What happens when you’ve achieved the senior role, the title, the salary… and yet something still feels flat? In this episode, Sarah explores why meaning can quietly disappear as your leadership career progresses and why this isn’t a sign you’ve failed, but a signal worth paying attention to. She shares the powerful difference between achievement and fulfillment, introduces a simple but profound framework to help you reconnect with what truly matters, and explains why you don’t necessarily need to change your career to feel more meaning again.

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “Is this it?” or wondering why your work no longer energises you in the way it once did, this episode will help you pause, reflect, and take practical steps to redesign how you lead so your career feels meaningful again.

1. Why career success doesn’t automatically lead to fulfillment
2. How the “hedonic treadmill” keeps high achievers chasing the next milestone
3. The four essential lenses that create meaning in leadership
4. Why senior leaders often have more agency than they realise
5. Practical questions and small actions to help you reconnect with purpose now

01:00 – Why meaning matters more as you become more senior

How career progression can sometimes lead to unexpected feelings of flatness or disconnection.

02:00 – The warning signs that meaning may be missing

Recognising the thoughts and emotions that signal it’s time to pause and reflect.

03:00 – The hedonic treadmill explained

Why promotions, pay rises, and achievements create only temporary satisfaction and keep you chasing more.

05:00 – How your definition of success evolves over time

Why what motivated you earlier in your career may no longer be enough.

06:00 – Common struggles senior leaders share about meaning

“I’m so busy I don’t have time to think.”

“I’m not sure I’m on the right path.”

“I can’t remember the last time I felt excited by my career.”

07:00 – Introducing Eudaimonic Wellbeing

The deeper form of fulfillment that comes from purpose, values, and alignment.

07:45 – The Four Lenses of Meaning Framework

The four key areas that determine how meaningful your leadership career feels:

1. Impact
2. Alignment
3. Agency
4. Growth

08:15 – Lens 1: Impact

Understanding the real difference your work makes and how reframing your impact can change everything.

09:30 – Lens 2: Alignment

The importance of using your strengths and working in line with your values.

10:00 – Lens 3: Agency

Why having choice, autonomy, and influence is essential for meaningful leadership.

10:45 – Lens 4: Growth

Why development and challenge still matter, even at the most senior levels.

11:15 – Three powerful reflection questions

Simple questions to help you identify what’s missing and what needs to change.

12:00 – Small actions that can quickly restore...

In this episode, Sarah unpacks what strategic thinking really means and how to move from an operational comfort zone to big-picture influence. If you’ve ever been told to “be more strategic” and wondered what that actually looks like in practice, this episode breaks it down into practical, doable shifts.

You’ll learn how to create space for strategic thinking, ask better questions, and position yourself as a leader who shapes direction - not just delivers results.

1. Why strategic thinking can feel uncomfortable (especially if you’ve built your reputation on delivery)
2. The real difference between operational and strategic leadership
3. How mindset blocks may be holding you back
4. Three practical shifts to strengthen your strategic capability
5. How to signal your strategic value in senior conversations
6. A powerful reflection question to move you into action this month

[01:00] Why strategic thinking feels hard - and why it matters for your career

[03:00] The cost of staying in operational comfort

[04:00] What strategic thinking actually means (the “where” vs the “how”)

[06:00] Radical responsibility and thinking beyond your function

[07:00] Shift #1: Move from task thinking to outcome thinking

[08:00] Linking everyday work to bigger organisational purpose

[08:30] Shift #2: Create space for strategic thinking

[09:00] Practical tools: SWOT and PESTLE frameworks

[09:45] Engaging diverse perspectives to avoid groupthink

[10:00] 10-minute CEO check-ins - thinking like a strategic leader

[11:00] Getting comfortable saying no to operational pull

[11:30] Shift #3: Ask better strategic questions

[12:00] Big-picture questions that elevate your presence in meetings

[13:00] The career benefits of being seen as strategic

[13:30] Client case study: Reframing efficiency as strategic strength

[15:00] Reflection: Where do you want to be more strategic this month?

Strategic thinking isn’t about having all the answers or being the loudest voice in the room. It’s about asking better questions, spotting patterns, and connecting today’s actions to tomorrow’s outcomes.

If you want more influence, credibility, and progression - it starts with shifting how you think and how you show up.

Useful Links

Sign up for Weekly Career Inspiration

Learn about Leadership & Advancement Coaching Programmes

Book a Free 121 Clarity Call

Join The Love What You Do Facebook Group

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn

Rate & Review the...

In this practical episode, Sarah explores why so many capable leaders struggle to delegate, what it’s really costing you when you don’t, and how to shift your mindset so delegation becomes a leadership strength rather than a stress point.

Drawing on real client examples and her own experience as a senior leader, Sarah breaks down common delegation blocks (from perfectionism to fear of losing control), explains the difference between dumping, delegating and developing, and shares simple, effective tools you can use immediately to delegate with more confidence and impact.

Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, stuck in the weeds, or worried about how delegation affects your reputation and progression, this episode will help you lead more strategically while growing your team’s capability.

[01:00] Why delegation is such a common struggle for leaders

[02:00] What gets in the way of delegating (perfectionism, time, guilt and control)

[04:00] Identifying your personal delegation blocks

[05:00] The real costs of not delegating: burnout, bottlenecks and missed development

[06:00] Client example: why delegation affects how strategic you’re perceived to be

[08:00] Reframing delegation as leadership and capability-building

[09:00] The three types of delegation: dumping, delegating and developing

[11:00] How to tell if you’re setting someone up to succeed

[12:00] A simple four-step approach to delegating well

[13:00] Tools to identify what you can delegate

[13:30] Start / Stop / Delegate method

[14:00] Eisenhower Matrix: urgent vs important

[15:00] Auditing your workload and matching tasks to team strengths

Useful Links

Episode 9 How to Stop Being a Perfectionist at Work

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Book a Free 121 Clarity Call

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If you found this episode of Unstuck & Unstoppable helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Sarah know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: sarah@careertreecoaching.co.uk