Career Homecoming: Finding Meaning, Money, and Joy Without Starting Over

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studio in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, brought to you by My Global Presence. The award winning Atlanta public relations agency that elevates brands and non-profits through authentic storytelling and national media campaigns. Find them at myglobalpresence.com. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio. And this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, My Global Presence. If you want global visibility and meaningful impact, go to myglobalpresence.com. Today on the show we have Laura Simms with Your Career Homecoming. Welcome.

Laura Simms: Thank you so much.

Lee Kantor: Well, I am excited to learn about your company. Tell us a little bit about your career. Homecoming. How are you serving folks?

Laura Simms: Yeah. So we work with high achievers. They’re typically already earning six figures. They’ve got that traditional success, but they know something’s not right. It’s not fulfilling. They’re not using their strengths. It is competing with their life rather than adding to it. So we’re really taking them through a structured process so they can figure out what is the career that is going to be this beautiful intersection of meaning, money and joy in a way where it’s practical. They don’t have to blow up their lives in order to do it.

Lee Kantor: So what’s your backstory? How’d you get involved in this line of work?

Laura Simms: Oh, well, I came here via personal career crisis myself. My first career was as an actor, was out in Los Angeles doing the whole thing. And I, I loved it until I didn’t, and I really had a turning point where it felt like this isn’t worth it anymore, and I didn’t know what I would do instead. And I, you know, read all the books and talked about it in therapy. And I just, I felt like I had puzzle pieces, but no clear direction. And once I kind of started to resolve for myself, what’s another way? Can I, that I can approach this and think about this? I really wanted to codify it, make it something repeatable for other people who were struggling with the same thing.

Lee Kantor: And then how, what did kind of the early iterations of that look like?

Laura Simms: I think, you know, the big aha for me was the idea that it’s less about what you do and more about why you do it. I had been on the follow your passion school of thought. And so when I wanted to make a change, I really thought, maybe I’ll follow another passion. I know a lot of people kind of on the other end of the spectrum, never entertain following a passion. They always just did what they excelled at at school and tried to climb a ladder from there. So this was really a way to get out of thinking of work just in terms of subject matter or just in terms of skills, and to really look at what is the motivation underneath? What is it I want from work? What do I want to give? What I, what do I want to receive and use that purpose angle as the starting point rather than what’s been on the resume?

Lee Kantor: So did coaching. Was that top of the list, or did you kind of go through a few different versions of the career before you landed here?

Laura Simms: Before I had this aha moment, I was trying kind of the sampler platter approach of thinking, what else can I do to follow a passion? And I would get really excited about something, go explore it a little bit, realize the fantasy of it, you know, was not the same as the reality of doing it. And I would abandon it. But once I kind of came up with this other way to think about this purpose versus approach, I slotted right into coaching and have been here for 15 years.

Lee Kantor: So now when you went into coaching, were your first coaching clients like creatives and actors, or did you always kind of say, okay, let me go to the, you know, business community, the higher achievers in business?

Laura Simms: I started pretty broad, which is a mistake. I would steer away anyone who, you know, these days is starting a service based business. So I started pretty broad. I was working with a lot of actors, creatives, people who were doing something different out in the world and needed some business insight about how to do that. I had garnered some of that, you know, as an actor that is really an entrepreneurial venture. But within about a year, I started to really narrow in on this career change crowd. The people who had had success at something but knew that there was more waiting for them, but just couldn’t figure out what that was.

Lee Kantor: So what does that look like for the individual that might be struggling in that area? What are their signs or kind of signals that maybe they should be paying attention to that maybe they’re disregarding, but to you, that’s like a, you know, a flashing red light.

Laura Simms: I think most folks, it, they know it. Their body knows it. They’re waking up in the night. They’re dreading going to work. The classic Sunday scaries. They’re having a hard time checking out of work at the end of the day. Those are a lot of textbook things that people know is happening. They feel it in their body. It’s it’s running through their heads. People say that this is something that is, um, just really hard to disengage from. I think it takes a lot longer to admit it out loud. Hey, this thing that I’ve been working towards for years, maybe even decades, is not right for me anymore, if it ever was.

