The Woman Guiding Career Migrants to Fulfillment

Lucy Todd

Lucy Todd, CPC, is a Career Discovery Coach and Owner of Lucy Todd Coaching LLC

If your business could have a mascot, what would it be and why?

If my business had a mascot, it would be a migratory bird. If you think about it, their transcontinental journeys aren’t that different from changing careers.

Migratory birds may travel thousands of miles, guided by their inner compass. They know when it’s time to gather strength and resources and when to start their journey. And once they take off, everything they’ve learned so far helps them succeed.

When you know it’s time for a different career but aren’t confident enough to start, you might stay put for a while — but deep down, it doesn’t feel right. You may not be sure how your skills will adapt to a new environment, but you don’t have to figure it out alone. When you’re ready to start your journey, your flock flies with you — family, friends, and maybe a career coach, too.

Migration is a process. Birds don’t complete migration or settle into their new homes in just one day.

In the same way, finding a fulfilling career doesn’t happen in one coaching session—it’s an ongoing journey to deconstruct your experiences and piece together your unique new path. And like a migratory bird, you’ll use your past experiences to start feeling at home in your new career. 

But here’s the twist: unlike birds, you have more than just instincts — you have choices.  Migratory birds return to their first home when the seasons change again. But it’s up to you to decide if or when to return to a similar path, stay where you are, or fly somewhere new next time.

So whether your next career is forever or just for this season, remember this: Changing careers doesn’t mean your old one was wrong. It just means the seasons have changed, and it’s time to follow your instincts. There’s an incredible journey ahead.

What strategies do you employ to maintain a healthy work-life balance while running your own business?

I used to think that leaving the 9-to-5 grind would naturally bring balance to my life. But — it didn’t! The term “work-life balance” makes it sound like we can achieve a static state of balance, but in reality it’s always changing. 

So I don’t think work-life balance is the goal so much as self-awareness and self-compassion — to notice how we feel and adjust as needed. 

All that said, here’s how I try to keep things leveled out: 

1) Prioritize Sleep. You won’t catch me waking up at 4am to fit in workouts or meditate. Exhaustion is not balanced! If I want to add something to my day, something else needs to go; no half-assing allowed. 

2) Non-Routine Routines. Personally, if I feel trapped in a specific routine — doing the same things in the same order at the same time daily — my energy suffers. I need freedom to adjust for my energy levels (important meetings excluded, of course!). Changing things up keeps me alert and on my toes. 

3) Movement Matters. I’m a runner (slow, but still). When I skip my workouts, I’m low-energy, short-tempered, and more prone to stress and tension headaches. I do my best to treat my runs as meetings on my calendar — though I do give myself that rescheduling flexibility.

When faced with unexpected detours on your business path, how do you pivot with grace and resilience, showing fellow women entrepreneurs the way forward?

Shifting your mindset is truly everything. I don’t mean toxic positivity or eliminating negative thoughts. I just mean learning to question those thoughts — something I learned from coaching.

For example, if I expect to land a client and they bail, I might think, “Did they think I was weird? Unqualified? Hate my offer?” 

It’s natural to be upset when things don’t go our way, but I don’t tell myself to shut up or stop being so negative. 

Instead, I let myself think the thoughts and feel the feelings. Then I remind myself:

1) Most successful business relationships — especially coaching relationships — require mutual partnership. So if you’re talking to a lead and they’re not into it… if you feel gross or overly salesy trying to “win them over”… it may not be the right fit. Don’t force it! Analyze what led to the mismatch, then move on.

2) Your people are out there. Early on, finding them can be tough and take longer than you think it “should.” But meeting people who aren’t right for your services is actually a big win! It teaches you valuable lessons about your market: their expectations, pain points, concerns, and more. This helps you better articulate your value and more effectively call your people in.

So next time something doesn’t go your way in your business, remember that success comes from learning lessons — not perfection.

How do you measure the success of your business beyond financial metrics, such as customer satisfaction or community engagement?

Personally, and at the early stages of my business, success for me is based on fulfillment. My audience’s fulfillment and my own. 

Am I interested in what I’m doing? Am I happy to be doing it? Does it feel like work that I have to force myself to do, or do I look forward to most of it? Am I adding value to people’s lives? Is what I’m saying resonating with people?

Ultimately, if I’m not 24/7 stressed, working against my values, forced into actions or directions I don’t feel good about taking, or forcing others into boxes they don’t want to be in — then my business is a success to me.

We can’t ignore the financial metrics, of course. If, in the beginning, achieving all of that in my business means supplementing my income in other ways, that still feels like success to me. I do believe if you’re doing something for the right reasons, the money will come.

What role do you believe mentorship plays in the success of small businesses, and how have mentors influenced your own entrepreneurial journey?

It’s funny to answer this as a coach, because coaching is all about trusting yourself without relying on advice. Meanwhile, mentoring typically incorporates lots of the mentors’ experiences and advice! But each has its place, and mentorship has been indispensable in my journey.

I was lucky to work alongside our founder in my startup and corporate days. I had a front-row seat to the highs and lows of entrepreneurship before ever dipping my own toe in it. If you’re thinking of starting a business, definitely in a small startup first.

I’m also learning so much from making friends with other coaches and business owners, learning from their experiences and exchanging feedback. Knowing that everyone goes through the same issues makes it way easier to stop blaming yourself or worrying that you’ll fail. Plus, if you’re an evidence-based person like me, leaning on their business experiences along with your own speeds up your learning curve big time.

What’s your work all about, and how does it make a difference in the world?

Imagine waking up every day dreading your job… spending Saturdays trying to ignore it, and losing all of Sunday to the Sunday Scaries. Sound familiar? 

It’s like being stuck in a never-ending episode of The Office. Funny on TV, but not so much when it’s your actual life… 

That’s where I come in. If you feel like you’ve lost your mind — I’ll help ya find it. (Stanley forever!)

I help folks who desperately want to change careers but feel lost in the maze of options, self-doubt, and societal expectations. They’re unsure where to start or if they can find the time or energy to figure it out.

My mission? To help understand themselves better, boost their confidence, and realize that they deserve a fulfilling career — whatever that looks like for them.

Sometimes, we need support and validation from someone who’s been through the same experience we’re considering. Then, we can finally feel brave enough to do it. 

And that’s me — I left corporate in 2021, even though it felt impossible. 

So, through private coaching sessions, we work together to uncover the root cause of career unhappiness (spoiler alert: it’s often more than just the job), identify roadblocks, discover more fulfilling career options for each unique client, and make an exit plan.

So why does this matter? Because when you’re happy with what you do, it radiates through the rest of your life. You show up better for yourself, your family, your friends — even your dog will notice when you’re no longer miserable and exhausted all the time. 

And honestly, the world needs more people who feel satisfied at the end of the workday — who have the energy to make a difference both in and outside of the workplace. It creates a ripple effect of positivity and purpose that’s actually contagious.

That’s the difference I aim to make.

Get in touch.