Careers Unchecked with Talent Career Coaching

Talent Career Coaching
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Welcome to Careers Unchecked, the podcast that breaks free from conventional career advice to help you create a professional path that truly resonates with who you are. Hosted by Brandi Oldham—career coach, interior designer, and iced coffee enthusiast—this show offers honest conversations about navigating career transitions, maintaining balance, and building a fulfilling professional life that energizes rather than depletes you. Learn more about Brandi and our coaches: www.talentcareercoaching.com

  1. How to make a Hard career Decision

    Jun 3

    How to make a Hard career Decision

    I'm balancing two businesses right now, one I care deeply about and one that feels more aligned with this chapter of my life. What I didn't expect was how much energy it would take to just not decide. By the end of some days I was exhausted and hadn't moved either direction meaningfully forward. In this episode we talk about: Why high achievers often struggle more with decisions than other people, and why having range and options makes it harder, not easierWhat research on decision regret actually tells us about the process that matters more than the outcomeWhy most people arrive at big career decisions already exhausted, and what that means for how you approach themHow to separate the urgency you feel from the actual deadline that existsThe difference between a non-negotiable and a preference, and why most people's lists are full of the wrong oneThe question that shifted everything for me: what decision would I make if I trusted myself to handle the outcome, regardless of what it wasThe goal is a decision made on purpose, with your eyes open, that reflects who you actually are and what you need in this season. If you're sitting with something right now and not sure whether what you're feeling is burnout or whether the work itself is no longer a fit, the free burnout quiz at the first link below is worth a few minutes of your time. It'll help you figure out what you're actually dealing with before you decide what to do next. And if you want grounded guidance in your inbox while you work through it, the newsletter link is there too. No spam, no hustle culture, just honest talk about careers and the decisions that come with them. New episodes of Careers Unchecked drop weekly. https://www.talentcareercoaching.com/isitburnout https://www.talentcareercoaching.com/newsletter 👂Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts: https://tr.ee/0fC_3K1Bu3➡️ Learn More: https://lnkd.in/gQP5AVfY #careercoaching #careerdecisions #careerclarity #careersunchecked #burnoutrecovery

    10 min
  2. Why Can't I Stop Thinking About Work? What's Actually Happening in Your Brain After Hours

    May 27

    Why Can't I Stop Thinking About Work? What's Actually Happening in Your Brain After Hours

    Most high achievers know they should be able to leave work at work. Very few of them actually can. In this episode I'm starting somewhere personal, because this is something I'm actively working through in my own life right now. I had a system that worked in corporate, lost it when I went remote, rebuilt it when I became an entrepreneur, and then became a mom with a husband on on-call shifts, and this last year required me to start over again. In this episode we talk about: ➡️ Why the people who struggle most with this tend to be the ones who care most about their work ➡️ What research on work recovery tells us about how the brain actually detaches, and why willpower alone never works ➡️ What a transition ritual is and why consistency matters more than complexity ➡️ Why your brain holds onto unfinished tasks after hours and what to do about it ➡️ Why processing your workday with your partner often isn't the right tool for the job ➡️ What allostatic load is and why your nervous system might be stuck in high alert even when nothing urgent is happening This one is less about having the perfect system and more about understanding what's actually happening when work follows you home, because that understanding changes everything about how you approach it.Feeling like you can't switch off no matter what you try, or not sure if what you're carrying is burnout or something deeper? ❤️ Take my free burnout quiz:⁠ https://www.talentcareercoaching.com/isitburnout⁠ It's short, and it'll help you figure out whether what you're feeling is burnout or whether something about the work itself no longer fits. Those aren't always the same thing, and it matters which one it is.Want grounded guidance on building a career that actually fits your life? ❤️Join my newsletter:⁠ https://www.talentcareercoaching.com/newsletter⁠ Real talk about burnout, big decisions, and what it takes to do work that doesn't hollow you out. No spam, no hustle culture. ❤️ New episodes of Careers Unchecked drop weekly. Subscribe so you don't miss one. Website: talentcareercoaching.com Email: hello@talentcareercoaching.com #careercoaching #burnoutrecovery #worklifebalance #careersunchecked #careerclarity

    9 min
  3. What Happens When Your Boss Has Less Experience Than You?

    May 22

    What Happens When Your Boss Has Less Experience Than You?

