Clare Charles: Reinventing Your Career – Building a Business That Fits Your Life

In this episode of Peace of Pod, Sarah is joined by Clare Charles, independent travel expert and Travel Counsellors franchisee, for an honest and inspiring conversation about career reinvention, working motherhood, and building a business that supports the life you actually want to live.Sarah and Clare first met over 20 years ago as colleagues and together became partners in a law firm, working with the same businesses as corporate and employment lawyers. Clare shares how, following major life changes she took theopportunity to rethink her priorities, step away from corporate law, and create a new career aligned with her values, lifestyle and passion for travel.Clare talks candidly about how she approached that transition, from exploring very different options (including a near-miss with floristry) to eventually setting up her own business under the Travel Counsellors brand. She explains what it really means to run a franchise business, combining the freedom to shape your own specialism with the reassurance, systems and support of a larger organisation, and why no two Travel Counsellor businesses look the same.They discuss the realities of solopreneur life, including the shift from having entire teams handling accounts, marketing and admin to suddenly being all of those people yourself. Clare shares her top tips for staying focused, setting clear daily goals (not all of them sales-driven), and holding yourselfaccountable when you’re running a business solo.Networking and community are also key themes. Clare reflects on the importance of surrounding yourself with supportive people, not just those who buy from you,but those who champion what you do and share it within their own networks. She also talks about the value of connecting with other business owners and fellow Travel Counsellors for encouragement, perspective and practical support.The conversation also explores working motherhood acrossdifferent stages of life, the lessons Clare learned raising her older children while in corporate law, and what she’s done differently second time around. Clare shares her advice for her daughters, her hopes for their future, and whether she’d encourage them to backpack around the world as she once did.This episode will resonate with anyone considering a career pivot, running a small business, or trying to balance ambition with family life, and wondering whether it’s ever too late to start again.