Do you feel like you have all your eggs in one basket? Have you thought about building something alongside your job but it just feels too big? Are you wondering where you’d even find the time to start?

My portfolio career started just before I qualified as a lawyer. After a two-week mission trip to East Africa supporting people with access to justice, I came back wanting to make a difference on a more personal level.

That led me to a two-day coaching seminar, my first coaching certification in the evenings, and slowly but surely, a coaching practice built alongside my legal career. Over the years, I’ve added speaking, facilitating, leadership development training, podcasting and legal consulting.

In this episode, I share how you can diversify your income with intention, why building something extra doesn’t have to mean launching a whole business, and why the best time to start is before you need it.

What you will learn:

• Why you should start with what you already enjoy

If you’re going to spend your evenings, lunch breaks or weekends building something, it helps if it’s something you love. I share how I coached for free for a long time before turning it into a business, and why looking inward at your own experience, expertise and interests is a better starting point than copying what others are doing.

• How to find the time and make it feel less overwhelming

Building an extra income stream isn’t only about the time you have, it’s about the time you could have if you gave up a little scrolling. I also explain why reframing it from “launching a business” to “testing an idea” makes it so much easier to get started.

• Why getting started is the biggest growth hack

When I launched my podcast in 2017, I had no idea what I was doing. 342 episodes later, it has generated six figures in revenue for my coaching business. I talk about why starting brings clarity, why even a failed attempt helps you grow, and why building before you need it takes the pressure off.

Ready to start building beyond your day job? Book a Career Expansion Strategy Session with me.

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Connect with me

Website: www.careerchangemakers.com
Email: podcast@careerchangemakers.com

LinkedIn: Janine Esbrand

Instagram: @careerchangemakerspodcast

Career Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

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Book a Career Expansion Strategy Session and kickstart your journey to redesigning your career in a way that is right for you.

Do you have a quiet, nagging feeling that where you are right now isn't where you're meant to stay? Have you ticked off every milestone on your list and now find yourself wondering what's next? Are you starting to question whether climbing the same ladder is still the right move for you?

When you're used to always working towards the next goal, reaching the end of your list can leave you feeling like you're floating. I've been there myself, wondering how to even operate when I wasn't striving towards something. That season taught me that sometimes the restlessness isn't a problem to fix, it's a signal that you've outgrown the way you've been building your career.

In this episode, part three of my Building Beyond Your Job series, I share the five signs that you've already outgrown your current career model, including some that many people accept as normal, and why recognising them could be the start of building your career differently.

What you will learn:

• Why being good at your job isn't always enough

After 10, 15 or 20 years in your field, you may be able to do your job with your eyes closed. But for high achievers, easy isn't always satisfying. I explain why no longer feeling stretched is a sign to look for new ways to grow, whether that's inside or outside your day job.

• What your "one day" list is trying to tell you

One day I'll write a book. One day I'll start a business. If those thoughts keep coming up, there's a reason. I share why the average person spends 90,000 hours at work in their lifetime and why you don't have to quit your job to start exploring those ideas.

• How the advice you give away for free could become something more

If people keep coming to you for help on the same topic, pay attention. The things that come naturally to us are often the things we overlook, but they can absolutely be monetised alongside the work you already do.

• The risk of relying on one source of income

In an uncertain economy, many professionals feel exposed knowing that one announcement about layoffs could leave them unsure where to start. I talk about why that unease is a sign it's time to think about diversifying.

• Why wondering about "more" isn't being ungrateful

Exploring what building differently could look like doesn't mean you don't value the opportunities you have. It means you're recognising there's more impact and more income you can create by leveraging your skills, passions and interests beyond the lane you've been placed in.

I used five points instead of three since the episode is built around the five signs. If you'd rather keep it to three to match the usual format, I can merge them.

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Connect with me

Website: www.careerchangemakers.com
Email: podcast@careerchangemakers.com

LinkedIn: Janine Esbrand

Instagram: @careerchangemakerspodcast

Career Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

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Book a Career Expansion Strategy Session and kickstart your journey to redesigning your career in a way that is right for you.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation that made you realise something new about yourself? Have you ever looked back at a season of your life and realised it changed the way you see your career, your relationships or what really matters to you?

Over the years, I've had a number of experiences that have challenged me, stretched me and helped me understand myself on a deeper level. From moving to New York on my own, to going on a legal mission trip, becoming a parent and building a business, each experience has taught me something different about who I am and what matters to me.

In this episode, I share four experiences that have helped to build my self-awareness and why I believe knowing yourself is so important when it comes to making career and life decisions.

