44. Freeing Up Your Future, Redefining Success, and the Courage to Begin Again | Rachel Paris
What if the pinnacle of success you've been climbing towards is actually a trap? When you finally make partner, win the promotion, or achieve the milestone you've been chasing for years, what happens when you discover it's not the answer? When the very achievement that was supposed to bring freedom instead leaves you feeling like a rat in a mill, just surviving from one deadline to the next?This conversation explores what happens when we pause long enough to ask whether the life we're living is actually the life we want. Rachel Paris shares her journey from corporate law partnership to becoming a novelist, revealing how crisis can become catalyst, how the skills that made us successful in one domain become secret weapons in another, and why freeing up your future might mean letting go of the one you thought was already set. We get into the tension between security and creativity, physical presence and emotional presence, and what it truly means to redefine success on your own terms.Rachel Paris is a former partner at Bell Gully, one of New Zealand's most prestigious law firms, where she specialised in banking and finance for over a decade. After walking away from partnership, she became a bestselling novelist with her debut crime thriller "See How They Fall." Her sister's cancer diagnosis became the catalyst for change, prompting her to question whether surviving each day was any way to live a life. Rachel's journey from Harvard Law graduate to creative writer offers a fascinating lens on how professional skills translate across domains and what becomes possible when we give ourselves permission to begin again.You'll discover:Why the partnership track in professional services can become a trap rather than a destination, and how to recognise when you're caught in itHow to shift from physical presence to emotional presence in both work and family lifeWhy redefining success requires asking what truly sustains you rather than what society says you should achieveHow professional training in law, accounting, or other demanding fields creates unexpected advantages in creative pursuitsWhy being your own agent of change means not waiting for crisis to force your handHow to navigate the guilt and fear of letting people down when walking away from senior positionsWhy creating space for others to step up can reframe career transitions from selfish to generous actsHow the wrestle of expressing something in your own words makes us human in an age of AIOther ReferencesThe Answer Trap Kate ChristiansenHumankind by Rutger BregmanOpenAIBell Gully Law FirmSee How They Fall by Rachel ParisTimestamps:(00:00) - From Corporate Law to Creative Freedom(23:12) - Redefining Success and Embracing Change(27:07) - The Journey of Self-Discovery(29:24) - Navigating Career Transitions(32:11) - The Impact of Legal Training on Creativity(34:33) - Creativity in the Age of AIYou can find Rachel at:Website: https://rachelparisauthor.comLinkedIn:
New Zealand