Career Strategist I Change advisor for Leaders | I help successful professionals build freedom, income & impact through portfolio careers | Speaker I Ex-Citi COO | Follow for modern leadership, career and change

Over the past 25 years, I have built a successful international banking career.
Most recently, I was the Regional COO for Citibank’s $2Bn business across 16 countries in Asia - leading large-scale transformations in digitisation and culture.

But in 2021, I walked away from my high-paying executive role.

Why?

Because I wanted more space.
More time with family.
More alignment between who I am and how I work.

But I didn’t want to start from scratch.
So I asked myself a question:
What if I could build a career around everything I already know - and love?

That’s how my portfolio career began.
And it changed everything.

Now, I help other professionals do the same.

What I’ve built since 2021:
→ A 6-figure portfolio business with 3 income streams
→ Founder of Change is Possible - a business community for professionals redesigning their next chapter
→ 100K+ LinkedIn followers (grew from 17K in under a year)
→ Coached 100+ professionals through successful career transitions
→ Host of a Top 20 global podcast on career change, Change is Possible
→ TEDx speaker, Forbes columnist, and Bloomberg TV guest

Want to build your own portfolio career?
🚀 THE PORTFOLIO CAREER ACCELERATOR (Launching October 2025) 
Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1thkmph_EwRxLGfuL9muCsRir1uKDdF2nXYeI7X_1oSA/edit

This is an 8-week program designed to help you:
→ Turn your expertise into income
→ Build a personal brand that opens doors
→ Create your first income stream - even before you leave your job

Only 20 spots. 12 already claimed.

Other ways we can work together:
✔️ Join my business community — Change is Possible https://changeispossible.co.uk/ - doors open for new members on Sept.10, 2025
✔️ Book me to speak — I deliver keynotes on leadership, change, career reinvention, and the future of work - send a DM.
✔️ Hire me as an advisor — I support companies navigating complex transformation - send a DM to meet and explore.
✔️ Book 1:1 coaching — For senior execs ready to design their next chapter - send a DM.
✔️ Book my LinkedIn Growth Bundle — A 2-session intensive where I teach you the exact system I used to grow to 100K+ followers. Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bLp7wmK8xhIpfFu8beImvD5JZQHYsbraTBx5Orjx0zs/edit

P.S. Still wondering if change is really possible?
🎧 Tune in to my podcast Change is Possible — where 100+ professionals share how they redesigned their careers and lives. Watch here - https://www.youtube.com/@ChangeIsPossiblePodcast

Ani Filipova

When I quit my COO role, everyone suddenly became a life coach.

It’s wild how your decision wakes up their unlived dreams.

“You are crazy to walk away from that salary.”
Translation: I’m terrified of losing mine.

“At your age? Too risky.”
Translation: I’ve convinced myself I’m too old to change.

“But you worked so hard to get there!”
Translation: I can’t imagine stopping.

Every piece of “advice” came wrapped in someone else’s fear.

The colleague who insisted that leaving corporate was “career suicide”?
15 years in the same role.
Never took a risk.
Still warning others about dangers he’s never faced.

The friend who said, “Must be nice to have that privilege”?
Not about my privilege.
About why they can’t do it.

My decision became everyone else’s therapy session.
Their fears.
Their excuses.
Their unlived lives.

Meanwhile, the entrepreneurs?
“What took you so long?”

The people who’d actually done this?
“Hard… but worth it.”

See the difference?

People don’t give advice based on your reality.
They give it based on the limits of their own.

Your promotion challenges their ambition.
Your resignation challenges their settling.
Your success challenges their stagnation.

How to decode the advice you are given:

1. Listen to the subtext, not the text.
“That’s risky” = I avoid risk.
“You’ll regret it” = I regret not trying.
“Think of your family” = I use mine as an excuse.

2. Check their track record.
Would you trade places with them?
If not, smile → ignore.

3. Notice who asks vs. who tells.
“What support do you need?” = They’ve been there.
“Here’s what you should do” = They haven’t.

5 years later

I run my business globally.
I wake up excited.
I control my income and my calendar.

That colleague?
Same role.
Same warnings.
Same fear dressed as wisdom.

Your big moves will always trigger other people’s small thinking.

Let them keep their advice.
You keep your momentum.

♻️ Repost if someone needs this
👥 Follow me, Ani Filipova, for uncomfortable career truths
📩 Join other leaders and entrepreneurs getting weekly courage in my newsletter -  link in Featured

Some leaders read numbers.

Great leaders read people.

Perfect reminder from Mike Leber here.🔥

I've watched this truth play out for 25 years.

Like the manager who noticed her star performer started arriving at 9:00 instead of 8:30.
Small change. Big signal.
She asked. Her child was seriously ill.

Most leaders would've missed it entirely.
They are too busy reading KPIs to read people.

Throughout my 25 years in banking, I've watched brilliant strategists fail at basic humanity.
They master management but miss what matters.

Real leaders don't talk about empathy.
They practice it.

Here is how👇

1️⃣ They notice when something's off
The forced smile.
The heavy silence.
They check in before it breaks.

2️⃣ They ask before they act
No assumptions. No judgment.
"What's making this hard for you?"
Understanding beats assumption every time.

3️⃣ They protect dignity, not egos
Direct? Always.
Demeaning? Never.
Growth can't bloom in shame.

4️⃣ They slow down when others struggle
Compassion > urgency.
One person lifted beats ten tasks completed.

5️⃣ They normalize honesty
No masks. No pretending.
They make it safe to say: "I'm not okay today."

6️⃣ They stay kind under pressure
When kindness is hardest -
that's when it matters most.

7️⃣ They understand you carry more than tasks
Sometimes it's grief.
Sometimes it's fear.
Sometimes it's just life being heavy.
They lead with space for all of it.

The uncomfortable truth?

Experience teaches you process.
Empathy teaches you to understand people.

One builds companies.
The other builds humans who happen to work at companies.

We all get to choose which leader we become.

Which number resonated most with you?
Mine was 5 - took me years to learn that one.

Drop yours below 👇

♻️ Repost to spark more humanity in leadership
🔔 Follow Ani Filipova for uncomfortable truths about modern leadership and career

Today and any other day, you have a choice about the 80/20 principle.

