Adding Your Unique Value with Sandeep Achanta

The start of a new job or chapter in your career can be a sensitive, delicate time. It’s a moment when you’re trying to convince yourself you’ve made the right move. It’s also a moment when you’re trying to convince others you can do something, which may be very different from what you were doing before.

Moving onto something new is harder than holding on to what you already have, even if what you have isn’t bringing you joy. In episode 102 of the Career Relaunch® podcast, Sandeep Achanta, a former fitness professional in India turned service designer in the UK describes how you can discover what ignites you, bravely leap into a new professional role, and embrace your unique career journey.  I also share some thoughts on overcoming the mental hurdle of starting over during the Mental Fuel® segment.

💭 Key Career Change Insights

1. While you may be in a comfortable job with relative stability, you might still feel like something is off, like you could be doing more. When this happens, you have to ask yourself when you will cross a tipping point and make the leap to do something else.
2. The decision to change careers is separate from the transition process. The actual transition could take months or years to execute, which is just part of making a major pivot.
3. If you’re dissatisfied with your current role, you have broadly two options. You can either find a way to tolerate and manage your situation, or you can proactively attempt to do something else.
4. Humility is a critical component of making any career change. You may have to start over a bit, drop down to a lower rung on a corporate ladder, or report to someone who may be younger than you.
5. During a career change, we tend to discount or dismiss away our previous experiences that don’t directly relate to a new role. Those experiences are exactly what enables you to make your unique contribution.

📚 Resources Mentioned

• Sandeep mentioned he began his exploration of service design with the Interaction Design Foundation.

• Learn more about CrossFit at the official CrossFit website.

💪🏼 Listener Challenge

During this episode’s Mental Fuel® segment, I talked overcoming the emotional hurdle of starting over. My challenge to you is to identify one small, imperfect step you could take toward doing something that could allow you to feel more energized. Ideas include:

• Giving yourself a quiet moment to just reflect on how you’ve been emotionally feeling about your career
• Taking a small leap of faith.
• Taking stock of which skills or experiences you want to carry forward so you can more fully buy into making that leap.

Remember, you don’t have to have it all mapped out right now. You just have to start somewhere.

📖 Episode Chapters

00:00:00 Overview
00:01:07 Introduction
00:03:17 Chat with Sandeep Achanta
00:45:54 Mental Fuel
00:52:04 Listener Challenge
00:52:48 Listener Thoughts
00:54:59 Wrap Up

👤 About Sandeep Achanta

Sandeep Achanta is currently a Service Designer working at the Bank of England. After spending over a decade in the fitness industry in India across various roles such as trainer, business owner, and product lead, he decided to pursue a Master’s program in Service Design at Loughborough University London. During his time at university, he worked on projects with organisations such as Mind, the mental health charity, and the Hackney Council public health team. Sandeep is passionate about designing great services that are sustainable and improve health and well-being. In his spare time, he loves playing tabletop games and reading fa