One woman's journey to bouncing back from job loss

I remember the time I had no job like it was yesterday. That moment of panic, that fear of losing everything.

It started out like a dream

About 8 years ago, I decided to take a summer career break at the end of the year - almost 3 months off to relax, get fit, cleanse, and work on my business. I was planning to go on a 10-day meditation retreat, then chill at my parents’ beach house on the beautiful Tweed Coast between the Gold Coast and Byron Bay and house sit for them whilst they were overseas, then ski for 2 weeks in Japan. I saved hard to be able to afford it, and I was so relaxed because I’d bought an off-the-plan apartment a year and a half earlier, and I had plenty of time to come back to Sydney in February at the end of the Australian summer and find my first Change Management role (as I wanted to move out of Marketing) and save more before the apartment was finished in June. Buying my own property had been a personal dream of mine since I was a teenager.

The nightmare begins

I came out of the 10-day meditation retreat on December 13 feeling so zen, cleansed from all the uber-healthy vegetarian food, and ready to take on my summer holiday. I checked my email. “Your apartment will be ready in March.”

WHAT?! 

Panic coursed through my body and I couldn’t breathe. 

March?! 

But what if it takes me 4 weeks to find a job? 

And how do I find a job in Sydney when I’m near the Gold Coast for the next month, then in Japan for 2 weeks?? 

And it’s Christmas in a week, then New Years - everyone’s going to be on holiday so there won’t be any roles!!!

What if the banks won’t lend to me because I’ve only just started in a role and not passed job probation yet???? 

How am I going to save enough for the rest of the deposit?!?! 

I can’t.

Oh my god, I’m going to have to sell it. 

There’s no way I can buy this apartment. 

How do I sell it? 

Maybe Mum and Dad can lend me the rest of the deposit… but how will I pay both a mortgage AND THEM back at the same time? 

Plus - this is MY goal, I wanted to do this ON MY OWN!! 

I called my boyfriend in tears. 

I didn’t sleep that night.

The decision I made

But I made a decision. I decided I’d find a job no matter what it would take. I’d go back to Marketing, I’d take a $10,000-$15,000 pay cut, I’d fly back to Sydney, I’d do whatever I needed to do as long as when I came back from Japan I had a full-time role. 

The next morning, I woke up at 5.00am, updated my CV, jumped on Seek, and started applying for jobs. I applied for over 100 jobs in the space of 3 days. I did interviews with over 20 companies. I flew and drove between Sydney and the Gold Coast 6 times in the space of 3 weeks, and travelled all over the city by public transport in the pouring rain. And the whole time I was putting on a brave, shining face… but inside I was dying. 

I was struggling to sleep still. 

I ate away my stress. 

I put on 3 kilos instantly, so I only had one nice dress that fit me to wear to interviews - everything else was in storage (yes, technically I was homeless though admittedly by choice). 

And finally, I had to leave everything as it was time to go to Japan.

The day before Japan

Well, the day before I flew to Japan I submitted all the paperwork and signed the contract for a new job.

Instead of taking a pay cut, I got a $15,000 pay rise. 

Instead of having to move back into Marketing, I got my first role in Change Management (though I’d never done it before). 

I attracted the most amazing leader who trained me up in Change Management and became a really good friend. 

And it led me to my next contract with an income of almost $200,000. 

The speed of transformation

In the space of 3 years, I’d tripled my salary. In the space of 5 years, I’d become a thought leader, speaker, and presenter in my field of Change Management, a contractor with some of Australia’s biggest companies working on national and global changes, and a Change Leadership Expert and Coach to help others make the same move I had. And a year after that, I started my own independent Change Management consultancy (Passion Pioneers) and created my flagship course (Leading Successful Change).

What they never tell you

Because here’s what you don’t know - when I had no job and thought I might lose everything, that was the end, not the start. I had spent A YEAR already building the emotional muscle to bounce back from any crisis that came my way. I had done 4 courses - Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, and Presenting, that were almost like weeks of emotional work whilst learning the technical techniques and tools. And, I’d done an Intensive Breakthrough Session with my own coach where I had released all 5 major negative emotions (Anger, Sadness, Fear, Hurt and Guilt) and all of my limiting beliefs and decisions. 

It’s something anyone can build

So when I tell you my story of how I made a career change, tripled my salary, became a thought leader in Change Management, and kicked off my business, know that I did that on a foundation of emotional strength - the clarity and the confidence inside of me to know what I wanted and to do whatever it takes to get it. 

Resilience, or “bouncing back”, isn’t something you’re born with. 

It’s something you build. 

The technical skills and the strategies of job hunting and career change are not hard in and of themselves. Google will tell you how to write a winning CV or show up for a video interview. But when you type those words into your resume, or you switch on your virtual background in Zoom, how are you really showing up? What is the energy you are putting in or portraying out? And what do you truly believe you’re capable of and worth? Because when you nail that - you nail everything.

Lata xx

P.S. If you want my support bouncing back from job loss or a set back, here’s 5 ways I can help:

1. Download my free Underpaid and Overlooked Coaching Action Guide to build your confidence when job hunting and earn your worth: click here to download
2. Check out my free 6 Ways to Instantly Build Trust video to connect with interviewers and hiring managers and build relationships rapidly: click here to watch
3. Grab my Change CV Template to easily craft your own CV optimised for Change Management: click here to download
4. Watch my Intro to Change Management webinar to learn more about your transferable skills, career paths, and possible pay rates in Change: click here to watch
5. Join my Leading Successful Change program to build end-to-end confidence to lead change amplified with advanced NLP and Coaching techniques, get a digital credential for your CV, get career coaching on calls, and the support and cheer of a global community. Our October Group Cohort has kicked off so LSC is open again to new students: click here to join