You can use it to do less.
Or you can use it to become more.

We read about success. 
Dream about change. 
Talk about our goals.

We feel like we are doing something.
And we are.. but what?

The business plan you’ve perfected but never launched.
The gym membership you researched but never use.
The conversation you've rehearsed but never had.
The course you bought but never completed.

We spend 80% of our time on the 20% that makes us feel productive, while avoiding the 80% that would actually make us successful.

Why? Because the real work is uncomfortable:

→ Understanding deeply requires much more effort 
→ Doing the work is scarier than dreaming about it
→ Listening is more vulnerable than waiting to speak
→ Eating well consistently is harder than scrolling  
→ Building savings is less fun than investment strategies

Here is what I know:

You already know what your 80% is.
You know the conversation you need to have. 
You already know he habit you need to build. 
The thing you need to stop researching and start doing.

So the only thing left to do is to stop deceiving yourself.

Because once you prioritise the 80%, everything else genuinely does fall into place.
Not because it's easy. But because it's real.

💭 What's the 80% you've been avoiding?
💾 Save this for when you need to stop researching and start doing
♻️ Share with someone stuck in the 20%

Image credit: librarymindset on IG

JSESSIONID

li_at

Talks about #leadership, #careerpivot, #futureofwork, and #transformation

Tetty Delviana

"I found a better opportunity."

Translation: I found a leader who values me.

Dora is spot on here! That's exactly what it means!

The real reason people leave: 
it's rarely what they say at first.

Behind "better opportunity" or "career growth" is something deeper:

They don't feel valued.
Nobody says thank you.
Their ideas get ignored. 
Their skills go unused. 
They've stopped learning.

If you want to keep your best people:

- Don't cancel their 1-on-1s
- Say thank you (and mean it)
- Admit when you don't have the answer
- Remember what they told you last week
- Protect their time from pointless meetings
- Give credit publicly, give feedback privately
- Be honest about what you can and can't do
- Help them grow in directions they actually want
- Shield them from unnecessary corporate chaos
- Ask what support they need (don't assume you know)
- Trust them to make decisions without micromanaging
- Respond to their messages (don't leave them hanging)
- Let them say no without it being a career-limiting move

You don't need a budget for any of these.

Just intention, and genuinely caring for your people.

Be the leader you wish you had.

♻️ Repost to inspire others
+ Follow me, Ani Filipova for daily content on Modern Leadership, Career and Change

Your career shouldn’t look like modern art.

Everyone talks about “doing what you love” as if it’s a magic formula.
As if clarity just appears one day and everything lines up.

In reality, most careers sit in three separate buckets:

• Things you enjoy - but no one pays for
• Things you are good at - but don’t actually fulfil you
• Things that pay well - but quietly drain you

So you end up with something that works on paper…
but never quite feels right.

After 25 years in corporate, here’s what I’ve learned:

Alignment doesn’t arrive.
It’s constructed.

Most professionals wait for their career to click.
The right role.
The right manager.
The right moment.

They stay stuck inside a lopsided Venn diagram,
hoping the picture will fix itself.

The people who eventually break out don’t find clarity first.
They move first - and clarity follows.

Not in dramatic leaps.
Not in overnight reinventions.

But through deliberate shifts.
Small decisions that compound.
Skills that start overlapping.
Income streams that begin to make sense.

The overlap is rarely perfect.
And it’s never instant.
But 50% overlap is better than zero
And you can build it further.

This is what I know:

No one is going to hand you the career where
what you enjoy,
what you are good at,
and what pays
finally sit in the same place.

You either keep waiting for it 
or you start assembling it.

Piece by piece.
Over time.

If this feels uncomfortably familiar, save it.

And if you are ready to stop improvising your career and start designing it,
this is exactly what we do inside the Portfolio Career Accelerator.

8 weeks to turn that modern-art mess into something intentional.

Starting January 26, 2026 for 8 weeks.
4 out of 20 seats already bought.
Apply here: https://lnkd.in/g8bpRmYN

♻️ Repost this for someone quietly stuck.
🔔 Follow Ani Filipova for honest career clarity.

Image credit: Adam Grant (IG)

You tell yourself: "I just need better time management."

So you try: 

Waking at 5am. 
Time-blocking. 
Batching tasks. 
Saying no to "small things."

And you are still exhausted. 
Still overwhelmed. 
Still behind.

Because you don't have a time management problem.

THE REAL PROBLEMS you have are:

1. The Boundary Problem
You say yes when you mean no.
Your calendar is full of other people's priorities.

2. The Priority Problem
Everything feels urgent because nothing is defined.
You are reacting, not choosing.

3. The Identity Problem
You are the "reliable one."
The one who always covers when someone's out sick.
The one who stays late to fix others' mistakes.
And rest? Rest feels like failure.

4. The Energy Problem
You treat draining, sustaining, and energising tasks the same.
So you stay depleted.

5. The Clarity Problem
You've met expectations for so long that you lost your own.

6. The Courage Problem
You know what needs to change - but you are waiting to stop being afraid.

So what actually helps?
A simple reset:

The Three Lists Exercise:

List 1: What drains me
(The work, people, commitments that leave you depleted)
List 2: What sustains me
(Neutral energy - necessary but not inspiring)
List 3: What energizes me
(You'd do this even if no one paid you)

Most professionals discover their calendar is:
60% drain / 35% sustain / 5% energise.

No wonder they are exhausted.

Ready to flip that 60/35/5 ratio?

Here's where to start:
→ Take 30 minutes this week
→ Create your three lists
→ Move ONE thing from "drain" to "delegate"

That's it. One small shift.

Because your life won't change until your calendar does.

I spent 15 years in corporate before learning how to build and rebuild a career without burning out. If you are tired of being tired, this will help:

→ Free masterclass: How to start a portfolio career
(Link in featured section)

💾 Save this for later
♻️ Share with someone running on empty

Throughout my career I have seen two types of leaders: 

Type 1:
Those who develop thinkers and problem solvers.

Type 2: 
Those who hoard every decision.

The second type? They are everywhere.
Every decision needs their blessing.
Every email needs their approval.
Every idea dies without their permission.

