Your Career Journey Podcast
Career paths are rarely linear.
There are changes in direction, unexpected opportunities, difficult decisions, setbacks and moments when we're not quite sure what comes next.
That's what Your Career Journey is about.
I'm Emma Graham, a career coach with a background in recruitment, and in each episode I sit down with leaders, marketers, creatives and experienced professionals to talk about the reality behind their careers.
Not just where they've ended up, but how they got there.
We talk about the decisions they've made, the opportunities they've taken, the things that haven't worked out and what they've learnt along the way.
You'll hear honest conversations about career change, leadership, confidence, adaptability, navigating uncertainty and staying relevant as the world of work changes.
I don't believe there's one right way to build a successful career, but I do think there's a lot we can learn from understanding how other people have approached theirs.
My hope is that each conversation gives you something useful to take away and apply to your own career, whether you're thinking about your next move, looking to grow where you are, or simply wanting to be more intentional about what comes next.
Welcome to Your Career Journey. You can listen to and watch the episodes below ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
Or find them on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
New episodes are released fortnightly.
Your Marketing Career Doesn't Have to Stay in Marketing
What if the next step in your marketing career isn't another marketing role?
In this episode, I'm joined by Carly Rulton, whose career has taken her beyond traditional marketing into sales, distribution, partnerships and account management, working with organisations including HSBC, Santander, Citi and Visa.
What I particularly enjoyed about Carly's story is how her career evolved by being open to opportunities, building on her strengths and recognising that the skills she'd developed in marketing could be valuable in other areas of a business.
We talk about how her role at Citi Australia expanded into sales and distribution, why understanding different parts of a business can make you a stronger marketer, and how working across functions helped Carly develop a broader commercial perspective.
We also explore the importance of building relationships, taking calculated career risks and why we shouldn't let our job titles define what we're capable of.
If you're a marketer thinking about your next career move, looking to broaden your experience or wondering what else you could do with the skills you've developed, I think you'll really enjoy this conversation.
It's a great reminder that career development doesn't always mean moving up the traditional ladder. Sometimes the most interesting opportunities come from being willing to look beyond it.
Connect with Carly:
linkedin.com/in/carlyrulton
Communication Beyond Words: Language, Culture & Leadership
What makes someone a great communicator? Is it having the right words, or is it really about our ability to understand and connect with each other?
In this episode, I’m joined by Maaya Konishi to explore how language and culture shape the way we communicate, work and lead.
Maaya’s own career has taken her from studying linguistics to investment banking at Morgan Stanley in Japan, before she changed direction and discovered a passion for translating, interpreting and teaching. She later co-founded Communica, where she has now taught thousands of people about English communication and global leadership.
We talk about why effective communication isn’t about perfect vocabulary, and how easily misunderstandings can happen when we don’t understand the cultural context behind someone’s words or behaviour.
Maaya shares some fascinating examples of the differences between Japanese and Western workplace cultures, from expressing opinions and contributing in meetings to decision-making and leadership.
We also explore cultural intelligence, how leaders can adapt their communication across cultures, and why Maaya believes there’s value in combining the Japanese emphasis on harmony with the greater decisiveness often associated with Western leadership.
Ultimately, it’s a conversation about something much bigger than language: how we understand each other, bridge cultural differences and build genuine connection at work.
To connect with Maaya:
Website: communica.co.jp
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maaya-konishi-57a87821
Your Purpose Isn’t Your Job: A Different Way to Think About Meaningful Work
What does it actually mean to have purpose at work? And is purpose something we need to go out and find, or could it already be within us?
In this episode of Your Career Journey, I’m joined by Jen Margolis to explore the difference between meaning and purpose, and how both can shape the way we think about our careers.
Jen challenges the idea that our purpose has to be a particular job, role or career. Instead, she sees it as something much more personal, a unique “core gift” that can be expressed in different ways throughout our lives.
We talk about how to uncover the things that give you meaning through your strengths, passions, values and past experiences, including some practical exercises you can try for yourself.
We also explore what happens when your current job doesn’t feel particularly meaningful. Jen shares how job crafting can help us find greater meaning in the work we already do, the role leaders and teams can play in creating a shared sense of purpose, and the sometimes difficult relationship between organisational purpose and profit.
If you’ve ever questioned what your purpose is, wondered whether your career is meaningful enough, or felt pressure to find the one job that’s supposed to fulfil you, this conversation offers a different way to think about it.
To connect with Jen:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jenmargolis
Website: amberwoodpractice.com
What Great Leadership Actually Looks Like: Culture, Purpose & People
What does great leadership actually look like? And how do you create a culture where people can perform, grow and flourish?
Today, I’m joined by Lara Bezerra, whose career has taken her from Brazil to senior leadership roles around the world, including becoming a General Manager at just 30 and later holding CEO and President positions at some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.
One of Lara’s earliest and biggest leadership lessons came from realising that being the person with all the answers wasn’t actually her job.
We talk about her shift from proving herself as a leader to creating the conditions for other people to excel, and why communication, vulnerability, purpose and the language we use can have such a profound impact on workplace culture.
Drawing on her experience leading teams across different countries and cultures, Lara shares what she’s learned about creating a clear vision, giving people greater ownership, navigating resistance to change and building organisations where purpose and performance can work together.
If you lead a team, are stepping into a bigger leadership role, or simply want to think differently about the kind of leader you want to be, there’s a lot to take away from Lara’s career journey.
To connect with Lara:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/larabezerra
Website: https://workcoherence.com/
Can A Marketing Career Lead To CEO?
From Barbie to AI: Andrea Roberts on Building a Marketing Career That Evolves
Surviving A Toxic Workplace: An HR Leader’s Framework for Self-Awareness, Self-Care & Empowerment
Who Are You Without Your Job Title? Redundancy, Identity & Redefining Success
How to Build Resilience at Work: Leadership, Change & Thriving in Uncertain Times
How to Pitch Your Way Into Your Dream Job | Career Confidence, Visibility & Taking Initiative
How to Create Career Opportunities Instead of Waiting for Them
Career Detours, Reinvention and the Courage to Build Something New
Initiative, Responsibility, and Owning Your Career: Leadership Lessons From A Veteran CEO
All previous episodes from early 2026, 2025 & 2024 are available here:
Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube