When a Career You Love Ends and What to Do Next?
- Feb 18
- 4 min read
After a successful career in media and fashion, Simon transitioned into coaching, where he combines Life Coaching with powerful somatic practices like Breathwork and Meditation. He supports clients through career and personal transitions, helping navigate challenges like anxiety, stress, burnout, depression, dependencies, and relational issues.
Over the past few years, a quiet storm has been building across industries once considered ‘buzzing’, reliable careers. What began as temporary pandemic-era shifts has escalated into a substantial transformation of how we work today.
From the media and tech sector’s massive layoffs to the contraction of traditional media and the rise of automation in professional services. The ripple effect is huge, and there is little loyalty or longevity. At the heart of this crisis are major shifts: changing consumer habits, soaring operational costs, and the rapid integration of AI.
The personal cost of a structural shift
For many, this isn't just a market correction, it’s deeply personal. People with years or decades of experience, with commitments like rent, children, or mortgages, suddenly find themselves on the outside, looking in.
Many are forced to burn through savings or accept entry-level roles just to keep the lights on. But the real toll isn't just financial. They are grappling with a loss of identity, purpose, and a sense of belonging. They sacrificed weekends, holidays, and time for their careers. Now, they are left asking the hardest questions of their lives: What could I possibly do next?
Stabilising: The power of the "bridge job"
When the floor falls out from under you, the priority is survival, not just financial, but mental. Trying to reinvent your entire career while under extreme financial stress is like trying to fix a plane while it’s in a nosedive. This is where the "bridge job" comes in.
Stabilising might mean taking a temporary contract, temping in an office, or stepping into a consultancy role outside your usual field. These aren't "steps backwards", they are strategic manoeuvres to buy you the most valuable asset you have, which is time.
You are leveraging your transferable skills. You aren't "just" a producer, an editor, or a manager. You are a project coordinator, a great communicator, and a problem solver. Temping agencies and adjacent industries value the reliability and "soft skills" that veterans bring to the table.
Keeping the cash flow A bridge job provides a steady income and a daily routine. Once the immediate panic of financial pressure begins to fade, it makes room for the mental clarity you need to actually imagine and plan what comes next.
The foot in the door: Often, these interim roles reveal "hidden" industries you never knew existed, providing a low-risk way to test-drive a new environment or job you might be interested in.
The anchor in the storm: Finding your career center
When a career you loved ends, the silence of a morning without "the office" can feel heavy with worry. This is where a daily holistic practice comes in. It becomes more than just exercise, it becomes your sanctuary. Whether it’s ten minutes of meditation, Breathwork or Yoga/Pilates, or the grounding breathwork of Tai Chi, these moments offer a way to reclaim your power.
When you step onto a mat or sit in stillness, you aren't a job title or a set of anxieties, you are simply you, present and breathing. It’s in these quiet, moving meditations that the panic of the future begins to soften, replaced by a steady, quiet confidence that you got this, you can handle whatever comes next.
Uncertainty to opportunity: Finding your next step
The emotional weight of losing a career you loved is heavy. But once the initial grief begins to clear, a slow spark of curiosity might follow. This moment, however painful, calls for a deeper reflection on the "self" versus the "salary."
If you find yourself in this transition, start by asking:
Who am I beyond my job title? We often tether our worth to our business cards. Who are you when that card is taken away?
What are my non-negotiables? Looking forward, what do you need for a sustainable life (e.g., flexibility, creativity, stability)?
What limiting beliefs are holding me back? Thoughts like "I’m too old" or "My skills don't translate" are often the biggest barriers to entry in a new field.
The internal shift: You aren’t starting over
This transition is about more than just a career change. It’s about honouring the skills and passions that brought you this far and finding meaningful ways to carry them into a new chapter.
Sometimes, the biggest hurdle is confidence. It is easy to feel like you are starting from zero, but you aren't. The change may be seismic, but within it lies the opportunity to rebuild something more sustainable, fulfilling, and aligned with who you are today, not who you were when your career first began. You aren’t starting from scratch, you’re starting from experience.
Read more from Simon Frese
Simon Frese, Transformational Life & Breathwork Coach
Simon brings a rich background in the creative industries to his work as a certified Life and Breathwork Coach. Integrating Coaching with somatic practices like Breathwork and Meditation, he supports clients through both personal and professional transitions. Simon helps individuals navigate challenges such as anxiety, stress, grief, burnout. dependencies, and relationship dynamics with a grounded, holistic, and spiritual approach.
Passionate about empowering the next generation of creatives, Simon also collaborates with organisations such as St Giles Trust, a charity for at-risk youth, and the Paul Smith Foundation, where he coaches emerging fashion designers and young creatives.