They think they are indispensable.
They are actually organizational bottlenecks.

The good thing? 
We all get to choose which one we become.

Here is how to become the first type of leader:

1️⃣ Turn questions into coaching moments 

When someone asks "What should I do?"
I ask: "What would you recommend?"
Then I listen.
Nine times out of ten, they know exactly what to do.
They just need someone to believe they can do it.

2️⃣ Show them how you think, not just what you think 

Don't just give answers - share your process.
• What information do you look for?
• Which factors matter most?
• How do you make trade-offs?
When your team understands your thinking pattern, they stop needing you for every decision.

3️⃣ Disappear on purpose 

Every Friday - be completely unreachable.
Not to test them - to trust them.
First week: They'll hesitate.
Second week: They'll figure it out.
Third week: They'll surprise you with what they can handle.
Eventually, you can take that whole day off without drama.

The uncomfortable truth?

Organizations don't need more managers who create dependencies.
They need leaders who build capability.

Your real job isn't to have all the answers.
It's to develop people who can find them without you.


💾 Save this for when your ego wants to micromanage
♻️ Share with that leader who thinks they are "helping" by controlling everything

Follow me, Ani Filipova, for more uncomfortable truths about leadership and change.

Most people don't dare to challenge their boss.

Not because they lack ideas.
But because they've seen what happens to the people who do.

"I disagree because...."
Eye roll. Heavy sigh.
"I have more experience. I know this won't work."
Conversation over.

Or sitting in a high-stakes meeting where the senior exec chair gives suggestions.
Never asks for opinions.
And when someone tries to speak?
Immediate shutdown.

If you are a leader and everyone nods at all your ideas…
That's not leadership.
That's obedience.

It's easy to lead people who agree with you.
It takes guts to lead people who challenge you.

Real leadership isn't tested by how well people follow your vision.
It's revealed by how safe they feel questioning it.

So how do you become that kind of leader?
These 3 behaviours make the biggest difference:

🛠 1. Ask for the objection
Stop asking: "Any thoughts?"
Start asking: "What might be wrong with this idea?"
People are more honest when you invite critique, not validation.

🛠 2. Speak last
If you speak first, most people will try to agree with you.
You'll kill fresh thinking before it starts.
Say less → hear more → lead better.

🛠 3. Praise the pushback
Reward the people who disagree with you,
especially when it's uncomfortable.
Your reaction to dissent teaches the whole team whether it's truly safe to speak up.

Remember: the goal isn't harmony.
The goal is better thinking.

Think of a leader you once felt safe challenging - 
What exactly did they do that created that safety?

👇 Share the behaviour so others can learn from it.

📑 Save this to revisit before your next meeting.
👥 Follow me, Ani Filipova, for daily content on Leadership, Career and Change.
📩 Want deeper weekly insights? Subscribe to my newsletter, The Change Blueprint - link in my Featured section.

I love working with optimistic people.

Here is why.

Pessimists and optimists look at the same challenge…
and see completely different worlds.

The pessimist sees every problem as "end of the road".
The optimist sees every problem as a puzzle to solve.

The pessimist says, “That won’t work because…”
The optimist asks, “What if we tried…?”

So - can optimism be learned?
Yes. But not in the way most people think.

What CAN’T be taught:
• Your instinct to see possibilities vs problems
• Your natural response when things go wrong
• Your baseline emotional wiring

What CAN be learned:
• Interrupting negative thought patterns
• Choosing a different perspective intentionally
• Practising optimistic responses until they become habit

Some people are naturally optimistic.
Others train themselves into optimism through repeated practice.
For most of us, it’s both.

Here’s the part people forget:
You can’t just decide to be optimistic and expect it to stick.

You have to:
• Catch yourself in negative loops
• Actively reframe
• Surround yourself with optimistic people
• Build evidence that things work out

And this is exactly what I see inside my community every day - optimistic people building portfolio careers, choosing courage over comfort, and turning setbacks into stepping stones.

It’s pure magic to watch!!!

✨ The community opens for new members on Monday, November 24th. This is the last time we are opening this year.

If you are ready to surround yourself with people who see possibilities instead of problems, this is your moment - join the waitlist here: https://lnkd.in/gKeB77z9

🔔 Follow Ani Filipova for more on building careers with freedom.
♻️ Share this with someone who needs a boost today.

9:00 AM: "This is urgent."
9:05 AM: "Actually, THIS is super urgent."
9:10 AM: "Wait, THIS is the MOST urgent."

Sound familiar?

Meanwhile, your team?
Same 8 people as yesterday.

They can stretch.
They always do.

But physics doesn’t care about urgency.
There's a breaking point.

Then comes the magic phrase:
 “Manage it.”

Manage WHAT exactly?
The 47 "urgent" requests that came in today?
The team that's already working weekends?
The fact that everything can't be priority No.1?

I spent 25 years watching this circus.
Leaders who pile on work like they are playing Tetris.
Teams drowning while executives debate "resource optimization."

Reality check: 

Your team isn't a resource to optimize.
They are humans with a fixed capacity for miracles.

As a leader, YOU own this mess.
Not your team. Not "the business." You.

Stop saying "manage it" and start doing your actual job:

I created a carousel breaking down exactly how urgency tricks your brain and what to actually do about it.

The psychology behind why we fall for it every time.
The deadline games people play.
The dopamine trap that keeps you hooked on urgent tasks.

But most importantly - how to break free from the urgency addiction.

Because when everything is urgent, nothing is.

And your team? 

They are not machines you can overclock indefinitely.
They are humans who need leaders brave enough to say: "No, that can wait."

Swipe through the carousel for the full breakdown on beating the urgency trap.

Your sanity (and your team's) depends on it.

💾 Save this + the carousel for your next priority pile-up
♻️ Share with someone drowning in "urgent" requests
➡️ Follow me, Ani Filipova, for truths about modern leadership and career

The people most committed to your failure often wear the warmest smiles.

The saboteur appears helpful.
They are  "concerned" about you.
They want to "mentor" you.
They are "protecting" you from failure.

"Oh, I thought someone told you."
"No offense, but..."
"I'm just trying to help."
"Don't take it personally."

