What REALLY happens when you leave corporate stability for startup chaos?

This Shameless Careers episode is one of our most honest yet - unpacking what it really costs (and offers) when you make the leap.

Guest: Damien Kopp, who spent 11 years at Accenture before jumping to a startup that wasn’t what he expected - and eventually becoming an entrepreneur.

We unpack:

- What can prompt people to jump from a stable corporate role into startups

- Why Damien no longer thinks that corporate jobs are safe

- An absolutely critical startup due-diligence step - that most people skip

- The harsh truth about equity and taking big pay cuts when moving to a startup

- Why “startups = freedom” is only half the story

- And why, if you feel stuck, doing nothing can be the worst career move

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✅ Stay connected with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varia-pechurina/

✅ Stay connected with Damien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damienkopp/

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#LeavingCorporate #StartupVsCorporate #CareerChange #CareerPivot #StartupReality #FinancialTradeOffs #StartupEquity #Entrepreneurship #CareerAdvice #FounderLife #FutureOfWork #WorkLifeFulfillment

⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So many people struggle to find what they really want because they believe they need a grand career plan. But the truth is - you don’t.

All you need is to follow the breadcrumbs: your intuition, that sense of the next step that feels right at the time - one small step at a time. In other words, you have to walk the path to understand the path.

This episode with Katerina Joannides is a powerful example of doing exactly that.

Katerina began her career at a world-class global architecture studio, working with clients like Google. She then took a bold leap to join a brand-new boutique practice founded by the former Architectural Director of Soho House (the studio didn’t even have a name when she joined). After a rollercoaster of intense learning - but also burnout - she made an even braver move: leaving London behind to move to Spain, reconnect with herself, freelance, and explore what she truly wanted to do.

Every breadcrumb eventually led her to launching her own creative agency - the next chapter of her career, and work she is genuinely excited about.

We also talked about:

✨ The comparison between corporate and startup life - the advantages and trade-offs of each path

✨ How to make the most of freelancing experience

✨ What it’s like - emotionally - to start your own business when no one knows you exist (spoiler alert: that anonymity is also a massive advantage)

Enjoy!

Did you know exactly what you wanted to do early on, or did you have to “follow the breadcrumbs”?

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✅ Stay connected with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varia-pechurina/

✅ Stay connected with Katerina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katerina-joannides/

✅ Katerina's creative agency: https://fuente.studio

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#FindYourPurpose #CareerChange #FollowYourIntuition #CreativeCareers #BurnoutRecovery #FreelancingLife #CreativeEntrepreneur #ShamelessCareers

⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Shameless Careers, we talk about something so many ambitious professionals struggle with: people pleasing. On the surface it looks helpful… but underneath, it’s one of the biggest career saboteurs.

To unpack this properly, I’m joined by Jelena Radonjic - award-winning career & leadership coach, Forbes Coaches Council member, and advisor to leaders at Amazon, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, Bain, PwC and more.

In this conversation we cover:

- What people pleasing actually is (it’s not always bad!)

- The hidden cost: burnout, resentment and stalled progression

- The paradox: people often respect you more when you set boundaries

- Two questions that instantly break the people-pleasing loop

- What leaders with people-pleasing tendencies need to watch out for

If you’re the “reliable one”, the “nice one”, the “always there” one — this episode will be a game-changer.

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✅ Stay connected with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varia-pechurina/

✅ Stay connected with Jelena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jelena-radonjic-careerandleadership-coach/

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#PeoplePleasing #CareerAdvice #Boundaries #HighAchievers #Leadership #Burnout #ShamelessCareers

⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research.

Copyright Notice: This episode and my podcast channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Shameless Careers. You are authorised to share the episode link and channel and embed this episode in your website or others as long as a link back to my podcast channel is provided.

© Shameless Careers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.