Episode Description
🎙️ EPISODE DESCRIPTION:
What happens when the career and pace you once managed no longer fit your changing capacity?
In this episode, I’m speaking with Narelle Vigor, Registered Professional Career Counsellor and founder of Soul Compass, about burnout, identity shifts and the challenges women face during perimenopause and midlife.
We explore why many capable women feel they can no longer keep up, how hormonal changes, sleep disruption, brain fog and caregiving impact confidence, and why pushing harder isn’t the answer.
Narelle also shares why more women are turning to self-employment, the risks involved, and how small “two-degree shifts” can help you regain energy and clarity without overhauling your life.
This conversation is a reminder that honouring your capacity isn’t failure, it’s an opportunity to create work that supports who you are now.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
- How perimenopause can affect energy, focus and work capacity
- Why sleep disruption and cognitive changes impact performance
- Why midlife women feel pressure to push through burnout
- How caregiving and mental load affect careers
- Why flexibility and safe workplaces matter
- The pros and risks of self-employment
- How working from home can both support and isolate
- Why connection and community are essential
- How flow and interest-based work support wellbeing
- Why multitasking may reduce productivity
- How small “two-degree shifts” create change
- Why self-awareness and self-compassion matter in midlife
ABOUT NARELLE VIGOR:
Narelle Vigor is a registered professional career counsellor and founder of Soul Compass, a practice devoted to helping mid-life women navigate burnout, identity shifts, and career transitions with clarity and soul. Drawing on two decades of experience across counselling, coaching, veteran career transition, and holistic therapies, Narelle blends somatic insight, eastern philosophy, and evidence-based practice to support women designing work that works for them.
A late-diagnosed neurodivergent woman, Narelle brings both lived experience and deep professional expertise to her mission: redefining career development for a generation of women who were never given a roadmap. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Education (Career Development and Counselling), certifications in polarity therapy, counselling, ayurvedic wellness coaching, and is a professional member of the Career Development Association of Australia (CDAA) and Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA).
CONNECT WITH NARELLE VIGOR:
Web: https://www.soulcompass.life/
Facebook: @soulcompasscareers
Instagram: @soulcompasscareers
RESOURCES FROM NARELLE:
Spirituality in Career and Life Design
The Myth of Self-Employment as Freedom for Mid-Life Women
CONNECT WITH HOST TERRI BATSAKIS:
Web: https://terribatsakis.com.au/
Instagram: @terri.batsakis
Facebook: @terribatsakis
YouTube: @terribatsakis