Lee Kantor: There’s something there’s kind of an event, um, precipitate the change. Like they were up for a promotion or they got a promotion or something kind of big happened and they’re going, oh, now, now I have to do the work. Like, I don’t want to do this.

Laura Simms: Yeah, it can be, it can be. There’s an inciting incident. Like a lot of times I hear from people, you know, a family member of mine passed, and I’m realizing how short life is, and I don’t want to spend mine this way. It can be being up for a promotion. I had a client who this was during the Covid years, so she got a phone call saying, hey, you know, we’d like to give you a promotion and there’s a raise that comes with it. And she accepted over the phone, hung up, and immediately burst into tears because for her, it didn’t feel like advancing towards something she wanted. It felt like those golden handcuffs were getting tighter and tighter. So it can be an inciting incident like that. For a lot of people. It is a slow, quiet erosion that they try to ignore for years.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you’re working with them, um, once they kind of raise their hand and say, okay, Laura, I’m in. I’m feeling the angst, the Sunday Scaries. Um, I need some help in this area. Does that typically mean that there’s going to be a major change? Or could it be like, okay, maybe I’ll just get a different work in a different department. Like, is there is it possible that it just might be. I don’t like my boss.

Laura Simms: Usually if someone’s going to work with us, we’ve done some of that diagnostic work ahead of time to try to get a sense of, you know, is this a problem you can fix by an internal move within the company? Most people, by the time they’re coming to me, have already tried something like that and ruled it out as the fix. That said, you know, we do have clients who’ve done a real 180 career wise, like going from cybersecurity to becoming a personal chef. And then we have people where it doesn’t require this kind of start over, blow up your life narrative. And it can be something that is much closer to home than they anticipated. I think people do. Look, if people have taken a very traditional path and think, I’ve taken this path, I’ve done what I was supposed to do. I’m I’m not happy. I’m actually miserable. They think that the only solution is to do something wildly different, something that feels out there. Often it’s not that dramatic and a an option closer to home can be a great choice.

Lee Kantor: Now, Atlanta is a city that has a lot of large companies, very diverse, a lot of different industries. Are you seeing folks, um, maybe who just moved here, maybe they were relocated here for their job, and then all of a sudden they’re in a new place, new job, new people. And that’s kind of the triggering effect.

Laura Simms: Usually, I would say. So look, if someone’s coming to somewhere like Atlanta because there’s, you know, Mercedes Benz or AIG or one of these companies has done a big hire here. Usually there’s an initial period of excitement. It’s novel. I’m in a new place. I’m finding the new school and where do I do my dry cleaning? There’s all this newness. You’re settling into your new home. And that feeling of what have I done? I don’t know if I’m in the right place. I don’t think this has solved anything for me that might not really hit until month, three months, six, you know, 12 months in. Um, because there’s so much newness and excitement around a move like that.

Lee Kantor: So there can be some buyer’s dissonance in a relocation.

Laura Simms: Absolutely. You know, um, again, there’s this, there’s this just moving to a new city obviously doesn’t necessarily fix the work that you’re doing. And once the newness wears off, um, now you’re just living with the job in, in your new place. And that doesn’t mean it was the right role for you. If we talk about the purpose piece, that doesn’t mean that you have a connection to what you’re doing, or even if it’s objectively making some difference out in the world, that doesn’t mean the person is personally Connected to it. So, um, yeah, the move is big and shiny, but it’s not always the solution.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned purpose and when you’re working with your clients, your clients are high achievers. They’re making a good amount of money. Is this kind of, um, is purpose a nice to have a must have? Or is it something that people with a certain level of affluence, um, can, can get that maybe people who don’t have that level of financial security really can’t put that on their list of things they’d like.

