into a sustainable income
→ The emotional reality of career pivots and starting over
→ Why imperfection is often what builds connection online
→ Rebuilding confidence after burnout and stagnation

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a job that doesn’t fit anymore, or wondered whether it’s too late to start over — this conversation is for you.

🎙 She's Lost Control — the podcast for ambitious creatives who are done playing small. 💌 Join #TheChaosClub → www.instagram.com/sheslostcontrolpodcast/

Most people wouldn't put "sorting parcels at 18" on their highlight reel. Claire would — because that job taught her everything about resilience, people and showing up even when nobody's watching.

In this episode, Claire shares a career journey that spans twenty years in the travel industry, redundancy, health challenges, and an unexpected pivot into content creation — not because it was planned, but because she had something real to say and people needed to hear it.

We talk about what early, unglamorous jobs actually teach you, why authenticity on social media will always outlast perfection, and how Claire built a loyal community around accessibility advocacy without compromising who she is along the way.

We also get into the practical stuff — brand partnerships, knowing when to say no, and why your story matters infinitely more than your follower count.

Warm, honest and genuinely galvanising — this one's a reminder that every chapter of your career is building something, even when it doesn't feel like it.

⚡ What we cover: → From postal sorting office to twenty year travel industry career → Navigating redundancy, health challenges and starting over → The pivot into content creation — unplanned, authentic and community driven → Why the unglamorous early jobs are often the most formative → Building a loyal audience through real, unfiltered content → Accessibility advocacy and using your platform to genuinely educate → Brand partnerships, integrity and knowing when to say no → Why your story and life experience are your greatest creative assets

🎙 She's Lost Control — the podcast for ambitious creatives who are done playing small. 💌 Join #TheChaosClub → www.instagram.com/sheslostcontrolpodcast/

Monique Sar started out in finance. Not exactly the most obvious route into marketing, talent management and entrepreneurship — but then again, the best career stories rarely are.

In this episode, Monique gets honest about what it actually takes to pivot between industries when the odds aren't always in your favour — the rejection, the resilience, and the strategic moves that nobody talks about but everyone needs to know.

We get into how she built her career through proximity and relationships, what it really means to develop a personal brand that works for you, and the moment she decided to stop climbing someone else's ladder and build her own.

We also talk negotiation, burnout, knowing when to niche down, and why authenticity isn't just a buzzword — it's actually the longest play in the room.

If you're navigating a career change, building a business, or trying to figure out what your personal brand is even supposed to be — this one's got a lot for you.

⚡ What we cover: 

→ Pivoting from finance into marketing and creative industries 

→ Building a personal brand through storytelling and consistency 

→ Networking, proximity and the relationships that actually move careers forward 

→ Negotiation strategies and knowing your worth 

→ Managing rejection, burnout and career setbacks 

→ When to niche down, when to scale and when to plan your exit 

→ Stepping into entrepreneurship and building on your own terms

🎙 She's Lost Control — the podcast for ambitious creatives who are done playing small. 💌 Join #TheChaosClub → www.instagram.com/sheslostcontrolpodcast/

On this episode of She’s Lost Control, we’re joined by Ayahna Wilbon — founder of Friends Table — to talk about career pivots, community building, brand partnerships, and creating a business rooted in culture and authentic connection.

Ayahna shares her journey from working across logistics, tech, marketing, and corporate brand roles to building a community-led platform centred around food, creativity, and meaningful experiences. We dive into the realities of navigating career transitions, balancing side ventures with full-time work, and building a culturally relevant brand from the ground up.

This episode is packed with honest insight into entrepreneurship, leadership, personal branding, and resilience, especially as a Black woman navigating predominantly white corporate spaces.

We also get into:

•  How to navigate major career changes with confidence 
•  Building authentic brand partnerships and sponsorships 
•  Community building and creating culturally relevant experiences 
•  The realities of entrepreneurship and scaling a business 
•  Networking, self-advocacy, and leadership mindset shifts 
•  Balancing creative projects with full-time roles 
•  Why genuine relationships matter more than clout 

Whether you’re building a brand, launching a side hustle, or navigating your next career move, Ayahna’s story is full of practical advice, mindset shifts, and inspiration for building a career on your own terms.

