Changing Lanes

How to Figure Out What You Actually Want | Motherhood, Career Change & Self Discovery

Changing Lanes

Show Notes

In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rachel and Susan sit down to talk about the question so many women find themselves asking, even as grown-ups: what do I actually want to be when I grow up? From childhood dreams of becoming a dolphin trainer and a garbage truck lady, to career paths in marketing, HR, medicine, fitness, nutrition and business, they reflect on how much can change as you grow, become a mum, build a life, and realise the things you once wanted may no longer fit. This episode is for any woman who feels like she is in a season of change, questioning her career path, craving more flexibility, or trying to work out what her next chapter could look like. In this episode, we cover: What Rachel and Susan wanted to be when they were young

Why choosing a career path at 17 can feel impossible

How your goals can change as you grow, become a mum and move through different life seasons

Why the feeling behind the career can matter more than the job title

How motherhood can shift your values, priorities and version of success

The difference between setting goals and working out how you want life to feel

Rachel and Susan’s ideal day and what that revealed about what they really wanted

Why flexibility, freedom, structure and connection matter in different ways

How to reassess whether your current life still fits

What lights Rachel and Susan up in their work now

Why your lane does not have to stay the same forever

How experience can become an advantage when you are changing lanes

Why it is never too late to make a change or choose a new direction

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Oct 21, 2026

Join our next retreat 🧘‍♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop Her husband was about to burn the newspaper. Then he spotted the ad. In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rachel and Susan chat with Susan Dean, founder and CEO of Dean Publishing. Susan has done it all, from working in jobs that weren’t fulfilling, to mature age study to running businesses. Then came the newspaper ad. Four words, “do you like helping people,” torn out of the paper her husband was ripping up to build a fire. She rang the number and became the world’s first female Mars Venus coach for Dr John Gray. In this episode, we cover: The newspaper ad her husband nearly burnt, and the career change that followed

Oct 14, 2026

Join our next retreat 🧘‍♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rachel and Susan chat with Marika about changing careers over and over again, including starting a science degree with a baby on her hip. Marika is a functional nutritionist now, but she got there the long way. She was living in New York when the GFC hit. She lost her job, her husband lost his. And with $13.67 in their account they came home. Built an e-commerce business out of her mum’s house, grew it into a store and a wholesale label, then sold it when she fell pregnant. They talk about everything from going back to uni as a mum, to losing almost everything during COVID, to her son’s autoimmune diagnosis. In this episode, we cover: Going back to uni at 30 with a six month old, and finishing just after her second baby

Oct 7, 2026

Join our next retreat 🧘‍♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop You sent us your friendship breakup stories, and some of them left us speechless. In this episode of Changing Lanes, we read the stories you sent in after last week's friendship breakups episode. A best friend who had an affair with a husband and is now the children's stepmum. A mum friendship that ended with an ultimatum at a train station and then silence. A friendship from school that fell apart over a bridesmaid fitting. We couldn't fit every story into the episode, so the rest are on our Substack → https://changinglanesthepodcast.substack.com/p/the-friendship-breakups-we-never In this episode, we cover: Losing a best friend to an affair, and what happens when she becomes your children's stepmum

Sep 30, 2026

Join our next retreat 🧘‍♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop Losing a friend is a breakup too, and we don't talk about it enough. In this episode of Changing Lanes, we get honest about friendships in our 30s and 40s. We talk about how friendships change through the years. What it means to outgrow friends and how it feels to be in a one-sided friendship. We both share friendship breakup stories and what it taught us. If you're going through something with a friend right now, this one's for you. In this episode, we cover: How friendships change after 30 when kids and work take over

Sep 23, 2026

Join our next retreat 🧘‍♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rach and Susan chat about the whys of life. These are the everyday habits that seem to come up with every woman they know. If you're a people pleaser who replays every conversation on the drive home, this one's for you. They talk about everything from why we feel guilty when we rest and how hard it is to say no without feeling guilty, to why we downplay our achievements, compare ourselves to strangers on social media and keep waiting for the right time while feeling stuck. They also get into why we seem to care less about what people think in our 40s (they're blaming the hormones). It's a fun, honest chat between two friends owning all their habits, and by the end they've decided everyone needs a little therapy. In this episode, we cover: Why we're always running late, overcommitting and leaving no buffers

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