S2 E13: From Burnout to Breakthrough: How to Redesign Your Life and Love What You Do Again | with Tessa Grint

In this inspiring episode of The Midlife Awakening, I sit down with Tessa Grint — leadership coach, business consultant, and founder of Light Me Up.

After spending 17 years in the corporate world, Tessa found herself completely burnt out and chasing a promotion she didn’t even want. That breakdown became her breakthrough — the moment she realised success isn’t about job titles or LinkedIn updates, but about alignment.

Now, Tessa helps women reconnect with who they truly are, discover their zone of genius, and redesign their working lives so they can thrive — not just survive.

Together, we talk about:
 ✨ How burnout can be the wake-up call your soul’s been waiting for
 ✨ What your “zone of genius” really is — and how to find it
 ✨ How to handle the Sunday scaries and listen to the whispers of intuition
✨ Practical steps to start shifting your career without burning it all down
✨ The mindset shifts that help you reclaim your power and joy at work
✨ And how to blend science, strategy, and a sprinkle of magic to create lasting change

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a job that looks good on paper but feels wrong in your body, this conversation is your reminder that you have the power to change it — one conscious step at a time.

🌙 Mentioned in this Episode:

• Connect with Tessa Grint on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tessa_grint/
  
  
• Find her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-grint-nee-williamson-39650529/
  
  
• Learn more about her Promotion Pathway Program at https://lightmeup.club/
• Join her Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1460524095221835
   

💖 If you loved this episode:

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Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00.024)
Hey guys, and welcome back to Midlife Awakening. My name is Adelia and I'm your host. I'm so grateful that you're here. Now, if you're a regular listener, well then welcome back. I've missed you. And if you join me for the very first time, well, I'm really glad that you found your way here. This is a podcast about transformation for women who are waking up to who they really are while navigating everything that comes with midlife. Today I'm joined by Tessa Grant, a leadership coach, business consultant and founder of Lightnia.

Tessa teaches managers how to get promoted at work, but more importantly, she helps leaders fall back in love with what they do. What I love about Tessa's story is how real and relatable it is. About five years ago, she hit burnout chasing a promotion she thought she wanted. The one that would have looked great on LinkedIn, but it wasn't aligned with her zone of genius. The moment she stopped forcing what wasn't meant for her and reconnected with who she truly was, everything started to flow.

She got a pay rise, set better boundaries, worked less, but better, and began to love her work again. In this conversation, we talk about the power of alignment over achievement, how to redesign your working life to truly light you up, the mindset shifts that help you move from burnout to balance, and why loving what you do is one of the most spiritual things you can do for yourself. So if you've ever felt stuck in a role that looks good on paper,

feels off in your soul. This episode is going to speak right to your heart. Let's dive in.

you

Speaker 1 (01:45.966)
Welcome to the Midlife Awakening. Share your story a little bit with us and how you got on this path.

Yeah, absolutely. So thank you so much for having me. So I spent, well, I have now been in, well, I was in the corporate world for about 17 years and probably about five years ago, I think it was just when, just when COVID hit, I got really burnt out of work. And it's because I realized that I was kind of putting my whole identity was sort of taken up in my work, because at the time I wasn't married, I didn't have children.

And I sort of felt all those kind of pressures of society of like, what other value do I have if I'm not like director of or head of? And I was doing the usual sort of comparison of seeing everybody on LinkedIn, putting all their, you know, sort of posts and things out there saying how thrilled they are to have been promoted. And I was like, my God, I, what does like, you know, I want that as well as sort of comparison, isn't it? So I was kind of gunning for a promotion at work because I was really ambitious.

And it took that burnout for me to realize, which sort of came to a head when I had a really difficult conversation with my manager and then I cried for three days afterwards. And I was like, ooh, that's not a normal response to a difficult conversation. And anyway, through the sort of space after that and through being really lucky to work with a coach, I realized that I was going for a promotion for all the wrong reasons. So it was fully my ego leading the way.

I wanted to be the one that was, you know, making those updates on on LinkedIn. And it gave me the space to just get back in touch with myself. I realized when I sort of had a bit of space from work that I had totally forgotten who I was. And because I'd just been working in this job for so long, and I think so many people get to, you know, similar kind of age.

Speaker 2 (03:46.766)
where they've been working for so long in a job that they don't know who they are anymore. They forget what they're good at because they've been doing the same thing for so long. Suddenly that's become their identity. It feels really difficult and really hard to step out of that. And actually, I didn't realize until it happened that my coach gave me permission to do that. actually without, which is ridiculous, I almost didn't realize that I had a choice myself.

that's what I didn't know I needed. And then obviously did a lot of amazing work with her and she, you know, really helped me to kind of get back in touch with who I am. And then now that sort of sent me down this path of helping people to discover their zone of genius, which is an amazing thing of where what we love and what we're good at overlap. And then we redesign our working life around that. And then that is where the magic happens.

