This Is Not The Career I Ordered™ Blog
Savvy Professional Career Wisdom by Caroline Dowd-Higgins
This is Not the Career I Ordered is read by thousands of careerists around the globe. With savvy tools, inspiration, and resources, this timeless book empowers you to enjoy your career, and love your life!
What Is Your Body Asking For? The Leadership Wisdom of Midlife
Your body is not an obstacle to your leadership. It is a source of intelligence. For years, high-achieving women often override hunger, fatigue, pain, stress, and the need for recovery in the name of performance. You keep going because people depend on you, deadlines matter, and ambition feels urgent. But what happens when pushing through […]
Beyond Endurance: Why Energy Intelligence Is the Real Leadership Superpower
Burnout is not a leadership strategy. Exhaustion is not proof of commitment. And constant availability is not the same as effectiveness. In her recent Chief article, “The Future of Leadership Depends Less on Resilience and More on Energy Intelligence,” Erin Coupe makes a sharp case for a new leadership model: stop glorifying endurance and start […]
The $1 Trillion Invisible Workforce: Why Supporting Family Caregivers is the Next Leadership Frontier
The backbone of our economy isn’t just found in glass-walled boardrooms or high-tech innovation hubs; it’s found in living rooms, quiet kitchens at 2:00 AM, and hospital corridors. We are currently witnessing the rise of a massive, essential, yet largely invisible workforce that is propping up our society. According to the latest 2026 AARP update, […]
The Happiness Paradox: What the 2026 World Happiness Report Reveals About Our Future
With global uncertainty reaching a fever pitch, the 2026 World Happiness Report has just dropped, and the results are nothing short of a wake-up call. We are currently living through a massive global contradiction. While 85 out of 136 countries report that their youth are actually happier than they were two decades ago, the story […]
The Reverse Networking Revolution: The Power of Multi-Generational Relationships
The traditional career ladder is officially leaning against the wrong wall. For decades, we’ve been told that networking is a one-way street – you reach up, you find a mentor with twenty more years of experience than you, and you wait for their wisdom to trickle down. But in today’s hyper-accelerated, tech-driven market, that top-down […]
The High-Performance Paradox: Why Women Lead in Engagement, and Burnout
With burnout on the rise and the talent landscape shifting beneath our feet, it is crucial to address a growing contradiction in the modern workplace: women are more engaged than ever, yet they are also the most exhausted. According to the latest Gallup Q4 2025 data, women’s workplace engagement stands at 34%, significantly outpacing their […]
Unshakeable Confidence: Silence Your Inner Critic and Own the Room
Perhaps you know the feeling. You’re standing outside a glass-walled conference room, or perhaps you’re about to unmute yourself on a high-stakes Zoom call. Your palms are slightly damp, your heart is doing a rhythmic tap dance against your ribs, and that pesky little voice in the back of your head is whispering, no, shouting: […]
The Resilience Revolution: Why Women are Redefining Success Beyond the Hustle
The era of the Girlboss hustle is officially over. For decades, women were told that the key to breaking the glass ceiling was simply to work harder, stay later, and say “yes” to every opportunity that crossed their desks. We were sold a version of success that required us to be masters of the universe […]
Beyond the Hustle: How Women Nurture Themselves While Scaling the Ladder
Here’s the truth bomb nobody wants to say out loud, 76% of professional women report experiencing burnout, and that number is up 12% from pre-pandemic levels. We’re not just tired – we’re running on fumes while pretending the tank is full. But here’s where it gets interesting. The most successful women leaders aren’t just crushing […]
Stop Wasting Time on Wellness Programs: Build a Wellbeing Ecosystem That Drives ROI
Let me guess – your company rolled out a wellness program. Maybe you got yoga classes, a meditation app subscription, or those standing desks everyone requested. And yet… burnout is still through the roof, turnover is climbing, and your team looks about as energized as a smartphone at 2% battery. Here’s the truth bomb: “You […]
The Essential Gift of Self Love
It’s the time of year for cards with red hearts, chocolates, and flowers as Valentine’s Day is celebrated in February. It causes anxiety for some who are seeking affection, and bliss for others who are celebrating their love with someone special. This Valentine’s Day I encourage you to see it through a different lens. Celebrate […]
The Power of the Pause: Why a Sabbatical Might Be Your Best Career Move Yet
We’ve all heard the mantras: Keep grinding. Push through. Success requires sacrifice. But here’s the truth nobody wants to admit – sometimes the most powerful career move you can make is to stop. I’m talking about a real pause. A sabbatical. A leave of absence. Time away from the hamster wheel to actually breathe, think, […]
10 Ways to Nurture Yourself at Work Without Feeling Guilty
Let’s get one thing straight: taking care of yourself at work isn’t selfish, it’s self-preservation. With burnout rates climbing and workplace stress becoming the norm rather than the exception, nurturing yourself during the workday isn’t just nice to have. It’s non-negotiable. Yet many feel guilty every time we step away from our desks for five […]
Stop Burning Out Your Best People: 5 Ways to Nurture Yourself (and Your Team) Without Reducing Workload
With burnout on the rise, it’s crucial to act now. Seventy-six percent of employees experience workplace burnout, and the cost of an employee leaving is usually equivalent to one year of their annual salary. You can’t afford to treat a severe injury with a Band-Aid. Throwing more time off at the problem doesn’t work (most […]
