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Repost Series: Overcoming Career Funk: Maintaining Motivation and Finding Fulfillment in Your Role With Shanarra Goode
18 Plays4 months ago
In this solo episode, Shanarra Goode opens up about the career funk many of us don’t talk about—feeling uninspired, outgrowing a role, and craving more purpose and alignment. She explores what it really means to recognize when it’s time for change, how to keep showing up with integrity, and why remote work still matters.
If you’re reevaluating your path, this one’s for you.
🔑 What You’ll Hear:
[3:01] Feeling stuck despite professional success
[9:44] Remote work vs. returning to “normal”
[11:35] Recognizing when it’s time to pivot
[13:22] Why honest conversations with leaders matter
[14:50] Wrapping things up with pride
[16:34] Expanding your network (even if it’s out of scope)
[18:23] Promotion vs. flexibility—what matters more
[21:53] The power of prayer, clarity & daily vision-setting
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to The Good Guide
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey there, welcome to The Good Guide, your ultimate career companion. I'm Shannara Good, and I've been on quite the career roller coaster. From the trenches of entry-level positions to the boardrooms as a now more seasoned professional.
Career Challenges and Confidence
00:00:15
Speaker
Believe me when I say i have been there and know that I've acquired some wisdom over the years that I cannot wait to share with you. Ever felt like you're on your career journey solo?
00:00:26
Speaker
Or maybe you're curious about conquering career plateaus, overcoming imposter syndrome, or leading with unwavering confidence. Well, I promise you are in the right place.
Guest Insights on Career Development
00:00:38
Speaker
Every week, my guests and I will share our own challenges and successes. We'll talk about everything from career development to leadership to even work-life balance. Expect a healthy dose of authenticity and of course, our tips and tricks that will have you navigating your career with a newfound confidence.
00:00:58
Speaker
Don't miss out on the knowledge drop, y'all. Hit that like, subscribe, and follow button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Trust me, you won't want to miss an episode. Because this is the good guide, where we're not just chasing success, we're defining it.
00:01:19
Speaker
Are you ready to elevate your career game? Let's dive in. I have really been enjoying recording these episodes and just getting the chance to share my professional experiences with you guys so far. And it's just been such a joy reading you guys' responses and hearing you guys' shared experiences and and stories that sound very similar to paths that I've taken. So i just really appreciate being able to
00:01:52
Speaker
speak and share my experiences and and love the fact that you guys have really resonated with them. I'm sitting here today. It's a Sunday. It's a gloomy Sunday.
Managing Procrastination and Career Honesty
00:02:05
Speaker
it's um going to be raining for far too long here in LA. And my review is due literally on Tuesday. I'm sitting here procrastinating writing it because I'm just in this really funky mood professionally.
00:02:25
Speaker
And one of the things that I've said, whether it be in my trailer or previous episodes or as I've shared about this this podcast, is that I really want to make sure that I'm always being super candid and authentic about what I'm experiencing in my career.
00:02:39
Speaker
Yes, I might be an expert in the sense that I've gone through... a journey that has taught me a lot in my professional experience. However, I'm still so far off from, I'm not retiring tomorrow, right? So I'm still so far away from my career being over. And so I'm still learning day by day and I'm still experiencing day by day.
Navigating Career Funk and Uninspiring Roles
00:03:02
Speaker
Something that I'm currently experiencing is just this funk, this kind of what's next for me. And a little context, I've been in my role for a little over a year.
00:03:14
Speaker
And I know myself so well. I know that this is around the time that I tend to get very antsy and just ready in general to like, all right, next challenge is due. Next challenge, I'm i'm waiting for that next role, the next challenge, that next project, just that new thing that's going to re-engage me day to day.
00:03:36
Speaker
And I've really been struggling with that feeling of like, ah I don't know when that next thing is going to come. But I know that today as I sit on my laptop and I sit in meetings that I'm just not inspired.
