A woman shares her experiences leaving corporate life to build her own business. She discusses her fears, managing money, battling loneliness, and finding happiness working for herself.
Taking the risk to pursue a passion project can be highly rewarding, outweighing fears of financial instability and loneliness.
Focusing on personal satisfaction and staying in one's own lane is crucial to overcoming imposter syndrome and finding fulfillment in work.
Deep dives
Overview of New Here podcast
New Here is an early career podcast hosted by Alaini Mata. The podcast focuses on helping individuals navigating their first job experiences, whether it's their first full-time job after graduation or a new job after a break. The podcast covers a range of topics, including motivation at work, dealing with bad bosses, making a good first impression in job interviews, and setting boundaries in the workplace.
Insight from Gemma's Journey into Entrepreneurship
Gemma Spegg, the creator and host of 'The Psychology of Your Twenties' podcast, decided to quit her full-time job to focus on her passion project. She initially faced challenges, such as low listenership and overwhelming popularity when her podcast gained traction. Gemma highlights the flexibility of working for herself as a positive aspect, but acknowledges the need to establish new structures and boundaries. She also shares her fears about financial stability and loneliness, but ultimately expresses that the risk of pursuing her passion was worth it.
Imposter Syndrome and Comparison as Challenges
Gemma opens up about experiencing imposter syndrome and comparing herself to others in the industry. She discusses the importance of focusing on personal satisfaction and staying in her own lane. Gemma highlights the need to unfollow individuals who trigger self-doubt and emphasizes the significance of personal fulfillment and pride in the work produced, rather than external validation.
Balancing Flexibility and Structure
Gemma reflects on the flexibility of working for herself, which allows her to set her own schedule and take breaks when needed. However, she also recognizes the importance of maintaining structure to promote consistency and motivation. Gemma discusses the challenge of adjusting to the absence of a traditional workplace community and shares her experience in finding a sense of community through shared office space with other podcast creators.
It’s a question that so many of us are grappling with. Should I quit the corporate life that may not feel quite right for me, and pursue my passion project?
You may have worries about the financial risks, stability, and what your future looks like with less of a roadmap. Today we’ll help you think through the possibilities and trade-offs, as we learn from one woman’s experiences leaving corporate life to build her own business.
This episode is from New Here, a new podcast for young professionals from Harvard Business Review. Each week, host Elainy Mata shares stories, tips, and advice from trusted experts and the people who help her figure out career challenges—like her therapist and mentors. Season One focuses on those “big firsts” that happen in any new job—like your first big mistake or how to ask for a raise.
In this episode, we follow Jemma Sbeg as she leaves her successful consulting career to pursue her passion project—her now-hit podcast, The Psychology of your 20s. First we hear from Jemma on her first day of working for herself—to learn how she made the decision to leave her full-time job and what her hopes and fears are for her new work life. Then Jemma returns for a second conversation, after she’s been working on her own for five months.
You’ll learn which of Jemma’s fears were warranted, how she battled loneliness, managed her money, and whether or not she is actually happier working for herself.