What happens when you leave Big Tech to build a startup… and end up coming back?

For a while I wanted to interview someone who went on to start their own business - but then came back to employment with a fresh new perspective… and finally I was lucky to meet Anna Buldakova:

🚀 Ex-Big Tech product leader

📈 Forbes Technology Council member

🌍 Founder of a 40,000+ Product Management community

Anna did what many dream of - left a stable product role, raised $2.5M in VC funding, launched her own startup - and embarked on a journey which had it all:

✔️The thrill of finding product-market fit

✔️The need to pivot

✔️The burnout, weekend work, pressure to scale - and the stress of shutting down the business due to factors no one could control

✔️The decision to return to Big Tech - having considered starting a new venture and becoming a Chief Product Officer at a startup

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Shameless Careers episode if we didn’t deep dive into some practicalities like:

✔️ How to prepare a Plan B before taking the leap into entrepreneurship

✔️ What not to do when picking a business idea

✔️ Why taking VC money is not always the way to go

Enjoy!

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ YouTube version of Shameless Careers:

https://www.youtube.com/@ShamelessCareers

✅ Stay Connected With Me: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varia-pechurina/

🔔If you are a mid career professional in a high pressure industry - like finance, consulting, law, tech - who feels unfulfilled with what they do, and is wondering what's next - subscribe for interviews with people who have been in your shoes, took charge, and made career changes to become fulfilled again (within their existing career tracks or through career pivots). You will also hear from career coaches and other experts on the best practices of making those changes

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#CareerChange #LeavingBigTech #StartupLessons #VCStartup #FounderJourney #CareerReinvention #ProductManagement #ShamelessCareers #WorkLifeBalance #EntrepreneurBurnout #ZeroToOne #CareerDecisions #HighAchievers

⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Portfolio careers are exploding - and they’re not just a trend, they’re the future.

By 2030, nearly half the workforce will be part of the gig economy - and portfolio careers are the white collar version of this trend. There are structural reasons for this shift - many companies want flexibility with talent (which will be exacerbated by AI), while many professionals want more autonomy and more earnings potential.

In this episode, we break it all down with Ben Legg - ex-Google exec and CEO of the Portfolio Collective.

Tune in to the episode to learn:

- The 4 types of portfolio careers - and which one might fit you best

- What you can realistically earn (plus the most lucrative paths to aim for)

- How to start building a portfolio career - even if have no clue where to begin

✅ Stay Connected:

👉 With Ben Legg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benlegg/

👉With me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varia-pechurina/

👉Check out The Portfolio Collective: https://portfolio-collective.com/

🔔If you are a mid-career professional in a high pressure industry who feels unfulfilled with what they do, and is wondering what's next - subscribe for interviews with people who have been in your shoes, took charge, and made career changes to become fulfilled again (within their existing career tracks or through career pivots). You will also hear from experts on the best practices of making those changes.

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#PortfolioCareer #GigEconomy #FreelanceLife #SideHustle #CareerFlexibility #RemoteWork #DigitalNomad #FutureOfWork #WorkLifeBalance #AIandWork #FlexJobs

⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes someone shift from a stable corporate career to a completely different path?

In this deeply personal episode of Shameless Careers, Angela Senese reflects on how a combination of personal experiences - motherhood, health issues, and the loss of a loved one - led her to reassess her career and life in general.

These life events have led Angela to leave the financial services industry, where she spent 17 years, to retrain as a nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner - turning a personal need for healing into a career helping others.

In this conversation, we are talking about:

- How big life changes can lead to revaluation of life and career priorities

- How resting - and carefully listening to your body and emotions - can be a great source of insight

- How major changes can happen without a grand plan - but as a result of following "breadcrumbs" - small signs and interests that you may have

I hope you like it - and I (genuinely) would love to hear your reflections on these deep and important topics, let me know in comments!

And of course, subscribe if you want to hear more stories about how people build careers they love.

✅ Stay Connected:

With Angela Senese: https://nutrimente.co.uk/

With Shameless Careers: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shameless-careers/

#CareerChange #LifeAfterBurnout #WorkingMoms #CareerPivot #ReinventYourCareer #PurposeAtWork #FromFinanceToWellness #WomenInTransition #WellnessCareer #IntentionalLiving

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✅ About Shameless Careers

Welcome to Shameless Careers, your go-to podcast for inspiring stories about building a career you love. Listen to interviews with individuals who found their true calling. Learn how they made it happen - how they discovered what they truly wanted to do and the practical steps they took to get there.

On this channel, you’ll also find interviews with career coaches and mindfulness professionals, offering insights on how to build a career you love.

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⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.