From Corporate Into Calling: Career Change, Burnout, Meaningful Work, Find Your Purpose

Alisa Murphy - From Corporate Into Calling
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Does your career look good on paper but feel wrong in your bones? If you’re stuck in corporate — exhausted by burnout, questioning your work life balance, or secretly wondering “is this really it?” — you’re not alone. And you don’t have to tolerate it. From Corporate Into Calling is your lifeline. I’m Alisa Murphy, a regenerative business mentor and former CEO who walked away from corporate systems to build meaningful work of my own. Now I help others do the same: leave behind burnout and misalignment, and create careers — often businesses or consultancies — that bring life back, to you and to the world. This isn’t about polishing your CV or slotting into another misaligned role. It’s about career change with purpose. Together, we’ll explore what it takes to find your purpose, build your own business, and create work that matters. Each week, I’ll share stories, provocations, and practical guidance to help you: Recognise the signs of burnout and know when it’s time to quit Redesign your relationship with work Find your purpose and create meaningful work Build a career or business that brings life back If your career looks good but feels wrong — this is your invitation to step out of corporate, and into your calling. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

  1. 1D AGO

    74: How to Start Building the Thing You Can't Stop Thinking About

    Have you ever had an idea you couldn't stop thinking about — one that kept coming back no matter how many times life got in the way? The gap between that feeling and actually building something real is where most people get stuck. Not because they lack the vision or the talent, but because they don't know how to begin. In this episode I'm sharing five lessons for getting yourself into momentum when you're standing at the threshold of something new. From knowing where your energy comes from, to borrowing confidence when yours runs dry, to trusting joy as a genuine creative force. These are the tools that make the difference between an idea that stays in your head and one that starts to take shape in the world. If you're sitting on something — a business, a career change, a bigger expression of your own meaningful work — and you don't know where to start, this episode is for you. The answers are already in you. You just have to find the courage to begin. Next steps:✦ Discover the Meaningful Business Incubator✦ Subscribe to my emails✦ Book a call with me Related episodes:→ Sick of the job market? Why now is the perfect time to build your own business with purpose→ Don’t Just Quit Your Job — Pivot with Purpose→ The 3 Types of People Who Need to Quit Corporate (and Find Meaningful Work) Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    42 min

  2. MAR 11

    73: How I Stayed the Course Through 15 Years of Building a Meaningful Business (Even When Self-Belief Was Shaky)

    What actually keeps you going when you're building something from scratch, before the evidence catches up? In this episode I'm sharing the story of how I stayed the course through 15 years of building a meaningful business, even when self-belief was shaky. We talk about why clarity about your idea matters more than confidence in yourself, and I share the simple framework I use with every client to get there. Whether you're navigating a career change, recovering from burnout, or trying to find your purpose after years in corporate, the thing that usually stops people isn't lack of ambition or ability. It's that the idea isn't clear enough yet to believe in. I share what it really looked like to build my climate tech communications agency over 15 years, the doubt, the hard days, and what I kept returning to when self-belief wasn't enough. If you're still in corporate and thinking about making a change, figuring out what comes next after leaving, or already building meaningful work but feeling the wobble, this one is for you.Self-Directed Work That Works For YouThis 90-minute workshop will help you build a clear, practical framework for work that fits your values, your strengths, and your life.You've spent years being exceptionally good at work that was built around someone else's priorities. Now you're in a different moment — one where you have ideas, skills, and a growing sense that something new is possible. The problem isn't capability. It's clarity. This workshop is designed to give you that.Book here.Next steps:✦ Discover the Meaningful Business Incubator✦ Subscribe to my emails✦ Book a call with me Related episodes:→ Sick of the job market? Why now is the perfect time to build your own business with purpose→ Don’t Just Quit Your Job — Pivot with Purpose→ The 3 Types of People Who Need to Quit Corporate (and Find Meaningful Work) Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    29 min

