Use This Career Direction Checklist To Reconnect With What You Really Want

If you’ve been sitting staring at your laptop recently, wondering, “What am I doing?” or “Is this really it?”, you’re not alone.

For many women who left behind a successful (or fledgling) career to run their own business from home while they raised their children, returning to the workforce isn’t just a sensible idea, it’s the only way they can actually achieve the things they really want in life.

But it can be hugely overwhelming.

After years of putting family first and building something out of necessity, there often comes a moment of clarity and a realisation that, just maybe, being self-employed is not the path you’re supposed to be on…

…and the beginnings of feeling the tug of something more.

A desire to regain respect.

The confidence that comes with spending all day doing things you know exactly what to do.

A need to fix broken finances.

A yearning for a definite success path laid out in front of you.

And to get back on track using your full potential – rather than what you can fit in between school runs.

If this resonates with you, then it’s time to take a deep breath and re-evaluate your situation. And that starts with reconnecting to who you are and what you want now, not who you were before children or before entreneurship changed you.

That’s why I created the Career Direction Checklist – a simple. powerful tool designed specifically for women like you: women ready to reclaim their careers and create a new, aligned path forward.

Why Career Clarity Feels So Hard After A Career Break Or Pivot

Whether you”ve spent years freelancing, consulting, being an affiliate, running a MLM or parenting full-time, stepping back into a “career mindset” can feel clunky.

Here’s why:

• You’ve grown and evolved, but your old career path hasn’t kept pace. Entrepreneurship is a hige catalyst for personal growth – you’ve learned to do things most employees will never have to do.
• You’re multi-skilled, but not sure how to get across your value in a traditional setting.
• You crave meaning and impact, not just another paycheck.
• You remember why you left your role, and you worry you might regret ‘going back’.
• You’ve changed how you define success – and that’s a good thing.
• You don’t want to be held back! You still want the option to create additional income and don’t want anyone holding you back or telling you what you can and can’t do outside work.

The real challenge? Givig yourself permission to think bigger and more intentionally about what’s next. Without clear direction , it’s easy to default to either staying where you are or simply going after the easiest option.

That’s where this checklist comes in.

The Career Direction Checklist: A Compass, Not A Map

This isn’t a personality quiz or a test that spits out a perfect job title (although if you want a detailed step-by-step 5 year plan, I’ve got that too here!)

This is a clarity tool – a way to pause, reflect and assess where you are right now, what matters most and what you truly want going forward.

For years I’ve worked with women who have come to me to help them achieve their big goals in life and, more often than not, the first thing I have to help them do is work out what they actually are!

Think of this tool like your internal compass. It helps you:

• Filter out noise and old stories about what you “should” do
• Reconnect with what energises and excites you
• Make grounded decisions based on your current season, not your past self
• Begin to translate your lived experience into future potential

8 Powerful Questions To Guide Your Next Steps

Inside the checklist, you’ll find 8 prompts designed to uncover your direction and values. Here’s a deeper look at a few:

1. I know what energises me and what drains me.