Wow, that's an amazing story. And I love how, you know, it's, really does highlight that when we get to that stage in our life, we get to this certain point where we realize who have I been the last couple of years and why am I chasing why I'm chasing and really starting to dig into redefining your success. would say that's probably was the defining moment is redefining what success looks like for you and what your values are.

Yeah, definitely. And also kind of who I am. So, you know, I spent so long in this role doing all the stuff that I thought was important in that role, that actually I totally lost touch with what I was good at. totally lost touch with what I really enjoyed doing because I was just being sort of pigeonholed and shoehorned into this role. And actually, it's sort of, we have we have far more power than we realize that we do. But

we spend so long, like I say, kind of in these roles where we sort of forget about that, that it takes something external or it takes a burner or it takes, you know, something quite big for us to be like, okay, now I need to make a change because I can't keep going on like this. And often, like I said, it just, unfortunately, we have to get to the point where, you know, something big happens before we're then like, okay.

Speaker 2 (06:01.004)
Now it's now it's now it's really time for a change. Yes, yeah, yeah, which is a shame because actually it doesn't need to be like that we I have as much power today over and control over my life as I did back then I just didn't realize it I've been giving it away to others for so often.

and sort of get pushed in that direction.

Speaker 1 (06:18.168)
think Oprah talks about like the whispers, like you get these whispers over time, you know, as indicators of your intuition, let's say, telling you something's wrong. the more you don't listen, the more you ignore it, the louder it becomes until you have that moment of something big happening and exploding in your life that forces you to sort of redirect and course correct maybe even.

Yeah. And I think from a work point of view, one of the biggest whispers, which perhaps is a bit bigger than a whisper, is the Sunday scaries or like, whatever you call it, Sunday fear. So if you start to kind of feel anxious about work as the day goes on, that is a physical manifestation of, you know, trying to tell you something. if you're happy at work in a job that you enjoy and that you're good at and that you love and you thrive in, you don't have that feeling. That is...

one of the biggest and most important whispers, or in some cases, you know, it can be quite severe, people feel really anxious and, you know, physically sick on Sunday evenings before work and stuff. And actually that is a really important signal that I think we ignore because actually it sort of goes back to school days. And some people have always had it school and they're just like, it's just a normal thing about a Sunday. And about now I start to feel a bit weird about the week kind of thing. And actually,

sort of two parts of that. And the first one is that can just be indicative that there is something happening at the moment that's a big thing. Like, you know, if you've got a big project that you're working on or a big presentation to do, then that's totally normal to feel nervous about that. But if that's a chronic, prolonged feeling, and you're finding that every Sunday for a matter of months, maybe even years in some cases, that you're still feeling this sense of dread and this anxiety, that's when we need to kind of sit up and listen to it.

Absolutely, I love that, thank you. So you call that Sunday Fear?

Speaker 2 (08:17.875)
Yeah, Sunday fit, Sunday scary.

I love that. That is so true. mean, I know I've experienced that in my own life. So yeah, I've definitely had a battle of Sunday Scaries for a while. So let's talk a little bit. So you mentioned the Zone of Genius. So let's talk a little bit about that. So for anyone who's listening and feels stuck and who maybe is experiencing the Sunday Scaries, what's the first step that they can take to rediscovering their Zone of Genius?

So the first and most important thing to do is just make a bit of space to think about it. So your sort of genius, like I said, is where what we love and what we're good at overlap. And that's the beginning of taking back control over what it is that you do. And it's the beginning of actually thriving at work. It certainly was for me when I lent into, when I sort of took the time to kind of reflect on what do I actually love? What do I actually enjoy?

What am I good at? And these things change over time. Your zone of genius is going to evolve as you do over time. Your interests and things change. So what you're most interested in when you were 20, 30, 40, 50, you know, this is why, as we go through different life stages and phases, that we suddenly kind of turn around and we're like, I used to love this job. Why do I hate it now? Or why does it bore me? Or why does it, you know, drain me? And that's because we change. So

just taking the time and literally a pen and paper, if you can, ideally pen and paper, not necessarily like typing. There's something in the psychology of, of literally kind of writing that, means it's kind of more powerful how you process it. So just think about what you, what it is that you like, what it is that you're good at. And that can be, you know, things that you like from the point of view of what were your favourite things that you did in previous jobs, your current role or that.

