Career Confidence

What do you do when you know something needs to change in your career… but you have absolutely no idea what the next move should be?

That’s exactly where Rebecca found herself.

After more than 15 years across experience design, leadership, coaching, and transformation, she knew there were parts of her work she loved, problem-solving, facilitating, helping people make better decisions, but she wasn’t sure what that translated into as a career.

Then redundancy gave her the space to stop, reflect and rethink what came next.

In this episode of the Career Confidence Podcast, Rebecca joins Georgie for a very real conversation about sitting in the uncomfortable middle of a career change, resisting the urge to jump straight into another familiar job, and using design thinking to work out what you actually want next.

Rebecca shares how she stopped focusing on job titles and started looking at the work she genuinely loved doing, the problems she wanted to solve and the values she wanted her next chapter to align with.

And then something interesting happened.

Once she got clearer and started sharing more publicly about the work she wanted to be known for, someone from her existing network reached out with an opportunity that was almost exactly what she had been trying to create.

In this episode:

How to recognise when you’ve outgrown your current career path

Why the “uncomfortable middle” is a necessary part of meaningful career change

Why jumping straight into another familiar job can take you back to exactly where you started

How Rebecca used design thinking to approach her own career

The questions to ask yourself when you don’t know what you want next

Why your values matter just as much as your skills

How to stop defining yourself by job titles and start thinking about the problems you love solving

Why experimentation is often more useful than trying to have your entire future figured out

How networking and visibility helped Rebecca attract her next opportunity

Why sharing what you know online isn’t just “self-promotion”

What redundancy taught Rebecca about job security and identity

Why AI doesn’t have to mean panic — and how to start using it to make your work easier

Why a learner’s mindset will be one of the most valuable career skills over the next few years

How to identify the human skills you want to double down on as AI changes work

One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation?

You don’t have to know the exact answer immediately.

Sometimes the most important thing you can do is resist the urge to jump into solution mode.

What are you really good at?
What kind of work gives you energy?
What problems do you love solving?
What do you want to be known for?
What are you no longer willing to compromise on?

Rebecca’s story is a brilliant reminder that clarity doesn’t always arrive in one big moment.

Sometimes you have to sit with the uncertainty, experiment, learn, put yourself out there and let the next opportunity reveal itself.

As Rebecca puts it: great opportunities come from movement.

If you’re in that uncomfortable middle right now, this episode is for you.

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✨ 60 Day Bold Move Career Accelerator
Learn more here 👉 https://www.georgiehubbard.com/bold-moves

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📚 The Bold Move
https://www.theboldmovebook.com

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Connect with Georgie:
🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/
🟪 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard
♦️ Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com

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Connect with Rebecca:
🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccakkarpiuk/

September is one of the most important hiring windows of the year. If you want to make a move before Christmas, this is the time to get strategic.

The market is still tight. Recruiters are flooded with applications. AI is increasingly being used to search, screen and shortlist candidates. So sending the same CV to every role and hoping for the best is no longer enough.

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✨ 60 Day Bold Move Career Accelerator ✨

Learn more here 👉 https://www.georgiehubbard.com/bold-moves

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In this episode, I’m breaking down the five-part strategy I’m teaching women inside the Bold Move Career Accelerator right now:

Clarity. Network. Positioning. Tailored CV. Visibility.

And I’m sharing exactly why each one matters.

One woman had applied for a role and heard nothing for four weeks. She reached out to one person she knew inside the company and, within 24 hours, she had an interview and was moved through to the next round.

Another woman repositioned her LinkedIn profile and, within roughly 40 hours, a recruiter contacted her about a role she genuinely wanted.

This episode is for you if you’re applying and hearing nothing, wondering why your experience isn’t translating into interviews, or simply want a clearer plan to help you land the right role before the end of the year.

In this episode:

Why September is such an important hiring window

How to get clear on the role, company, environment and culture you actually want next

Why your network is one of your biggest career assets

How to activate relationships strategically without networking feeling awkward

Why recruiters are increasingly using AI and LinkedIn search tools to find candidates

How to position your LinkedIn profile around where you’re going, not just where you’ve been

Why tailoring your CV is now non-negotiable

Why five strong applications can be more effective than 50 generic ones

How AI is changing screening and first-stage hiring

Why visibility is becoming career currency

How posting and commenting can create opportunities you never applied for

The five-part strategy: clarity, network, positioning, tailored CV and visibility

The goal isn’t more applications.

It’s more choice, options and the right opportunities.

If you want a new role before Christmas, make these five moves now.

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📚 The Bold Move: https://www.theboldmovebook.com

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Connect with Georgie:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/

🟪 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard

♦️ Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com

The job market is changing fast.

More people are applying. AI is increasingly being used to filter applications. New roles are emerging. And some incredibly capable women are finding themselves applying for opportunities they could absolutely do, but never even making it to interview.

