The 4 Steps to Lasting Career Change (and What Most People Get Wrong)

By
Hannah Kissel
September 8, 2026
•
9
min
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About the episode

If you tell yourself every Monday morning that you need to quit your job or you sit at the top of the ladder wondering if this is all there is, you might be stuck in a familiar cycle. Traditional career coaching focuses strictly on action and momentum, while therapy provides a high level of self-awareness without actually pushing you forward. You must blend both approaches so you do not take a new job only to find the exact same problems showing up over and over again. This episode covers the four steps for lasting career change, moving from holistic career design to prototyping and stress testing your desired reality.

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‍KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Holistic career design requires you to look at how you want your entire life to look rather than just focusing on career progression and moving up the ladder.
  • You need to lift up the hood to understand your sabotage archetype and figure out why you flip-flop between going 110 miles per hour and experiencing total burnout.
  • Doing deep values alignment anchors your choices and stops you from making decisions where you are just blown in the wind.
  • Prototyping and stress testing a new path means you must start taking action by having conversations and identifying the specific skills gaps or certifications you are missing.

Timestamps:

00:30 — The listener's story: "I'm miserable, I'm just taking a paycheck"
00:45 — The question everyone's afraid to ask
01:57 — Why traditional career coaching misses the point
02:30 — Why you can't do action OR self-awareness alone
03:57 — Step 1: Holistic career design
05:15 — Step 2: Know your sabotage archetype
06:00 — Step 3: Values alignment
08:15 — Step 4: Prototype and stress test (do them together)

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I'm Hannah

Executive Coach, columnist, podcaster, and speaker.

My mission is to help high-performing leaders become more confident, successful, and fulfilled in their careers.

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