Chief Change Officer Podcast Summary: Episode #401 with Helen Hanison
Title: Success Isn’t Always Success — Part One
Host: Vince Chan
Guest: Helen Hanison
Release Date: May 30, 2025
Introduction
In Episode #401 of the Chief Change Officer podcast, host Vince Chan engages in a profound conversation with Helen Hanison, a former board-level PR executive who transitioned into a career coach. This two-part series delves into Helen's journey of transformation, exploring the challenges and revelations she encountered while redefining her professional path.
Helen's Background and PR Career
Helen Hanison shares her extensive 20-year tenure in public relations, highlighting her roles in global PR firms with substantial budgets and leading market brands. She reflects on the external markers of success that once defined her career.
“Success is really what it looked like from the outside... I was on the board, I was on and off planes all the time. I know people looking in felt it was successful and glamorous even for me.”
[00:35]
Despite loving her career initially, Helen began to feel a disconnect that led her to question the true essence of her professional fulfillment.
The Career Crossroads: Balancing Motherhood and Career
A pivotal moment in Helen's life was becoming a mother, which starkly contrasted with her demanding PR career. She describes the emotional turmoil of balancing motherhood with a high-paced job.
“I was bumping into a wall. It was very incompatible with becoming a mother for the first time.”
[02:20]
Helen candidly discusses the internal conflict of feeling defined by a career that compromised her presence and connection with her child. This struggle ignited her quest for a more meaningful and integrated professional life.
Finding Purpose and Transitioning to Career Coaching
Helen recounts her decision to pivot from PR to coaching, driven by a desire to create a career that aligned with her personal values and life goals. She emphasizes the importance of congruence between one's professional and personal life.
“I created a second jumping off point eventually and worked out that I needed what I did to be meaningful to me, to have congruence with my career and life.”
[04:10]
Drawing from her psychology degree, Helen leveraged her self-awareness to help others redesign their careers, ensuring their professional endeavors resonated with what truly mattered to them.
Challenges Faced During Transition
Transitioning from a successful PR career to coaching was not without its hurdles. Helen details the uncertainties, the "lost years," and the trial-and-error process that shaped her coaching methodology.
“It was a lot of throwing mud at the wall and seeing what stuck. It wasn't a great process and it took too long, but it also taught me everything I know today.”
[14:00]
She highlights the universal fear of leaving the status quo and the importance of addressing deep-seated feelings of stagnation that extend beyond the professional sphere into personal relationships.
“The fear of inaction... is actually the bigger risk than protecting the status quo.”
[13:30]
Writing the Book on Career Redesign
Helen explains the genesis of her book, which evolved from an online course developed during the lockdown. The book serves as a tangible extension of her coaching practices, aiming to reach a wider audience with actionable insights.
“I started approaching sort of publishers and trying to work out. It's a whole new landscape. How would I do that?”
[19:00]
She discusses the immersive and challenging process of writing, balancing the demands of publishing with personal sacrifices, and the eventual success of her book becoming a bestseller shortly after its release.
Key Insights and Lessons
Throughout the conversation, Helen imparts several key lessons:
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Self-Awareness is Crucial: Understanding one's energy levels and intrinsic motivations can guide meaningful career choices.
“I was very self aware. I could tell my own energy levels, my own sort of appetite.”
[09:30] -
Alignment Over Success: True fulfillment comes from aligning career with personal values rather than chasing external success markers.
“Success without alignment just doesn't stick.”
[28:32] -
The Power of Coaching: Having an external perspective can illuminate hidden disconnects and facilitate transformative career changes.
“Having a coach is that you have somebody on the outside who's invested in illuminating for you.”
[15:50] -
Embrace Discomfort for Growth: Transitioning requires stepping out of comfort zones and embracing the uncertainties that come with change.
“There is a discomfort in any growth.”
[24:50]
Conclusion and Teaser for Part Two
In the concluding moments of Part One, Vince Chan summarizes Helen's journey, emphasizing that external success without internal alignment can lead to profound dissatisfaction. Helen's insightful framework for career redesign, which includes the stages of Alignment, Career Redesign, and Transformation, is poised to offer listeners practical tools and inspiration in Part Two.
“Success isn't always success if it doesn't align with who you are.”
[28:32]
Stay tuned for Episode #402, where Helen Hanison will delve deeper into her framework for career change, providing actionable strategies and exploring the transformative power of a well-aligned professional life.
If you found this summary insightful, consider subscribing to the Chief Change Officer podcast on LinkedIn, Apple, Spotify, and YouTube @chiefchangeofficer. Join over 130,000 followers who are outgrowing themselves and embarking on their own transformation journeys.