How Career Breaks can Guide You to a New Chapter in Life

When I left the legal profession and migrated from Singapore to Australia, I did not anticipate that my career break would last 6 years.

That’s how long it took to transition from working full-time in Singapore to being a stay-home mum in Australia.

My days were spent acclimatizing to a new country and culture, getting my older child immersed in a completely unfamiliar educational system, and being home with the younger one from the day she was born till she started kindergarten.

Only then did it strike me that it was time to think about my career.

What would I like to do next?

I tried my hand at freelance copywriting, took a course in proofreading and editing, and got offered a part-time administrative role in my church.

Then I invested in a personal development program with The Coaching Institute — and a whole new realm of possibility emerged.

I started to see how it was possible to elevate my life by changing my thoughts and the way I perceived myself, others, and life. It didn’t matter what I knew, what I’d achieved, what mistakes I’d made, what opportunities I’d missed. Everything could change even now. I started applying what I’d learned and seeing myself transform. Then I found I couldn’t stop talking about what I’d learned, so the next natural step was to share what I’d learned with those who were willing to listen. And that, in a nutshell, is how I fell into coaching.

Two years ago, I experienced another career break when my role was made redundant. That led me to scan the environment and ask: where do I see an area of need to which I can contribute meaningfully?

The answer turned out to be mental health and employing a trauma-informed approach to coaching, both of which I have now incorporated into my practice as a certified Root-Cause Therapy practitioner and introvert coach.

Career breaks come in many guises, and sometimes they can be unwelcome, but if we are able to detach ourselves and stay open and curious, a new chapter may just open up for us.