Laura Simms: Look, kind of the rule I play by is I call it survival before enlightenment. So let’s make sure baseline, we’re getting your survival needs taken care of. That comes first. But once your survival needs have been met, people are really looking for a way to contribute. Look, people for the most part do want to work. They just want it to matter. They want it to feel worth it. They want it to feel like the time that I have put into this work, which is taking away from my family and rest and other things about life that are worth enjoying. If I’m going to put that time in, I want to feel like it’s worth it and it’s going somewhere. So I don’t think meaning and purpose is just something for rich people. You know, I think it is something that I think all people deserve dignified, meaningful work. But a lot of folks, we gotta reach that survival level first. And then in order to keep going, people do want it to matter. They do want that purpose layer.

Lee Kantor: Right? I’m not debating whether purpose is is important or a must have. I think it is a must have, but it just may not be delivered to you via your work. Like that seems to be a luxury. If you can align your life so that you have enough financial security and you, you, you, um, elevated from the survival range and you get, you know, mission and purpose, then you won, right? Like that’s the, that’s what we’re all striving for. Some version of that.

Laura Simms: I do think so, but I mean, I don’t think of it as a luxury because having talked to people from all, you know, um, all walks of life and, and all different layers of the socioeconomic, socioeconomic, um, you know, layers, it’s when people don’t have a sense of purpose in their work. It eventually causes real problems, real health problems, real quality of life problems, real problems, not being able to be present with their family or focus on anything other than their, their work. Um, So, you know, I think being able to spend quality time with your kids and to be able to sleep well at night, um, I wouldn’t consider those luxuries.

Lee Kantor: Right. No, I think those are must haves. Yeah. Um, now let’s look at it through the lens of the employer. If, if that is, if your thesis is so and that um, mission and purpose is a kind of table stakes, how does an employer create an environment that helps its, uh, people kind of live into that mission and, and how do they kind of elevate the why behind what they’re doing in any organization?

Laura Simms: I think look, what I most hear from clients is I wish they employers would be honest about what the real situation is here. There’s, you know, kind of the classic the posters in the hallway talk about integrity and teamwork and, uh, but that’s not what actually gets practiced in the organization. So I think first and foremost, from the top down, there has to be clarity and integrity to why are we actually running this organization? What is it really about? What do we care about? What are the principles we operate by? What do we stand by? And it can’t just be words that get passed out on a sweatshirt or a coaster a couple times a year. It has to be something that’s embodied in the policies and practices and priorities of the organization, because then at least you give people the opportunity to appropriately select in or select out. It’s when they’re advertising something much different than what they’re actually doing, is part of what causes the problem with these mismatches. And then I think once you’ve got a real go getter in a role who wants to be there and wants to work, you know, for management to be in communication with them, you can’t hire someone in year one and not expect them to want something different in year three, in year five, in year 12. So knowing that you’re hiring someone who’s going to want to grow, who’s going to want opportunity and figuring out what is their pathway for growth, so you can help give them the opportunities so they can stay with you.

Lee Kantor: Now in your work at your career homecoming, you’ve developed a framework called the Whole Method. Can you share a little bit about that? And you know how it works and who would most benefit from it?

Laura Simms: Sure. So again, we’re working with high achievers. They usually have, you know, hit those traditional metrics of success and they’re really looking for, you know, homecoming feeling like they’re in a place where they can be themselves, earn the money they want to make and have a life outside of work. So if we look at that w that first layer of the work, it’s not getting into strategy yet. It’s it’s who you need to be. Most of our clients have been making decisions based on. Should shoulds, shoulds and musts mostly from their family and making decisions that actually suit them. Making decisions outside of what the educational system has kind of, you know, told them um, is the most obvious path that takes some consciousness, right? Some, some conscious change. So making sure that they’re prepared to make decisions in a different way. And then once we kind of get that going, we can really kick it into the strategy. So we are rather than brainstorming job titles or business ideas, we’re starting by harvesting criteria for what they want to give and receive in their work. What’s the substance of what’s going to keep them satisfied and safe? And we’re looking at that through these layers of why, what and how and why we started to talk about this is that meaning, purpose, service, legacy contribution piece, what is about skills, strength, ability, interest.