00:03:49
Speaker
And I'm one of those people that if I'm not inspired, oof, that is when I show up the worst to work. And that's not me saying that i'm I sit in meetings and I grumble and I kind of pout. No, absolutely not.
00:04:02
Speaker
I still pride myself in the fact that, especially my journey over the last few years in particular, like I know how to still put on that face and put on that level of professionalism and still show up and like be a 10 always.
00:04:17
Speaker
But internally is what I'm really struggling with. Now, candidly, This funk is definitely being exacerbated or has definitely come to fruition for a few reasons that I should probably provide a bit of context on.
Remote Work Opportunities Post-COVID
00:04:38
Speaker
I left Target, and I've talked about this before in a previous episode, but when I left Target, I left for about five years and I came back in the fall of 2022. And to say that that was like just a joy to finally be back where I really felt I belonged and that I really felt like I could be myself. Like it just did feel like the stars were aligning.
00:04:58
Speaker
Not only was I able to come back, but I was able to come back as a remote worker. And the thing about COVID, I think what I love the most is that it really did, or post COVID, post pandemic, it really did force employers to like open up their mindset in terms of like, oh, wow, we could actually source talent from more than just the city in which we're located.
00:05:22
Speaker
And for a city like Minneapolis, where don't get me wrong, like I've said this before, I love Minneapolis. Minneapolis actually has just such a rich culture that I could talk about all day. But Minneapolis as a city is very unassuming.
00:05:35
Speaker
And I love it. Even now when I go back, like I do genuinely love to go back. That being said, I've spent so much of my adult life, I mean, even back from like high school on, moving around basically every two to four years.
00:05:48
Speaker
And it really has been so amazing to be in LA and to feel like, wow, I'm finally rounding the corner on like, feeling like this is my home, feeling like this is, there's longevity here. And there's like a life here that like,
00:06:04
Speaker
I am seeking that gives me all the warm and fuzzies. The fact that I was able to work at a company that made me feel as amazing, but also be in a state that made me feel as amazing was just such a, you know, icing on the cake.
Concerns About Returning to Office
00:06:21
Speaker
Over the last couple of years though, I think we all, all of us who work in a corporate setting, this kind of ever looming, how are things gonna return back to pre-pandemic ways of working? So are we going back into the office? If so, how many days a week?
00:06:37
Speaker
It's hard for me to even and imagine being in the office five days a week now. Like, I can't believe that we all did that. I can't believe that we commuted, like all of these things. You know, I can't believe I would wake up at 5.45 just to be at the gym by six so that I can leave the house by 8.30 to get to the office by nine. Like... ah Just so many elements before you even started your workday went into what your day looked like, what your routine looked like. So to be able to now be remote and really almost kind of like call the shots on your own lifestyle, your own decisions, your own day-to-day has been just like, oh, such an amazingly empowering thing. Like I just feel so...
00:07:18
Speaker
great waking up in the morning, being able to have my coffee, walk to my desk and just crush the day. One thing, though, that's been hard is as companies have inched more and more towards being back in the office as a remote worker, i've had to really think about or I think it's become much more glaring in my mind that, OK, maybe certain roles might be off limits to me because I don't want to be in Minneapolis or I don't want to be anywhere outside of L.A.,
00:07:54
Speaker
And to be honest, if you were to ask me at the like beginning of January, I don't know that I felt as worried about being able to progress in my career remotely.
00:08:06
Speaker
But in the last couple of weeks, as... this conversation in the work in the, you know, corporate world, I think has become more and more prominent. Like I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't worried that the roles that i want or roles that will allow me to move up and move on in my career um were going to be as easy for me to get working remotely.
00:08:35
Speaker
And even as I say it now, like it actually makes me very sad and anxious and stressed if I were to put words to the emotions, because i don't want to feel like I can't have my cake and eat it too.
00:08:53
Speaker
I don't want to feel like I can't be happy personally within my four walls, under my roof, in a city that really makes me feel so at home. And I don't want to have to jeopardize working for a company that also makes me feel so at home and so welcomed and so happy.