Because of all this:

→ You question your own competence
→ You work harder to prove yourself
→ You become grateful for crumbs
→ You apologize for existing

These are the tactics they use:

1. The visibility trap
2. The communication sabotage
3. The idea laundering
4. The information blackout
5. The resource starvation
6. The impossible timeline
7. The gaslighting special
8. The social engineering
9. The attribution shift
10. The isolation protocol

If you recognised yourself in any of these, you are not crazy.
You are being played.

Wait. There's a plot twist.

SOMETIMES THE SABOTEUR IS ...YOU
When you internalise their tactics and start doing their work for them.
When you silence yourself before they even have to.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF:

🛡️ Create Your Paper Trail
• BCC yourself on important emails
• Summarize verbal conversations in writing
• Keep a private log of incidents with dates

🚪 Build Your Escape Routes
• Find sponsors outside your direct chain
• Create visibility beyond your saboteur's reach
• Strengthen peer relationships across departments

🧠 Stop Gaslighting Yourself
• That feeling something's off? It is usually correct
• Stop explaining away red flags
• Your instincts evolved for a reason - use them

The hardest truth about workplace sabotage?

It's done by people who smile at you daily.
Who ask about your weekend.
Who bring you coffee.

Because sabotage isn't about hate.
It's about fear.

Fear that your light might dim theirs.

Which tactic is happening to you RIGHT NOW?
Drop the number - and let's correct it!

♻️ Repost to help someone trust their instincts
👥 Follow me, Ani Filipova, for truths about career, leadership and change

P.S. Done playing defence in a game you can't win? The Portfolio Career Accelerator starts January 26th. Build your escape route while you still have options:https://lnkd.in/gw-h7p5h

I used to believe skills could compensate for a lack of care.

It never does.

The fact is - everyone still hires for skill.
I hire for care.

Because whether it's an employee, contractor, or consultant, care is what holds ANY team together when things get hard.

Skills can be taught.
Experience can be gained.
But care?
You either have it, or you don't.

When I was Regional COO at Citibank, I hired hundreds of employees.
Now I work with a distributed team of specialists.
Different scale. Same truth.

And here’s where that truth became expensive for me:

I hired a "10x developer" on contract.
Perfect portfolio. Stellar reviews.
Zero care about the actual problem we were solving.
The project died in week three.

Then I hired someone with half the experience -
but they asked: "Why does this matter to your business?"
They delivered beyond the brief because they cared about the outcome.

Here’s how to spot care in ANY collaboration:

🎯 They ask about impact, not just specs
“What happens if this succeeds?” beats 
“What are the requirements?”

🎯 They protect your blind spots
"Have you considered…?" is their favourite phrase.
They think like owners, not vendors.

🎯 They communicate proactively
No chasing for updates.
Problems surface before they explode.

🎯 They push back (respectfully)
“This won’t work because…”
Care looks like honesty, not compliance.

🎯 They reference the bigger picture
Every decision connects to your goals - 
not just task completion.

🎯 They stick around when it’s messy
Scope creep. Budget issues. Timeline problems.
People who care help solve, not just report.

Here’s the truth nobody talks about:

In today’s world, your “team” isn’t just employees.
It’s everyone you collaborate with:

• Your VA
• Your copywriter
• Your developer
• Your coach

You are not their boss.
But you are still hiring for care.

Because skills without care?
That’s just expensive disappointment waiting to happen.

Whether you lead 500 people or work with 5 contractors -
Your success depends on finding people who give a damn about the work itself.

♻️ Repost if you believe care beats credentials
🔔 Follow Ani Filipova for uncomfortable truths about building teams and careers
📩 Join other leaders and entrepreneurs getting weekly change and career advice in my newsletter - link in Featured

Job security isn't earned. 

It's engineered.

Most professionals spend decades being loyal, working late, hoping their company will protect them.

Then layoffs hit.
The 20-year veterans get cut first.
The "indispensable" people discover they weren't.
The loyal ones learn loyalty doesn't pay bills.

Meanwhile, there's another breed of professional.

You know those people:
↳The ones who always seem to land on their feet.
↳They switch jobs during a recession 
↳They get headhunted for roles you didn’t even know existed.
↳ They are asked to speak at conferences, join advisory boards, get introduced to “the right people.”

And you wonder: How?

Is it luck? 
Better connections? 
Being in the right place at the right time?

Maybe.

But maybe they've figured out something most people miss:

Security isn't about working harder.
It’s about engineering visibility, value, and options ...
... long before you need them.

They are not luckier.
They are simply playing a different game.

If you are building real career security, revisit this list every quarter. 👇
9 invisible traits of professionals who never worry about job security:

1️⃣ They know their unfair advantage
2️⃣ They treat their career like a business
3️⃣ They have multiple income streams
4️⃣ They stay visible outside their company
5️⃣ They invest in relationships, not transactions
6️⃣ They know their market value
7️⃣ They solve problems, not just do jobs
8️⃣ They keep learning publicly
9️⃣ They diversify their identity

None of these requires permission from your boss
But building them requires intention.

Job security isn't about finding the right company.
It’s about becoming the person companies fight to keep,
or better yet, the person who doesn’t need them to.

If one trait jumped out at you, tell me why - your perspective will help others reading this.

💾 Save this to revisit during your next career audit
♻️ Share this with someone who’s playing it too safe
➡️ Follow me, Ani Filipova, for more uncomfortable truths about modern careers

---
P.S. I’m hosting a free live masterclass tomorrow on the job and career trends in 2026.
If you want to go deeper into these you are welcome to join us: https://lnkd.in/gT5S8Sbs

How do they do that??

We all have days when we lose perspective. 

When that happens, a few simple reminders can save the whole week.
Here are 10 that save me every time👇

1️⃣ You don’t have to have it all figured out
It took me 2 years to leave my corporate job.
And another 2 to figure out my portfolio career.
I’m still figuring it out, and I enjoy my life far more

2️⃣ Healing takes time, be patient
Some days you feel strong.
On other days, you feel broken.
That doesn’t mean you are not healing; 
it just means you are human.

3️⃣ Kindness is free
Not everyone deserves your energy.
But kindness?
Give it freely. It makes you feel better too.

