Outlaws Podcast: Embracing Career Freedom

Shayla Strapps & Kate Offer | Outlaws Podcast
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Career change, career pivot, career freedom, work life balance, if you’re craving any of these, Outlaws is the podcast for you. Hosted by Shayla Strapps and Kate Offer, two out[of]laws who walked away from traditional legal careers, this show is for professionals who look successful on paper but feel stuck inside. Each episode explores bold career pivots, honest stories of uncertainty, and practical tools for rewriting the rules of work and life. Whether you’re questioning your job, dreaming of more freedom, better work life balance, or navigating a big transition, Outlaws offers real talk for people ready to redefine success on their own terms. Subscribe now and start your own Outlaw journey. 📬 Get updates: www.outlawspodcast.com 📘 Join the Facebook Group: Outlaws Podcast Community 📸 Follow on Instagram: @the.outlaws.podcast 💼 Connect on LinkedIn: Outlaws Podcast

  1. Truth Over Career, When Speaking Up Is the Outlaw Move

    3D AGO

    Truth Over Career, When Speaking Up Is the Outlaw Move

    What happens when telling the truth could cost you your career? In this Outlaws Diary episode, Kate and Shayla sit down with Rabia Siddique, international human rights lawyer, former British Army officer, and leadership consultant, to explore what it really means to choose truth over safety. From a hostage crisis in Iraq to a discrimination case against the UK government, Rabia’s story is extraordinary. But the tension at its core is universal: what do you do when the system tells you to stay quiet? This episode explores courageous leadership, workplace discrimination, whistleblowing, and what it really means to speak truth to power. Rabia shares the personal and professional cost of challenging authority, and why values-based leadership often requires breaking the rules that protect powerful institutions. We talk about what happens when silence feels like complicity, why speaking up can feel career-ending, and how real leadership sometimes begins the moment you refuse to comply. In this episode – Rabia’s journey from Legal Aid lawyer to the British Army – The hostage crisis in Iraq and what happened behind closed doors – The discrimination case that challenged the UK government and military – Why injustice by those you trust can cut deeper than trauma itself – What whistleblowing really costs and why it matters – How to practise ethical, values-based leadership inside rigid systems – The myth that success requires perfection and conformity – Why you don’t have to be in a war zone to feel “held hostage” by your career This conversation moves beyond the extraordinary circumstances of a military hostage situation and into something far more familiar: the moments in our own careers where we feel stuck, silenced, or pressured to conform. And sometimes, the real outlaw move is this: speak up anyway. Resources & Links Rabia’s book: Equal Justice Connect with Rabia via her website and social media If you loved this episode... Share it with a friend who’s wanting a change (or just needs permission to do the thing!). Rate and review Outlaws on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more Outlaws find us Find out more Website: www.outlawspodcast.com Subscribe to our newsletter for updates, tools, and more Outlawbrary picks Connect with us Instagram: @the.outlaws.podcast - https://www.instagram.com/the.outlaws.podcast Facebook Group: Outlaws Podcast Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/the.outlaws.podcast LinkedIn: Outlaws Podcast - https://www.linkedin.com/company/106681587 Email: contact@outlawspodcast.com Hosted and produced by Shayla Strapps and Kate Offer

    48 min
  2. Stop thinking, Start making, How a side hustle awakens creativity

    FEB 8

    Stop thinking, Start making, How a side hustle awakens creativity

    What if your side hustle wasn’t about making money, but about becoming more of yourself? In this Outlaws After Dark episode, Kate and Shayla are joined by Sandrine Alexandre-Hughes, a lawyer and mum of three who built a creative side hustle while working full time, not to chase millions, but to explore something her legal career simply couldn’t offer. After hearing devastating stories about online grooming and bullying, Sandrine felt compelled to act. Instead of approaching the problem with fear or lectures, she asked a different question: if the problem is dark, does the solution have to be? That question led to All the Likes, a card game that teaches online safety through play, followed by Smoke, Mirrors and Filters, a conversation game about our digital habits and the conversations we avoid. What followed wasn’t overnight success or financial freedom. It was exposure to creativity, manufacturing, education, media, and whole new worlds that sit well outside the legal profession. This episode is an honest look at starting a side hustle without quitting your job, and what can open up when you stop overthinking and start making.  In this episode Building a side hustle while working full time, without a grand plan or exit strategy Why Sandrine never saw herself as creative, and how the creative process surprised her The reality of starting a creative side hustle from scratch, sketches, designers, manufacturing, and learning as you go How legal training both helped and hindered her ability to create Why not all side hustles are meant to become businesses, and why that’s okay Marketing, visibility, and the parts of a side hustle that are far less glamorous Why boredom, rest, and stepping away often unlock the best ideas Practical advice for starting a side hustle without quitting your job, including one small first step 🔧 Resources & Links Team Together Online, Sandrine’s company focused on healthier online lives All the Likes, a card game teaching online safety through play Smoke, Mirrors and Filters, a conversation card game about digital habits Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, online safety resources for families If you loved this episode... Share it with a friend who’s wanting a change (or just needs permission to do the thing!). Rate and review Outlaws on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more Outlaws find us Find out more Website: www.outlawspodcast.com Subscribe to our newsletter for updates, tools, and more Outlawbrary picks Connect with us Instagram: @the.outlaws.podcast - https://www.instagram.com/the.outlaws.podcast Facebook Group: Outlaws Podcast Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/the.outlaws.podcast LinkedIn: Outlaws Podcast - https://www.linkedin.com/company/106681587 Email: contact@outlawspodcast.com Hosted and produced by Shayla Strapps and Kate Offer