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✨ 60 Day Bold Move Career Accelerator ✨

Learn more here 👉 https://www.georgiehubbard.com/bold-moves

___________

📚 The Bold Move: https://www.theboldmovebook.com

___________

Connect with Georgie:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/

🟪 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard

♦️ Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com

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Connect with Lou Compagnone:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/

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Connect with Adair Robins:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adair-robins/

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So what actually gets you seen?

In this episode, Georgie Hubbard and Lou Compagnoni are joined by Adair, a transformation and diversity leader who has spent much of her career working across technology and helping more women build and sustain careers in the industry.

Adair shares her own experience of applying for roles and hearing very little back, until someone in her network referred her. Suddenly, the process moved incredibly quickly.

It’s a powerful reminder that in today’s market, your experience matters, your CV matters, but so does who knows you, what they know you for and whether you’ve built relationships before you need them.

The conversation also explores why women are leaving technical careers at a higher rate than men, what AI means for women returning from career breaks, why flexibility still matters, and the growing opportunity for women to step into emerging AI and transformation roles.

In this episode:

Why women are leaving highly technical careers at almost twice the rate of men during mid-career

Why age 40 is such a critical point for women working in technology

What happens when career progression collides with caring responsibilities

Why organisations that want more women need to rethink flexibility, hiring and workplace culture

How quickly technology and AI can change while someone is on parental or carers leave

Why structured reskilling can rebuild confidence after a career break

Why some of the most exciting new AI roles require far more than traditional technical skills

Why brilliant women are still being overlooked for emerging AI leadership opportunities

Why referrals and relationships can dramatically change your job search

Georgie’s experience receiving almost 600 applications for a single role

Why relying solely on job boards is becoming an increasingly difficult strategy

How to network without becoming someone you’re not

Why LinkedIn visibility and personal brand matter more in an AI-driven hiring market

How to use AI to improve your CV without removing the stories, personality and impact that make you different

Why continual learning needs to become part of your career strategy, regardless of your role

One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation?

Opportunities come through people, not job boards.

You don’t need hundreds of transactional connections or to spend every night at networking events.

Start with the people already around you. Former managers. Colleagues. Clients. Stakeholders. People you’ve enjoyed working with throughout your career.

Stay connected. Share what you’re working on. Be visible. Help people understand where you’re heading next.

Because your network shouldn’t be something you start building when you suddenly need a job.

It’s career currency you build long before you need to spend it.

With Confidence

Georgie 💜

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Resources mentioned

Back in the Code — Cohort 2
A full-day agentic engineering course taught by some of Australia’s best engineers, designed for parents currently on or recently returned from parental leave.
Melbourne, 24 September: https://events.techcouncil.com.au/agentic_ai_course_cohort2

Back in the Code — Future Cohort Waitlist
Register your interest for future cohorts:
https://events.techcouncil.com.au/agentic_engineering_waitlist_form

Tech Careers Hotline Podcast
Featuring women in tech and their career stories:
https://techcouncil.com.au/tech-careers-hotline-podcast/

Women in Highly Technical Work Report
Tech Council of Australia research on the pipeline and retention of women in highly technical careers:
https://techcouncil.com.au/research/

You don't need to be the loudest voice in the room to build a powerful career. You just need to know what you bring, and make sure the right people can find you.

___________

✨ 60 Day Bold Move Career Accelerator ✨

Learn more here 👉 https://www.georgiehubbard.com/bold-moves

___________

📚 The Bold Move: https://www.theboldmovebook.com

___________

Connect with Georgie:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/

🟪 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard

♦️ Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com

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Connect with Maryanne Thomas:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryannethomas/

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This episode is for every senior woman who's been keeping her head down doing excellent work and hoping that's enough. For every woman who knows she should be networking but doesn't know where to start. For every woman who's terrified of putting herself out there on LinkedIn because she doesn't want to look like she's showing off.

Maryanne has spent her career jumping before she was ready. From Queensland to Melbourne. From no tech experience to leading transformation programs at Origin Energy and now in retail. From staying invisible to posting on LinkedIn every week, even when it terrified her. From letting her network slip to building it with intention. And from hoping someone would notice her work to making sure the right people know exactly what she brings.

This conversation is about the three things senior women need to focus on right now if they want to stay relevant, visible, and in demand: network, brand, and value. It's about why the old playbook of working hard and waiting to be noticed doesn't work anymore. It's about why networking as a woman doesn't have to look like the male version. And it's about the mindset shift that changes everything: you don't need to be perfect, you just need to start.

Maryanne shares how she's using AI to build her personal brand without losing her voice. Why she moved to 80% work to be there for her daughter starting prep, and how she's teaching her to be willful, not quiet. Why she signed up for cold water swimming in winter to challenge herself. And the one thing she wishes she'd done earlier in her career: build her network before she needed it.

