In this episode, I'm joined by Rachel Abad to talk about the twists, turns, and unexpected experiences that ultimately led her to founding her own communications consultancy.

Growing up in regional North Queensland, Rachel always knew she wanted to leave her hometown and build a career beyond its boundaries. While law was her original plan, missing the grades led her into a Communications degree instead, a decision that would shape the rest of her career.

Through internships, she discovered a love of teamwork, fast-paced environments, and working to deadlines. After a challenging start to her job search, Rachel landed a role in a small agency working with Telstra licensees, which eventually led to positions with a Telstra master licensee and later Telstra's head office.

Along the way, she developed expertise in stakeholder management, communications, and navigating complex environments, skills that would later transfer seamlessly into infrastructure, rail projects, and community engagement work in Melbourne.

But like many people, Rachel's career wasn't without challenges.

During COVID, years of pressure and overwork caught up with her. Burnout, hospitalisation, and a diagnosis of intracranial hypertension forced her to reassess her relationship with work, success, and identity.

Our conversation explores:

✅ Building a career when the path isn't clear
✅ Stakeholder management and transferable skills
✅ Burnout, recovery, and redefining success
✅ When work becomes too much of your identity
✅ Starting a business and overcoming fear
✅ Finding purpose and meaning in your work
✅ Why nobody really has it all figured out

This is an honest conversation about career detours, resilience, burnout, entrepreneurship, and the reality that most successful careers are built one step at a time.

To connect with Rachel 
Website: looped-in.com.au 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-abad-59303452/