Speaker 2 (10:06.008)
of stuff, but also hobbies. What else do like to do with your life? What do you listen to? What podcast do you listen to? What books do you read? Films do you watch? That kind of thing. That's going to start to build a really big, rich picture of sort of where it is that you sit in those kinds of things. And the same with what you're good at. know, bits of previous roles that you've always excelled at. Think about feedback from previous colleagues or managers or co-workers. And if you're not sure, you don't know where to start and you feel a bit cringe or whatever, ask.

awesome people. And that's a really, really positive thing is kind of, and actually, I've done this before through sort of, you know, coaching exercises and things that I've done and it feels really cringe initially, but it's actually a really positive, really nice thing to do to just reach out. And if you don't want to do it with co-workers and colleagues, then, you know, at least do it with family or friends or whatever. But if you're trying to build a picture of your strengths, it needs to be sort of embedded into, you know, kind of work and the workplace.

And then the sort of the next layer of that is one, it's really important to work in where you're good at and what you love. What's also important to know is the life stage or phase that you're in. And of course, you know, midlife, there's a lot going on. You might have young children, you might have elderly parents that need care. So flexibility might be really important for you, but also stability might be really important for you. Or it might be that actually, you know, you're in a different situation where, I don't know, perhaps

newly divorced and suddenly are your own person for the first time in perhaps a long time, at which point go for your life, do whatever you want. You've got no one else to worry about. But do just take the time to think about what it is, it is that those things are. Answer those questions.

really great, especially in midlife. think those questions do sort of get the sense of who am I now because we tend to, you know, we've been working in a career for however many years, we've been building ourselves up. Maybe we've reached the point of burnout. Because as women in today's society, we are so, we just have so much on our shoulders, don't we? mean, working, raising families,

Speaker 2 (11:57.262)
louder.

Speaker 1 (12:22.348)
As you said, taking care of, I'll take the parents potentially. And it's, it's really hard to find that gap or that space to sit down and figure out who am I when you've got all these, you you're juggling all these balls and you've got all these balls in the air going at the same time. So that's really important. I think you get to the midlife and you really can't avoid it anymore. Something sort of happens as a switch blips. don't know.

This is a really interesting thing. So with a lot of clients buying, the reason they don't do anything about it sooner is because you get to the end of the day and you're so exhausted that you're just pleased to have made it through the day. You've fed everyone, they've had a bath, they're clean, they're in bed, and you're just completely knackered by the end of the day. And the last thing that you want to do is take a bit of time and be like, am I happy in my job?

Well, the answer to that is no, but I don't have the time or headspace or inclination or any idea where to start to change that. So my advice for somebody who's feeling like that would be, you know, take a day off work if you can't do it during the other time. Take a day's holiday, you know, and know that holiday is really, really precious, especially if you're a parent. Take a day sick, you know, whatever.

I'm not condoning that, but this is a really, really important thing to do. I don't necessarily think you need to take time off to do it. I actually think this is an important thing to do within the workplace because it will make you better at what you do. But just thinking about how you have changed, because for a lot of people, especially mothers, they keep a job.

because they know that they're about to go on maternity or they're trying for babies and they're worried if they change, then know, they're worried about the maternity cover and all that sort of thing. And then they go back to a job and they think, and they don't realise kind of how much they have changed and they go back to a place that expects them to be exactly the same because the people within that job probably haven't grown or changed very much over. And it's scary like how fast time goes and nothing changes.

Speaker 2 (14:29.058)
And then you come back perhaps off maternity and you feel completely and utterly different. actually this is, a lot of the women that I work with are kind of worried to say this because they think that their managers and their employers will kind of look on it negatively. But actually there's ways and means that we can take the time to think about what it is that we want and our zone of genius.

And there's ways that we can say to our manager, you know, you think like a leader when you do it. This is the whole thing that you want to do is kind of present yourself in a way that you don't bring problems, you bring solutions. So, you know, I've been reflecting on my career and I've realised that I've changed, my priorities have changed. You know, I've taken a bit of time to reflect and I'd like to do a little bit more of this in my role and a little bit less of this.

And there's again, there's ways you can do that. So the stuff that you want to do less of, can automate probably most of that. You can delegate it or you can outsource it. And if you, again, if you go to your manager and you say, I want to do more of this stuff, because that's what lights me up these days. And I know that I can make space for that because actually I've put a plan together and I've got some ideas and there's some things that, you know, in this part of my job that I do that.

actually, I think it would be really good for a more junior person in the team to do now because that will give them the experience of doing it. You you can make it a really positive thing rather than, I hate my job, I want to change it. You know, you don't give them a problem, you bring them a solution. And I think, again, it's just the headspace. And in a lot of cases, the permission to be like, actually, I do have the power to change this and I can do it. And that's

That's where the game starts to change and that's where we get into some mindset.

Speaker 1 (16:21.442)
Yeah, I can definitely see where we as women in the workplace don't want to have those conversations because there's that fear of there's definitely this sense of I have to go back and be the same as I was before. I'm not I'm not good enough or I'm not, you know, contributing in the way that I should be, you know, we hold ourselves accountable and.

