- Speaker #0
Have you ever found yourself maybe in a meeting just staring out the window and this quiet thought pops up? What am I actually doing here? Not just, you know, in that one meeting, but maybe bigger picture, your whole career. Yeah. It's not always burnout, right? Or even being bored stiff. Sometimes it's just the subtle internal disconnect.
- Speaker #1
That feeling, that quiet disconnect. That's exactly what we're diving into today. Okay. Our main source is Caroline Berger de Femini's work. Pourquoi ne pas changer de métier? It's really insightful stuff. It unpacks these nuances of career dissatisfaction and looks at how our whole view of changing jobs is. What's shifting.
- Speaker #0
Right. So our mission today is to really get under the skin of that quiet call for change. And maybe challenge some of those old ideas about career paths needing to be this straight line.
- Speaker #1
Yeah, those rigid ideas.
- Speaker #0
And we want to shed some light on a specific growing professional path that might just be that elsewhere people are looking for.
- Speaker #1
An alternative.
- Speaker #0
We'll explore why making a switch is now often seen as an act of clarity, not giving up. And we'll dig into a, well, maybe surprising, but very structured field that offers a real path to meaning.
- Speaker #1
Sounds good.
- Speaker #0
So let's start there with that specific feeling. Not burnout, not bore out.
- Speaker #1
Right. We hear those terms a lot. Burnout. Total exhaustion. Bore out. Being completely underwhelmed. Yeah. But this source talks about something maybe more intimate. Dissalign mal. Yeah. We could translate it as silent disconnection.
- Speaker #0
Silent disconnection. I like that. What does that look like in practice?
- Speaker #1
Well, the tricky thing is you might still be doing really well at your job. Hitting targets, getting praise.
- Speaker #0
Everything looks fine from the outside.
- Speaker #1
Exactly. But inside, you gradually start to feel empty. A bit like a stranger to your own work. It's not usually a sudden crash. like burnout can be, it's more like a slow erosion, quiet weariness just building up.
- Speaker #0
Okay. So it's this gradual internal thing. Does it often just click one day? You mentioned that thought, I want something else.
- Speaker #1
Often, yeah. It might just spark seemingly out of nowhere. Maybe you're checking emails or on your commute. Right. And suddenly it's there really clearly. I need something different and not just, you know, a longer holiday or a slightly different role.
- Speaker #0
But a real change.
- Speaker #1
A fundamental shift. Yeah. Something. Truly different.
- Speaker #0
That really leads into this idea of how we view career changes now. Because historically, changing careers, especially later on, it often felt like admitting failure.
- Speaker #1
Oh, absolutely. There was definitely a stigma, like you couldn't hack it or you were flaky. Right. But that's where things have really shifted. Today, making that change, it's increasingly seen as an act of clarity, of courage even.
- Speaker #0
Why do you think that shift has happened?
- Speaker #1
Well, I think society's catching up. We're realizing. You can't just grind away for 40 years, dimming your own light just to keep up appearances.
- Speaker #0
Yeah, the illusion of stability.
- Speaker #1
Exactly. Life changes. Our desires change. Our energy levels, our priorities. What we wanted at 20 isn't always what we need at 40 or 50. It's about acknowledging that evolution.
- Speaker #0
So it's less starting from scratch in a negative way. And more like reclaiming your own path, choosing something that actually fits who you are now.
- Speaker #1
Precisely. It's about finding that authentic alignment again, connecting with what truly matters to you today.
- Speaker #0
Okay, that makes a lot of sense. But then comes the big, maybe scary question.
- Speaker #1
Right? What next?
- Speaker #0
Yeah, change. To do what? It can't just be a vague dream. You need something, well, credible, something structured, meaningful, but also maybe offering some autonomy.
- Speaker #1
That's the crucial step. Yes. Finding that viable horizon. And the source suggests looking towards professions centered around care, transmission, and embodiment.
- Speaker #0
Okay, unpack those a bit. Care, transmission, embodiment.
- Speaker #1
Sure. So care could be things like therapy, coaching. Transmission is more about teaching, mentoring, sharing knowledge. Got it. And embodiment involves working directly with the body, with movement. Think yoga, dance, physical therapies. Right. And interestingly, within that last category, one specific profession is seeing, well, explosive growth. And it seems to tick a lot of those boxes we just mentioned. Which is? Becoming a Pilates instructor.
- Speaker #0
Pilates. Okay. Maybe a bit unexpected for some listeners thinking about a major career shift. Why Pilates specifically? What makes it fit so well?
- Speaker #1
Well, it hits several key aspirations people seem to have now. First, you're working directly with the body, but in a way that's generally gentle, respectful. Okay. Second, you're helping people tangibly. You see the results. You help them feel better, move better, often in a sustainable way.
- Speaker #0
That must be rewarding.
- Speaker #1
Hugely. Then there's the freedom aspect. You can often choose your hours, your setting, who you work with.
- Speaker #0
Autonomy.
- Speaker #1
Big time. Plus, you're transmitting a method that's quite rigorous. It's codified, often evidence-based. It's not just making things up.
- Speaker #0
So there's structure.
- Speaker #1
Definitely. And the working environment is usually pretty positive, bright studios, motivated clients, a focus on... Well-being. But maybe most importantly, it creates this really strong link between caring for someone, movement, teaching, and what the source calls body intelligence, helping people reconnect with their own physical selves.