🎙 She's Lost Control — the podcast for ambitious creatives who are done playing small. 💌 Join #TheChaosClub → www.instagram.com/sheslostcontrolpodcast/

Celia Hodgson was making YouTube videos as a teenager. By the time she was done, she'd worked on The Crown, built her own production company Tiny Studios, and got acquired.

In this episode, Celia shares the full arc of that journey — from saying yes to opportunities before she felt ready, to managing a team, navigating cash flow, and eventually going through the emotional process of handing over something she'd built from scratch.

We talk about what it really takes to grow from freelancer to business owner, how to price yourself and negotiate with clients without underselling your work, and why showing initiative through personal passion projects is still one of the most powerful career moves you can make.

Warm, grounded and genuinely full of wisdom — this one's for any creative who's ever wondered what it would take to build something of their own.

⚡ What we cover: 

→ From YouTube teenager to production company founder and acquisition 

→ Saying yes to The Crown and what that opportunity taught her 

→ Transitioning from freelancer to business owner and managing a team 

→ Building Tiny Studios — values, brand and the road to acquisition 

→ Cash flow, funding and managing the financial health of a creative business 

→ The emotional journey of being acquired and trusting the process 

→ Pricing, contracts and negotiating with clients confidently 

→ Practical advice for freelancers ready to take on bigger responsibilities

🎙 She's Lost Control — the podcast for ambitious creatives who are done playing small. 💌 Join #TheChaosClub → www.instagram.com/sheslostcontrolpodcast/

Courtney Kocak moved to Hollywood with a dream, a lot of ambition, and absolutely no idea what was coming next. What followed was acting, survival jobs, freelancing at Bustle, TV animation, podcasting, a New York Times byline, and eventually — a memoir that nobody else could have written.

In this episode, Courtney shares the unfiltered story behind building a creative career on your own terms — the pivots, the failures, the moments that nearly broke her, and the ones that made her.

We talk about letting go of your original dream without losing yourself, how podcasting completely changed her career trajectory, and what it really means to own your work — creatively, legally and financially. We also get into her memoir Girl Gone Wild, out now via Trio House Press, and what it taught her about telling the truth even when it's uncomfortable.

Raw, funny and genuinely eye-opening — this one stays with you.

⚡ What we cover: 

→ Transitioning from acting to writing, freelancing and TV animation 

→ Breaking into high profile publications and learning from great editors 

→ How podcasting opened doors and built her industry network 

→ Letting go of rigid career dreams and embracing the squiggly path 

→ Financial independence, ownership and protecting your creative work 

→ Writing her memoir Girl Gone Wild — therapy, truth and self-acceptance 

→ Saying no, trusting your gut and going all in on ambitious ideas 

→ Building a platform through authentic relationships not social media tricks

🎙 She's Lost Control — the podcast for ambitious creatives who are done playing small. 💌 Join #TheChaosClub → www.instagram.com/sheslostcontrolpodcast/

Most people would kill for a career at Diageo. Chloe Bate had that — and L'Oréal before it — and then walked away to build something entirely on her own terms.

A marketing consultant who's worked across some of the most recognisable brands in the world, Chloe has spent her career at the intersection of brand strategy, digital marketing and communications. She knows what it takes to shape campaigns that cut through, how to keep evolving as the industry changes around you, and what it actually feels like to go from a corporate salary to betting on yourself.

In this episode, we get into all of it — navigating big brand environments, knowing when it's time to move on, making the leap to freelancing, and building the kind of confidence that doesn't rely on a job title to back it up.

Whether you're starting out in marketing, thinking about going freelance, or trying to figure out your next move — this one's for you.

⚡ What we cover: 

→ Building a career across brand, digital marketing and communications 

→ What it's really like working for major global brands including L'Oréal and Diageo → Knowing when to move on and how to do it well 

→ Making the leap from corporate marketing to freelance consultant 

→ Setting your rates, negotiating and owning your financial value 

→ Overcoming imposter syndrome and building credibility as a woman in marketing 

→ Developing leadership skills and empowering the people around you 

→ Embracing uncertainty and backing yourself at every stage

🎙 She's Lost Control — the podcast for ambitious creatives who are done playing small. 💌 Join #TheChaosClub → www.instagram.com/sheslostcontrolpodcast/

There's a version of a creative career that looks great on paper. And then there's the real one — the late pitches, the difficult clients, the moments you wonder if you're actually any good at this.