  3. MAR 4

    72: How To Get Comfortable With The Messy Middle Of Purposeful Career Change

    You left corporate consciously and with good reasons. But you still feel things "should" be different and you're scared you won't deliver the purposeful career pivot you want. This episode is here to remind you that you did not float into the messy middle of career change, you chose it. This in-between stage is a stepping stone not a quagmire.Listen in to learn how to reconcile emotions around your corporate exit, get clear on the career direction you are taking, feel empowered to share your story with others and lean in to the problems you were meant to solve. Self-Directed Work That Works For You This 90-minute workshop will help you build a clear, practical framework for work that fits your values, your strengths, and your life.You've spent years being exceptionally good at work that was built around someone else's priorities. Now you're in a different moment — one where you have ideas, skills, and a growing sense that something new is possible. The problem isn't capability. It's clarity. This workshop is designed to give you that.Book here.Next steps:✦ Discover the Meaningful Business Incubator✦ Subscribe to my emails✦ Book a call with me Related episodes:→ Leaving Corporate? Build Your Exit Ecosystem→ When work stops making sense (early signs of burnout)→ Don’t Just Quit Your Job — Pivot with Purpose Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    28 min

  4. FEB 25

    71: Quitting Corporate Doesn’t Mean Lowering Your Ambition

    If you’re seriously thinking about a career change but you’re afraid that stepping out of corporate might mean becoming less serious, less competent, or less ambitious — this episode is for you. You’ve probably said things like: “I’m good at what I do…but I don’t enjoy it anymore.” “It feels wrong in my body, even if it looks fine on paper.” “I don’t want another job like this — but what else could actually work?” Many high-performers stay where they are not because they love the work — but because they’ve internalised the belief that ambition only happens inside a system that runs on pressure. In this episode we unpack that belief structurally, not emotionally: why corporate environments condition us to equate stress with success, and why stepping away doesn’t automatically lower your standards. On the contrary — it forces you to decide whether your ambition belongs to you or to the machine that trained it. If you’re wrestling with burnout, craving purposeful work, or wondering whether meaningful, self-directed work is actually possible — you’re in the right place.Self-Directed Work That Works For You This 90-minute workshop will help you build a clear, practical framework for work that fits your values, your strengths, and your life.You've spent years being exceptionally good at work that was built around someone else's priorities. Now you're in a different moment — one where you have ideas, skills, and a growing sense that something new is possible. The problem isn't capability. It's clarity. This workshop is designed to give you that.Book here.Next steps:✦ Discover the Meaningful Business Incubator✦ Subscribe to my emails✦ Book a call with me Related episodes:→ Sick of the job market? Why now is the perfect time to build your own business with purpose→ Don’t Just Quit Your Job — Pivot with Purpose→ The 3 Types of People Who Need to Quit Corporate (and Find Meaningful Work) Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    15 min

  5. FEB 18

    70: Layoffs Aren’t a Personal Failure — But They Do Force a Career Decision

    A layoff isn’t just an income shock. What often hits just as hard is the identity rupture — the future you assumed was unfolding, the loyalty you invested, the structure you relied on. If all that matters right now is replacing income, do that. Stability matters. This episode isn’t here to compete with that. But if you’re questioning whether you want to rebuild your career inside the same structure that just eliminated your role — this conversation is for you. We break down three paths after redundancy: replacing stability, taking a structured pause, or beginning to build agency by leveraging the skills and experience you already have. You’ll hear how to move deliberately rather than reactively — and why reclaiming control over how you earn can fundamentally change how you navigate career change. If you suspect your next chapter may not sit entirely inside corporate, this episode will help you clarify your direction — and take the first practical step.Next steps:✦ Discover the Meaningful Business Incubator✦ Subscribe to my emails✦ Book a call with me Related episodes:→ Leaving Corporate? Build Your Exit Ecosystem→ Sick of the job market? Why now is the perfect time to build your own business→ Who Are You Without Your Job Title? Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    25 min

  6. FEB 11

    69: How to Build Work That Brings You Back to Life After Burnout or Career Change