Laura Simms: How is about um, circumstances and conditions around your work? So the money that you make. Are you a leader? Are you a lone wolf? Do you work hybrid? What do you want your work out your life outside of work to look like? So we want to start by gathering this criteria first. And then once we have that criteria, then we get to go, okay, what are the options that are available based on what this criteria says? And then we go through this process where we can start to narrow down the options based on the things that matter most to them. And then once they’ve made their choice, we’re helping them create that transition plan. How do they exit out of where they’ve been? How do they enter into what’s next? Really creating a practical transition plan so they can safely get from here to there.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there a story you can share about what it’s like to work with you? Don’t name the individual, but maybe share the challenge they came to you with and how you were able to help them get to a new level.

Laura Simms: Sure. So one that comes to mind, if we’re thinking about a change that is not so dramatic. We worked with a pediatric nurse nurse practitioner, um, who came in and on day one said, Laura, I have to leave health care. I am so miserable. This is so all consuming. I’m, I can’t check out at the end of the day and, and be present with my family. And I’m just burned out. And we go through this work and we’re really gathering that criteria of what matters to her, what she needs for this season in her life and her family. And she said, you know, I’m gonna put some health care options on my list to consider. And I said, okay, we’re going to treat them like we would any other option, and we’re going to see if they actually hold up to the things that you’ve said matter most to you. So we go through this process and she says, I’ve realized the problem is not health care as a field. The problem is in direct patient care. I don’t want to be seeing patients all day, every day anymore, but I would like to stay within health care. So she actually went to her CEO. She pitched him a program and a role to create for their hospital, where she would act more as a patient liaison to make sure that they were navigating their system, that they were getting the care they need. The CEO loved it. They worked together to create the program, to create the plan, to create the role. She was able to pretty seamlessly move into that role in a couple months and got a nice pay raise along with it. So after a couple months, I checked in with her. I said, how is it going? Was it as good as we thought it was going to be? And she said, yes, I am making more money. I’m out of direct patient care. I can go home at the end of the day and really be at home. And I never thought it could be this easy.

Lee Kantor: Now, what advice would you give to the person who maybe has invested a lot of time, money and resources in the career they’re in, like, for example, a doctor or a lawyer or somebody that has a PhD as a professor somewhere where there’s a lot of sunk costs in what’s got them where they are today.

Laura Simms: Yeah. I’ve worked with all of those people. I was that person. Um, look, I really believe that no education is wasted. And I know having made a career change. Now, look, I have an MFA in acting. Am I about to do a monologue for you? No. But did I learn things in that education that I use every day in my career now? Absolutely. And a lot of the strengths and the skills that I developed in that line of work are a huge asset in this line of work that most people don’t have. So those can become real differentiators to make my work unique and effective in ways that you won’t see other places in the market. So I would say to the person who’s worried about sunk cost fallacy, you’re not going to lose what you’ve learned. You’re going to be able to use it in different and unexpected ways. And you can either stay Allegiant to something that isn’t working for you, or you can find a maybe sideways way to use it that’s actually going to let you enjoy the next 20, 30, however many years you have left as a working person.

Lee Kantor: But what if they’re struggling also with the status that also comes with their position?

Laura Simms: Look, that’s where we have to go back to that W of who you need to be truly on your deathbed. What’s going to matter most that for 20 years you were impressive to other people or that for 20 years you lived a life that you really enjoyed. You know, I, I understand, um, the, what are people gonna think? Aspect of this, but really, you’ve got to decide at some point who you’re going to live your life for.

Lee Kantor: So now if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team, what is the website? What’s the best way to connect?

Laura Simms: Yeah, I would say, come on over to yourcareerhomecoming.com. Up in the corner, there’s a little link that says learn the whole method. And if you want to watch that masterclass, that’ll give you a deep dive on the process that we use. See if it resonates. And if it does, you can speak to the team and find out more.

Lee Kantor: Good stuff. Well, Laura, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Laura Simms: Thank you.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.