Yes.

Speaker 1 (16:47.372)
So yeah, so it's really great. But really, think what women need when they go back to work is they really need a lot more flexibility, you know, with school runs. I mean, it becomes a daily nightmare trying to juggle all of these things. But a lot of women are probably too scared to have those conversations. The clients that you've worked with that have gone and had those conversations, have they been successful with those conversations with their line managers?

So with.

Speaker 2 (17:13.803)
Yeah, because, because there's ways and means of doing it. Like I said, you we sort of, and if you're listening to this, you're like, I really want to have this kind of conversation, but I don't know where to start. There's ways that you can make it much less scary. So if you you haven't had a conversation like this before with your manager, my advice would be to send them an email beforehand and say, I've been thinking about my career, and my job and I'd, and you know, I'd like to make some changes to it or, you know,

I've got some ideas of things I'd like to talk, I'd like just I'd like to talk to you about it. You know, do you have some time this week? And can we talk about X, Y and Z? So you sort of tear up before it happens, because no manager wants to be caught off guard. And it might be that actually, you know, I don't I don't know the latest laws and things at the moment, they change so often. But as I understand it, you know, flexibility is a right, you are allowed to ask that they're not allowed to kind of think a certain way of you, but only you know.

the kind of relationship that you have with your manager. And the sad fact is that not everybody is as accepting. But, you know, tear up, go, you know, go email before you have a conversation about it. Say you want to talk about these things and then research it, research what it is that you actually want and kind of like I said, don't go with a problem, go with the solution. And actually, if you're if you're really upset and, you know, not upset or,

feeling really anxious and you're really struggling, then the option might be that actually you want to reduce your role to kind of part-time or to a few days a week or whatever. That's absolutely fine. You're completely in your right to suggest that and recommend that, but come with a solution. So does that mean you're going to job share with somebody else? Or does that mean that actually, like I said, you can reduce some of the responsibilities of your role and they can be automated if they can be automated?

That's amazing because the chances are that it will cost a lot less for something to do it in terms of like a platform or AI than it will for a person. And yes, they probably need a bit of management and all this kind of stuff, but you can do that in one hour of your week instead of, you know, four or five kind of thing. there's, like I said, there's, ways and means of doing it that present it as a really positive conversation. And actually there's often it's kind of.

Speaker 2 (19:38.636)
that conversation is just the start of a resetting of a relationship. Because a lot of the time, the mom who's come back to work and the manager, they're making a lot of assumptions on both sides. So the mom's really worried to have the conversation because they're worried about what the manager's going to think. The manager doesn't want to have the conversation because they're worried about upsetting a new mom. And it's all kind of uncharted territory. But the manager probably knows if you're not happy, I would like to think a good manager will know that.

or they would have picked up on things and whatever. And hopefully we'll be checking in with you anyway as a new mum, because you've been through so much, physically, mentally, emotionally, all of it. So hopefully that would be a positive thing anyway. But if that hasn't happened, this is a really positive and really amazing way of just reopening those lines of communication. And again, we can be more honest with these things than perhaps we ever realised. But again,

that does come down to you and your situation, only you know how your manager is going to react to that. And like said, sometimes they're very positive and sometimes they're not perhaps quite as forward thinking as they might be.

And I love what you said about when you, you know, if you've just come back from maternity leave to set those boundaries in a respectful communicative collaborative way, because you're not going to be the person that's going to be able to stay late in the office anymore because you've got, you know, you've got a little person waiting for you at home or yeah, just redefining those, those boundaries and you know, what you can realistically manage and what you can't anymore.

And how do you solve those problems together? So in a situation where you've got a line manager that is unfortunately not as acceptable, that was as accepting, should I say, what would be the next step for someone who really does want their flexibility and feels like it is something that they really need in their lives?

Speaker 2 (21:26.286)
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (21:35.926)
Ha ha!

Speaker 2 (21:46.136)
So if you've gone to that manager with a proposal that is a solution, not a problem, and you've opened up the lines of communication, and you've had a difficult conversation because for whatever reason, they can't see your point of view, and they're adamant that that can't change, then there's a couple of options really that we could look at. One of them is kind of going a level above them.