00:09:15
Speaker
That's a part of where some of my funk is coming from because it's like, When you are a high achiever, I know I can confidently say that i I am a high achiever and I really believe in my longevity or like my future professional success.
Seeking New Leadership Opportunities
00:09:32
Speaker
Like I know I'm going to be successful whatever I want to do.
00:09:34
Speaker
But when wanting to stay somewhere jeopardizes that, like it just kind of automatically feels a little like you're being cut out at the knees. The wanting to stay remote aspect is partially what's contributing to my funk, my professional funk.
00:09:55
Speaker
Additionally, i can very definitively say 100% certainty chapter on that i am ready to close the chapter on this particular role.
00:10:10
Speaker
I'm ready for that new challenge, for something different. I am a leader of people currently, which I do enjoy, but I'm a leader of individuals that are earlier on in their career.
00:10:26
Speaker
And I know it looks very different leading a team of professionals that Versus professionals that are maybe five plus years into their career.
00:10:38
Speaker
Those conversations become different. Those development moments become different. The collaboration becomes different. The autonomy that you are able to leave them with shifts.
00:10:57
Speaker
However, those roles are few and far between. And that's not just at my company, but that's at, I think, a lot of companies, right? The higher you go up, there are fewer and fewer of those roles.
00:11:10
Speaker
So I'm also at the same time being forced to really think about, all right, do I have the stamina to put in the work to continue to show up in and day out in a role that I know I'm ready to move on from?
00:11:26
Speaker
And I shouldn't even necessarily say, do I have the stamina? I know I had the stamina. But that motivation becomes harder and harder to hang on to. The longer that I personally, and this has happened multiple times in my career, the longer I stay in a role that I know I've outgrown, that motivation starts to dwindle.
00:11:46
Speaker
There is this quote that I'm pretty positive Albert Einstein says, I feel like people always quote quote this, but they'll say, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Reigniting Career Purpose
00:12:00
Speaker
Now, to me, I really resonate with that quote because I feel like it highlights the importance of recognizing when it's time for change.
00:12:13
Speaker
When you feel stuck in a role that no longer challenges or fulfills you, that your motivation can decline as the routine of the role becomes a lot more monotonous.
00:12:27
Speaker
So seeking new opportunities and challenges I feel like it's so crucial to help reignite that sense of purpose back into your professional life. And so that's where I really want to focus, you know, the balance of today's episode. Cause I know i feel like I've just talked doom and gloom, but I just wanted to bring you guys into the mindset that I'm in right now and why am
00:12:58
Speaker
so desperately am trying to find ways to spruce up my day-to-day to change that routine, even if the role isn't what I want to be in right now, that I'm still finding elements in my day that help keep that motivation at a high as opposed to dipping.
Communication with Leaders About Struggles
00:13:21
Speaker
First thing you have to be really strategic about, and I feel very lucky to feel as supported as I do, is number one, I have to, and I have already had this conversation with my direct leaders and my mentors and my sponsors.
00:13:40
Speaker
I've made it very clear to them This is my mindset. This is where I stand. This is where I'm struggling. These are my concerns. And I lay it all out there because there is one thing that sucks more than suffering and that's suffering in silence.
00:13:59
Speaker
And that sounds very dramatic. I'm not suffering. At the end of the day, I am very fortunate to s still be employed in a job that keeps my lights on that at a company that I do enjoy. So like let's get that out of the way. I know that I'm still very fortunate, but just because I'm fortunate doesn't mean that I'm not entitled to feel a sense of concern or or dread or anxiousness to like move on. So I make sure that my leaders and the people that support me know that.
00:14:29
Speaker
So that we can start to think about, all right, how do we get us from where you are now to where you want to go? Without that support, you're just kind of in the middle of the ocean going at it alone.
00:14:42
Speaker
Making sure that you're asking for those, you know, life vests and those moments of assistance is so crucial. The next thing that I've been focused on is anything that I'm working on that's a project or kind of like a higher level strategy or something that makes an impact beyond my day-to-day job or my day-to-day tasks.
