So many experienced professionals hit a point where corporate life stops making sense. But knowing it and doing something about it? That’s a different challenge.

After a long career in financial services and tech, Carmen Orr found herself at a crossroads. She’d built high-performing teams, navigated executive leadership, and thrived in complex business environments. But then layoffs, ageism, and the slow realisation that the traditional job market wasn’t built for people like her.

So, she decided to do something radical: to bet on herself.

In this episode, Carmen shares:

• The gut-punch of applying for jobs and getting one interview in nine months
• The invisible barriers of ageism in hiring and how fractional work flips the script
• Why she almost didn’t go out on her own (and what changed her mind)
• How she landed her first clients
• The secret being a successful fractional leader

Plus, she reveals the song that sums up her career transition—now added to the Change Unfiltered Playlist on Spotify.

Connect with Carmen: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmenorr/ Think2Perform website: https://www.think2perform.com/about-us/#team

1. Carmen’s book recommendations: The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions – Geoff Woods
2. Team-Based Strategic Planning: A Complete Guide to Structuring, Facilitating, and Implementing the Process – C. Davis Fogg
3. The Soul of Wealth: 50 Reflections on Money and Meaning – Daniel Crosby

Check out the Change Unfiltered Playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6I5Sikl02JF46cnNO6XPQI?si=dje2K4Q5Rj-mzR4WktsDVg&pi=v2B32mnsTIeFe&nd=1&dlsi=11bdbc87635441ce