    When my son was four months old, he came with me to a notary’s office in Berlin. I was setting up a company during Brexit uncertainty, travelling across Europe, growing fast. At the time, the structure of my life could hold that intensity and the work made sense inside it. Nine years later, everything looks different. In this episode, I explore what it really takes to build work that brings you back to life after burnout or career change. It all starts with a question that’s often skipped when people plan their next move: How do you want your work to feel?And how should it actually support your life? We talk about why changing jobs often doesn’t stop burnout repeating, how this question becomes a decision point before job searches or business ideas, and why many forms of full-time employment are structurally incompatible with the lives people want to live. Whether you stay employed, change roles, or decide to build your own work, this episode offers a calmer, more grounded place to start.Next steps:✦ Discover the Meaningful Business Incubator✦ Subscribe to my emails✦ Book a call with me Related episodes:→ You Don’t Need a New Job! How to Choose Purposeful Career Change Instead→ The 3 Types of People Who Need to Quit Corporate (and Find Meaningful Work)→ Don’t Just Quit Your Job — Pivot with Purpose Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    26 min

  7. FEB 4

    68: Why values-first work is rare (and what to do about it)

    So many people want meaningful work that aligns with their values — especially when burnout sets in or a career change starts to feel inevitable. Yet truly values-first organisations remain hard to find. In this episode, I share my experience of working closely with a genuinely values-first business, including time spent on retreat with the team in the Czech mountains. We explore what’s really happening beneath the surface of work like this — the choices, trade-offs, and commitments that make it possible, and why waiting for the “right” opportunity often leads to frustration and self-doubt. This conversation is for anyone questioning their career, searching for purpose, or wondering how to move toward more meaningful work without burning everything down. If you’re questioning your career or feeling burned out, explore earlier episodes of From Corporate Into Calling for grounded reflections on career change and finding purpose. If you’re still inside corporate but know something has to shift, take a look at Courage to Quit for practical support in building a responsible exit.Next steps:✦ Discover the Meaningful Business Incubator✦ Subscribe to my emails✦ Book a call with me Related episodes:→ Sick of the job market? Why now is the perfect time to build your own business with purpose→ Don’t Just Quit Your Job — Pivot with Purpose→ The 3 Types of People Who Need to Quit Corporate (and Find Meaningful Work) Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    32 min

  8. JAN 28

    67: Leaving Corporate? Build Your Exit Ecosystem (Interview on the Up Your Impact podcast)

    This week’s episode is a replay of an interview I recorded with Courtney Holm for the Up Your Impact podcast. We talk about what it really feels like when you’re stuck in corporate — especially when financial fear, responsibility, and the day-to-day reality of your work feel completely out of sync with what you want your life to look like. In the conversation, I share an ecosystem approach to career transition: a resilient way to expand your options and start building meaningful work over time — without needing to take a dramatic leap or burn everything down overnight. In this episode, we cover: Why the gap between “what you’re doing” and “what you want” can feel so heavy The role of financial fear in keeping you stuck What an “ecosystem approach” actually means (and why it works) How to build options and momentum in a grounded, realistic way The difference between craving clarity and needing a first step Discover Courtney's work at https://theholmedit.com/ Ready to make an empowered exit from corporate? Courage to Quit will give you clarity, direction, and a practical plan for what to do next — without spiralling, procrastinating, or trying to force certainty before you act. Book Courage to Quit here.Next steps:✦ Discover the Meaningful Business Incubator✦ Subscribe to my emails✦ Book a call with me Related episodes:→ Sick of the job market? Why now is the perfect time to build your own business with purpose→ Don’t Just Quit Your Job — Pivot with Purpose→ The 3 Types of People Who Need to Quit Corporate (and Find Meaningful Work) Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    25 min
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3 Ratings

About

Does your career look good on paper but feel wrong in your bones? If you’re stuck in corporate — exhausted by burnout, questioning your work life balance, or secretly wondering “is this really it?” — you’re not alone. And you don’t have to tolerate it. From Corporate Into Calling is your lifeline. I’m Alisa Murphy, a regenerative business mentor and former CEO who walked away from corporate systems to build meaningful work of my own. Now I help others do the same: leave behind burnout and misalignment, and create careers — often businesses or consultancies — that bring life back, to you and to the world. This isn’t about polishing your CV or slotting into another misaligned role. It’s about career change with purpose. Together, we’ll explore what it takes to find your purpose, build your own business, and create work that matters. Each week, I’ll share stories, provocations, and practical guidance to help you: Recognise the signs of burnout and know when it’s time to quit Redesign your relationship with work Find your purpose and create meaningful work Build a career or business that brings life back If your career looks good but feels wrong — this is your invitation to step out of corporate, and into your calling. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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