00:15:08
Speaker
I'm starting to really wrap those up in a bow. so that when the time does come for me to move on, I'm not necessarily handing off half-baked work.
00:15:23
Speaker
I don't know about you guys, but I can't stand moving on from something when I haven't completed that other thing. And obviously that's not always avoidable, but I know for me in the particular space that I'm in and the projects that I'm specifically working on, like I'm really trying to make sure that everything I do, I'm crossing, you know, I'm crossing my T's and and I'm dotting my I's because I am anticipating getting the opportunity to move into a new role remotely.
00:15:56
Speaker
Yes, I'm going to put it out there remotely in the next few months. So I now know, all right, I've got the next few months to really hammer these initiatives home so that I really feel like I've put, you know, I've gotten a gold star for for that work.
00:16:13
Speaker
So whether you want to kind of coin that as short-term goals or anything like that, like I think it's really important for me. And again, the legacy that I like to leave beyond um behind, I want to make sure that what my name was by has a check mark and can be easily tied up in a bow by the time I am on my way out This next thing I'm doing, and it's very, I feel like unique to my situation and my company and me being remote in particular.
Exploring Broader Career Opportunities
00:16:44
Speaker
So it may not be applicable to where you might be in your career or um your company. But for me, I've been actively working on networking with individuals in areas that maybe I didn't necessarily gun for initially,
00:17:01
Speaker
I've been very particular and niche about roles that I've been interested in But obviously, when you've got certain restrictions there, you need to broaden your scope so that potentially there's other opportunities that might fit better, even though it's not necessarily the exact role that you want. Are there elements of that role that get you to the experiences that you are seeking, but allow you to, for example, for me, it's, I want to make sure that I'm able to stay remote.
00:17:37
Speaker
I would like to either lead a higher team or just be in a higher position. I don't necessarily have to lead a team. And if that's harder to do remotely or if that's felt or if the hiring manager feels like that's harder to do when I'm remote, then I'm fine with not necessarily leading a team of individuals.
00:17:57
Speaker
So that's another thing that I'm trying to do is just actively cast my net a little bit wider than I did, say, maybe six months ago when I first started networking.
00:18:09
Speaker
That way i could start really understanding maybe where there are areas that I might be able to still remain remote, get that promotion and still have elements that I'm looking for in my next role.
00:18:22
Speaker
All right, I have two more
Deciding Between Promotion and Lateral Move
00:18:23
Speaker
things. And this next one has been particularly difficult for me. because I need to ask myself, which one is more important?
00:18:33
Speaker
Leveling up. So getting a promotion. Again, i'm I'm using some terms that are maybe a bit more specific to my company, but ultimately is what I'm seeking ah higher level role or incremental pay.
00:18:49
Speaker
And those obviously getting a promotion does tend to lead to additional pay. However, there's also an element of, could I move into a role that's maybe still at the same level that I'm at currently, but still provides me with a financial incentive that just kind of helps maybe fill the void for right now.
00:19:17
Speaker
I know, for example, that I tend to stay in a role for a year until I'm ready and already looking for that next thing. Maybe for this moment, it makes the most sense for me to try and move into a role that's not necessarily a promotion, but like more of a lateral move.
00:19:37
Speaker
gain additional income based off of that move. And then in my next role, so in the next year, try for that higher level role.
00:19:49
Speaker
Now, this one takes a lot more checking of your ego and really being honest with yourself and what your goals are.
00:20:00
Speaker
I'm struggling with this one personally because I really feel like the years that i have an experience, the external experience that I have warrants me to truly move upward as opposed to across.
00:20:15
Speaker
That being said, again, I've got ah list of requirements, one of which is remote, that I need to consider. If that means trying to lateral into a role that's of the same level that I'm currently in,
00:20:33
Speaker
That might be what I have to go after. Doesn't mean that I can't push for more pay. It doesn't mean that I can't move into and elevated role in a year from now.