    In this episode we talk about: Why this dynamic is more common than you think (and it's not just your organization)How chronic deference to less experienced leadership erodes your own judgment over timeThe difference between a less experienced manager who supports your growth vs. one who caps itHow to tell if this situation is temporary and workable or chronic and costlyWhere to get professional validation when your manager can't provide meaningful feedbackThe one question that cuts through everything: Are you growing, or are you just functioning?This isn't about whether your manager is "good" or "bad." It's about whether the person above you is making your career bigger or smaller, and that's true at any experience level. Feeling stuck or unsure if you're growing or just maintaining? Take my free burnout quiz: https://www.talentcareercoaching.com/isitburnout It's short, and it'll help you figure out whether what you're experiencing is burnout or whether something about the work itself no longer fits. Want grounded guidance on navigating career decisions without spiraling? Join my newsletter: https://www.talentcareercoaching.com/newsletter Real talk about burnout, big decisions, and building a career that fits your real life. No spam, no hustle culture. New episodes of Careers Unchecked drop weekly. Subscribe so you don't miss one. Website: talentcareercoaching.comEmail: ⁠hello@talentcareercoaching.com⁠ #careercoaching #workplacedynamics #careerclarity #leadershipdevelopment #careersunchecked

    11 min
  4. Nobody Is Coming to Save Your Career: How to Actually Take Control of Where It's Going

    May 11

    Nobody Is Coming to Save Your Career: How to Actually Take Control of Where It's Going

    Nobody is coming to save your career. Not your manager, not your company, not the system you've been trying to succeed in. At some point, figuring out what you want and building toward it is entirely on you, and most people arrive at that realization later than they'd like. In this episode of Careers Unchecked, I'm explaining how career support actually works, what the different entry points look like, and how to figure out which kind fits where you are right now. This is a walkthrough of what it looks like when someone finally decides to invest in their own clarity instead of waiting for that clarity to arrive on its own. We cover: ✅ Why most people come to career support when they've already been stuck longer than they needed to be ✅ The difference between needing clarity, needing strategy, and needing a sustained partnership ✅ Why does nobody teach us how to build a career and what that costs over time ✅ What values-based decision-making looks like in practice versus chasing what looks right on paper ✅ What sustained coaching produces that a single session or a self-paced course usually can't If something from this episode is sitting with you and you're not sure whether what you're feeling is burnout or something about the work itself that's no longer a fit, the free quiz at the first link below is a good place to start. It's short, it's specific, and it'll help you figure out what you're actually dealing with before you decide what to do next. https://lnkd.in/gs9VtB2m If you want grounded guidance in your inbox while you work through it, the newsletter link is there too. We talk careers and building work that actually fits your life. https://lnkd.in/gb8J_BgD New episodes of Careers Unchecked drop weekly. 💪 Watch on Youtube: https://lnkd.in/gYYP9mbd 👂Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts: https://tr.ee/0fC_3K1Bu3 ➡️ Learn More: https://lnkd.in/gQP5AVfY

    8 min
  5. What Your Cover Letter Might Be Missing? How To Make Sure You Stand Out

    May 5

    What Your Cover Letter Might Be Missing? How To Make Sure You Stand Out

    You found the job. It checks every box. You're genuinely excited. And then you see it: "please submit a cover letter with your application."And just like that, the excitement drains right out of you.If writing cover letters has ever made you want to close the laptop and apply tomorrow (which becomes next week, which becomes never), this episode is for you.In this episode, I'm breaking down everything that actually makes a cover letter work, from someone who has sat on both sides of the table. I spent years in HR reviewing hundreds of applications, and I can tell you exactly what made me put something in the yes pile and what made my eyes glaze over by 10am on a Friday.We talk about:✅ Why your cover letter is not a second resume and what it actually should be✅ The opening line that hiring managers see a hundred times a week (and how to do better)✅ What "leading with value" actually looks like in practice✅ The honest truth about whether cover letters even get read (and why it still matters)✅ How to use AI tools without losing your actual voice in the processIf you've been job searching and not hearing back, your cover letter might be the piece that's blending in when it should be standing out.Wondering if the reason you're still searching has more to do with burnout or misalignment than your application materials? Take my free burnout quiz at the link below. It's short, specific, and designed to help you figure out whether what you're feeling is exhaustion from the search or something deeper about the kind of work you're looking for. Those aren't the same thing, and knowing which one it is changes what you do next.And if you want ongoing support that actually fits your real life, not just job search tips but grounded guidance on building a career that feels like yours, join my newsletter at the second link. No spam, no hustle culture, just real talk about the stuff that actually matters.New episodes of Careers Unchecked drop weekly. Subscribe so you don't miss one.https://bit.ly/48484J9#careercoaching #coverletter #jobsearchtips #careersunchecked #careerdevelopment

    9 min
  6. No, women didn't ruin the workplace. And we're tired of taking the blame

