EPISODE · Feb 25, 2026 · 15 MIN
Episode 108 - Building career options before you need them
from Career Espresso
Everything's fine at work. Not exciting, but fine. You're getting on with it, you know what you're doing, and there's enough going on that you haven't had time to think about much else. Then the restructure gets announced. Or your manager leaves. Or your role is suddenly "under review." And you're scramblin. Updating a CV you haven't touched in three years, reaching out to people you've barely spoken to, making decisions from panic instead of from a position of choice.This episode of Career Espresso is about building career options before you're in that situation. Not a constant side hustle of networking and CV polishing. A quiet, deliberate approach that means if something shifts, you're never starting from nothing.What you'll discoverWhy the usual advice including networking constantly and always be looking, creates exhaustion before you've even started, and what actually works insteadThe specific dynamic that keeps women in roles and organisations longer than is good for them, and why thinking about your options doesn't make you disloyalThree types of leverage that give you real career options and why you probably have more of them than you realiseWhat to actually do with your network if traditional networking makes you want to run in the opposite directionWhy understanding your market value matters even if you're not going anywhere and how it changes how you show up every day.Perfect for women who want to feel like they have real choices at work, not just a job they're grateful to have.Want more support with real-world leadership challenges? Head to How to Build a Leader on Substack for in-depth guides and scripts.Never miss an episode. Sign up for the weekly Espresso Brief email and get each episode with quick takeaways in your inbox.Get the full episode transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What this episode covers
Everything's fine at work. Not exciting, but fine. You're getting on with it, you know what you're doing, and there's enough going on that you haven't had time to think about much else. Then the restructure gets announced. Or your manager leaves. Or your role is suddenly "under review." And you're scramblin. Updating a CV you haven't touched in three years, reaching out to people you've barely spoken to, making decisions from panic instead of from a position of choice.This episode of Career Espresso is about building career options before you're in that situation. Not a constant side hustle of networking and CV polishing. A quiet, deliberate approach that means if something shifts, you're never starting from nothing.What you'll discoverWhy the usual advice including networking constantly and always be looking, creates exhaustion before you've even started, and what actually works insteadThe specific dynamic that keeps women in roles and organisations longer than is good for them, and why thinking about your options doesn't make you disloyalThree types of leverage that give you real career options and why you probably have more of them than you realiseWhat to actually do with your network if traditional networking makes you want to run in the opposite directionWhy understanding your market value matters even if you're not going anywhere and how it changes how you show up every day.Perfect for women who want to feel like they have real choices at work, not just a job they're grateful to have.Want more support with real-world leadership challenges? Head to How to Build a Leader on Substack for in-depth guides and scripts.Never miss an episode. Sign up for the weekly Espresso Brief email and get each episode with quick takeaways in your inbox.Get the full episode transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episode 108 - Building career options before you need them
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