Episode Title: Have You Outgrown Your Definition of Success? with Irina Posan

You've climbed the ladder. Earned the promotions. Built the career you always wanted.

So why doesn't it feel as fulfilling as you expected?

This week on Leadership Rules, Nick and Marnie welcome Irina Posan, career strategist and author of The Career You Crave: Create Fulfillment in Your Work and Life, for a conversation about the difference between achievement and fulfillment.

After 15 years in HR and talent management, Irina found herself in a position many professionals would envy. She had the title, the experience, and the career she'd worked toward for years.

But she'd lost the spark that once made her excited to go to work.

Irina calls this experience identity lag, the gap that develops when we grow and evolve as people, but our careers haven't caught up with who we've become.

Together, Nick, Marnie, and Irina explore why our definitions of success change over time, how to recognize when a career no longer fits, and why the answer isn't necessarily another promotion, a new employer, or a dramatic career change.

Irina shares how an eight-hour spa day, three important conversations, and eight months of experimentation helped her transition from corporate HR to building a career she genuinely loves.

And perhaps the most practical takeaway?

You don't have to burn your life down to make a meaningful change.

Sometimes the first step is simply asking yourself an uncomfortable question, exploring a possibility, or having a conversation you've been avoiding.

Irina also shares her leadership rule: Treat people how you want to be treated. And Nick walks away with another rule inspired by their conversation: embrace the conversations you're looking to avoid.

Whether you're early in your career, considering your next chapter, or wondering why the success you've achieved doesn't feel quite right, this episode offers a thoughtful reminder:

You're allowed to change your mind about what success looks like.

Learn more about Irina:

• Book: The Career You Crave: Create Fulfillment in Your Work and Life
• LinkedIn: Irina Posan
• Instagram: @careercoachirina
• Book available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indigo

The most important project you'll ever work on is you.