EPISODE · Jun 4, 2026 · 50 MIN
I Was Good At It. I Never Loved It
from SECOND WIND · host John Talks About
This week I answer one of the questions I get asked more than almost any other:Would I ever go back to work?To answer it properly, I go right back to the beginning.From my first job at Halfords in 1993, through Scottish Power, Belkin, British Gas, Hive, and eventually running sales across large parts of Europe, this is the full story of the 31-year career that shaped most of my adult life.Along the way there were promotions, pay rises, company cars, flights, targets, bonuses, redundancy packages and salaries that kept climbing. On paper it looked like progress. In reality, something else was happening underneath.This episode became less about careers and more about identity.About the difference between being good at something and actually loving it.About why so many people stay on paths they never consciously chose.About the strange mixture of grief, relief, exhaustion and freedom that arrived when my career finally ended after my dad passed away in 2024.I also talk about the people who influenced that journey, the risks I never took, the opportunities I did, and the moment I realised I couldn't face doing another version of the same job for the next decade.When people tell me I should just go back to work, this episode is my answer.Not because work was bad.But because after 31 years, I finally realised it was never the thing I truly wanted to build.
What this episode covers
This week I answer one of the questions I get asked more than almost any other:Would I ever go back to work?To answer it properly, I go right back to the beginning.From my first job at Halfords in 1993, through Scottish Power, Belkin, British Gas, Hive, and eventually running sales across large parts of Europe, this is the full story of the 31-year career that shaped most of my adult life.Along the way there were promotions, pay rises, company cars, flights, targets, bonuses, redundancy packages and salaries that kept climbing. On paper it looked like progress. In reality, something else was happening underneath.This episode became less about careers and more about identity.About the difference between being good at something and actually loving it.About why so many people stay on paths they never consciously chose.About the strange mixture of grief, relief, exhaustion and freedom that arrived when my career finally ended after my dad passed away in 2024.I also talk about the people who influenced that journey, the risks I never took, the opportunities I did, and the moment I realised I couldn't face doing another version of the same job for the next decade.When people tell me I should just go back to work, this episode is my answer.Not because work was bad.But because after 31 years, I finally realised it was never the thing I truly wanted to build.
NOW PLAYING
I Was Good At It. I Never Loved It
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Apr 12, 2026 ·137m
Mar 5, 2026 ·175m
Jan 13, 2026 ·116m