    43 min
  3. Leaving Law to Understand It: How systems affect wellbeing

    FEB 1

    Leaving Law to Understand It: How systems affect wellbeing

    In this episode of Outlaws, Kate and Shayla are joined by Dr Carly Schrever, a former lawyer who retrained as a psychologist and went on to become Australia’s first dedicated judicial wellbeing adviser. Carly shares her own journey from law to psychology, including the moment she realised she was more interested in the human dynamics of the courtroom than legal argument. That pivot ultimately led her to groundbreaking research on judicial stress and wellbeing, including her role in the National Judicial Stress and Wellbeing Study. In this episode, Carly shares what the data actually tells us about stress in the legal profession and why judicial officers, despite deep job satisfaction and commitment, experience alarmingly high levels of burnout and secondary trauma. Carly explains why judges aren’t ‘above’ stress, why lower courts are under the greatest pressure and how systemic injustice itself becomes a source of psychological harm. The conversation also explores moral injury, intentional hope, and what it really takes to build a sustainable legal career inside an imperfect system. Rather than focusing solely on individual resilience, Carly makes a compelling case for systemic change  and for leaders being willing to speak honestly about the human cost of legal work. This is a thoughtful, rigorous discussion about law, justice, and what it means to stay human while working inside systems that are often broken. If you loved this episode... Share it with a friend who’s wanting a change (or just needs permission to do the thing!). Rate and review Outlaws on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more Outlaws find us Find out more Website: www.outlawspodcast.com Subscribe to our newsletter for updates, tools, and more Outlawbrary picks Connect with us Instagram: @the.outlaws.podcast - https://www.instagram.com/the.outlaws.podcast Facebook Group: Outlaws Podcast Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/the.outlaws.podcast LinkedIn: Outlaws Podcast - https://www.linkedin.com/company/106681587 Email: contact@outlawspodcast.com Hosted and produced by Shayla Strapps and Kate Offer

    40 min
  4. From M&A Lawyer to Biotech Startup Founder: Michael Kingsbury on Uluu, Seaweed and Reinventing Your Career

    JAN 25

    From M&A Lawyer to Biotech Startup Founder: Michael Kingsbury on Uluu, Seaweed and Reinventing Your Career

    In this episode of Outlaws, we’re joined by Michael Kingsbury, a former M&A lawyer who walked away from corporate law to co-found Uluu, a climate tech startup creating seaweed-based materials designed to replace fossil-fuel plastics. What began as curiosity about science, technology and impact has become a globally significant attempt to tackle plastic pollution, climate change and ocean health—using seaweed. Michael shares his journey from law school to top-tier firms, through strategy and innovation roles, and into the uncertain, exhilarating world of startups. We talk about leaving law, redesigning work, and why legal skills like problem-solving, clarity of thinking and working under pressure can be powerful assets far beyond the profession. This is a conversation about career reinvention, calculated risk, and the courage to follow what genuinely interests you—even when the path isn’t obvious. For lawyers questioning the traditional trajectory, professionals craving career freedom, or anyone wondering whether meaningful work can look radically different from what they were taught to expect, this episode offers both inspiration and permission.

    41 min
  5. Designing Freedom: How Kelly Irving Rebuilt Her Business to Work 20 Hours a Year (& Travel the World!)

    JAN 18

    Designing Freedom: How Kelly Irving Rebuilt Her Business to Work 20 Hours a Year (& Travel the World!)