4️⃣ Not every action needs a reaction
You don’t need to reply to every email in 2 minutes.
You don’t owe everyone a reaction.
Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is ....nothing.

5️⃣ Everyone’s journey is different
A CEO at 25 - great and kudos!!
At 45, finally doing what you want - even better!
One is fast. One is deep. Both are valid.

6️⃣ Smiles are contagious
You smile at someone, and they smile back 
(most of the time).
It’s that simple.
And science agrees.

7️⃣ Your thoughts shape your reality
If you keep telling yourself “I’m stuck,”
you’ll stay stuck.
But try saying, “I’m learning.” Watch what happens.

8️⃣ It’s okay to start over again and again
Changed your mind? Good
Changed direction? Better
Changed careers? Best
Every restart is an upgrade.

9️⃣ There is no timeline for your life
Society's schedule is made up.
Marriage by 30? Says who??
Success by 40? Define success.

🔟 Letting go is brave
That job. That one-sided relationship. That old story.
If it’s weighing you down, it’s time.
Let go, not to give up, but to make space.

The most successful people I know needed these reminders the most!
Because success without peace is just expensive misery.

Which one did you need today?
Mine was 4 - it has been a tough week.

Drop yours below - let's remind each other we are not alone.

♻️ And if you know someone who needs this, send it to them today.
🔔 Follow me, Ani Filipova for more reminders like this.
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The Executive Committee seat
The six-figure salary.
The CEO on speed dial.
The business-class flights.

I had all of it as a Regional COO at Citibank.

But I couldn’t control my own time.

And after 25 years in corporate, I learned something uncomfortable:

There are two types of wealth.
Most people only chase one.

-> Bank Account Wealth:
What everyone sees.
What everyone measures.
What everyone envies.👇
Your salary, savings, and assets
Your job title

-> Calendar Wealth:
Who decides your Tuesday afternoon?
Can you leave early without asking permission?
Do you choose your meetings or do they choose you?

The uncomfortable truth:
My bank account peaked when my calendar wealth hit zero.

Every promotion meant more money.
Every promotion meant less autonomy.

Regional COO at Citibank.
$2B business. 16 countries.
Couldn't control my own calendar.

Golden handcuffs are still handcuffs.
Just more expensive.

When I left in 2021, people thought I'd lost my mind.
"You are walking away from all that?"

I wasn't walking away.
I was walking toward something.

Built relationships beyond company walls.
Developed skills the company didn't own.
Created value beyond my job description.

Now I control both types of wealth.

Not because I chose one over the other.
But because I stopped believing it was either/or.

You can have financial security AND freedom.
But only if you build them intentionally.

Most professionals optimise for the paycheck.
Then wonder why success feels like prison.

Your company rents your time.
Don't let them buy your freedom.

If you are ready to build both types of wealth apply for the The Portfolio Career Accelerator: https://lnkd.in/g8bpRmYN

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You can know your stuff inside out…
and still sound unsure when it matters.

I learned this the hard way.

There were moments in high-stakes rooms:
I walked out, replaying every sentence…
cringing at how I softened my point…
knowing I’d unintentionally undermined myself.

Here’s the truth:

If you sound unsure, people assume you are unsure 
even when you are absolutely not.

And smart people lose influence because of how they speak, not what they know.

Over the years, I started spotting the phrases that were weakening otherwise excellent professionals.

Here are 12 phrases that make smart people sound less smart  and what to say instead 👇

❌ “I just think…”
✅ “Here’s what I see.”

❌ “Maybe we could…”
✅ “Let’s try this approach.”

❌ “Sorry, but…”
✅ “Let me add something here.”

❌ “Does that make sense?”
✅ “Let me know if you want me to go deeper.”

❌ “I’m not sure, but…”
✅ “Based on what I know…”

❌ “I’m no expert, but…”
✅ “From my experience…”

❌ “This might be a dumb question…”
✅ “Here’s something I’m curious about.”

❌ “Hopefully, we can…”
✅ “Our goal is to…”

❌ “I think we should…”
✅ “I recommend we…”

❌ “I feel like…”
✅ “What I’m seeing is…”

❌ “It’s kind of like…”
✅ “It’s similar to…”

❌ “We could maybe look at…”
✅ “Let’s explore…”

Small shifts in language → big shifts in presence and authority.

If you want to communicate with confidence in high-stakes rooms, this is exactly what we train inside my Portfolio Career Accelerator - where our speaking and communication module is led by Julian Treasure, the voice expert behind 40 million TED Talk views.
Apply here:
https://lnkd.in/g8bpRmYN

🔁 Share this to help more people sound as smart as they truly are.
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That email just hit your inbox.

"Performance Review Season - please complete by December 15th."

Your stomach drops.

Not because you didn't deliver.
But because you already know how this goes:

• You scramble to remember your wins.
• Your manager is too busy to spare enough time 
• Nothing actually changes.

Here's the truth:

Performance reviews fail because nobody prepares.
Not managers. 
Not employees.

This is the ONE moment all year where someone MUST pay attention to your career.
Don't waste it!

🟢 MANAGERS: 
Your best people are deciding whether to stay based on this conversation.
Great leaders don’t walk into reviews hoping for clarity.
They walk in prepared to give it.

🔵 EMPLOYEES: 
Create a presentation with a summary of your wins.
Send it 48 hours before the meeting.
Not for them - for you:
• Your track record
• Your negotiation leverage
• Your ammunition for the next opportunity

I created a step-by-step guide for both sides:

For Leaders →
• The 48-hour prep framework
• How to steer the conversation
• Follow through after the review

For Employees →
• How to prepare
• What to do during the review
• What to do AFTER (where 95% drop the ball)

Swipe through the carousel for the full playbook.

Your review is in 3 weeks.
Your preparation starts now.

💾 Save this before your review
♻️ Share with someone who deserves better this year
Follow me, Ani Filipova, for insights on Modern Career and Leadership

Save this for your upcoming review!

You are scrolling LinkedIn at midnight again.

Comparing your career to people who graduated the same year.
Googling “successful people who started late.”

And somewhere between the second glass of wine 
and that sinking feeling in your stomach, 
you are asking yourself:

“What am I doing with my life?”

