#124 The Power of Saying Yes to Opportunity (and the Joy of Accidental Careers) with Andrea McLean

“It is never what happens to you, it’s how you react to it”   On this episode Andrea McLean, media coach and presenter, joins us to talk about early career doors that open and close for us that lead us, often unexpectedly, to define where our career goes. We talk about when life feels like a hall of mirrors, accidental careers, the people around us in moments of change, losing your dream job and not letting fear get in the way,    Andrea’s refreshing philosophy of saying yes and going with the flow is a good reminder to be open to opportunities, even if they don’t quite fit what you had in mind.   “Ask the question - will I regret saying no, why wouldn’t I say yes?”    Here are the highlights:   04:31 Mistakenly applied for a weather presenter job. 08:36 Editor resisted leaving for a new weather presenter job. 14:16 Overcoming challenges and taking calculated risks. 19:07 Sudden job loss caused confusion and disappointment. 22:54 Invited for an interview due to mistaken identity. 29:11 Every decision is personal, even in business. 43:59 A resilient person keeps bouncing back from failure. 45:39 Preparing for the worst-case scenarios can reduce fear. 48:13 Fear is a tiger; learn to walk alongside it. 57:11 Take small manageable steps for more progress.   Are you looking for speakers with a fresh voice for your next workshop or conference? Check out https://recommended.anotherdoor.co.uk Andrea’s Another Door go-tos The things that helped Andrea navigate change. Books: Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, Girl, wash your face by Rachel Hollis, What am I missing? by Emma Reed Turrell  Music: Kelly Clarkson - Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You), Foo Fighters - Times Like These The one piece of advice: “They say to take life one step at a time. I think too often we try to take 2 bigger steps. And if you visualise it this way, when you try and take a massive stride, you're so out of balance and you're so likely to fall over because you've taken this huge step. Whereas actually if you just take small manageable steps you will make so much more progress and you'll be so much more sure footed in what you're doing than trying to take huge big steps. So my bit of advice would be to relax. Don't think that every step you take needs to be massive.”   About your host Eleanor Tweddell: Eleanor supports individuals, teams and organisations through change. Whether it’s 121 coaching or large scale organisational change through communications and training. Eleanor’s work centres around how we, as humans, work through change, embracing the messy bits, the role of playing, with the aim to see opportunity. “Too often we get stuck in the change happening to us, when just through that next door is an exciting next chapter.”    Eleanor is the founder of Another Door, and Get-Recommended.com and the author of Why losing your job could be the best thing that ever happened to you.    Connect with Eleanor: Instagram:instagram/anotherdooruk LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-tweddell/ Website: eleanortweddell.com About Andrea McLean:   Andrea McLean is Multiple Sunday Times Best Selling Author, Broadcaster, Media Coach, Keynote Speaker, and Brand Ambassador. In her 24-year career as a broadcaster Andrea has interviewed some of the biggest names in the business, including Beyoncé, Drew Barrymore, Michael Bublé and Ariana Grande. She also hosted ITV’s ratings and multi award-winning live national Daytime chat show Loose Women for 13 years.   Andrea works with Entertainers, Creatives, Authors, Brands, Founders and CEOs, helping them tell their story so they can sell their talents. Her CPD Accredited Online Coaching Course helps individuals, teams and communities get their message across clearly and with integrity.   Find out more: https://themediacoach.academy/   Connect with Andrea: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreamclean1/   Produced by winteraudio.co.uk