About

Home/About
About2024-07-08T16:09:35+08:00

Who I work with:

The clients I work with are adult professionals from all walks of life who are looking for a shift towards better, more meaningful and rewarding work.

You come from many different industries and move into a diverse range of roles, sectors and niches. Sadly, you may suffer from the ‘Sunday fog’, feel a lack of purpose, or be dealing with a toxic work environment, which more happily(!) brings us to be working together.

You have life experience under your belt and have done the ‘hard yards’. You have some self awareness but appreciate the chance to be supported to delve deeper. You value monetary rewards but money isn’t a primary motivation of itself, beyond securing your sustainability. You desire meaning in your work and want to know that you contribute towards making a difference.

Perhaps in your mid-career or beyond, you may be thinking that it’s too late to change direction in your career or find something better. But, at the same time you are hopeful.

When we start working together, you see that it is not only possible, but that you can do it. Armed with a next-steps plan, you swing into gear with actions, iterating and refining, as you go.

The emphasis on the ‘Who’ (contacts and connections) is strong in our planning phase, yet you have probably been so focussed on your work for years that your network is latent and will need activation. Don’t worry. You will be equipped with the know-how to do this and become excited about your prospects as things start to happen, through conversations.

You may be surprised when I also offer to connect you with people and suggest organisations. I’m a Connector – I constantly learn, connect, develop my network and update my market knowledge, so that you can benefit from my decades of effort.

Although you may not feel confident in your future in the beginning, your resolve will grow and I will support you to back yourself and go after what you want. 

Investing in a process to uncover your next steps for your future career direction – valuable. Handing you the the keys to drive your powerful vehicle away? Priceless. All you’ll need to do is put your foot on the accelerator – and keep your eyes on the exciting road ahead. 

What clients say…

My Story

Following a corporate career in insurance, ASX Corporate Relations and in superannuation, I decided that it was high time for a change. (More of the back story here…)

I completed a Masters degree in Career Development and in 2005 started Career Wisdom, while also working at the local career drop-in centre, helping people both young and more mature to navigate their careers. In my book “Make Your Move”, I write about varied modes of work, including the ‘portfolio career’ that I’ve enjoyed myself for over a decade.

Over the past 18 years, I’ve had the delight of working with professional rugby players, company ballet dancers, graduates and professionals from all kinds of industries and sectors. I’ve helped people with their careers in one-on-one settings, small group workshops and presentations. It is my belief, and experience, that you can find or create another “Plan A” after a great earlier career that ends as well as create a new brilliant career, and at any age.

Helping people to ‘flick the switch’ to a new sense of purpose in their work is such a buzz!

Awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2019, I investigated services that assist people to navigate their careers, beyond cancer. With cancer survivorship on the rise and an absence of career services in Australia, this is a vital area to address. Career Wisdom is a social business, helping to fund the creation of resources and for cancer survivors to thrive in their career. Your engagement in Career Wisdom programs means helping even more people to thrive with help from the Careers Beyond Cancer project.

Lois has appeared in/on:

Credentials:

  • Master of Career Development
  • Churchill Fellow (Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, Australia)
  • Fellow, Leadership WA
  • Registered Career Development Practitioner, Career Industry Council of Australia
  • Professional Member, Career Development Association of Australia
  • AIS Career Practitioner Network referred practitioner
  • Meaning and Purpose Certification
  • Expert Strengths Profile Accreditation
  • Mental Health First Aid
  • Current Director and previous Non Executive Director of NFP Boards and Higher Education Governing Council.

What’s different about working with me? Good question! Here’s what my clients tell me – that I’m:

My clients recognise the advantage of me tapping into my creativity and ability to ‘connect the dots’. Many of my clients are highly creative too and love to bounce ideas around whilst staying true to a process – while others are more analytical and appreciate the creative and analytical process that I bring to uncovering themes and the ideation process.

Honing my connection skills from my early years attending seven schools, then working in corporate relations and engagement roles, across multiple networks and sectors, a top strength is as a Connector. My clients often say: “you know EVERYONE!”. (Not quite, but you get the gist…) Where possible, I like to provide you with warm introductions to generous members of my personal network. This is priceless.
Masters qualified in Career Development, I did the Signature program with Leadership WA and was awarded a Churchill Fellowship. I continually add to my knowledge with short courses, conferences and mentoring. I’m a referred practitioner for the AIS Career Practitioner Network and a Registered Career Development Practitioner with the Career Industry Council of Australia. I write, counsel, coach, speak and mentor.
So far, I have clocked up 17 years as a career practitioner. I’ve been around the block, and there’s never a dull moment! I’ve worked in multiple settings including professional sport, the education sector, corporate consulting, non-profit and private practice. I’m all in – 100% (I’m not working other jobs while doing this as a side hustle.)
I blend career counselling, career coaching, mentoring and career advising to do a deep dive into you better understanding yourself and your drivers, what’s ‘out there’ and what interests you – and help you to uncover your next best steps to actually getting there.

So… what is ‘Career Wisdom’ all about?

Career Wisdom began with the notion that you have your wisdom inside you, and sometimes it just needs.. gentle extraction!

A ‘career’ is holistic and represents all the activities of a person including paid and unpaid (voluntary) work, hobbies and passions.

‘Wisdom’ also refers to the Balance Theory of Wisdom which ‘defines wisdom as the use of one’s intelligence, creativity, common sense, and knowledge and as mediated by positive ethical values toward the achievement of a common good through a balance among intrapersonal, interpersonal, and extrapersonal interests, over the short and long terms to achieve a balance among adaptation to existing environments, shaping of existing environments, and selection of new environments.’ (Robert J. Sternberg)

While striving for this balance and the common good within the context of career choices, many can begin with the concept of simply doing no harm.

A tree is a beautiful symbol of wisdom and life.

The first logo was conceived from the beauty of the bonsai tree (I love Japan and Japanese things!) yet not constrained or clipped by others, more like a mini version of a Monterey Pine. In a pause during the logo design process, I spotted these while travelling down the Big Sur in California. Against the odds, these trees adapted to the coastal winds and dug their roots into the sandy, rocky soil to not just survive but thrive. A demonstration of resolve and resilience we can learn much from!

As my career practice evolved, an emphasis within the planning and action stage of building a strong and connected network grew. The new logo still has the roots of values and ‘old’ wisdom, but reinforces connection and the ever present digital landscape that we navigate in modern careers. The circle represents the ‘paying forward’ of social enterprise, to support the Careers Beyond Cancer initiative.