What you will learn:

• How living abroad can help you discover who you really are

Moving to New York for a year-long internship was the first time I had ever lived away from home, and I was suddenly surrounded by new people, new experiences and completely different ways of doing things. Being in an environment where nobody knew me gave me the freedom to make my own decisions and think about how I actually wanted to spend my time. I share how that experience helped me understand my personality, my non-negotiables, the things I enjoy and the things I definitely don't.

• How one mission trip changed the way I viewed my career

A two-week legal mission trip to Kenya and Rwanda gave me the opportunity to see the impact of my work in a completely different way. Being able to help people understand their rights and seeing the tangible difference that could make helped me realise something important about myself: the work I do needs to be connected to impact in order for it to feel truly fulfilling.

• Why parenting can be one of the biggest mirrors for self-awareness

There is something about parenting that makes you see parts of yourself that you might otherwise overlook. I share how watching my children has helped me recognise my own persistence, determination, impatience and the areas where I still have work to do. Parenting has reminded me that while I can't control other people, I can choose how I respond.

• Why building a business can teach you so much about yourself

Building a business has stretched me in ways I never expected. It has tested my patience, consistency, discipline and ability to deal with rejection and delayed gratification. I share how the challenges and opportunities that come with being a business owner have helped me understand how I navigate different seasons, deal with curve balls and find creative solutions.

Ready to get to know yourself better?

There is so much noise, information and opinion coming at us every day. If you don't have a strong understanding of your own values, beliefs, motivations, interests and skills, it can be easy to get pulled in different directions by what other people think you should be doing.

The more you understand yourself, the easier it becomes to make decisions from a place of conviction and know what you will and won't tolerate.

So take some time to think about the experiences you've been through and what they've taught you about yourself. Self-awareness is a journey, but getting to know yourself more deeply can change the way you approach your career and your life.

Send us Fan Mail

Connect with me

Website: www.careerchangemakers.com
Email: podcast@careerchangemakers.com

LinkedIn: Janine Esbrand

Instagram: @careerchangemakerspodcast

Career Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

*******

Work with me

Book a Career Expansion Strategy Session and kickstart your journey to redesigning your career in a way that is right for you.

Does your career look perfect on paper but feel completely different in real life? Are you finding it hard to explain how you feel to people who think you have it all? Are you wondering whether it's too late to change the path you chose years ago?

So many of us made big career decisions in our teens, before our brains were even fully formed and with very little real information to go on. I qualified as a corporate lawyer, and while there were parts of it I enjoyed, I realised that the hours and the way my life needed to revolve around the role weren't what I wanted, especially once I became a mum. When I finally decided to step away, even without knowing exactly where I was going next, a level of calm came over me that I hadn't realised was missing.

In this episode, I share why so many high achievers are quietly unhappy in careers that look successful, the hidden cost of ignoring that disconnect, and the different ways you can make a change without having to start from scratch.

What you will learn:

• Why the path you chose years ago may no longer fit you

The part of our brain responsible for decision-making isn't fully formed until around 25, yet we're encouraged to pick a lane long before then and treat that choice as final. I explain why who you were in your 20s isn't who you are in your 30s or 40s, and why taking stock regularly is so important.

• The real cost of staying where you are

When you keep showing up to a role that you know deep down isn't right, your body knows. That tension can show up in your sleep, your eating habits, your anxiety and your stress levels. I talk about why redefining your goal or stepping away from what's no longer working is not failure.

• How to decide whether you need a shift, a pivot or a leap

Change doesn't have to mean a dramatic 180. I walk through the difference between a shift, a pivot and a leap, explain why self-awareness is the starting point, and share the story of a client who transformed how she felt about her work without changing her title, role or organisation. I also share how building a portfolio career gave me the flexibility to be the mum I wanted to be.

Send us Fan Mail

Connect with me

Website: www.careerchangemakers.com
Email: podcast@careerchangemakers.com

LinkedIn: Janine Esbrand

Instagram: @careerchangemakerspodcast

Career Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

*******

Work with me

Book a Career Expansion Strategy Session and kickstart your journey to redesigning your career in a way that is right for you.

Do you know exactly what you want but still aren't moving towards it? Are you frustrated because you know it isn't a lack of discipline? Are you wondering what's actually missing?

With my 42nd birthday approaching and my eldest starting high school, I've been in a season of recalibration. I have big goals, but the conviction to consistently move them forward wasn't always showing up, so I paused and looked back to figure out why.

In this episode, I share three moments when I achieved something big, the common thread that kept me going, and how you can find that same thread in your own story to close the gap between your goal and taking action.

What you will learn:

• Why you need to look back before you push forward

When motivation dips, our instinct is to push harder. Instead, I encourage you to revisit the milestones in your career and life that you're genuinely proud of and ask what was true for you then that isn't true now. The patterns you spot are the ingredients you need to move forward again.