00:20:46
Speaker
It just gets me towards... that balance of being in a role that's fulfilling while also being able to maintain something that's really important to me, which right now in this life stage that I'm in it does mean maintaining remote.
00:21:04
Speaker
I don't want to put myself in the position where I have to basically choose company over location. i do want to be able to go after both. And I feel in my bones that both are achievable.
00:21:19
Speaker
I just need to start to weigh what I'm willing to forego with what I'm not willing to forego. And right now, maintaining my remote status is a little higher up than maybe necessarily wanting to be promoted.
00:21:37
Speaker
That being said, I'm ready for a promotion. I'm ready for that level up. But my ego isn't big enough that I, or at least I like to think my ego isn't big enough that I don't see the value n one scenario over the other.
Manifestation and Career Goals
00:21:53
Speaker
Last but not least, and this one is a lot more woo-woo, I would say, and obviously a lot less finite or concrete, ah depending on your beliefs. But I think that there is nothing more powerful than prayer or manifestation or putting out into the universe what you actively want in this life.
00:22:17
Speaker
So for me, i spend, i do a six minute manifestation journal or kind of like a six minute, you know, check in every single day. And one of the things that I write down is always in relation to job being promoted and or lateraling and being able to maintain my remote status. Like,
00:22:38
Speaker
That's always wrapped into one, you know, one sentence that i write down every morning because i just think that it's so important to visualize and really, again, put it out into the universe what you are seeking.
00:22:55
Speaker
It's one of those things where it's like, if you never say it, it'll never come to fruition. And I really believe that. So not only do I put it out there to the universe, to you know the Lord above, I'm also very much engaging with my leaders and my mentors and just sharing that with them. Like, Hey, these are ultimately my goals. So yeah, that's another thing that I would actively encourage you to do.
00:23:24
Speaker
If this is kind of a, the moment that you are also in, in your career. So there you have it. Today's very candid conversation about where I am professionally, my mental or my psyche, what I'm trying to balance and really trying to work through.
Overcoming Career Challenges
00:23:44
Speaker
One thing that I'm really excited about is This episode probably won't come out for a couple of weeks. And I can't wait to listen to this episode in a couple of weeks and hoping, and actually not even going to hope, I'm going to know by then I'll have a lot more clarity and direction around what that next role looks like for me.
00:24:06
Speaker
Yeah. I don't know. That's kind of exciting. There's something about, there's something really hopeful about that thought. Even as I'm saying it right now, I kind of have this, this very tingly feeling of like, it's one of those like this too shall pass, right? This is only a moment in time in my, what will be a long and prosperous career.
00:24:25
Speaker
So it's just little moments like this that like make me really grateful and appreciative that I have the belief, honestly, within myself to to really go after the things that I want.
00:24:37
Speaker
Obviously knowing that there's always going to be an obstacle here and there that I might face, but being able to talk it out and share it and share it with you guys as well.
Resonating with Listeners and Closing Thoughts
00:24:46
Speaker
Like I'm really hoping that this provides you with a sense of like, wow, I might be going through the same exact thing.
00:24:52
Speaker
But I'm not going through it alone because I'm literally listening to someone go through it as well and maybe even put words to thoughts or feelings that I haven't been able to put words to.
00:25:05
Speaker
Anyway, this is where I leave you. um I really hope you enjoy this episode and and really hope that you got something from it and maybe you got a bit of peace and kind of feeling of, wow, I am not going through this alone. So I'll talk to you guys later.
00:25:22
Speaker
Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of The Good Guide, the podcast dedicated to guiding you through every twist and turn in your career journey. If you loved this episode, make sure to leave those five-star reviews and share this podcast with a friend, loved one, or hey, even a colleague.
00:25:41
Speaker
If you have a topic that you'd like for me to tackle, check out this week's show notes for links to where you can submit your question. It might even be featured during the Q&A segment of the next episode.
00:25:51
Speaker
But first, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a beat. Take care, y'all.