Navigating Career Transitions: How Do You Know When It’s Time to Pivot?

What Are the Signs That It’s Time to Change Direction?

One of the most overlooked steps in transition is simply honoring the feeling that change is needed. You don’t need a dramatic breakdown or a rock-bottom moment. Sometimes, it’s a quiet pull. A voice inside saying, “There’s more for me than this.”

Tara Arthur, a lifelong martial artist and former international competitor, put her thoughts about career transition beautifully on the podcast:

“Your sporting journey doesn’t have to end. It may transition or translate. You then become the next generation’s leader or you take those skills into something else.”

That’s the clarity. The shift isn’t about losing what you’ve built. It’s about carrying it into a new arena.

How Do You Start Exploring New Career Paths After A Career Transition?

Curiosity is the best teammate you’ve got.

It’s easy to feel boxed in by what you’ve always done. But when you let yourself explore, whether through podcasts, networking chats, short courses, or simply observing what excites you, you begin to gather clues.

Tara didn’t jump straight from karate into co-founding a humanitarian security company. Her path took shape through years of connecting dots. Values, skills, experiences. And learning how to apply them in new ways.

Think of it like training for a new event. You wouldn’t expect to master it overnight. But every session adds to the picture. Same with a new career.

What Skills Are You Already Carrying With You?

Here’s the part we don’t talk about enough: you’re not starting from zero.

You already know discipline. You know how to perform under pressure. You know how to handle setbacks, adjust, and go again. That’s gold in any field.

Tara’s entire professional pivot into the security space came from the core principles she learned through martial arts. Awareness. Preparation. Confidence. Adaptability. She didn’t have to become someone else. She had to translate who she already was.

So the real question becomes: how do you want to use what you’ve built?

What Can You Do Right Now?

If you’re in the middle of a career crossroads, here are three things I’d suggest:

1. Get honest with yourself.

Are you fulfilled? Are you challenged? Are you learning? If the answer is consistently no, that’s a sign. Don’t ignore it.

2. Have the conversation.

Reach out to someone who’s made a change you admire. Not for a job. For insight. Ask what they learned. What surprised them. Let their story open your mind to new options.

3. Take one small action.

Enroll in a workshop. Refresh your LinkedIn. Start a journal. Send that message. The leap always starts with a single step.

What If This Isn’t the End But the Beginning?

Transitions aren’t always about leaving something behind. Sometimes, they’re about carrying it forward in a new form.

The tools you’ve sharpened through your sport, grit, focus, leadership, they’re still with you. Now it’s about asking: what else can I build with them?

If you’re standing at that edge, unsure of the next move, you’re not alone. And you’re not lost. You’re evolving.

🎧 Want more real stories like Tara’s?

Listen to her full episode on the 2ndwind Podcast or watch it on YouTube.

#CareerClarity #2ndwindAcademy