We all have to sometimes wear different hats in our lives and careers. You’re often required to wear different hats in your career if you’re balancing different professional identities or just trying to maintain a certain image at work that doesn’t always reflect how you’re truly feeling inside. In Career Relaunch episode 69, Sophie Scott describes how she balances the work she does as both a psychotherapist and founder of Balance Media.

We had a nice conversation about wearing different professional hats, managing your own wellbeing, and of course, maintaining balance in your life. I’ll also describe how those people who seem to have it all figured out in their careers may still struggling with their own issues.

Key Career Insights

1. The losses you experience in your life can be a huge tragedy but also a blessing that can inform the career choices you may that can provide the most meaning.
2. It’s so important to connect with not only others but also with yourself. Use your purpose as your primary motivator to guide your decisions.
3. All of us are still works-in-progress. Although it may seem like someone has the perfect life, earns an incredible income, or has everything figured out, the reality is that most of us are still trying to figure things out.
4. Having several career changes is not unusual these days. If the idea of switching careers feels “weird” to you, consider thinking about your career as a series of chapters rather than as one continuous vocation.
5. There’s incredible strength in being an adaptable generalist rather than a specialist because you’re able to connect the dots amongst disparate disciplines.
6. When you’re burnt out, it’s not a good time to make a decision. Instead, it’s a time to rest, recuperate, and ask for support.

Tweetables to Share

Resources Mentioned

• Sophie mentioned that psychological projection and transference both have useful applications to understanding professional relationships in the workplace. Here’s a helpful article from Psychology Today about projection and another on transference.
• Sophie mentioned the Thought Diary app, which can help you manage your emotions and thoughts. Download it from the Google Play store and iOS app store.

Listener Challenge