So, what do you do? How to talk about yourself when work changes

​"So, what do you do?”

​hamster heart attack

​A few years ago I left consulting and went on sabbatical with my then-partner. I'd say, “We’re taking a sabbatical, trying out a new way of work and life,” and it was my whole identity. Then we broke up, and my answer went out the window with it.

​If you’ve lost your job or you’re mid-pivot, I’m sure you know the pause that comes after that question. I’ve filled it every way going: “I used to be…”, an answer I didn’t believe, and “I don’t know,” said like an apology.

​What actually helps is having something true waiting, ready for the question.

​Who it’s for
This is for you if you’ve recently:

• ​been made redundant or laid off

• ​left a job, or are about to, with nothing lined up yet

• ​taken a career break: parental leave, caring, a sabbatical, burnout

• ​gone freelance or started a business and still get caught up in how to explain it

• ​changed career, or are halfway through changing

​…and you’ve got a networking event, an interview, a dinner or a school-gate chat coming up where someone’s going to ask.

​What happens
One hour, online, ten people max. You leave with a way to talk about yourself in transition that’s true, feels good, and points you towards what’s next.

​You’ll also take home a field guide, so you can keep working through your options after the session: gathering what’s true about you, writing it down, testing it, and practising saying it out loud until it sounds like you.

What people said last time
“We are way more interesting than job titles and descriptions.” — Dawn

​Lines people wrote in the session
“I throw themed parties on Saturdays, sing at church on Sunday, and run a business on Monday.”
“Right now I’m figuring out how much work and career define my perception of fulfilment.”

​Who’s running it
👩‍💻 Hi there, I’m Ella. I make social science useful for normal people trying to understand themselves at work. I write about why being a human being matters more than most organisations think, and I run workshops that do the same thing.