Rebekah Guilar has lived both. As Business Director at Uncommon — and previously at We Are Pi and 72andSunny — she's shaped campaigns for Google, adidas and Desperados. But the thing that actually got her there wasn't talent alone. It was relationships, and knowing how to build the right ones without losing herself in the process.

In this episode, we talk about what agency life really looks like behind the polished campaigns, how to manage clients without wanting to scream into a pillow, and the very unglamorous shift from doing brilliant work to leading other people doing it.

Oh, and somewhere in the middle of all that, she co-founded, co-hosts and produces In Their Shoes by Seanchoíche — a storytelling podcast built around real, lived experiences — because apparently one career wasn't enough.

Warm, honest and a little bit chaotic — just like the best creative careers always are.

⚡ What we cover: 

→ Building a career across top creative agencies including Uncommon, We Are Pi and 72andSunny 

→ What agency life really looks like behind the polished campaigns 

→ How to build strong client relationships without burning out 

→ Making the shift from doing brilliant work to leading other people doing it 

→ Co-founding In Their Shoes by Seanchoíche alongside a demanding career 

→ Why relationships will always matter more than job titles

🎙 She's Lost Control — the podcast for ambitious creatives who are done playing small. 💌 Join #TheChaosClub → www.instagram.com/sheslostcontrolpodcast/

Confidence isn't a feeling. It's a body of evidence — and Sibusisiwe Khupe has been building hers since before most people have their first proper job.

By 25, Sibu had directed MTV-recognised music videos, worked with artists including Lewis Capaldi, Bree Runway and Tom Jones, and built a freelance career that eventually took her to one of the most respected creative agencies in the world — Wieden+Kennedy. Not because she waited for permission. Because she stopped waiting for permission.

In this episode, we get into the real stuff — the audacious cold outreach that opened doors, the freelance hustle that built her reputation, and why making your own work before anyone commissions it is still the most powerful career move a creative can make.

We also talk pay, autonomy, and how to present ideas to senior stakeholders in a way that actually lands.

Sharp, honest and genuinely galvanising — this one will make you want to send your portfolio somewhere terrifying the moment it ends.

⚡ What we cover: 

→ Shifting from societal expectations to building a fearless creative career 

→ Building confidence through a stack of evidence — not just mindset 

→ Audacious direct outreach and how it landed high profile collaborations 

→ Moving from freelance projects to securing roles at Wieden+Kennedy 

→ Negotiating pay, autonomy and fair compensation 

→ Crafting decks and presenting ideas that get senior buy-in 

→ Filtering career advice and knowing when to trust your own judgement 

→ Practical advice for underrepresented creatives in competitive industries

🎙 She's Lost Control — the podcast for ambitious creatives who are done playing small. 💌 Join #TheChaosClub → www.instagram.com/sheslostcontrolpodcast/

Zerrin didn't follow a career path. She built one — project by project, side hustle by side hustle, door by door.

In this episode, Zerrin shares a career that spans HBO, Warner Bros, Nike, Naomi Campbell campaigns, African diaspora storytelling platform Amaka Studio, and her own holistic marketing collective, Wanda. It's one of the most varied creative journeys we've had on the show — and she's got the hard-won lessons to match.

We talk about the spontaneous inception of AfroSamba, her culture event built from pure instinct, and what that taught her about trusting herself. We get into freelance project management, negotiating rates, end-of-year outreach, and the financial lessons that only come from navigating a career this diverse.

We also talk about maintaining creative originality when trends move fast, building relationships that actually last, and why resilience isn't just a buzzword — it's the only thing that gets you through.

Bold, honest and genuinely one of a kind — this one's a masterclass in building something entirely your own.

⚡ What we cover: 

→ A career spanning HBO, Warner Bros, Nike and Naomi Campbell campaigns 

→ Founding AfroSamba — a culture event built on instinct and community 

→ Launching Amaka Studio for African diaspora storytelling 

→ Building Wanda Collective — a holistic marketing agency 

→ Freelancing, side hustles and navigating multiple revenue streams 

→ Negotiating rates, sponsorship deals and communicating your value 

→ Maintaining creative originality in fast-moving saturated markets 

→ Building authentic relationships and a personal brand that lasts

🎙 She's Lost Control — the podcast for ambitious creatives who are done playing small. 💌 Join #TheChaosClub → www.instagram.com/sheslostcontrolpodcast/