Outlaws Podcast: Embracing Career Freedom

• Navigating Career Change Uncertainty: Sitting with Discomfort

  What if sitting in the discomfort of "I don’t know" was the first real step in your career change? In this episode, Shayla and Kate delve into the liminal, messy, and often uncomfortable space that exists between knowing what you don’t want and having any clue what comes next in your career pivot. They discuss the emotional toll during a career change, the allure of certainty, and why high-achievers struggle without a solid plan. Whether you're mid-career and dreaming of something new, stuck in a job that no longer fits, or flailing in the deep end after making a career change, this episode is designed for you. You’ll learn about the powerful lessons hidden in uncertainty and why embracing it can lead to transformative career advice.  We’re calling this the “goop phase” (from butterflies come caterpillars) that weird, stuck, squirmy space where you’ve let go of the old thing but haven’t figured out what’s next. It’s confusing, it’s chaotic, and if you’re in it? You’re not alone. In this episode, Shayla and Kate get raw about what it really feels like to be a competent, ambitious person who suddenly doesn’t have a plan — and why that might be the very thing that sets you free. Whether you're thinking about a career change, navigating burnout, or just tired of pretending you have it all figured out, this is your permission slip to pause, sit in the uncertainty, and trust that answers don’t always come from spreadsheets. In this episode: – Why the unknown is so hard for high-functioning professionals – Shayla’s story of burnout, chronic pain, and forced reflection – Kate’s near-miss with the “wrong job” and what it taught her – The dangerous allure of certainty, and the jobs we apply for just to avoid the unknown – What liminal space is, and why it might be where the magic happens – The difference between fear of change and your gut saying no – How to stop making every decision feel like it has to be “the right one” This episode is for you if: – You’re contemplating a career change and feel overwhelmed by the unknown – You’ve ever applied for a job you didn’t want just to escape the discomfort – You're terrified of making the wrong choice and failing – You’re trying to think your way out of a season you need to feel your way through – You’re craving real talk, not just polished LinkedIn updates Resources & Links 📚 The Way of Integrity by Martha Beck – home of the “caterpillar goop” metaphor 🎙️ Elizabeth Gilbert quote: “Don’t rush through the experiences of life that have the most capacity to transform you.” Shayla’s golden rule: “Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.” Join the conversation in our Facebook Group 📩 Subscribe to our newsletter for unconventional career advice at www.outlawspodcast.com  If you loved this episode… Send it to a friend who’s stuck in the “what now?” phase Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more Outlaws find us Find out more 🌐 Website: www.outlawspodcast.com 📬 Email us: Outlaws Podcast Community 💼 LinkedIn: Outlaws Podcast Hosted and produced by: Shayla Strapps and Kate Offer 🎧 Hosted on Podbean  

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• From Army to Outlaw: Leaving Certainty for Purpose After 20 Years in Uniform

  What happens when the job you thought you'd stay in forever — the identity you've carried since age 17 — stops feeling right? In this episode, Shayla and Kate sit down with David (Dave) French, former infantry officer turned leadership coach, who spent 21 years in the Australian Army, followed by a second act in corporate consulting, and now has started his own business to follow his purpose. Dave describes a deeply personal reckoning with identity, values, and purpose - and a brave decision to walk away from stability and seniority to start over. This is not your classic “pivot” story. It’s about responsibility, guilt, family, and the hard emotional work of letting go — and what happens when you realise you don’t want to keep climbing the ladder. Together, they talk about: The identity shock of leaving a long-term career Why walking away from command roles was harder than it looked The pressure men feel to be providers — and how that shapes career choices How networks and connection can be two very different things What happens when your kid’s playdate leads to your next job The tough, transformative work Dave is now doing with incarcerated veterans This is a story about honour, courage, and values — not in war, but in everyday life. And it’s about knowing when to stay loyal… and when to let go. In this episode: – Dave’s story of turning down the job he thought he wanted – Why success stopped meaning rank and started meaning alignment – How military belonging compares to the identity of lawyers – Leaving consulting after confronting a values clash — and what happened next – The power of purpose, and how it guided every step that followed  Resources & Links 📚Book - Man's Search for Meaning: Viktor E Frankel   Find more episodes: www.outlawspodcast.com 📩 Subscribe to the newsletter for updates, tools & more If you loved this episode... – Share it with someone questioning their own career – Rate and review us on Apple or Spotify — it helps more Outlaws find us! Connect & Explore 🌐 Website: www.outlawspodcast.com 📸 Instagram: @the.outlaws.podcast 📘 Facebook: Outlaws Podcast Community 💼 LinkedIn: Outlaws Podcast 📬 Email: [email protected] 🎙️ Hosted by Shayla Strapps and Kate Offer 🎧 Produced by Shayla Strapps 🏠 Hosted on Podbean

