The Cluttered Path #30 Rachel Spekman: Why Smart People Stay Trapped in Jobs They Hate!
What if your resume looks stellar, but your days feel hollow? We dive into the hidden costs of success (Anxiety, Insomnia, Quiet Dread) and show a measured way to pivot without blowing up your life. Our guest, career coach and therapist, Rachel Speckman, breaks down a practical framework for building a soul-aligned path where skills, values, and curiosity actually meet. You’ll hear how to translate vague dissatisfaction into clear data, spot the difference between a role problem and an environment problem, and make changes that protect both your well-being and your income.
We unpack the “three Cs” of meaningful work (Community, Contribution, and Challenge) and pair them with a simple Red/Yellow/Green task audit that reveals what drains you and what lights you up.
Rachel explains why identity gets tangled with titles, how to navigate the grief of letting go, and why calculated risk beats impulsive quitting every time. From industry-adjacent pivots to role redesigns to fractional work, we explore common outcomes and the mindset shifts that make them possible. Along the way, you’ll learn to build a backwards-facing resume that surfaces hidden wins and rebuilds self-trust, especially if imposter syndrome has been running the show.
Where to Find Rachel:
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Resources from This Episode:
Meaningful Work, by Wes Adams & Tamara Myles: https://amzn.to/3MiK90b
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Web: https://clutteredpath.com/
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