Career Transitions Debut with Vanessa Teo and Vanessa Iloste | E1

We’re delighted to launch our brand-new podcast, Career Transitions, hosted by Vanessa Teo and Vanessa Iloste. 

We are HR leaders who are passionate about helping others achieve their full potential. Over the years, we have coached many people through life and career transitions, which has ignited our interest in the topic. We are fascinated with the science behind change, and curious to understand the trends and patterns of successful transitions. 

We will bring together guests from all walks of life who have been through crucial career stages. We hope that you will be inspired by learning from the experiences of others- business leaders, executive coaches, and experts. 

Connect with us on LinkedIn:

· Vanessa Iloste (Host)

· Vanessa Teo (Host)

· Aaron Wu (Producer)

Transcript

[00:00:00] Vanessa I: Hello, everyone. Welcome to our very first episode of the Carrier Transition Podcast. We are your hosts. My name is Vanessa Iloste and my very good friend on the line is Vanessa Teo. 

[00:00:18] Vanessa T: That's right. You heard correctly. We're both Vanessa's. And it was really a pure coincidence when we first met more than 10 years ago, when we both worked in the same organization.

Vanessa Iloste was based in our Hong Kong office and me, Vanessa Teo, I was based in Singapore. 

[00:00:36] Vanessa I: That's true. We were both HR leader on the same HR leadership team and having the same name somehow brought us closer together, to say the truth. So, sometimes it also causes some funny confusion, especially when I was trying to dodge a difficult question and I was trying to give it to you, my dear.

[00:00:56] Vanessa T: I remember that. 

[00:00:58] Vanessa I: People on our teams always refer to us as Vanessa I and Vanessa T. So we decided we are going to go with that for the show as it will make things easier. 

[00:01:08] Vanessa T: That's right. I remember many of our colleagues calling us double trouble, but you know what? We were always great partners on the HR leadership team and I always loved how you challenged the status quo and you always approached challenges with this deep sense of curiosity.

So I recall, Vanessa, when we first met, I was impressed that a French lady like yourself had spent so many years living in Asia. Now you've lived in Japan, in China, in Hong Kong, and now Singapore. And in fact, Vanessa I has had such a successful career spanning three countries. Vanessa I has lived through major life transitions.

Including cross border changes, cross border moves with your family, cross organizations. And each time I've been impressed with the level of energy, resilience that you've brought to each one of your transitions. 

[00:02:03] Vanessa I: That's very nice of you to say these very kind words. I also remember a lot about you and we have known each other for many years now.

Uh, I think the, the first thing I found very, very charming was your smile and your ability to giggle about almost everything. And you also had this ability to be already in the future. So you were encouraging me to be also as an HR professional in the future. I mean, uh, the first time you challenged me was around the tool that is called BlueJeans.

And I remember resenting it because I didn't want to be on camera. But now that I'm doing and using Zoom almost every day, I feel very happy that you actually pushed me out of my comfort zone. And I feel very grateful to you, Vanessa T, for what you have done for me. So thank you so much. 

[00:02:53] Vanessa T: Well, pushing ourselves out of comfort zone has certainly been something that both of us have gotten quite used to doing.

With almost 50 years of combined experience between the two of us in HR, we've built quite a diverse knowledge and experience bank that we love to bring to the world. So the topic that we're talking about, the topic of career transitions, we recognize it's such an important topic that impacts every professional and we know it because we've been through it ourselves.

[00:03:25] Vanessa I: Yes, we have been through many transitions. And before we start, I wanted to ask you to share with the audience why we chose this topic, because there were many, many topics when we started thinking about this podcast in November and finally, this is the one that is made in the number one position on our list.

So, Vanessa, please tell us why is it that one? 

[00:03:48] Vanessa T: That's right. It made it to the top of our greatest hits because this topic is, is a topic that I believe and we believe really resonates with all professionals. No matter which stage of career we're in, whether you're in early, mid, late stage, you will experience these ups and downs in career.

And throughout this career marathon, you will have those pivotal moments of making decisions when you're changing roles, changing organizations, changing industries, maybe relocating to a different country, or when the time is right, a career break or retirement. And very importantly, the way that we go about navigating through all of these transitions is so crucial to our personal success and well-being.

[00:04:36] Vanessa I: I agree. And I want to add that we need to also talk about the personal transition. Uh, because, uh, we, the two of us, we have been through a couple of life stages already. And, uh, we are going to continue building our friendship and our relationship, the progress of, you know, our family and, uh, the age of our children and the relationship we have with, uh, our loved ones.

I think that from happy moments, um, to very tough challenge, we also need to learn how to go through transition and it can be happy, like becoming a new parent, or it can be also very tough like losing someone you love. So I think that the same way we are applying ourselves in our career transition, we need to also learn from our life transition and we need to understand how to better navigate them.

And, uh, how to become in the journey a better human being. 

[00:05:34] Vanessa T: Yeah. Yes. Becoming a better human being. Now, in our roles in HR, as professionals and as leaders, you and I, we've witnessed through the years, and we've coached and we've counseled many employees as they walk through those moments in life and career.

And, you know, I felt so deeply in my heart that through this show, we want to share some of those experiences and some of those learnings that we've had. But we also want to do it through some of our friends and networks that we want them to come share their stories of transition. And hopefully it would also inspire members of the audience.

Like all of us, our friends and our networks who we're going to invite onto our show, they too have experienced these transitions in life and career. And I know that they're very excited to share that with us. 