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• Burnout Prevention & Sustainable Work: How to Make Work Work with Sally Clarke

  In this episode, Shayla and Kate sit down with global burnout expert Sally Clarke to uncover how chronic stress hijacks our energy and identity—and, more importantly, how we can reboot before we break. Drawing on her research, bestselling books, and work with Fortune 500 teams, Sally walks us through the warning signs, the three phases of recovery and her BRNT framework for sustainable wellbeing. From hard-earned personal lessons to practical daily rituals, we talk about: How to spot the difference between fatigue, stress, and full-blown burnout Why it is often impossible to control freak your way our of burnout Sally’s three-phase roadmap: Recognition, Recovery, and Resilient Redesign The BRNT model: Breathe, Rest, Nourish, Talk Why reduced hours and intentional boundaries are your secret weapons Whether you’re running at full tilt, leading a high-pressure team, or simply want to insulate yourself against the next wave of overwhelm, this episode gives you the clarity and tools to make work sustainable This episode is for you if: – You’ve ever pushed past “enough” and paid the price – You’re responsible for others and fear letting them down – You want actionable tools - not just platitudes - to reclaim your energy – You believe there must be a better way than hustle-culture burnout 🔧 Resources & Links Connect with Sally Clarke: https://www.salcla.com/ Protect Your Spark (Prevent Burnout Authentically): https://amzn.to/3Immg65 Relight Your Spark (Evolve from Burnout): https://amzn.to/44K7hdJ  If you loved this episode… Share it with someone running on empty. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help more Outlaws find us!   Hosted by Shayla Strapps and Kate Offer Produced by Shayla Strapps 🎧 Find out more Website: www.outlawspodcast.com Email: [email protected] Instagram: @the.outlaws.podcast Facebook Group: Outlaws Podcast Community   Hosted on Podbean

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• Outlawbrary #2: How Outlaws Stop People-Pleasing and Overthinking: The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

  What if the most rebellious thing you could do wasn’t to break the rules — but to stop worrying what everyone else thinks? In this episode, Shayla and Kate crack open Mel Robbins’ bestselling book The Let Them Theory and explore why these two tiny words are such a potent tool for living like an Outlaw. Because Outlaws don’t build their lives by managing everyone else’s opinions — they build them from the inside out. From family expectations to tricky work politics, they dive into how letting them think, feel, and do what they want (without you trying to control it) is actually one of the most radical ways to reclaim your time, energy, and joy. It’s not just about ignoring people. It’s about getting very clear on what’s yours to carry - and letting the rest go. Inside, they unpack: - Why Let Them is the ultimate Outlaw move for stopping the exhausting job of managing everyone else’s feelings - How Let Me gives you permission to take up space, rest, fail, and chase dreams (even if no one else gets it) - Why guilt, culture and gender norms can make this shift feel “selfish” — and why that’s the very reason to do it - How letting go of control doesn’t make you a doormat — it actually clarifies where your real power lies Whether you’re a recovering people pleaser, stuck in overthinking, or just tired of asking for permission to live the way you want, this is an episode for Outlaws ready to build life on their own terms. In this episode - What exactly is Mel Robbins’ Let Them Theory (and why it’s a bestseller) - Shayla and Kate on people-pleasing, perfectionism, and why this has been life-changing for them - The hidden role of gender, culture & family messages that make letting go so hard - Why professionals often think they can — and must — fix everything and why it is uncomfortable to think you can't - Practical ways to start small: one let them or let me moment at a time - Scripts for when your brain spirals: “Their comfort isn’t more important than my peace.” This episode is for you if: – You’re tired of spending energy on what other people think – You keep bending yourself into knots to keep everyone comfortable – You want to live more from your own values (like a true Outlaw), not from guilt or expectations – You want real stories about how this simple idea helped two professionals stop burning out Resources & Links 📚 Read Mel Robbins’ book: The Let Them Theory 📝 Carolyn Hax, the advice columnist we love: Carolyn Hax at The Washington Post 🤯 Tim Urban on procrastination: Why Procrastinators Procrastinate 🎥 Tim Urban’s TED Talk: Inside the mind of a master procrastinator 📅 Wait But Why Life Calendar: Track your 4,000 weeks 🎵 Frank Sinatra’s “Love & Marriage” (for the bit Kate sings!): Watch on YouTube If you loved this episode... Share it with a friend who’s always worrying what others think (or a recovering people-pleaser who needs a nudge). Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more Outlaws find us! Find out more 🔗 Website: www.outlawspodcast.com 🔗 Connect & Explore Hosted and produced by: Shayla Strapps and Kate Offer 🌐 Website: www.outlawspodcast.com 📬 Email: Outlaws Podcast Community 💼 LinkedIn: Outlaws Podcast 🎧 Hosted on Podbean