I know that spiral.
I hit the same point when I was a Regional COO at Citi.

This is what I know about this moment:

- That question isn’t a breakdown.
- It’s a breakthrough trying to happen.

Because you’ve reached what I call The Crossroads.

The moment when you realise: 
- the things you wanted to do might never happen
- you are not stuck - you are choosing not to choose.

And at The Crossroads, you have three real options:

1. Accept it.
Stay in your career.
Make genuine peace with it.
Stop the mental warfare; build your joy outside of work.
This is valid - but you must choose it consciously.

2. Add something.
Keep the stability. 
Build meaning on the side.
A project that feeds your soul while the job pays the bills.

3. Explore it.
Test the ideas you've been burying.
The pivot. The business. The portfolio career.
Start discovering what’s real.

Most people never get past the spiral.
They collect online courses like participation trophies.
They watch younger colleagues get promoted.
They wait. And wait. And wait.

If you are not one of these people, then some part of you is already leaning toward Option 2 or Option 3.

That’s exactly why I created the Portfolio Career Accelerator - for people standing at The Crossroads who want to test some ideas!

8 weeks.
20 people.
A guided transition into what's possible without blowing up your life.
We start on January 26th.

If you’ve been at The Crossroads long enough, maybe it’s time to stop thinking and start testing.

👉 Apply here to see if it’s a fit: https://lnkd.in/g8bpRmYN

♻️ Repost with someone stuck in the midnight scroll
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Swipe through to see the phases and what to do next.

Your title was never your power.
The company just let you borrow it.

The day you leave corporate, you learn a terrifying truth:
Your badge gets deactivated - but your capability doesn’t.

When I left, I genuinely thought nobody would speak to me anymore.

No title.
No budget.
No org chart position.
Just me and whatever I could carry in my head.

Then I discovered something:

Everything I’d learned.
Everything I’d built.
Every pattern I’d spotted over 25 years…
It was all still mine.

The “power” I thought I’d lost?
I’d never actually owned it.
It belonged to the logo on my business card.

Real power - the kind that travels with you - works differently.

Here are the 7 power principles every professional needs when they step out of their job and title:

1. Control your narrative
My title disappeared.
My story became my new currency.
“I help professionals build portfolio careers” replaced “Regional COO at Citibank.”
Clarity beats prestige every time.

2. Stay hyper-visible
Inside corporate, visibility is automatic.
Outside, it’s a choice.
I posted daily, spoke at events, taught what I knew.
113K followers later, visibility became my new infrastructure.

3. Maintain your alliances
I didn’t vanish.
I stayed connected.
Those relationships became my first clients and my strongest advocates.
Your network doesn’t care about your employment status.

4. Own a niche
Generalists survive in corporate.
Generalists disappear outside it.
I picked one problem: helping professionals build portfolio careers.
Focus created magnetism.

5. Build value assets
Not skills. Assets.
Frameworks. Systems. Repeatable solutions.
Things that aren’t generic — and aren’t replaceable.

6. Make reputation your résumé
Citibank used to vouch for me.
Now my results do.
100+ professionals transitioned.
6-figure portfolio careers built.
Proof is the new endorsement.

7. Own who you are now
I stopped leading with “I used to be a COO.”
I started leading with the value I create today.
Confidence signals power more than any title ever could.

Jeffrey Pfeffer puts it bluntly:
“Titles create position power. Real power comes from personal assets and social capital.”

Your expertise doesn’t expire when your badge stops working.
Your value doesn’t shrink when you walk out that door.
It becomes fully yours.

These 7 principles aren’t theory.
I used them to rebuild my own career  and now they are the foundation of my Portfolio Career Accelerator.

8 weeks.
20 professionals.
Starting January 26.

If you want a career that travels with you, we build it step by step. Apply for the accelerator here: https://lnkd.in/g8bpRmYN

♻️ Share this with someone questioning their value outside corporate
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eatreats bangalore

I'm building something new,

Let me tell you about it.

For the past three years, I've been helping professionals leave corporate and build portfolio careers. 

One-on-one coaching. 
My community. 
Hundreds of conversations about what actually works.

And I keep seeing the same thing:
People spend years piecing this together
jumping between YouTube videos, 
buying courses they never finish, 
trying to connect the dots alone.

I had to figure it all out at once when I left Citi. 

So I'm changing that.

The Portfolio Career Accelerator launches January 26th.

It's everything I've learned, packaged into 8 intensive weeks.

Here's my story in 30 seconds:
• 25 years in corporate banking
• Regional COO at Citi (€2B, 16 countries)
• Left at 51 with no plan
• Now: 140K followers across LinkedIn/YouTube
• Multiple income streams
• I own my time

I've watched hundreds make similar transitions. 
And they all needed the same five things:

1️⃣ Build an audience that knows and trusts you
2️⃣ Create an offer people actually want to buy
3️⃣ Become a speaker (yes, even TED talks)
4️⃣ Position yourself as an advisor/board member 
5️⃣ Start investing your new income wisely

And the secret weapon? AI to make it all happen 10x faster.

I spent three years figuring this out through trial and error.
You don't have to.

Picture this:
March 2025. 
Your LinkedIn is growing. 
You built your first digital product.
You are positioning yourself for an advisory position.
You still have your job (if you want it), but now you know your options.

That's what 8 weeks can do.

The accelerator is intimate - just 20 people.
Live sessions, which are recorded. 
Feedback on whatever you are building.
Amazing guest experts on all topics.

And after that - 3 months free in my community to keep the momentum going.

This isn't about following my exact path.
It's about me showing you the map so you can choose your own adventure.

Want the full details?

🚀 Get all the information here and apply: https://lnkd.in/g8bpRmYN
Applications open now. We start January 26th.

I genuinely believe everyone deserves a portfolio career - work that fits your life, not the other way around.

Come build yours with me.

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Lea 🌈 Turner

The HoLT

Director

Lea Does LinkedIn

Providing LinkedIn training, digital courses and in-person workshops for businesses.

