Aligning Career with Identity

Oluwatoyin Puddicombe, Nigerian HR professional and career fitness coach, discusses what happens when who you are doesn't align with what you do. Puddicombe shares how societal expectations led her into medical school, where she struggled, failed key exams, and faced identity and family pressure before switching to Communication and Language Arts, excelling and graduating near the top of her class. She explains how the lack of career guidance motivated her to help young professionals find career fit, develop employability skills, and navigate career transitions through Toyin Talks Talent and the T3 Torchbearers Academy. She describes tools she uses, including personality and career-interest assessments like Myers-Briggs, Big Five, and the RIASEC model, alongside CV, interview, networking, and LinkedIn training in a 12-week, scholarship-based online program.   Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome and Theme 01:47 Meet Oluwatoyin 02:34 Career Fit Mission 03:07 Medicine Pressure 04:38 Struggling in Med School 07:32 Failing Exam Turning Point 09:07 Switch to Communication 13:09 Parents and Healing 15:22 Building Talent Guide 17:08 Career Tools Explained 23:26 T3 Academy Program 25:33 HR Meets Youth Culture 29:09 Connect and Origins 31:28 Invest in Next Gen 33:26 Closing and Wrap Up   Get In Touch: If you're interested in connecting with Oluwatoyin Puddicombe, you can reach her via her website (https://t3torchbearersacademy.com/), via Facebook (https://web.facebook.com/toyinpuddy/), via Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/toyintalkstalent/), via X (https://x.com/toyintalktalent),  or via her LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/oluwatoyin-puddicombe/). For those interested in sharing their own stories on "Chatting with the Experts," reach out to Paula Okonneh through her website at chattingwiththeexperts.com or connect via LinkedIn.