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• From Lawyer to Author: How Sulari Gentill Left Law and Found Her True Calling

  Ever feel like there’s something you’ve forgotten to do — but you can’t quite name it? For Sulari Gentill, leaving the law and picking up a pen finally let her breathe. In this episode of Outlaw Diaries, we talk to the incredible Sulari Gentill — a former corporate lawyer who swapped contracts for crime fiction, and found the thing she didn’t even know she was missing. From astrophysics to cow pregnancy tests to bestseller lists, her story is a beautiful, funny, and surprisingly relatable exploration of what happens when you finally listen to that quiet itch inside you. She shares: – Why being a lawyer never felt wrong, but never felt whole – The moment writing made her feel like she was breathing properly for the first time – The identity crisis that comes with leaving a high-status profession – How leaving a stable, high-status profession can make you feel untethered — and why that’s part of it – Why she “corporate-lawyered” her way into a sustainable creative career (yep, you can do that) – How her legal background (and a bit of astrophysics) helps her write brilliant mysteries – What happened when she tried to write literary fiction (spoiler: a body showed up) If you’ve ever dreamed about writing a novel, leaving your profession, or just finding the thing that feels like breathing — this episode is a must-listen 💡 This episode is for you if: – You’re stuck in the “shoulds” and wondering if it’s too late  or too hard to start again – You’re craving a more creative life but worried it’s impractical – You’re torn between security and soul-sparking joy – You’ve ever told yourself “I can’t afford to leave” and secretly hoped someone would prove you wrong – You need permission (and a strategy) to make your leap 🔧 Resources & Links 📚 Explore Sulari Gentill’s books — including The Mystery Writer and the award-winning Crossing the Lines (due to be released in August) https://ultimopress.com.au/collections/sulari-gentill  ❤️ If you loved this episode... Send it to a friend who’s got “write a book” on their someday list. Leave us a review on Apple or Spotify — it helps more Outlaws find us. 🔗 Connect & Explore with us 🌐 Website: www.outlawspodcast.com 📬 Email us: [email protected] 💬 Join the conversation: 📸 Instagram: @the.outlaws.podcast 📘 Facebook Group: 💼 LinkedIn Hosted and produced by: Shayla Strapps and Kate Offer 🎧 Hosted on Podbean Chapters 00:00 From Lawyer to Author: A Journey of Transition 07:30 The Search for Identity and Fulfillment 11:13 The Creative Awakening: Discovering Writing 16:18 The Leap of Faith: Embracing a New Career 18:56 Untethered Identity: The Transition from Lawyer to Writer 24:06 The Solitary Nature of Writing: Finding Community 27:20 The value of Sulari's legal education in her writing 29:42 Using Life Experience as Material for Writing 29:47 Redefining Success: A Writer's Journey 30:21 Navigating Financial Realities in Writing 31:40 The Shift to Contemporary Writing 33:03 Strategising for Success in a New Market 34:35 Preparing for Opportunities: The Importance of Readiness 35:07 Building a Supportive Community 37:40 Advice for Aspiring Writers: Planning and Community

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