#1 How I got here and a bit of basics
Hi there,
Thanks for joining this cozy group of my awesome friends and colleagues! I promise to make it a fun-filled and super useful experience. But before we dive in, let me give you a little context.
As some of you may know, my career has been very non-traditional. I went from medical school to journalism, dabbled in healthcare-related public awareness campaigns, grabbed a degree in mass communications, took a detour into advertising and digital marketing, and eventually found myself in business school and, believe it or not, at Google!
I never had a grand master plan for my career. Instead, I optimized for exciting and enjoyable projects that made a positive impact on society, all while working alongside brilliant and passionate individuals. However, the need to leave Russia and settle in France forced me to consider my financial stability and learn the ropes of corporate life. Fast-forward ten years, and I realized I had gotten a tad too lost in the corporate bubble. It was time to reclaim my independence and rely more on myself than my employer.
So here is what I did:
Get some backup
I enlisted the help of a professional career advisor—someone I've known for ages and admire to the moon and back. Let's face it, trying to figure everything out on your own can only get you so far. I needed an expert to shine a light on all my blind spots (and trust me, there were plenty!). Those session deadlines gave me a much-needed nudge in the right direction.
Think a bit
Now, I'm all for structured analysis, but boy, does it eat up time! It took me a good three months to analyze my strengths, interests, achievements, values, and lifestyle preferences. Finally, it all clicked, and I had my very own personal value proposition. Of course, I'll keep refining it along the way, but I couldn't wait forever—I needed something to work with.
[Question to you: would you like to see a summary of what I wrote for that analysis?]
But don’t overthink and listen to Herminia Ibarra
Herminia Ibarra is a goddess. I'll save the deep dive into her leadership insights for later, but if there's one career book you absolutely must read, it's "Working Identity." If you're tight on time, at least skim through the article that sums it up. The central idea that there is no one true self, that you should try new things and stick with what works, and that the beauty of the unknown is the best part of life - all of this was a refreshing read. Although the story of a psychiatrist turned Buddhist monk made me cringe a bit, the rest of the book was magnificent. What's even more fascinating is that she wrote it almost 20 years ago, and it remains relevant.
So I followed the advice and started trying countless new things, got overwhelmed, and decided to launch this newsletter as a way of structuring my thoughts and efforts.
Get excited but prepare to be patient
Now, on my landing page, I've shared an article by the fantastic Dorie Clark on strategic patience. It gave me a much-needed reality check. Here I am, 41 years young, with two decades of professional experience under my belt, and I'm hungry for more control over what I do in the next 40 years! So, allowing myself a few years to experiment without visible results and explore feels like a tiny blip in the grand scheme of things. My ultimate goal? To become that daring granny who hikes in the Alps, all while strategizing a project that helps people in Africa to get access to electricity.
I will stop here and see how the first edition lands. Until next time!
nat
To read
The Real Meaning of Freedom at Work by Adam Grant (protected by a paywall though, but please let me know if you want me to gift it to you!)
Your professional decline is coming (much) sooner than you think - can't resist from sharing a long read from The Atlantic!
Thriving in the Gig Economy - Gianpiero Petriglieri is an ex-psychiatrist turned [a buddhist monk] an INSEAD professor of organizational behavior at INSEAD.