In this podcast episode, Sarah is joined by Kelly Venkiah, the Founder and Lead Consultant at Venkiah HR, who participated in Sarah's Bootcamp in May 2023.

Kelly's professional background includes 18 years in the corporate realm at Amazon, where she held various roles in both general and specialised capacities, eventually leading to international assignments. In 2020, she embarked on the journey of starting a family, welcoming her first son, followed by a second in 2022. During her maternity leave, Kelly made the pivotal decision to transition into HR consulting, a career move that had been on her radar and now felt opportune given her evolving family dynamics.

For Kelly, the appeal of HR consulting, like many working parents, lies in the flexibility it offers. Managing the health challenges of her youngest son, Miles, who requires extended hospital stays, Kelly finds solace in the ability to work from any location as needed.

Initiating one's consultancy presents inherent challenges; self-belief is crucial, and imposter syndrome may emerge. Kelly highlights the importance of creating a sound business strategy and avoiding overcommitting to ensure success.

The Bootcamp experience has been a lifeline for Kelly, providing a supportive community from both fellow participants and the Leap into team.

Kelly's advice to podcast listeners contemplating a career shift into HR consulting is straightforward – envision the life you desire. Consider your aspirations not only in the present and financially but also project where you want to be in 5-10 years and then reverse engineer your path to get there.

Links:

Connect with Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/SarahHGLI
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/WebLeapInto
Join our Facebook Business Growth group: https://bit.ly/FBHRGrow
Connect with Kelly Venkiah on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/LIKellyV
Follow Miles’ journey on Facebook: https://bit.ly/FBMilesVJourney