StereoType Ltd

Stereotype Ltd Audio Transcription Service

If Carlsberg made LinkedIn Trainers | 1-1 & Company Training | Join 470+ solopreneurs & small business owners in my membership community, The HoLT (ask me how)

You've tried communities before but they never live up to the hype, do they? The founder only shows up for calls, the chat is dead or clique-y, they're either women only, or full of d*ck swinging sales bros pitch slapping you into oblivion, and you only get the *good stuff* if you pay for the upsells...and you're left feeling...deflated, womp womp. 

*clears throat, stretches out arms, JAZZ HANDS* until... The HoLT!

We have none of that malarkey. 

No upsells, no tiered memberships, and categorically, absolutely, without question... no knobs. 

"But LEA, what is The HoLT?" I hear you cry. It's an inclusive, vibrant, fun, affordable community of over 500 small business owners, freelancers, side hustlers and employees, coming together for weekly masterclasses from ACTUAL experts, teaching every business skill you could possibly need to improve how YOU do business, from copywriting to confidence building, AI to automation, PR to passive income. 

And unlike other communities, we record every masterclass, add it to the library, and no matter when you join, you get access to ALL of them (currently over 150!)

But there's so much more; weekly community calls for informal networking, content support, tech clinics to tackle your IT nightmares, in-person co-working days, online co-working, wellbeing sessions, LinkedIn clinics... I could go on but I'd ruin your surprise and delight when you join. 

And unlike most founders, I am in The HoLT every single day (in sickness and in health, til death do us part) because I genuinely care about the members, love connecting people, nurturing them and supporting them. 

I was sick of being a lonely solopreneur. I had no one to share my wins & failures with, who'd understand, not judge me, to ask for reliable advice when I needed it without making me feel stupid, to learn with, grow with, and make it fun along the way. So, I created a safe space for others who felt the same. It has grown and evolved over the past 3 years, to become a magical space full of the sorts of people you WANT on your side in business, cheering you on and encouraging you when sh*t gets tough. 

We open the doors to 25 new members every month, and we'd love you to be one of them (unless you're one of the aforementioned knobs). Check us out and get on the waiting list at www.the-holt.com or DM me if you want to know more, I promise I don't bite!

PS. If communities aren't your *thing* we have The Vault. Access 150+ masterclass recordings with new ones added weekly, for just £20/month, no contract or commitment.

Providing bespoke 1:1 and group LinkedIn training, digital courses and in-person workshops for businesses. 

I apologise to anyone who woke up with “officially not a knob” stamped on their hand. 

And to those scratching tattoos of my face off various body parts.  

For the sore heads and aching cheeks. 

But last night was absolutely worth it. 

This is what real community is. 

It’s joy. It’s friendship. It’s mutual support and respect. 

It’s dancing, laughter, vulnerability, collaboration, shared values despite diverse experiences. 

There is no other community like The HoLT. 

Thank you for giving me the best job in the world 🩷

PS yes that’s the real life Backdoor Barry I’m sat on.

You can sit with us (unless you're a knob) | The-HoLT.com

LinkedIn sort your goddamn sh*t out. 

When I switched my gender demographic last week to “prefer not to say”, my content reach doubled. And has continued to soar. 

As a result, there’s been a significant increase in inappropriate comments and messages from men I’m not connected with. 

And predictably, when I bothered to report this prime example, you tell me it “does not go against our professional community policies”.

WTAF?

So, if one of your male employees said this to one of your female employees, would that be acceptable? Or would they be hauled over the coals by HR?

And if this comment was actually reviewed by AI and not a “member of your trust and safety team”, why are you lying to us that our comments are reviewed by humans?

AND ALSO, why, when I ask ChatGPT whether it considers this comment appropriate on LinkedIn, it gave me a very definitive no, so if you ARE using AI for this, what inept toddler programmed it? (ChatGPT’s response in comments). 

This is NOT good enough.
You are NOT making women feel safe or valued on this platform. 

You’ve been promising to do better for the six years I’ve been on this platform and I’m yet to see evidence of any improvement. 

It’s frankly disgusting. 

Why isn’t our safety and respect a priority for you?

graphical user interface, text, application

“LinkedIn are not restricting reach of women’s content”

Well, I’d like LinkedIn to explain why, when I switched my profile gender identity from “woman” to “prefer not to say” on 17th November, my post reach rocketed.

- posted at a similar time 
- similar number of reactions
- same number of reposts 
- similar comment numbers 
- less replies to comments from me

And yet the difference is abundantly clear. 

I welcome women to try it with me. 

Go to your settings ➡️ account preferences ➡️ personal demographic ➡️ gender identity ➡️ select prefer not to say. 

And report back with your findings after your next few posts. 

If they’re not restricting women’s content, it’ll just be a fluke for me, right?

But if they are… I smell trouble ahead.

The most powerful marketing tools I've discovered are ones people rarely consider.

But I do, in droves, and the ROI is beyond anything else I've tried. 

They are these:

Personalisation and whimsy

On Wednesday, I welcomed 150+ members from The HoLT community to a party in central London. And I remembered every single name of my members. 

Not through revision, but because I am in there every day getting to know people. 

The drinks tokens had the faces of members on them. 
The entrance stamp for their hands said 'Officially not a knob'
I hired an actor to embody our fictional security guard, Backdoor Barry, with a full character profile I'd written so he could entertain the guests - even down to the name of his fictional dog. 
The party bags contained handmade HoLT keyrings my son and I had sat for hours making, attached with little pegs to thank you notes I had handwritten. 
Amusing temporary tattoos were hidden in the bathrooms for people to put on and show off.

All designed to surprise and delight the people I'm privileged to call clients. 
Hours well-spent to show them that they are important and appreciated. 
Made with love, to make them feel loved. 

And it's touches like this that people never expect but always remember. 
That they take photos of and post about, spreading the brand's message farther and wider.

There is not enough joy in the world.
But it is a feeling like no other to ensure you and your brand are remembered. 

So if I can recommend one marketing tip that has got me to where I am, with a multi six figure business I love working on every single day?

Make people smile. 

It works. 

Photo is of Backdoor Barry removing me from my own party. The rogue.

See you soon, partygoers!

I’ll be the one dressed like a K Pop song!

I’m currently rebuilding my website because honestly, it doesn’t answer the questions most people ask about the business. 

