Many professionals push through unfulfilling careers, but at what hidden cost to their lives, goals, and well-being?
In this episode of The Agent of Wealth Podcast, host Marc Bautis is joined by Rachel Spekman, founder of Made for More Coaching. Rachel is a veteran coach who helps professionals who feel unfulfilled by their careers identify and tap into their unique potential. After 15 years in marketing brands, 10 years supporting startup founders, and five years practicing as a therapist, she has helped hundreds of people reinvent their careers.
In this episode, you will learn:
- The long-term effects of staying in a career that drains your energy and motivation.
- Why fear and comfort often keep people stuck in unfulfilling roles.
- How to identify the warning signs that it’s time to make a career change.
- Practical strategies for transitioning into work that aligns with your strengths and passions.
- And more!
Resources:
rachelspekman.com | Bautis Financial: 8 Hillside Ave, Suite LL1 Montclair, New Jersey 07042 (862) 205-5000 | Schedule an Introductory Call
Disclosure: The transcript below has been edited for clarity and content. It is not a direct transcription of the full episode, which can be listened to above.
Welcome back to The Agent of Wealth Podcast, this is your host Marc Bautis.
Today, we’re diving into a topic that I think many professionals can relate to – what happens when you’ve climbed the career ladder, you’re making good money, but deep down, you’re unfulfilled and drained by your work. How do you know when it’s time to make a change? And more importantly, how do you transition into a career that’s truly aligned with your values, purpose, and skills – without sacrificing income or stability?
Joining me to talk about this is Rachel Spekman, founder of Made for More Coaching. Rachel is a veteran in helping high-performing professionals break free from careers that are slowly draining them and transition into work that’s both meaningful and financially rewarding.
Rachel, welcome to the show.
Thank you so much for having me.
You’ve helped hundreds of people reinvent themselves. Why do you think so many professionals stay in careers that make them unhappy?
Fear, stability, and fear of the unknown. Often it comes down to self-trust. People think, “I’m not happy, but how do I know I’ll be happier somewhere else?” I work with clients to figure out what’s actually making them unhappy and get clear on what would make them feel fulfilled.
For example, I just wrapped up a coaching session where I had the client break down their day into percentages. What percent of your time is spent on certain tasks, and what percent of those tasks do you actually enjoy?
Interesting. How do you measure enjoyment? Is it quantifiable, or is it more of a gut feeling?
Great question. I’m a therapist by training — I actually left the corporate world to become one. One of the approaches I use is somatic therapy, which looks at how your body responds to the stimuli around you.
Here’s an example I use often: When you see a small child, your body naturally leans forward, you smile, you feel that sense of eagerness. That’s expansion. On the other hand, when you see something you dread, your body contracts — you tense up.
Think about your boss walking by. If your whole body tightens, that’s contraction. If your team says, “We’re going out to lunch,” and you feel energized, that’s expansion. By tuning into those body responses, you start to see what fuels you and what drains you.
That makes sense. What are some red flags people should look for that signal it’s time to make a change?
There are two categories. The first I call “death by a thousand cuts.” Maybe you’ve been laid off a couple of times, or things just keep piling up and you’re brushing it under the rug. Sure, you can get another job — and most people I work with could land one tomorrow. But the question is: Will you actually be happier there?
The second red flag is bigger: when your work starts impacting your mental health, physical health, or relationships. If you have the “Sunday Scaries” every day of the week, that’s a sign you’re completely out of alignment.
Like when you throw your back out and you know something’s off.
Exactly. For me, I used to give public presentations. People told me I did great, but I didn’t care much about the topics. It drained me to even prepare. I’d spend all my energy psyching myself up to get through it. That’s when I realized I was out of alignment.
Do you ever see people fix their current situation, or is a full transition usually required?
I always start with where they are. The easiest change is within your current company, because you already know the people and systems. I help clients reverse-engineer their career search.
Think about it — when you’re looking for a partner or house, you have a list of requirements. Why not for your job? I have clients write out their dream job description, then look for opportunities to pivot or repurpose their role internally. That often requires buy-in from leadership, since it needs to solve company problems as well. We’ll give it six months to a year. If it doesn’t work — whether due to budget, lack of support, or other roadblocks — then we look at adjacent industries or bigger pivots.
Finances must play a big role in that. I see people making great money, but they’re burnt out. They’d love to do something different, but worry they can’t match their current income.
Absolutely. That’s why I often partner with financial planners. When I made my own big career change, I knew it would take about four years to rebuild my income. So I created a four-year financial plan. We looked at our assets, investment properties, even renting out rooms — ways to be creative while transitioning.
Many of my clients realize they’ve built lifestyles beyond what they imagined, yet they’re still unhappy. The Amazon boxes, toys, gadgets — those things may provide short-term satisfaction but not lasting happiness.
