“If I ever feel overwhelmed by the world, I do this thing where I just zoom out.”
In this episode, Sarah interviews Rachael Shaw, a self-employed Business Consultant who previously worked in a high level job in the travel industry.
Rachael shares the personal experiences that led towards her career change, how working with a coach helped, why running has an important role in her life, what things have changed since she left her full-time job, and how she enjoys spending time in nature.
Here is the full list of questions that Sarah asked Rachael:
- What personal experiences led you towards your career change?
- How did you start to open up other options for yourself?
- What was it that made you go towards the business consultancy work rather than pursuing the trail running coach route?
- What approaches did you try when you started looking for a new job and did any of these work for you?
- How has coaching helped you along the way?
- How did you come across the coach that you worked with?
- Are there any tools or experiences that you took away from your experience of being coached?
- Why does business consultancy appeal to you?
- Is there anything that you’ve brought from your previous work working in the travel industry into the self-employed work that you’re doing now?
- Is it mainly small businesses and startups that you want to work with?
- How did you discover your values and match these up with the work that you do now?
- How have things changed since you left your job?
- Why do you think it was that you were so focused on work?
- Do you think you lost any parts of yourself while working in the travel industry?
- How do people you work with usually discover you?
- Have there been any resources that have helped you to create your business and to guide you on how much to charge?
- Is there anything that you’ve struggled to adjust to?
- Why do you think it’s so hard for people to give themselves the permission to have a bit more freedom with how they spend their time?
- How have your family, friends and husband responded to your career change?
- Where would you like your work and lifestyle to move towards from here?
- How did you get into trailrunning?
- What are you like when you’re out running compared to when you’re sitting in front of your laptop?
- What do you think it was that gave you the motivation to start running?
- How do you enjoy spending time in nature, and why is this important to you?
- Do you think that there is anything that stops people from spending more time outside?
- What powerful question would you ask somebody who is thinking about changing their career, but concerned about leaving a secure and well-regarded position - that might help them in taking a step towards a new decision?
This episode was recorded outdoors in the Peak District by Sarah Lister on 26th July 2021 and edited by Gabby Wolstenholme. We were sat in the sunshine, with the slopes of Mam Tor towering above us and bees buzzing around us. After the interview we enjoyed a trailrun together, picked up some litter along the way, and cooled off for a quick dip in Grindsbrook.
Since recording this interview, Rachael has decided to pause her consultancy work and has started a part-time job at Mind, a mental healthy charity. Mind is an organisation where she was keeping an eye on roles for around 5 years and this felt like the right place, right time, and right role for her. She still isn't quite over the burnout that she's been going through, and running a consultancy was too much too soon.
You can visit Rachael's website here and connect with her on
