Julia’s story
Julia is a senior business analyst who delivers, manages, and analyses the impact of strategic change for PLCs, institutions, and governmental bodies.
Julia joined Vision 20/20 because she knew she needed her own change but didn’t know what it might look like for her. This is her story.
I felt like I was stuck in the corporate rat race
I’ve worked on projects for over 20 years and had been thinking about a change for a very long time.
But I’ve always struggled to figure out what to do next.
Long before the pandemic, I considered working for myself, but it felt like too much of a jump from the security of my corporate career.
I did contracting for a while.
That worked out really well for me, but, as much as I love what I do, these days it's no longer sustainable or enjoyable.
I've experienced corporate burnout more than once
We are constantly being asked to deliver more, faster, with fewer resources. And this takes a toll on my wellbeing.
I knew I wanted something else out of the next phase of my career, but I didn't know what it was.
This is where vision 20/20 helped
The idea of building a business from the inside out really resonated with me.
The program was structured in a way to help me reflect, understand what I need to be happy in my work, and then figure out a way forward from there.
“I had been conforming to what’s expected of me and had lost sight of what is important to me.”
It was like, ‘This is the path you’ve been set on’
I feel like I've been freed from that.
Vision 20/20 gave me a framework to figure out my direction of travel, and I've found the purpose playbook incredibly helpful for decision-making since the program.
“Taking the time to step back and think about what my core needs are was incredibly helpful as I enter the second half of my career.”
The people around us influence our thinking
I vividly remember my initial call with Laurence when he said, “You know, you've got an entrepreneurial mindset.”
I was stunned.
Then Laurence asked something along the lines of, “Who are you surrounding yourself with?”
I realised that I was surrounding myself with other people in corporate jobs. At the time, I knew very few people who were working for themselves.
Those were two powerful takeaways from that conversation.
The biggest change has been a change in mindset
This has been gradual and started on the program but has continued afterwards.
I'm learning a lot about myself and finding new ways of working.
I need to undo years of corporate conditioning that’s not helpful as a small business owner.
While it’s taking time, I’m starting to find my confidence
My wellbeing has improved, and I'm happier having the creative space to work on a project that means a lot to me.
I've been on a steep learning curve figuring out how to do marketing and sales , and I am now at a stage where I need to push myself out of my comfort zone and start sharing my ideas.
“This is where being in a community like the Vision Tribe is incredibly helpful—to be supported and inspired by people who are doing a similar thing. ”
Connect with Julia on LinkedIn or discover more about her new project, Mindful Meetings, which is on a mission to help leaders and knowledge professionals transform their meeting culture.