    What if career freedom isn’t about walking away from work altogether, but about consciously redesigning how you work? In this Outlaws Escapes episode, Kate and Shayla are joined by editor, book coach and founder of the Expert Author Academy, Kelly Irving, who shares how she radically restructured her business to avoid burnout, reclaim her time, and create a life that worked for her family. A few years ago, Kelly and her family packed up their lives and travelled through 11 countries — all while she reduced her one-to-one workload and experimented with working just 20 hours across an entire year. In this conversation, Kelly unpacks what redesigning work actually looks like in practice, from delegation and community-led business models to letting go of perfection and the myth of indispensability. Together, they explore career freedom, the courage to tolerate discomfort, and why bold change rarely comes from having a perfect plan — but often starts with simply naming what you want and beginning. This episode is for anyone questioning traditional definitions of success, feeling the early signs of burnout, or wondering whether there might be another way to work, live, and lead. In this episode, we discuss: What career freedom really means (and what it doesn’t) Redesigning work to reduce burnout and protect energy Why working on your business matters more than working in it Delegation, community, and letting others step up Family travel as a catalyst for perspective and change The power of intention, discomfort, and starting before you feel ready More about Kelly Irving Connect with Kelly at www.kellyirving.com or www.expertauthor.community Follow on LinkedIn and Instagram.  Nail your best book idea with the Book Canvas here. If you loved this episode... Share it with a friend who’s wanting a change (or just needs permission to do the thing!). Rate and review Outlaws on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more Outlaws find us Find out more Website: www.outlawspodcast.com Subscribe to our newsletter for updates, tools, and more Outlawbrary picks Connect with us Instagram: @the.outlaws.podcast - https://www.instagram.com/the.outlaws.podcast Facebook Group: Outlaws Podcast Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/the.outlaws.podcast LinkedIn: Outlaws Podcast - https://www.linkedin.com/company/106681587 Email: contact@outlawspodcast.com Hosted and produced by Shayla Strapps and Kate Offer

    48 min
  6. How to Make Big Decisions Without Overthinking with Bethan Winn

    JAN 11

    How to Make Big Decisions Without Overthinking with Bethan Winn

    What if making a big decision isn’t about finding the right answer, but learning how to trust yourself? How do you make big decisions without overthinking, spinning in circles, or waiting for certainty that never comes? In this episode, Shayla and Kate are joined by Bethan Winn, one of Australia’s leading experts in critical thinking and human skills, to unpack how decisions actually get made, and why so many high-achievers feel stuck when it matters most. From intuition and values to analysis paralysis and permission, this conversation reframes decision making as a skill you can build, not a personality trait you either have or don’t. In this episode – Why most professionals were taught how to analyse, not how to decide – The myth of the “good decision” and why the real work starts after you choose – What’s really happening when you feel stuck between two good options – Gut instinct, what it is, what it isn’t, and why it matters even in rational professions – How overthinking is often a sign of fear, not lack of intelligence – “Nibble rather than scoff”, making big decisions through small, reversible steps – A practical decision-making framework built around permission, values, data, noise, and testing – Why values sit underneath every decision, whether you name them or not – How to reflect on decisions without self-blame when things don’t go to plan – Creating space to think in a noisy, fast-moving world More about Bethan Winn https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanwinn/ https://www.instagram.com/bethan_winn_critical_thinking/ https://www.facebook.com/bethanwinn.com.au/   The book is available www.bethanwinn.com.au/shop or on Amazon and soon from any good bookshop  If you loved this episode... Share it with a friend who’s wanting a change (or just needs permission to do the thing!). Rate and review Outlaws on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more Outlaws find us Find out more Website: www.outlawspodcast.com Subscribe to our newsletter for updates, tools, and more Outlawbrary picks Connect with us Instagram: @the.outlaws.podcast - https://www.instagram.com/the.outlaws.podcast Facebook Group: Outlaws Podcast Community