Now, this is difficult because obviously that breaks the trust with that manager. So you have to understand that if you do that, your relationship is going to be tricky or that just might need a little bit of extra sensitivity in navigating that. What you could also do is things like, like I said, I'm not up to date on the flexibility in the workplace, the laws and things are changing all the time on that. Maybe it's time to kind of do your own research, speak to a few other like

groups and things online, you know, there's so many groups and things on social media where people have had really difficult conversations like this, they will be far more clued up on the laws on flexibility and things. they, you you might even then be able to properly build a case where you can say, you know, it's actually the laws have changed, give a bit of evidence, go to the gov.uk website, various other, you know, reputable sources where this is actually now a legal reality that finally...

know, moms are, you know, being recognized. And this is, we are finally reacting to the fact that early parenthood is really bloody hard to navigate and flexibility means that actually we have, are, we are then able to keep far more moms in the workplace, which is only ever a good thing. Diversity of people in the workplace is really important, you know, and that includes any, anything and everything from, you know, sort of race and religion to parenthood, not parenthood kind of thing. Each, each

perspective has their own different opinion, different view, and that's really important to encourage in the workplace. So, yeah, do your homework, get as much evidence as you can to sort of prove your point. Well, your case kind of thing. I would take that to your manager first. Always, always try and do that because, like I said, you can go over their head, but that's going to affect the relationship with your manager. Or maybe you can tell them, you you can be

Speaker 2 (24:08.366)
We can all be adults about this. Thanks for your time the other day. I'm sorry that the conversation didn't go as well as it would. I'm actually going to have a conversation with somebody else. Speaking to someone, if you've got an HR department, would be a really good thing as well. But it depends on the size of the business. You don't all have one. And then as well, I'd potentially talk to a trusted colleague. If there's somebody else in the company that you know that has children, ask how they navigate it, perhaps.

And then of course, the other option is that, you know, there are, it is a sad fact that sometimes, you know, some companies aren't as forward thinking and potentially if this is a real problem, then potentially looking for, you know, roles elsewhere would be really positive as well. And especially, especially these days, there's amazing forums and things where, where you, where there are literally jobs boards for women. I work, I have worked with

one of which is called Jobs for Women. And it's all about, you know, sort of remote first or really like flexible working. And they share on their jobs that are specific for women and particularly moms of young children where they need that flexibility. So there's so much more thankfully out there than there used to be, which is a really positive thing.

That's amazing. That's some creative advice. Thank you so much. So let's talk a little bit about your work. you blend science, strategy and spiritual principles with a sprinkle of magic. Tell us exactly what does that blend look like?

you

Speaker 2 (25:43.822)
I love that. Yes. A blend of science strategies, spiritual principles, a little sprinkle of magic. So basically what that means is that when I work with my clients, we work on the basis of those sort of four principles. The spiritual pieces around kind of, it's not as woo-woo as it might be. It's just the fact that these things, a lot of the principles that very successful people do all the things that a lot of people class as like woo, know, they

nine out 10 of them will meditate every morning. Nine out 10 of them know who they are, they're self aware, they take the time to reflect, they take the time to tune back in, they listen to their intuition. It's sort of getting back to the basics of being human from that point of view. That's kind of the first thing that we do. And then we sort of, you know, remember that we're human and we set some good foundations around that. And it's really important to look at kind of our physical health and if we're looking after ourselves and all that kind of thing. And that sort of

the slightly into this spiritual side, there's more, come back to it. The piece around strategy is that there is a formula to follow to do all of these things, to kind of get back in touch with who you are, to find your zone of genius. I also support people getting promoted at work. There is a formula to follow for that. It's just that when we're in the weeds of it, we don't know what it is or we can't remember or it's just we are so in the depths of

of motherhood, for example, you know, we just that, you know, our brain only has capacity for so many things and that is all encompassing. then sometimes it's if it's possible, you know, to go to somebody that is a bit removed, but does have your back kind of thing and will nurture and guide you through it. So that's kind of the main piece. That's the and the strategy, yes, is the sort of formula to follow the science side is.

I actually I went back home recently to my parents house and I got the science prize in 1996 or 98 when I was 12. So I've always been interested in it. But the science side is around doing lots of experiments. Science is all based on evidence. So all the stuff that we talk about in the sessions is kind of ideas of things that you can try. And what I talk about is a lot of the things that I tried. you know, when I first burnt out, the first thing I did was

Speaker 2 (28:08.242)
as well as kind of getting back in touch with myself was just totally resetting on my physical health kind of thing. had zero boundaries in place for work. I wasn't, well, I've always been quite good at sleeping, but I wasn't prioritizing that, know, drinking fairly heavily, eating crap food, you know, all that kind of stuff, because it all goes out the window. And it's just sort of trying really, really small experiments that don't feel too big or too much, especially, you know, like as parents, as, you you might also be

have other caring responsibilities and life is a lot. So just keeping that really, really small. And then the sprinkle of magic is sort of amplifying it further by leveraging the power of the laws of the universe. So one of the things that I've done is kind of leveraging the power of feng shui. So in the sort of southeast corner of your home is your sort of wealth and prosperity corner. So if you clear that, put a wealth bowl there, all of these things. And then thinking about

the law of attraction and the words that you use. If you talk about work being really difficult, really hard, if your boss is bit of a dick, you know, the more you use these words, the more you're just going to attract that back to you. And actually, what about leveraging the power of gratitude? So if you're listening to this thinking like, oh, I hate my job, blah, blah, blah, there's nothing good about it. Just think about kind of 10 things that are good, that you are grateful for. And it might be that they give you a laptop to work on or,

they've got a really good office that you go to, or there's one person that you get on well with. We can think of 10 things, they might be really small things. And it's just kind of starting to train our brain to see the positives because it is the compound effect of science, of strategy, of the spiritual principles, the spiritual side of things, and the sprinkle of magic, which is so potent and powerful when it's all done together.

