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Every career move I’ve made—whether to a new country, a new industry, or a new role—has had one thing in common: it made me nervous. But not in a red-flag way. In a this-could-change-me kind of way.I’ve come to trust that signal. If a move doesn’t make me at least a little anxious in the best way, it’s probably not stretching me enough. And stretch is what signals growth. It’s not about whether the move is lateral, vertical, or diagonal.&nbsp; It’s about whether it opens up new ways of thinking, leading, and being.One of my biggest leaps? Moving to a new country and then taking my first department head role. I didn’t know anyone. No one knew me. That anonymity could have been intimidating—but instead, it became a blank slate. I realized: this was my moment to reinvent myself. To stop waiting to become the leader I wanted to be and simply start being her.That move became a critical launchpad for everything that came after.And while you don’t need to cross oceans to do this, the lesson holds: bold moves—big or small—give you a rare chance to reset, reframe, and redefine who you’re becoming. When you step into something unfamiliar, it’s not just a career decision. It’s an identity shift. That’s exactly what Herminia Ibarra captures in her book Working Identity*: we grow into new roles by doing, not waiting.That insight has shaped how I assess every transition. I’ve found that four core questions help me cut through the noise and get to the heart of whether a move is truly worth making:<ul style="list-style-type: square;" data-mce-style="list-style-type: square;"><li>Does this feel like a growth move?</li><li>Will I be able to keep learning and stretching here?</li><li>Am I genuinely excited about the work?</li><li>Is the culture one where I’ll thrive—not just survive?</li></ul>While three out of four might sound reasonable, I’ve learned that culture is non-negotiable. And I don’t mean surface-level perks or a “great team environment.” I mean the values that drive decisions and the leadership that sets the tone for how people are treated, trusted, and developed. Will this be a place where I can reinvent yet again—even in small ways?It’s not just the environment. It’s the value system and leadership. That alignment determines whether your contributions will thrive. And you don’t find that on a company website. You find it by doing the work: having real conversations, asking better questions, and listening for what’s not said.A couple of my favorite interview questions:<ul style="list-style-type: square;" data-mce-style="list-style-type: square;"><li>“Can you tell me about a time someone challenged a decision—and how leadership responded?”</li><li>“What’s the best reason and the worst reason to work here?”</li></ul>The answers will tell you more about how the place actually works than any recruiting pitch. Someone once described it as knowing you’re at the right table—not just any table. I think that’s exactly right.And even with all of that, I’ve still had moments where I’ve picked up the phone and said, “Am I crazy for doing this?” That’s why it helps to have one or two trusted people, or a coach, who know your values, see your potential, and remind you what you’re capable of when doubt creeps in.Forget certainty. The best career moves start with curiosity—and a little adrenaline. Not just about the role or the organization, but about yourself: what you want more of, what you’ve outgrown, and who you’re ready to become.As Herminia Ibarra writes, reinvention comes through movement—not mastery.So start there. And if your next step makes you a little nervous in the best way? You just might be standing on your launchpad.__________________________________________________________*Reference: Ibarra, H. (2023). Working Identity: Updated Edition. Harvard Business Review Press.

Navigating Career Transitions

<h3>“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” &nbsp;Eugène Ionesco</h3><h3>Across a career spanning insights, marketing, new product development, advisory work, and internal transformation, I’ve come to realize one truth: one of the most powerful tools I bring to any room isn’t the answer—it’s the question.</h3>Not just a smart or strategic question, but the kind that cuts through complexity, pauses a conversation, reframes a problem, and makes people rethink what they thought they knew.Whether I’m working with a brand in search of its identity, a leader stuck in decision fatigue, or a marketing team wrestling with executional overload. Real movement rarely begins with a solution. It begins with a sharper lens. And that starts with the right question.Whether at agencies like J. Walter Thompson, Saatchi &amp; Saatchi, Horizon Media, or on the client side with Pepsi and Diageo, I’ve seen firsthand how innovation doesn’t begin with certainty. It begins with better questions—the kind that help people get unstuck.Questions like:▪ What if you're in a different business than you think you are?▪ What if the problem you're solving isn't the real one?▪ What happens if you do nothing?▪ What else might be true?These aren’t theoretical. They’re practical shifts in perspective. Because in a world overwhelmed by data, feedback loops, and well- worn frameworks, the most valuable thing you can bring is the ability to see differently. And help others do the same.That principle was at the heart of LIMITLESS, the leadership platform I co-founded at Horizon Media. It wasn’t born from a formal brief or a top-down initiative. It came from an unasked question: Why don’t we have systems to support the next generation of female leaders? That gap was telling. So we built something to fill it.LIMITLESS helped women reclaim their voice, step into their power, and lead with intention. For many, it sparked a deeper shift—one that began with the courage to ask better questions about what kind of leader they wanted to become.And it’s the same principle that drives my work today at Get UnStuck HQ. Whether I’m coaching someone through a career pivot, helping a team untangle a strategic challenge, or guiding a brand through repositioning, the shift always begins with the same thing: a question that opens up space to think differently.The power of a well-crafted question is backed by research.Hal Gregersen, Executive Director of the MIT Leadership Center, has shown that the most innovative leaders aren’t just good at solving problems—they’re great at asking catalytic questions that disrupt assumptions and unlock forward motion.Warren Berger, in A More Beautiful Question, outlines how asking “Why? What if? How?” helps teams think more creatively and act more decisively.With the rise of AI, I sometimes wonder if the art of asking the unasked, or the uncomfortable, question is being overshadowed. After all, AI can analyze data, detect patterns, and even draft your next pitch deck. But what it can’t do—at least not with insight or intent—is decide which questions are worth asking in the first place.That’s still human work. And I’d argue it’s more critical than ever.Use AI to begin exploring the unimaginable. But be the one who asks the inspired questions, and directs where it goes. Let the machine show you the start of what’s possible, but let you define what matters. Use that output as the jumping-off point for a handful of sharp, curious humans.Because the human brain—especially when connected to other human brains—is still better at spotting the unexpected, the emotional, and the truly original. Whether you’re repositioning a brand, leading a team through change, or navigating your own next chapter, getting unstuck rarely comes from having all the answers. It comes from asking the one question no one else has thought to ask.Frameworks, instinct, and synthesis are all critical. But what creates the shift? A well-timed, well-aimed question.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Gregersen, H. (2018). Asking the questions that unlock innovation. MIT Sloan School of Management. https://news.mit.edu/2018/mit-leadership-center-hal-gregersen-asking-questions-that-unlock- innovation-0406Berger, W. (2018). How Asking Powerful Questions Can Lead to Strategic Outcomes. Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University.&nbsp; https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/leadreadtoday/blog/how-asking-powerful-questions-can-lead-to-strategic- &nbsp;outcomes

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Navigating Career Transitions

One of the Most Powerful Tools I Bring? The Question.