    48 min
  7. Burnout, Rest and Recovery: A Doctor’s Story

    JAN 4

    Burnout, Rest and Recovery: A Doctor’s Story

    What happens when the person everyone relies on can no longer keep going? In this episode, Kate and Shayla sit down with Dr Emily Amos, a former GP whose own experience of burnout stopped her in her tracks and ultimately reshaped her entire understanding of care, success, and sustainability. Emily spent 15 years in medicine, building a thriving practice and supporting others through some of their most vulnerable moments. From the outside, she was capable, calm, and deeply competent. Inside, she was running on adrenaline, guilt, and a relentless sense of responsibility, until her body finally said no. What followed was not a neat recovery story, but a profound reckoning with rest, identity, and the cost of always being the strong one. This is a powerful conversation about burnout in caring professions, why capable people often miss the warning signs, and what real recovery actually looks like when you stop trying to outpace yourself. In this episode Emily’s path into medicine and why general practice is as much about life as it is about illness The slow, invisible build-up to burnout and why she didn’t see it coming The moment everything stopped, and why her body became the final boundary The difference between altruism and self-sacrifice, and why self-awareness matters How perfectionism and identity can trap high achievers in unsustainable patterns Why rest is essential, not indulgent, especially in helping professions What changed when Emily redefined success around inner capacity, not output How Whole Hearted Medicine was born, and why practitioner wellbeing is not optional This conversation explores burnout, rest and recovery in medicine, but the themes will resonate with anyone in law, healthcare, leadership, or any role where being capable has become part of your identity. Connect with Emily:  Whole Hearted Medicine W: www.dremilyamos.com IG: @dremilyamos  If you loved this episode... Share it with a friend who’s wanting a change (or just needs permission to do the thing!). Rate and review Outlaws on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more Outlaws find us Find out more Website: www.outlawspodcast.com Subscribe to our newsletter for updates, tools, and more Outlawbrary picks Connect with us Instagram: @the.outlaws.podcast - https://www.instagram.com/the.outlaws.podcast Facebook Group: Outlaws Podcast Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/the.outlaws.podcast LinkedIn: Outlaws Podcast - https://www.linkedin.com/company/106681587 Email: contact@outlawspodcast.com Hosted and produced by Shayla Strapps and Kate Offer

    50 min
  8. Imposter Syndrome - what it is, why it shows up and how to break free - with Alison Shamir

    12/14/2025

    Imposter Syndrome - what it is, why it shows up and how to break free - with Alison Shamir

    In this episode, Kate and Shayla sit down with author and imposter syndrome expert Alison Shamir to unpack one of the most universal, misunderstood experiences in modern work: that persistent belief that you don’t deserve your success. Alison breaks down what imposter syndrome actually is, why high achievers are especially prone to it, and how those old origin stories from childhood quietly shape our confidence, our careers, and our sense of belonging. Together they explore why external success never fixes the internal narrative, how perfectionism and overworking keep the cycle alive, and what it really takes to rewrite the story that keeps so many brilliant people stuck. From self-worth to self-confidence to the “trilogy of selves,” this conversation goes deep into the psychology, the patterns, and the practical tools that help people move beyond self-doubt and into grounded, evidence-based confidence.  If you’ve ever found yourself minimising your achievements, waiting to be found out, or discounting every win… this episode will feel like someone finally turned the lights on. In this episode What imposter syndrome is Why competence isn’t the antidote and why confidence alone can’t save you The origin story: how early experiences shape adult self-belief The difference between self-worth, self-esteem, and self-confidence Why high-performing professionals mask their doubt so well The imposter cycles and self-sabotaging patterns Alison sees in her coaching How to build an evidence bank that your brain will actually believe The surprising role of authenticity and psychological safety at work What it takes to rewrite the internal narrative… and why it changes everything Resources: Buy the book: https://amzn.to/48yQYSP  Clance Imposter Scale test - https://paulineroseclance.com/pdf/IPTestandscoring.pdf Connect with Alison Shamir: Linkedin - https://au.linkedin.com/in/alison-shamir-67440b17 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alisonshamir/ Websites - https://alisonshamir.com/  If you loved this episode... Share it with a friend who’s wanting a change (or just needs permission to do the thing!). Rate and review Outlaws on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more Outlaws find us Find out more Website: www.outlawspodcast.com Subscribe to our newsletter for updates, tools, and more Outlawbrary picks Connect with us Instagram: @the.outlaws.podcast - https://www.instagram.com/the.outlaws.podcast Facebook Group: Outlaws Podcast Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/the.outlaws.podcast LinkedIn: Outlaws Podcast - https://www.linkedin.com/company/106681587 Email: contact@outlawspodcast.com Hosted and produced by Shayla Strapps and Kate Offer

    46 min
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Career change, career pivot, career freedom, work life balance, if you’re craving any of these, Outlaws is the podcast for you. Hosted by Shayla Strapps and Kate Offer, two out[of]laws who walked away from traditional legal careers, this show is for professionals who look successful on paper but feel stuck inside. Each episode explores bold career pivots, honest stories of uncertainty, and practical tools for rewriting the rules of work and life. Whether you’re questioning your job, dreaming of more freedom, better work life balance, or navigating a big transition, Outlaws offers real talk for people ready to redefine success on their own terms. Subscribe now and start your own Outlaw journey. 📬 Get updates: www.outlawspodcast.com 📘 Join the Facebook Group: Outlaws Podcast Community 📸 Follow on Instagram: @the.outlaws.podcast 💼 Connect on LinkedIn: Outlaws Podcast

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