But it just seems too much to talk about all at once. we kind of, again, like I said, we sort of go through it in a formula and the little, the sort of gratitude pieces, the sort of cherry on top at the end, which also makes you feel really good. It's just, if you wake up and you think about 10 things, five things, one thing that you're grateful for every day, it totally changes your perspective for the day.

Speaker 1 (30:23.394)
Wow, I really love that. And I love that you talk about the Feng Shui. I'm currently Feng Shuiing my house.

Love this,

Why not? Why not? need that extra bit of extra bit of magic, shall we say.

Exactly, amplify all the good work with a little sprinkle of magic. Why not? Why not?

I've particularly found that in the last two years, I'm 42 now. And since I've hit my 40s, I'm really sensitive to energy. Like really, really sensitive to energy. Like my Wi-Fi, I even have to put off in the evenings because I feel like I'm just, it's just, like I'm buzzing. It's just too much.

Speaker 2 (30:54.68)
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (31:06.732)
How interesting. I don't know, like a physical feeling.

I can really feel the energy. So I thought, well, why not think Shway the House? That might help me.

I'm here for it. Let's see some before and after pictures.

Yes, definitely. So I know also mindset, we've talked a little bit about that. So mindset is a big thing. And, you know, I've been doing a lot of research myself on, you know, limiting self beliefs, and how that can, you know, put us in these patterns, these recurring patterns that are not necessarily good for us. And we just keep experiencing the same thing over and over again. So what would you say is the most common belief that holds people back from

loving what they do on a daily basis.

Speaker 2 (31:55.522)
There's a few really. It's all things like, don't have the time to make any changes kind of thing. don't have the head, which usually means I don't have the head space. Like I said, you get back from a day of work, the moment you come back, know, for a lot of people, life doesn't stop at...

at five or six o'clock when they log off kind of thing. That's when the other work starts kind of thing. And it doesn't stop until you quite literally get into bed. And even then you're still on high alert in case you know, there's someone crying and needs, you know, happy changing or whatever. So yeah, so that is the lack of time, lack of headspace is, is a really big one. The other side is

around not knowing what to do. So, and it becoming and feeling like a really big thing. So you know that you sort of don't love what you do, but you don't know where to start in changing it. And then suddenly you're kind of like, you talk yourself out of it and you kind of get really overwhelmed about what you actually need to do. And for a lot of people that I work with, you don't have to quit your job.

You don't have to make loads of drastic changes and all this kind of thing. You just need a little bit of time to get back in touch with yourself, you know, who you are, what you love, what you're good at. And this is this is a really, I say easy because, know, just even just 10 minutes thinking about it, if you've never thought about this before, that will make a massive difference. It doesn't need to take you don't have to.

get a whiteboard and think about it for hours, and know, loads of post it notes and all this kind of thing under think it literally just a piece of paper or even like if you can't write it down, although I do recommend that just write it on your phone or talk to I talked to myself on WhatsApp, sometimes I'll send myself WhatsApp voice messages. And things like that if you're pushing the pram on pickup or nursery or whatever, you know, there's there's ways and means that you can build it in so it doesn't need to become a really, really big thing.

Speaker 2 (33:59.182)
And I think that's another way that people sort of talk themselves out of it as well. The other thing that's really coming up at the moment is a lack mentality around sort of scarcity of jobs. There's terrifying stuff out there. you're watching, if you're on social media and you're watching the news every day and all this kind of stuff, I stopped watching the news a long time ago. I sort of pick and choose when I feel like I need to be in touch with things, but it is terrifying and no wonder.

you feel horrendous when you watch that. There are some horrific things going on in the world and it's a really, really scary place at the moment. And of course, if you're looking at that every night before you go to bed, that you're not going to wake up feeling good. And actually, it's almost more important as a parent because, you know, you've got little ones that are reliant on you to perhaps protect yourself from...

that narrative that's really scary. And don't get me wrong, it's important that we know what's happening in the world, but we don't have to watch it for four hours every single night and get ourselves in a real state and then try go to sleep when you've got all that going on. And that's another really important thing. I actually wrote an article about this fairly recently because, yes, there is, there are, you know, there's a lot happening in the world. AI is taking over some jobs, but actually,

There's the other side of that where it's also going to take away the shit bits that you don't want to do, which can leave you to do the creative and the problem solving and the strategy and the really good stuff that actually is really interesting, rather than the menial tasks that actually you don't want to do anyway. And then there's also, there's other areas and industries that are seeing growth at the moment. those sort of things aren't really talked about as much.

