Finding Clarity and Purpose in Your Career
In the fast-paced, often overwhelming world of work and career building, finding clarity and purpose can feel elusive. Many women struggle to balance societal expectations, workplace demands, and personal aspirations, all while navigating their own emotions and internal challenges. For women entrepreneurs, this balance can be even more difficult to strike, as they often juggle multiple roles and responsibilities. That's why my recent conversation with Priscilla Jabouin, a holistic career coach and mental health counselor, on the Professional Women’s Meetup podcast is so timely and important.
Priscilla’s approach to career coaching is not just about finding the next job or climbing the corporate ladder—it's about uncovering what truly resonates with you at a deeper level. Through a combination of psychological insight, spiritual healing, and practical strategies, she helps women reconnect with their true selves and align their work with their core values and passions. In this post, I’ll unpack the key insights from our conversation and explore how Priscilla’s holistic approach can empower you to find clarity and purpose in your own career.
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)| Career Coach | Pleasure Coach | Consultant | Speaker | Helping you navigate workplace challenges so you can wake up to a career you LOVE! Follow @mymaptohappiness
The Courage to Listen to Your Inner Voice
One of the most striking aspects of Priscilla’s story is her courage to leave a stable, full-time teaching job to pursue a new path in psychology and career counseling. At the beginning of our conversation, she shared how she found herself in a comfortable yet unfulfilling role as a grade school teacher. Though teaching was a respected profession, it wasn’t feeding her soul in the way she had hoped. Many of us can relate to this—being in a job that pays the bills and provides stability but leaves us feeling empty inside.
What sets Priscilla apart is her ability to listen to her inner voice, even when it meant taking a risk. She made the brave decision to leave her job and pursue a master’s degree in counseling psychology, a move that transformed her life and set her on a path that truly resonated with her purpose.
“Listening to your inner voice can be scary, but it’s often the first step toward real fulfillment,” Priscilla said during the interview.
Many of us resist change, particularly when it involves taking a leap into the unknown. But as Priscilla's journey demonstrates, it’s essential to trust your instincts, even when the path ahead seems unclear. This willingness to trust in yourself is foundational to her coaching approach, and it's something that every woman, whether an entrepreneur or professional, can benefit from.
Self-Awareness: The Key to Career Clarity
As we continued our conversation, the theme of self-awareness became a central pillar in Priscilla's philosophy. She emphasized the importance of taking the time to understand yourself—your desires, your strengths, and even your fears. In a world that often pushes us to go, go, go, pausing to reflect on who we are and what we truly want can feel like a radical act.
Priscilla shared that before she decided to become a registered psychotherapist, she faced a lot of internal resistance. Many people had suggested that this path was the right one for her, but she initially resisted because it didn't feel aligned with her self-concept at the time. It wasn’t until she did the inner work of self-awareness—understanding why she was resisting and exploring what her true desires were—that she was able to embrace this new chapter fully.
“Self-awareness is the key to clarity. You can't move forward with confidence unless you know who you are and what you truly want,” Priscilla explained.
This is a valuable lesson for women in all stages of their careers. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to make a major shift, it’s crucial to take the time to get to know yourself. What are your core values? What motivates you? What are the fears or beliefs that might be holding you back? By answering these questions, you can begin to see your career path more clearly.
The Power of Self-Trust in Overcoming Career Challenges
Throughout our conversation, Priscilla repeatedly came back to the importance of self-trust. As women, many of us are conditioned to seek external validation, whether from employers, family members, or society at large. But Priscilla argues that true career clarity comes from trusting yourself first and foremost.
She shared how, during her own career journey, self-trust was often the biggest hurdle to overcome. Even when she knew deep down that psychology and counseling were her true passions, she struggled with doubts. Was she making the right decision? Was she good enough? Would she be able to succeed in this new field? These are questions many of us grapple with when considering a major career change.