If you've been waiting for permission to start building your visibility, this is it.

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In This Episode:

🟣 Why Maryanne has always jumped before she was ready, and how that's shaped her entire career

🟣 From Queensland to Melbourne, from no tech degree to leading digital transformation at Origin Energy

🟣 The three things senior women need to focus on right now: network, brand, and value

🟣 Why Maryanne didn't build her network well enough early on, and what she's doing differently now

🟣 How she's using AI to build her personal brand on LinkedIn, even though social media terrified her

🟣 Why she started posting on LinkedIn this year as her personal challenge, and how it's made her a better storyteller

🟣 The leadership skills that matter most right now: empathy, trust, and the courage to call out what's not working

🟣 Why doing more with less is the reality for every leader right now, and how to navigate that without burning out your team

🟣 How AI is being used in retail to solve inventory problems, and why clean data is the foundation

🟣 Why half of the internet is now created by AI, and what that means for women in tech

🟣 How Maryanne is teaching her six year old daughter to be willful, not quiet, and why that matters

🟣 Why networking as a woman doesn't have to look like the male version, and the WhatsApp group strategy that works

🟣 What Maryanne is doing to stay ahead of the AI era without getting overwhelmed

🟣 The mindset shift from hoping someone will notice your work to making sure the right people know exactly what you bring

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If this episode resonated with you, reach out to Maryanne on LinkedIn. Let her know your biggest takeaway.

The women who get chosen aren't always the most experienced. They're the ones who are visible, connected, and clear on what they bring.

The future belongs to the women who are ready for it. Let's make sure that's you.

Georgie 💜

You don't need to be technical to break into AI. You need to understand what makes you irreplaceable.

___________

✨ 60 Day Bold Move Career Accelerator ✨

Learn more here 👉 https://www.georgiehubbard.com/bold-moves

___________

📚 The Bold Move: https://www.theboldmovebook.com

___________

Connect with Georgie:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/

🟪 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard

♦️ Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com

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Connect with Lou Compagnone:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/

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Only 1 in 5 AI leadership roles are held by women. Only 13% of women hold C-suite roles in AI, across 27 countries. We're still chasing our tail on the gender pay gap, still fighting for more women in leadership, and now AI is reshaping the entire workforce with women's voices dangerously underrepresented before the wave has even properly started.

This episode is for every woman who's applied for AI roles and heard nothing back. For every woman who thinks she's too far behind, or not technical enough, or doesn't have the right experience. For every woman who's kept her head down doing excellent work and hoped that would be enough.

It's not enough anymore. The old playbook doesn't work. The women who get chosen for AI roles aren't always the most technical. They're the ones who are visible, connected, and strategic. They understand AI is a people problem, not just a technology problem.

Lou and I catch up after a few weeks apart. She's just back from Stanford, where she completed the AI-Powered Organisation course. I'm back from the UK, where I noticed something striking: AI is everywhere. My parents are using it. My nan is using it. And my brother, a professional golfer with zero technical experience, built himself a website using Claude in three hours flat. He then built one for the new owners of his golf club too, made himself impossible to overlook, and he's now in discussions about a promotion.

This conversation is about what happens when you stop waiting to feel ready and start positioning yourself for what's next. Why the most successful AI agent at Stanford wasn't built by the most technical person in the room. Why hurt people hurt people, and how Lou handles the trolling that comes with being a woman speaking publicly about AI. And the one mindset shift that changes everything. Don't try to become someone else. Add AI to what you already know.

If you've been waiting for permission to start, this is it.

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In This Episode:

🟣 Why only 13% of women hold C-suite roles in AI across 27 countries, and what that means for the future of work

🟣 Lou's experience at Stanford: the AI-Powered Organisation course, and why transformation matters more than technology

🟣 The woman who won the AI agent challenge wasn't the most technical. She was the one who understood the problem.

🟣 Why Lou got trolled online for talking about AI as a transformation role, and how to handle being a woman in the public eye

🟣 Georgie's brother: a pro golfer with zero tech experience who built a website in three hours and positioned himself for a promotion

🟣 Why AI is everywhere in the UK and the US, but Australia is still catching up

🟣 The disconnect between companies hiring for AI roles and not knowing what they actually need

🟣 Why women are finding it harder to break into AI roles, and what you can do about it right now

🟣 How to disrupt yourself before you're disrupted: the one question you need to ask yourself today

🟣 Why technical people are feeling threatened, and what that means for women entering the AI space

🟣 The mindset shift: don't try to become someone else. Add AI to what you already know.

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If this episode gave you a takeaway, tell us about it on LinkedIn. The future belongs to the women who are ready for it. Let's make sure that's you.

With confidence,

Georgie 💜