- Speaker #0
You mentioned rigorous and codified. So this isn't just like taking a weekend course and calling yourself an instructor.
- Speaker #1
Oh, absolutely not. That's a key point. Becoming a professional Pilates instructor is serious business. How so? It requires proper structured training. In-depth modules covering anatomy, biomechanics, the exercises themselves, teaching principles. And you need certifications, often internationally recognized ones. Oh. Take this D.L. Pilates method, for instance. It's known for being incredibly thorough, very focused on anatomy, and even rehabilitation principles.
- Speaker #0
And who's doing this training? Is it mostly people already in fitness?
- Speaker #1
Some, sure, like physical therapists or dancers. But what's fascinating is the number of people transitioning from totally different fields. Marketing. Finance, law, luxury goods. Wow. Yeah, often highly qualified professionals who are looking for something with more meaning, more connection.
- Speaker #0
And is the demand actually there for these instructors?
- Speaker #1
It's soaring, seriously. You see Pilates instructors needed in physio clinics, private health clubs, luxury hotels, dedicated studios popping up everywhere, online platforms. It's become a kind of global standard for sustainable health.
- Speaker #0
That really ties back to that societal shift towards well-being we talked about. Exactly. Let's make this even more real. The source mentions some powerful stories, right? People who actually made this kind of leap.
- Speaker #1
Yes, some really compelling examples. There's Emily, 38. She was a fashion buyer. Loved the pace initially, but...
- Speaker #0
Got burned out by the industry.
- Speaker #1
Pretty much. Felt the superficiality got to her. She discovered Pilates, found it grounding, and eventually realized that's what she wanted to do.
- Speaker #0
So what did she do?
- Speaker #1
She trained. Got certified and actually opened her own private studio in Malaysia. Only does one-on-one sessions. Says she finally found her own pace, has time for her family.
- Speaker #0
Amazing. Who else?
- Speaker #1
Then there's Yusuf, 39, a dentist in Tunis.
- Speaker #0
Okay, very different background.
- Speaker #1
Right. Loved being a dentist, but the physical toll hours hunched over led to really bad back pain. Ouch. He tried Pilates almost on a whim and it just transformed things for him. He calls it his addiction. good way went from once a week to every single morning wow and despite it being a massive change especially culturally maybe for a male professional like him he went for it trained opened his own studio in tunis still works hard he says but it's different he's happy that's incredible and one more celine who's 30 now she had a stroke when she was only 24. oh my goodness yeah and pilates became a huge part of her recovery, helping her regain physical confidence, control.
- Speaker #0
I can imagine.
- Speaker #1
After about 10 months of practicing consistently, she just knew it was her calling. So she trained, got certified, opened her own studio in Turkey. Now she helps other people find that confidence in their bodies again.
- Speaker #0
These stories, they really highlight the meaning aspect, don't they? But also the courage it takes.
- Speaker #1
Absolutely. And then that brings up a really important point from the source. What's often the hardest part of making a change like this?
- Speaker #0
The logistics, the training, finding clients.
- Speaker #1
Sometimes, sure. But often, the source suggests, the biggest hurdle is internal. It's daring to believe you actually have the right to change.
- Speaker #0
The right to change. Say more about that.
- Speaker #1
It's understanding that what you do now, your current job title, doesn't have to define your entire life story. Giving yourself permission, basically.
- Speaker #0
That's deep. It means letting go of a lot of fear, doesn't it?
- Speaker #1
Totally. Fear of what people will think, fear of losing status or income, fear of the unknown. stepping out of that comfort zone.
- Speaker #0
But looking at it that way, changing careers isn't really abandoning ship. It's more like an act of self-respect.
- Speaker #1
That's a great way to put it. It's profoundly respecting the person you're becoming. It's saying, clearly, this isn't aligned anymore. I need to find my space elsewhere.
- Speaker #0
Breathe elsewhere, as the source put it.
- Speaker #1
Exactly. And sometimes that elsewhere isn't necessarily halfway across the world. It might be as close as a Pilates mat, that feeling of a deep, controlled breath. Finding an upright posture again. Teaching a class with real presence. Or just, you know, placing a hand gently on a student's back to guide them.
- Speaker #0
Experiencing the body's potential.
- Speaker #1
Yeah, that small daily miracle of the body. Remembering what it can do. That connection can be the elsewhere.
- Speaker #0
So, wrapping up, we've explored those subtle signs of feeling disconnected at work beyond just burnout.
- Speaker #1
Right, that disalignment.
- Speaker #0
We've seen how changing careers is shifting from being seen as f***. failure to being seen as clarity.
- Speaker #1
A positive evolution.
- Speaker #0
And we discovered how a structured, meaningful path, like becoming a Pilates instructor, is offering a real viable alternative for many people seeking change, backed up by those powerful stories.
- Speaker #1
Yeah. Emily, Yusuf, Selen. Yeah. Real transformations.
- Speaker #0
It leaves us with a thought, doesn't it? Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day, that little inner voice, that feeling of disconnect, it might get too loud to ignore.
- Speaker #1
It often does.
- Speaker #0
So the question for you listening is, what might your inner voice be starting to whisper about your path forward? And where, just maybe, might your elsewhere be?