I never tell clients to be impulsive. Of course, we all have bills, families, and responsibilities. It’s about defining your baseline — what you must earn — and planning around it. Sometimes there will be a temporary dip in income, but I call it a trapeze moment. You’re letting go of one bar before grabbing the next. It’s a calculated risk.
Let’s talk about people who want to leave corporate America to start their own business. Do you find they’re more successful making a hard stop, or transitioning gradually?
Transition gradually — always. I just went fully out on my own a few months ago, but I’d been building my business for years. On day one, I already had 15–20 clients.
When people quit cold turkey, the anxiety can be overwhelming. They don’t have the systems, the network, or the confidence yet. It’s like rowing a boat — you need to know if it’s the boat you actually want to row, and how you’ll handle the tides.
I’ve seen so many startups with great ideas, but when it came time to “put money on the table,” no one backed it. You need proof of concept before making the leap.
That leads to another question. Let’s say you do the work, make a transition, and land the “dream job.” What happens if you realize you don’t like it?
I see that often. Usually, one of these things is off:
- What you thought you’d love wasn’t what you actually enjoy. That’s why I strongly encourage informational interviews. For example, I once considered becoming a rabbi because I knew I wanted to get paid for connection. But after shadowing rabbis and asking about their daily work, I realized those weren’t the problems I wanted to solve.
- Sometimes it’s simply the wrong company. Years ago, I took a so-called dream job, relocated my entire life, and within three weeks knew it wasn’t what I expected. I stuck it out for a year, then left.
Doing that pre-work — talking to people in the field, understanding the day-to-day — is critical to avoiding that mismatch.
Do you think people ever get too senior in their career to make a transition?
That’s a big fear for many. I went from being a senior director at a firm to being an intern in social work school. Changing my LinkedIn was humbling — people reached out asking if I was okay. But here’s the truth: No one else puts their head on your pillow at night.
I’m not advocating for rash decisions. I talk about making small, strategic changes. My benchmark is aiming for 80% happiness at work. Some days will be 70, others 90, but directionally, it should feel fulfilling.
Think about it: If your car was 50% broken, you wouldn’t drive it. If your house was 50% falling apart, you wouldn’t live in it. Yet people stay in careers that leave them 50% miserable because of the paycheck. The goal is gradual improvement — 50 to 53 to 55.
And to answer your question, no, you’re never too senior. When I applied to social work school, I asked what their oldest student was. They said 87. This man had retired from corporate America but realized he loved the people-centered aspects of his job. His spouse reminded him, “This is the life we have now.” So at 87, he went back to school to become a social worker.
That’s incredible. Outside of changing jobs or starting a business, what other career structures do you see people pursue?
Fractional work is a big one. For example, a fractional CFO who contracts with companies for six months at a time. Others create hybrid schedules — three days at one role, two days building something new.
Personally, I’m both a full-time therapist and a full-time coach. It’s about playing to both sets of strengths. The key is to experiment while you’re still employed, not quit cold turkey.
What’s the usual timeframe for this process?
On average, six months. It’s a cycle of mindset, strategy, and accountability — repeated.
How long it takes depends on how stuck someone is and how much effort they’re willing to put in. It requires real work: rebuilding your network, rewriting your résumé, redefining your professional story. But the payoff is huge — being in a room, with colleagues, doing work that energizes you.
When you say mindset, strategy, accountability — can you explain each?
Sure. Mindset is giving yourself permission to change. Many people feel loyalty to their company or boss, or struggle with imposter syndrome. It’s about saying, “I’m worth investing in myself.”
From a mental health perspective, it’s called psychological flexibility — being able to adapt when things don’t go as planned. Instead of forcing yourself to stay in a job that doesn’t work, you recognize misalignment and adjust.
Strategy is the forward-looking plan: identifying what you want, building the roadmap.
Accountability ensures you follow through. Even with clarity and a plan, fear creeps in. That’s when coaching helps — taking the leap of faith, but making it a strategic one.
And after someone takes the leap — what comes next?
That’s where ongoing work comes in. I liken it to a vacation — you’ve done all this planning to get there, but once you arrive, you want to make it the best experience possible.
I help clients through the first 90 days: leveraging relationships, positioning themselves as thought leaders, building community, and ensuring their work continues to feel meaningful and challenging.
That makes sense. Alright, Rachel, that’s all the questions I have for today. Thank you for sharing your insights and expertise. For listeners who want to learn more about your work or connect with you, where’s the best place to find you?
My website is rachelspekman.com. I’m also offering 90-minute high-stakes career audits. It’s a one-time deep dive into what you’re doing now, your assets, where you want to go, and a 30–60 day plan to get there.
Great. We’ll link to that in the resources section of the show notes. Thanks again, Rachel. And thank you to everyone who tuned into today’s episode. Don’t forget to follow The Agent of Wealth on the platform you listen from and leave us a review of the show. We are currently accepting new clients, if you’d like to schedule a 1-on-1 consultation with our advisors, please do so below.
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