Chapter 7, When Work isn't Working, a Case Study

Elena Rezanova

This is Chapter 7 of my book, and it tells the story of Emma—a professional who is successful by any measure but reached a point where she started questioning her career because she wasn’t happy at work. In Emma’s case, I unpack several common variables that influence our workplace experience, and none of them are directly related to the job itself. The chapter is divided into five sections: Boss Ripple Effect Running on Fumes In the Shadow of the Ideal Self Profession ≠ Job Meaning At the end of the chapter, using Emma’s situation as an example, we look at a career as a system and discuss how, from this perspective, the popular advice “Not happy? Change careers” is a classic example of linear reasoning, where one cause leads to one effect. However, linear thinking doesn’t work well for careers—especially when it comes to deciding what’s next. Wishing you an insightful listen, and I’d love to hear your thoughts afterward!