And I, but it is, but it is, you know, there's a big shift and things are kind of resetting at the moment. And I'm not trying to kind of do that down or anything, but there is also opportunity with big shifts like this come opportunity. And if you, if you want to make a change, if you're unhappy at work, the most important thing is to just take some time to think about what, what you do want and what would make you happy, particularly in light of this stage and phase of life that you're at.

Speaker 1 (36:22.378)
Some great advice. Thank you. And just thinking, I know this is true for myself. So for anyone who's listening, who might be experiencing the same thing. you've figured out what you want to do. You've done the exercise, you've done the work, you know what it is you want to do, but you're still scared to make any changes because of the financial security or the fear of failing. Like, still don't know if you're going to be any good at it. So what would you say to those people?

I'd say start really small. Start really small. So one of the best things that you can do to start showing up differently is to hack your morning routine. it's an exercise I do with, it was one of the things that helped me the most. And it's an exercise I do with a lot of clients of mine, most clients of mine.

Because if you're starting to make some changes, you need to believe that you are worth it. You need to believe that you're worth spending the time on. And one of the best ways to do that is with your morning routine. And I am not advocating getting up at five in the morning. Ain't nobody got time for that. Especially if you've had little ones up in the night kind of thing. Just do what feels right for you. Listen to your body. But also...

there are systems and things that we can put in place that engineer the behavior that we want, which is practically a direct quote from James Clear's Atomic Habits, which is a fantastic, fantastic book. So basically, if you want to get up in the morning and you want to, you know, exercise, move your body, you know, in amongst getting everybody for school, you want to bring in a bit more movement, could you walk to school with them? Could you

If you drive or it's a bit further away, are there other ways that you can bring in movement or whatever that may be? And there are ways that we can kind of hack our morning routine because if we, and it might just be getting up 15 minutes earlier, that's probably one of the biggest things. Like I said, you don't need to be getting up at 5 a.m. especially if you've been up all night kind of thing. But maybe 15 minutes earlier might be helpful. So you're not in a rush getting out the door. So you're not shouting at everybody to

Speaker 2 (38:34.104)
put the shoes on or like, you know, worrying, trying to find everyone scrambling around, because actually that's another thing that will make you really stressed in the morning. And then by the time you've got everybody out the door, got them to work, and even if you don't have others to do, it's enough for you, if you're scrambling around for you and you haven't done much the night before, then you get back from when they're taking them to school or you kind of sit there ready for your day and you're like, my God, I feel like I've run a marathon. And of course you're not going to be, you're not going to be kind of full of energy.

and excited for your day and stuff. So hacking your morning routine, which means just planning for it. So the night before, putting out what you're gonna wear so you're not running around. Try not to snooze the alarm. I mean, we all do it, but try not to. We all know that when we don't, we have a better productive day and all this kind of stuff. And if you want to have a hot water and lemon instead of a coffee,

put that out the night before kind of thing, know, do things that your future self will help, will thank you for. And that is kind of a game changer. And by doing them in the morning, again, James Clear talks about habit stacking. And actually, if you've got up in the morning, you've got everyone off to school, everyone's all right, and you've, you know, run home or walked back afterwards or whatever, then you get back and you feel different. You feel...

really like you've achieved because actually you have it's no mean feat to do all of those things every day on repeat relentlessly sometimes it feels and actually that's then like okay I've done it I can do this what else can I do today and actually it might be that that's all it takes to just have a slight mindset shift of okay I can do this I am showing up differently I am becoming a different person

And then we start with the slightly bigger stuff, but the biggest bit of advice is just start really small because the moment you make things big, you're going to talk yourself out of it and you won't do it.

Speaker 1 (40:35.902)
Absolutely, absolutely. I'm just thinking that sounds more or less like my mornings every morning. What I've actually said, because I'm a big snoozer, I'm always like, I don't even snooze, I just dismiss the alarm and it completely switches it off. So I've created like four separate alarms just so that because I know I'm going to kill the first one, I'm going to kill the second one. By the third one, I'm like, OK, we get up now.

Hahaha.

Speaker 2 (41:02.798)
my god, that's so funny. My husband like saying his alarm early and I'm like, why would you do that? You know, you're not going to get up. I'm the opposite. like, and I've tried to, I've tried to like put my, put my phone on the table, like kind of away from my bed now as well as I have to get up to turn it off. And then it's like, once you've got up to turn it off, to then get

back into bed to get out of bed again, when everyone hates getting out of bed and what most of us hate getting out of bed in the morning, like, why would you do that to yourself? And it's just, you know, this, the smallest thing just makes such a difference. So maybe, maybe try that maybe reduce it to two alarms, put your phone over the other side of the room.