It should be launched in the new year, but in the meantime, here’s the answers to what lots of you are asking:

1. The HoLT has members all over the world, but most are in the UK. In fact 2 members in Aus & NZ met for coffee last week!

2. Masterclasses & calls are all between 10am-4pm GMT with occasional evening community calls. If you’re 8+ hours ahead you may find the live calls a bit late, BUT

3. All masterclasses are recorded & kept forever in the library (200+ already inside). Watch any time, like Netflix for biz.

4. YES we do welcome employed people. Whether you’re a lonely remote worker or just want to learn, we’re here for you too!

5. YES, we do offer discounts for 2+ people from the same biz. DM me to sort that. 

6. NO, it’s not an engagement pod. Posts requesting engagement on content are removed and I politely explain the rules. 

7. I know we joke, but it’s not actually a cult. Being a HoLTie is a mindset - where you cheer for people’s wins, ask for and share help, accept and respect differences, celebrate uniqueness, and value integrity and honesty. People who disrupt our efforts to make it a safe space are removed (only had to do this 4 times in 3.5 years). 

8. It’s £65/month or £650/year. You can cancel a monthly membership any time if it’s not for you. No hard feelings. 

9. There is no ‘typical’ industry in The HoLT, but MOST are online service providers. 

10. We are extremely active. The chat channels in our app are rarely quiet. People are friendly and supportive. No question goes unanswered. 

11. There’s no age limit! We have members from 25 to early 70s!

12. Yes you can gift a membership to someone.  We sell gift vouchers!

And lastly:

YES I’m in there. I’m not an absent founder who gets you in then disappears. 

I host community calls, speed networking, monthly question time, guest masterclasses, and I’m in and out the app ALL THE TIME. 

Any others I’ve missed?

We’re not officially opening the doors again this year, but I can slip you in the backdoor if you ask nicely 😉 

(Photo of me and my fab community manager and biz bestie Danielle Davies 🩷)

I've had so many people asking about the next party... They don't want to wait a WHOLE YEAR. 

So, I'm making a promise. 

We will do it again in the summer, but ONLY if we reach our target of 650 members. 

That's another 130 people inside The HoLT before March 2026. 

And then I will arrange a HUGE summer party for all our members and their friends. 

Can we do it?

If you're a solopreneur, small business owner, side hustler, or employee sick of working alone... The HoLT is THE number one community filled with gorgeous humans. 

The type you can turn to in crisis
The ones who will hold your hand when you need us
That will have you laughing so hard you're worried a bit of wee will come out
Who take business very seriously, while having serious fun doing it

Will you be one of the new members that helps secure a summer party?

Drop me a DM if you want in. 

There's a party bag with your name on it.

The A-Z that no one asked for, but…

A lot of people are curious about what types of business owners join The HoLT. 

Well, here's a list of just SOME of them:

A - Accountant, AI Expert, Automation Expert, Architect, ADHD Coach, Artist, Advertising Lawyer, Agile Coach, Author

B - Bookkeepers, Branding Designer, Bid Writer, Business Analyst

C - Counsellor, Confidence Coach, Content Creators, Career Coach, Celebrant, Copywriter, Customer Experience, Contract Lawyer, Cyber Security, CV Writer, Construction Lawyer, CFO

D - Drone Surveyor, Data Protection, Divorce Lawyer

E - Editor, Empowerment Coach, Event Producer, Executive Coach, Email Marketer, Employment Lawyer, Estate Manager

F - Funnel Builder, Financial Advisor

G - Graphic Designer, Ghostwriter, Growth Strategist

H - HR Consultant, Hypnotist

I - Instagram expert, Insurance Broker, Insolvency Practitioner, Inclusivity Consultant

J - Journal Creator, Journalist

K - Key account manager

L - LinkedIn Expert, Leadership Coach, Lead Generation, L&D Expert, Life Coach

M - Mortgage advisor, Mindset coach, Marketing Strategist, Motorcycle Tour Guide, Marquee Hire Franchise, Magician, Men’s Coach

N - Nutritional Therapist, NLP Practitioner

O - Online Events Specialist, OBM

P - Proofreader, Psychotherapist, Personal Trainer, Paid Ads, Public Speaker, Podcast Producer, PR Expert, Private Tutor, Photographer, Payroll, Paralegal, Project Manager, Psychologist 

Q - Quiz Builder, Quickbooks Pro

R - Researcher, Risk Management, Recruiter

S - S3x Therapist, Sales Trainer, Social Media Manager & Strategist, Speaker Trainer, SEO, Scuba Diving Instructor

T - Therapist, Tech Specialist, Transport Consultant, Technical Consultant, Translator, Travel Planner, Team Building Events, Tax Planner

U - Utility Savings Expert, University Lecturer

V - Virtual assistant, Videographer, Video Editor, Voiceover Artist

W - Website Designer, Website Developer, Wellbeing Expert, Wealth Management, Wheelchair Tennis Champion, Workshop Facilitator

X - Xero trainer

Y - Yoga instructor

Z - Zapier Pro

Imagine having access to all that expertise at your fingertips, any time you need help. 

And if you want the names of any of these brilliant experts, let me know and I'll pass them on. 

But what's even better... you'll be able to find them yourself, soon, when we release our Hire a HoLTie Directory!

Keep your eyes peeled. It's coming VERY soon!!

I’m finally embracing AI in my business 😟

I'm getting my first Custom GPT - say hello to BarryBot! 

Barry can answer all our HoLT members’ questions about our new HoLT Directory (coming very soon); how to fill in their profile for success, how it works, guidance on what to say, and we'll keep feeding him more questions as they arise. 

Next stage is to also make him able to recommend other HoLT members to meet based on interests and needs, recommend masterclasses based on what members are trying to achieve, and LOADS more!

And he’ll do it in typically gruff and amusing Barry style 😆

This won't be INSTEAD of me, it'll be as well as me, so members can get answers faster, any time of day. 

I refuse to clone myself with AI and mislead people into thinking they're talking to me, but a separate BarryBot will be SO helpful to our members!!

Slightly concerned what my wildly unhinged and creative mind will come up with now I’ve been unleashed on AI 😬

What ways are you leveraging AI to help your clients?

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The Battle

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