Claudio Antonini worked in corporate finance as a manager for a decade before realising just how unfulfilled he was. He is now a Finance Career Strategist and Coach. Key facts about Claudio's career transition:
- Claudio changed his career after more than a decade of working as a Corporate Finance Manager
- Claudio's desire for change made him explore three vastly different career options before landing on the one that makes him feel alive
- Claudio's well structured career change path led him to the perfect job for him and removed his fear of mistakes or regrets along the journey
What you will learn from Claudio's career change story:
- You don't always need a clear plan before making a change
- Once you change your mindset and priorities, opportunities land at your feet
- Realising what your priorities in life are will make you move towards your ideal and fulfilling
Ciao Claudio, great to be in touch again!
Could you please share what’s your career now and what were you doing before?
I am a Finance Career Strategist & Coach. In my past life, I worked as a Corporate Finance Manager for almost a decade at FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies.
What made you think you wanted to change your career? And when you realised a change was needed, did you already know what you wanted to do? or did you have no idea what else you could do?
I was doing well in my career if I look at what society defines as success. However, I felt unfulfilled because I was not passionate about my work. Later on, thanks to Bruna, I found out that I wasn't using my gifts.
The lack of fulfilment coupled with the typical "work hard, play hard" culture in the Finance industry led me to burnout. This was the trigger that prompted me to make a change.
I had no idea what to do next. That's why I took another job in Finance to buy me some time to think about it and work with Bruna.
How did you find out what was your ideal career if you had no idea?
I started with what I didn't want. I knew I wanted to work for myself, help others, and learn daily.
I thought about three potential careers: becoming a teacher, opening a pizzeria, or becoming a coach.
I prototyped all of them. I wanted to have evidence to make a good choice.
Firstly, I signed up on a language platform and taught Italian for a couple of months. Then I baked pizzas every weekend for over a month. In both cases, I didn't feel it was the right path for me. That's when I decided to learn more about coaching. It was love at first sight!
When you decided to change your career, what obstacles and challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
There were many obstacles. However, Bruna helped me unleash my confidence and I started thinking about the solution rather than being stuck on the problem.
The biggest obstacle I faced was detaching my self-worth from my job. A new career meant having less status, money, and security, which I craved.
I worked on it with the help of my partner. Eventually, we decided to look at our income as a family income rather than individual salaries. We looked at the benefits my career change would have had on our family. As a result, I felt confident in quitting my job and starting a new venture.
Please describe the steps you’ve taken to land the new job:
Bruna has been instrumental in helping me assess which steps to take to become a coach and save time. From which qualifications to go for, schools, logo, and branding.
Bruna made me feel like my success was a priority to her. It was awesome, especially when I had tough days. In a nutshell, Bruna helped me believe that I could achieve what I wanted.
In order to make the change, did you take a salary cut? If you did, what helped you afford it?
Yes, I did take a salary cut. My partner and I prepared financially for this. COVID-19 lockdowns helped us save and deflate our lifestyle. We relocated from London to Faro in Portugal. Consequently, our expenses dropped. Meanwhile, my partner gained a promotion which partially made up for my salary cut. Eventually, my coaching business started generating a healthy cash flow. After a year and a half, we have a better quality of life in Portugal than in the UK.
I think that if you look at your salary or your skills, you will most like stay where you are: well paid and unfulfilled.
A career change is a marathon, not a sprint. So pace yourself, and make sure you enjoy the journey.
How did working with Bruna help you?
When I reached out to Bruna, I was lost and angry. I knew I wanted to quit the finance world, but after ten years, I was scared, hesitant, and demotivated. With her contagious energy and enthusiasm, Bruna helped me figure out who I am, what I want from my career, and what my assets are. The result was that I changed jobs confidently and seamlessly.
I knew I wanted to work with Bruna as I watched her TedTalk "Bring who you are into what you do". I knew she would get me as she went through what I went through. The fact that she is Italian was just the cherry on the cake.
In what way did Bruna help you get unstuck?
In every session, she gently challenged my perspective on how I saw things. The result was that I improved my self-awareness, took responsibility for my career, and took bolder actions to achieve my goals. Short-term quick wins triggered bolder actions and more results, which led me to my final goal: changing career and country in 2021.
Describe three or more things you enjoyed about the process of working with Bruna.
- Bruna's energy is contagious. She believed that I could make a change before I did.
- Her support between sessions was excellent. I felt like I always had an ally.
- Bruna's neuroscience-based coaching is very effective. She gave me the tools I needed to work on my mindset.
How do you feel in your new career path? What benefits are you experiencing in terms of happiness, aliveness, fulfillment, finances, mood and so on?
In my previous career, I was sleepwalking. Now I am alive. I can't wait to work with my clients and grow my business.
I learn something new daily, as my learning curves are still quite steep.
I am happy with the revenues my business generates, and I am confident that I will earn the same or more than I used to in the medium run. However, I am no longer maximising my life for money, so that's not a key driver.
What drives me is to live a life where I feel I am the main character. Who I am, what I believe in, and what I do are aligned. Money is important, but I see it as a positive side-effect of honouring who I am.
What is the major benefit in your life of this career change?
I feel fulfilled every day, even when I have a terrible day. Feeling fulfilled has improved my health and the quality of my relationships. I spend most of the year in Portugal, and I have the opportunity to work everywhere I want to. It's so exciting!
Thinking about the future, would you consider using a Career Coach again to progress or change a part of your career? Explain your reasoning.
As an entrepreneur, I hope I won't need to change careers. Never say never, though! Should I decide to have a portfolio career or move to other industries, I would definitely work with Bruna again.
Thank you Claudio for sharing your inspiring story!
In conclusion:
As you can learn from Claudio's career move:
- Changing your career is possible even if you don't have a career plan before taking the leap.
- Even if you have everything in your career that society makes us believe is success, you might feel unfulfilled. Making lifestyle changes and transit to a career that resonates with your nature will bring joy back into your life.
- With the right support and tools, you can make the career change you need to feel fulfilled and alive every day.
If you, too, want to change your career and feel great as Claudio today does, book a session with me!