Priscilla’s advice is to acknowledge those doubts but not let them dictate your decisions. Instead, she encourages women to trust their inner voice and take small, manageable steps toward their goals. By doing so, you build confidence over time and start to see that your intuition can be a reliable guide.
Holistic Career Coaching: Addressing Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual Well-Being
One of the most unique aspects of Priscilla’s approach is her holistic perspective on career coaching. She doesn’t just focus on practical strategies like resume building or interview preparation (though those are important); she also helps her clients address the emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of their career journeys.
Incorporating practices like yoga and Reiki, Priscilla helps her clients reconnect with their emotions and tap into their inner wisdom. She believes that by addressing these deeper layers of experience, women can gain a clearer sense of direction in their careers.
“It’s not just about what you do in your career, but who you are while you’re doing it,” Priscilla said.
This holistic approach is particularly important for women navigating career transitions, as it allows them to process the emotional challenges that often accompany change. Whether it's dealing with feelings of burnout, overcoming fears of failure, or navigating interpersonal conflicts at work, Priscilla’s methods provide a space for her clients to heal and grow.
Navigating Workplace Challenges: Burnout and Boundaries
As women, we often face unique challenges in the workplace, from burnout to dealing with interpersonal conflicts. Priscilla emphasized the importance of addressing these challenges head-on, as they can cloud your vision and prevent you from gaining clarity in your career.
One of the key workplace issues she highlighted is burnout, a condition that is all too common among women who are juggling multiple responsibilities both at work and at home. Priscilla shared how burnout can often be a sign that you're out of alignment with your true desires. If you're constantly feeling drained or unmotivated, it might be time to reevaluate whether your current job or career path is serving you.
In addition to burnout, Priscilla also spoke about the importance of setting boundaries—both in the workplace and in your personal life. Many women, particularly entrepreneurs, struggle with saying no, whether it’s to additional work responsibilities, client demands, or even personal obligations. However, setting clear boundaries is essential to maintaining your mental and emotional well-being.
“Boundaries are a form of self-care,” Priscilla reminded us. “When you set boundaries, you’re telling yourself—and others—that your time and energy are valuable.”
By setting boundaries, women can create more space for reflection, creativity, and personal growth, all of which are necessary for career clarity.
Embracing the Non-Linear Path to Fulfillment
One of the most important takeaways from my conversation with Priscilla was the reminder that the path to career fulfillment is not always linear. Many of us are conditioned to believe that success is a straight line—climbing the corporate ladder, hitting certain milestones at specific ages, or following a prescribed path. But Priscilla argues that career fulfillment is often a winding, unpredictable journey.
She shared how her own career took several twists and turns before she arrived at her current role as a holistic career coach. Along the way, she encountered setbacks, doubts, and challenges, but each of these experiences ultimately helped her grow and gain more clarity about her true calling.
“It’s not about getting to the destination as quickly as possible,” Priscilla said. “It’s about trusting the process and allowing yourself to grow along the way.”
This message is particularly important for women entrepreneurs, who often face pressure to achieve rapid success. Priscilla encourages women to be patient with themselves and to view their career journeys as opportunities for growth and self-discovery, rather than a race to the finish line.
Final Thoughts: Trust Yourself, Embrace the Process
My conversation with Priscilla Jabouin left me feeling inspired and reminded of the importance of trusting ourselves in our career journeys. Whether you’re navigating a major career transition, dealing with burnout, or simply seeking more clarity and fulfillment in your work, the lessons from Priscilla’s holistic approach can guide you toward a more aligned, purpose-driven life.
At the core of her message is the belief that each of us already has the answers we need—we just need to create the space to listen to our inner voice. By embracing self-awareness, setting boundaries, and trusting the non-linear process of career growth, we can find the clarity and purpose we seek.
I encourage all the women in the Professional Women’s Meetup community, as well as those who are just beginning to explore their career paths, to take the time to reconnect with themselves and trust the journey ahead.
Listen to the full episode now, and let Priscilla’s wisdom guide you on your path to career clarity and fulfillment!
