Burnout in the corporate world doesn’t need to be the end of your career, says Yewande Faloyin, Chief Executive Officer of OTITO Executive Leadership, in an interview with Nasdaq.
Faloyin, a former consultant at McKinsey, walked out on her job in February 2018. She tells Nasdaq that she had no idea what she wanted to do or where she was going to work, but with an intentional shift of her mindset, she began exploring new options. She also leaned on her all-female networking and entrepreneurship group, Dreamers & Doers, for inspiration for the next stage of her career.
“I decided that I wanted every action I took to be an expression of who I was,” Faloyin says. “My only requirement was to explore, experience, try, and say yes to anything or anyone that piqued my interest.”
Now, Faloyin’s career coaching model follows the same concept of self-discovery that helped her build her business—the Japanese idea of “ikigai,” which refers to a reason for being. Faloyin says that throughout the past four years, she has found success with this model, and her clients are feeling empowered in their careers. In 2021, Faloyin says she helped a £2 billion hedge fund increase its staff by 50% and clarify its goals, purpose, and vision.
Faloyin tells readers that though her journey was challenging and unexpected, it wasn’t dull and has undoubtedly been worth the struggle. She says every high-level professional she’s worked with has experienced self-doubt—including herself at various points in her career. However, Faloyin recommends resolving those aspects of self-doubt rather than suppressing them. Instead of revolving one’s life around one’s job, she says, one should focus on creating a business or cultivating a career arc that compliments the life one desires.