• Why the goal itself is never the fuel

Getting in shape, living in another country, writing a talk: none of those goals were what kept me going. The fuel was always what those goals would allow me to do and create. I explain why a clear, meaningful why is what turns a goal you want into a goal you actually act on.

• How to use the Five Whys exercise to find your real motivation

Your first answer to "why do I want this?" is usually the surface-level one. I share the Five Whys exercise I use with my clients and walk through an example of a professional wanting to build an additional income stream alongside her career, showing how asking "why" five times uncovers the deeper reason that gives you real conviction.

Ready to turn your why into a plan?

If you're ready to strategise the steps that will move you towards the goals you've set, book a Career Expansion Session with me. These are 75-minute 1:1 sessions where we look at where you are right now and what needs to shift for you to expand beyond it, whether that's starting your own thing alongside your career or levelling up where you are. Spots are limited each week, so grab yours here: [LINK]

And I'd love to hear how your Five Whys exercise goes! Tag me on Instagram @janineesbrand, email me at janine@careerchangemakers.com, or connect with me on LinkedIn.

Send us Fan Mail

Connect with me

Website: www.careerchangemakers.com
Email: podcast@careerchangemakers.com

LinkedIn: Janine Esbrand

Instagram: @careerchangemakerspodcast

Career Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

*******

Work with me

Book a Career Expansion Strategy Session and kickstart your journey to redesigning your career in a way that is right for you.

We're just days away from the Multiple Streams of Income Intensive.

More than 50 women are joining me for two days of exploring what becomes possible when you start looking at your own expertise differently.

In this short episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes of exactly what we'll be doing, how to prepare, and what I want you to bring into the room. So if you're one of the 50 joining me, or you're still deciding, this one's for you.

Send us Fan Mail

Connect with me

Website: www.careerchangemakers.com
Email: podcast@careerchangemakers.com

LinkedIn: Janine Esbrand

Instagram: @careerchangemakerspodcast

Career Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

*******

Work with me

Book a Career Expansion Strategy Session and kickstart your journey to redesigning your career in a way that is right for you.

Do you keep telling yourself you'll build something for yourself "one day," but that day never actually arrives?

Are you waiting for more time, more capacity, or the "right moment" before you let yourself even consider building an additional income stream?

And if your only income depended on one employer, one role, one paycheck — how secure would you actually feel right now?

If yes, lean into today's episode.

I caught up with a past client recently, someone who came to me after leaving a role she'd been in for 13 years, still figuring out what was next. Back then, she told me she'd love to build something of her own "one day", but the priority was securing her next role first. Someday. Not now.

Fast forward to this week, and her update floored me: not only has she built a thriving consulting business on the side, she's just landed a more senior role than the one she left AND negotiated to keep her consulting business running alongside it. It isn't either/or for her anymore. It's both.

That conversation is exactly why I wanted to record this episode. Because I hear some version of "I'd love to do that one day" from experienced, brilliant women all the time. I wanted to unpack why now, not someday, is the right time to start. In this episode, I'm breaking down why building before you need it is the real security net, why your existing expertise is more valuable (and more AI-proof) than you're giving it credit for, and how starting small is the actual path to a portfolio career that protects and fulfills you.

What You Will Learn

- Why Building An Additional Income Stream Is Your Real Security Net

In uncertain times with layoffs, redundancies, constant shifts in the job market — having all of your income tied to one employer is a risk. I talk through why starting to build something of your own now, while things are stable, means you're not scrambling to build from a place of panic later.

- Why Your Experience Is More Valuable Than You Realise (Especially With AI On The Rise)

With so much conversation about AI disruption, I explain why your judgement, nuance, and years of hard-won expertise are exactly what can't be replicated. Most high-achieving women are sitting on more value than they've ever stopped to fully articulate.

- How To Turn Your Own "Someday" Into An Actual Start Date

I close with a challenge: pick an actual date. This quarter, next quarter, next year — whatever it is, get specific. I walk through why building before you're forced to is always the better position to build from.

I'm so passionate about this that I'm running a free, two-day live event called the Multiple Streams of Income Intensive on September 2nd and 3rd. Day one, I'll walk you through the exact framework for identifying and starting your first additional income stream. Day two is live hot-seat coaching, where you can bring your own ideas and get coached in real time.

If you've been thinking about building something of your own and telling yourself "someday", this is your someday. Sign up for free at careerchangemakers.com/intensive.

Send us Fan Mail

Connect with me

Website: www.careerchangemakers.com
Email: podcast@careerchangemakers.com

LinkedIn: Janine Esbrand

Instagram: @careerchangemakerspodcast

Career Change Makers on Apple Podcasts

*******

Work with me

Book a Career Expansion Strategy Session and kickstart your journey to redesigning your career in a way that is right for you.