    Apr 28

    No, women didn't ruin the workplace. And we're tired of taking the blame

    The New York Times published an article asking "Did Liberal Feminism Ruin the Workplace?" and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since November.In this episode, I'm unpacking why this narrative keeps showing up, what it gets wrong about women in the workplace, and what we should actually be focusing on instead.We talk about: ✅ Why conversations about women at work always circle back to our bodies ✅ The difference between comfort-seeking and truth-seeking ✅ Why "feminized fields" aren't the problem (systemic barriers are) ✅ What happens when workplaces are designed around one type of person ✅ The exhausting cycle of defending our presence instead of building better systems. I'm asking who benefits when we blame women instead of examining the structures that were never built for us in the first place. If you're a high-achieving woman navigating a workplace that feels misaligned, you're not alone. The modern workplace was designed for people with a partner at home handling everything else. That template doesn't fit most of us anymore. Feeling burned out or unsure if what you're experiencing is burnout or misalignment? Take my free burnout quiz: https://www.talentcareercoaching.com/isitburnoutIt's short, and it'll help you figure out whether you need rest or whether something about the work itself no longer fits. Those aren't always the same thing, and it matters which one it is. Want more grounded guidance on building a career that fits your real life? Join my newsletter: https://www.talentcareercoaching.com/newsletter Real talk about burnout, big decisions, and what it takes to build work that feels like yours. No spam, no hustle culture. New episodes of Careers Unchecked drop weekly. Subscribe so you don't miss one.

    11 min
  7. Why Do I Feel Like I've Lost Myself at Work? How High Achievers Stop Sounding Like Themselves

    Apr 21

    Why Do I Feel Like I've Lost Myself at Work? How High Achievers Stop Sounding Like Themselves

    Somewhere along the way, my writing got quieter.The blogs were showing up, they were helpful and educational and clear, and they stopped feeling like me. I'd been doing what I watch so many of the women I coach do: learning to translate myself into something safe and polished until the real voice got quieter and quieter in the background.It started earlier than I'd realized. A high school English teacher told me my writing wasn't strong, that it was messy and didn't follow the rules, and something about that lodged in my nervous system for years. I didn't consciously decide to stop writing after that, but I did. And as a business owner I watched that same pattern come back, content that was technically correct and emotionally absent, a voice that had learned to be safe instead of real.In this episode I talk about how I got my voice back, and why I see this exact pattern constantly in my coaching work. Smart, capable women who have learned to be exactly what's needed in every room they walk into, who translate their ideas into language that feels professional and palatable, who are genuinely good at it, and who eventually come to me saying some version of: I don't recognize myself in how I show up at work anymore. I also share what happened when a client of mine finally stopped performing in a leadership meeting and said the things that actually needed to be said, and what shifted for her afterward.If this is resonating, the free quiz at the link below is a good first step toward figuring out what's actually going on for you. Free quiz in the link below if you want to start getting clearer on what's actually going on for you. 💛The newsletter is there, too, if you want honest support while you work through it. 💛 https://bit.ly/48484J9 #careercoaching #authenticleadership #womeninleadership #impostersyndromecoaching #careerclarity

    14 min
  8. Why Don't I Feel Better After Time Off? Burnout vs. Misalignment Explained

    Apr 14

    Why Don't I Feel Better After Time Off? Burnout vs. Misalignment Explained

    There's a particular kind of exhaustion that doesn't respond to rest. You take time off, you sleep, you step away, and when you come back the heaviness is right there waiting.I know this feeling personally. There was a point in my own career where I was so burned out I cried most mornings before work, not because anything dramatic happened, just because going back into the same environment again and again felt unbearable. I remember coming home completely depleted and stumbling into the walls of our hallway because I had nothing left. So I took six weeks off, genuinely believing rest was the answer. When I came back, the heaviness returned almost immediately.That was the moment I started realizing: sometimes burnout is only part of what's happening. Sometimes what's underneath it is misalignment, a gap between the effort you're giving and the support you're receiving, or between your values and what the role actually requires, or between who you've grown into and the version of you the job still expects. And rest doesn't touch that. In this episode I break down how to tell the difference, walk through what I saw happen with a client who came to me with all the classic burnout signs and turned out to be dealing with something deeper, and give you three specific things you can try this week to start figuring out which one you're actually dealing with.If you've wondered why resting didn't fix it, this episode might finally give that feeling a name.💛 The free quiz at the link below was built for exactly this. It helps you figure out whether what you're feeling is burnout, misalignment, or some combination of both, so you can start solving the right problem. 💛 The newsletter is there too if you want honest, grounded support while you work through it.💛 https://bit.ly/48484J9#careercoaching #burnout #careerclarity #womeninleadership #careertransition

    13 min
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5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Welcome to Careers Unchecked, the podcast that breaks free from conventional career advice to help you create a professional path that truly resonates with who you are. Hosted by Brandi Oldham—career coach, interior designer, and iced coffee enthusiast—this show offers honest conversations about navigating career transitions, maintaining balance, and building a fulfilling professional life that energizes rather than depletes you. Learn more about Brandi and our coaches: www.talentcareercoaching.com

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