[00:06:24] Vanessa I: This is what I love with you, Vanessa. You're always looking at the best in people and trying to learn from what is available around us.

And this is one of your gifts. So one of the things you created for this podcast is the concept of association with a chrysalis. And this is your idea that I felt was very, very beautiful. I think that for some of the people who listen to us, they might wonder why do we associate the career transition with a chrysalis.

So. I just want to remind everyone that chrysalis is one of the stage in the butterfly development when it's covered with the hard case and just about to spread its wings and become an adult. So we feel very strongly that in a transition, the same way a butterfly goes through different stages, our careers go through moments and we need to adapt ourselves to the different periods that are coming to us.

And sometimes we experience feelings of discomfort, resistance, denial, and it's not smooth. So we feel that with the right mindset, with the right relationship, with the right support and the career tools, there is a way for us to better navigate these moments and to watch ourselves emerging from the chrysalis.

[00:07:33] Vanessa T: Yeah, I think that emergence from a chrysalis is such an important stage in a butterfly's life. And absolutely, when we think about transitions in life and career, we do go through that transformative experience. And so Vanessa, I, would you share with the audience how going through these transitions has impacted you and in your career and in life?

[00:07:55] Vanessa I: Yes, uh, there is a moment I wanted to share. So I remember exactly 10 years ago, because my, uh, little boy is going to have his birthday in, uh, in one week. I was going back to work and it was a new challenge. So I had a second child and a new job challenge. And I remember my, my body actually rejecting the changes because I was feeling already very tired from the beginning of taking care of this little boy.

And I really didn't, um, have, I think, enough energy to, at that time, I thought to go through career transition at the same time. So I felt a little bit like this. Chrysalis was very heavy on me and it was almost like physical pain that I could feel when I was trying very hard even in the morning to wake up.

So I think that this is a very good comparison to a moment in my life which I'm so happy and so proud of overcome and I want to share with this message to all the new mummies who might be listening to us today and who might go through this difficult feeling as well. So I think that once you go through the first couple of months and your body and your mind adapt to the life and professional transition stage, you feel much better and you're ready to take on the world.

[00:09:15] Vanessa T: Wow, I remember that time, too, because I remember you as a new mother. Right about the same time I had my second baby as well. 

[00:09:25] Vanessa I: Exactly. 

[00:09:25] Vanessa T: And he's also almost 10 years old now. 

[00:09:27] Vanessa I: Exactly. So, yes, I was wondering, what about you, Vanessa T? Is it also this moment that you would have chosen to give an example about the association between the butterfly transformation and the career transition?

[00:09:41] Vanessa T: Yeah, you know, when I think about a butterfly's transformation going from, you know, the egg stage to a caterpillar to a chrysalis and then to a butterfly, I think that each of these stages are stages of discovery and of transformation. Yes, I do think about the stage when I became a new mother that was a very critical moment in, in life as well as in career.

I also think about some of the cross functional changes and cross border moves that I've had to make. In very recent times, I made a cross functional move and after being in HR for more than almost 20 years, I decided to make a move and within the same organization, take on a challenge on the commercial team.

And that was a really big decision because after so many years in a, you know, an established career in HR, taking that risk to transform myself into a commercial leader has truly, for me, been on some days a discomforting feeling. On other days, it has been a feeling of newness and, and embracing very positive changes, but on, on other days too, it's, it's very frightening.

And I'm sure that as a butterfly goes through those transition stages too, there are many days when it is also struggling to get through each one of those days, but what I can feel and sense through this transformation is that I'm learning and growing at an exponential rate, but it is truly uncomfortable on, on some days.

[00:11:16] Vanessa I: But it's okay because you have me on the phone who can support you. 

[00:11:19] Vanessa T: I know, I know, and that absolutely has been, you've been one of my pillars as well. So Vanessa, maybe we should share with the audience, why are we doing this? You know, and when we started thinking about Putting a podcast together, we really wanted to bring a much wider impact to people, you know, and to use the knowledge and experiences that we have to impact more people.

And so I'll start to share why we believe it's so important we're doing this. Topic on career transitions, because it impacts every professional, us included. And we believe that you and us, we don't need to navigate through these transitions alone, through the lived experiences of others, through the lived experiences of friends and networks that you will have around you, we can all learn and gain together.

[00:12:14] Vanessa I: I agree. And I hope as well, because the two of us, we like a lot about, you know, doing research and human resources in psychology, that we will be able to identify some patterns, some trends, and that we'll be able to actually find some nuggets that will be useful, hopefully, as a framework for the future of all of us.

And, you know, the more we have frameworks, the more we have concepts and the easier it is for us to go through this transition. 

[00:12:41] Vanessa T: Yeah, absolutely. 

[00:12:43] Vanessa I: I'm very much looking forward to this. I've been waiting and you have been waiting for, you know, close to seven months and we have been doing a lot of research together.

We had a lot of coffee meetings. I don't know how much coffee I've drunk, but most probably not good for my heart. And I looking forward to getting this on the road. So I think we are going to have some fun with the guest and I think we are going to learn a lot of new things and I really believe that the journey of life will be more joyful when we have a lot of good examples and a good of a funny stories along the way with some people that we care and we admire.

Yeah, and we hope that our stories and those of our friends and guests who will bring on to the show will help to inspire everyone to think differently about career transitions and to get inspired through the stories of others, recognize that you have a community of support and really get some practical tips along the way.

So we invite you to join us on this journey of discovery and transformation, as well as to unveil our career transition podcast. See you soon. 

[00:13:50] Vanessa T: See you soon.