It's working so far, so we're going with it. We're running with it.

And like, this is the science thing, like, do do the experiments if it's working and you feel good, go for your life.

It only took me 42 years to figure that one out.

Speaker 1 (42:00.974)
Okay, great. The question I like to ask all my guests at the end is, what would you tell your younger self if you could go back in time?

Ooh, I love this. What would I tell my younger self? I think it would be something like...

Speaker 2 (42:28.722)
This is going to sound such a cliche, but it would be something along the lines of like everything happens for a reason. You just might not know it at the time. things happen for you, not to you. So all the things that are going to happen in your life that you think are negative or bad things or whatever, like the burnout, that had to happen, various other things, they had to happen.

in order to kind of shake me out of whatever it was I was doing at the time or whatever it was I thought was my thing or, you know, whatever. They had to happen. And actually, I look back on them now. And I'm really grateful to that manager that I had that I always thought was a difficult manager who wasn't a difficult manager. It was me. Like, you know, I can't blame him. It wasn't him. It was me. And actually,

We needed for it to get to a head like that for me to cry for three days after that difficult conversation. Otherwise, I wouldn't have reached out to my coach. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had a different manager that I worked with. I never would have asked for that. And then I wouldn't be where I am today.

I love that piece of advice, that's really great. So lastly, where can we find, where can the listeners find you if they want to work with you?

So probably best for me on LinkedIn, so tessagrintnewilliamson and tessagrint on Instagram. It's probably the best place to find me.

Speaker 1 (43:57.526)
Okay, and have you got anything at the moment that you're doing, any promotion, anything you want to promote?

We are starting my signature program, which is the promotion pathway. So if anyone's looking to get promoted at work, we start that on the 20th of October. So the promotion pathway is basically my six step program to positioning people for a promotion or a pay rise at work. it starts with, I mean, we've touched on most of the sort of parts of that formula today, but it starts with setting great foundations, finding your zone of genius.

conquering your mindset. And then we go into things like leadership capabilities, making it happen. And these are kind of tactics and practical strategies that I learned from two decades in corporate of like how to actually position yourself, how to be visible, all that sort of good stuff that they don't teach you, but which is what makes the difference. And then the last piece is amplifying it all with a bit of magic. So we basically bring it all together. And then at the end of it, it's a six week sprint. So by the end of the year, you will be

in the position and feeling comfortable and confident enough to kind of talk about promotions and pay rises.

Amazing, that sounds amazing. I might sign up myself.

Speaker 2 (45:10.51)
Do. When this goes out, we're doing I'm a visibility as no this goes out. I'm invisibility sprint on Facebook on the sixth of October, which I think it probably be before this happens. Yes. Come and join that as well if you want to or you can have a look at the Facebook group see what we covered. See if it's if it's relevant for you because that is that's a really big game changer.

Okay, great. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for coming on the show today. I really appreciate it. This has been a really inspirational talk, if I can say, for myself. A lot of things have resonated for me. So I really appreciate you coming on.

thank you so much. Thank you so much for having me. I've really enjoyed it.

Wow, what an inspiring conversation. I loved how Tess reminded us that burnout isn't a breakdown, it's often a breakthrough. Sometimes the very moments that shake us are the ones that redirect us back to ourselves. So what truly lights us up. What really stood out for me was her message about the zone of genius. That sweet spot between what you love and what you're good at. It's such a powerful reminder that we don't have to stay stuck in the rules or routines that no longer fit who we've become.

We're allowed to evolve. We're allowed to redesign our working lives to feel aligned, joyful and meaningful. Now, if this episode spoke to you and if you've been feeling the Sunday scaries, that all that quiet whisper inside saying there has to be more than this, take that as your sign. Make a little space to ask yourself, what do I love? What am I good at? What stage of life am I at at this moment? These are all important questions that we need to ask ourselves.

Speaker 1 (46:47.96)
Thank you so much to Tess Brint for joining me and for sharing her wisdom on how to bring more light, intention and magic into our working lives. You can find her on LinkedIn or Instagram. The links are in the show notes. And you can learn more about her signature program, The Promotion Pathway, which helps women step into the next level of leadership and alignment at work. And as always, thank you for listening to Midlife Awakening. If you've enjoyed this episode, don't forget to follow the show.

leave a review or share it with a friend who might need a little reminder that it's never too late to reinvent yourself. Don't forget, when you subscribe to my sub stack you'll get a free gift, 5 journal prompts to start your midlife awakening delivered straight to your inbox. Now until next week, be kind to yourself and take care of your heart. Bye for now!