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This week on the Sunlight Tax Podcast, I talk with Shannan Hsiao, a career, leadership, and transition coach with more than 20 years of experience in corporate design and tech. We explore what it takes to move from corporate work toward a more self-directed career, including navigating identity shifts, building confidence, embracing creative work, and creating more inclusive leadership. We also talk about Shannan’s retreats, equine-assisted coaching, and the practical and emotional realities of building an independent business.
Also mentioned in today’s episode:
00:10 Shannan’s path from corporate design to transition coaching
02:18 Finding confidence when corporate no longer feels secure
04:08 Creative identity, money, and the pressure to choose a safe career
11:13 Why Shannan is creating an Asian women’s retreat
16:06 Representation and authentic leadership in corporate spaces
19:45 How horses support reflection and coaching
22:18 Designing Your Next Thing: reflection, support, and possibility
26:23 The mindset and role changes involved in leaving corporate
29:05 Accepting the awkward learning curve of business ownership
33:27 The freedom and creative feedback loop of independent work
38:22 Scaling a business at a pace that fits your life
40:16 How business setup and bookkeeping unlock room to grow
44:06 Where to find Shannan and her upcoming retreats
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ABOUT SHANNAN HSIAO:
Shannan Hsiao is a design leader and executive coach who helps designers and creatives in tech design what’s next. She has more than 20 years in design, most recently as VP of Design and Research at Clover, so she knows firsthand what it takes to lead through big change with empathy and clarity. Before design, she worked as a vet tech, managed a veterinary clinic, and ran her own catering company. Today, she is the founder of Simply Designed. She brings her passion for authenticity and community to career, leadership, and transition coaching, including equine-assisted coaching and retreats. She learned to ride later in life, and she knows it can take getting through the butterflies and what-ifs to start something new.
WORK WITH SHANNAN:
Instagram: @simply.designed.eq
Episode Links:
Check out my 2-day Business Intensive
Order my book: Taxes for Humans: Simplify Your Taxes and Change the World When You’re Self-Employed
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