What Was What Next

About What Was What Next

Story-led reflections and conversations for leaders, founders, and clinicians navigating significant career, relationship, and life transitions. Welcome to What Was What Next with certified master coach Heena Thaker. This is a podcast for individuals navigating the space between professional and personal chapters. We explore the complexities of executive role changes, relationship shifts, identity evolution, and burn-on, the hidden precursor to chronic burnout where high-achievers keep functioning while deeply exhausted. Whether you are experiencing a season of midlife change, workplace fatigue, or deep life transition, these episodes offer grounded insights to meet you right where you are, before clarity lands. Here's to us evolving together.

Publisher

Heena Thaker

Category

business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Jun 2025

Latest episode

20 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

14 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   20 Oct 2026

   When Success Stops Feeling Right: Burnout, Grief and the Courage to Change

   When Success Stops Feeling Right: Burnout, Grief and Career Change What happens when you're so burnt out that you struggle to process the grief of losing a parent? In this episode of What Was, What Next, host Heena Thaker speaks with Roger Fung, a designer living in Japan, about corporate burnout, grief, career change and redefining success. When Roger's father died, he was already so depleted by a corporate career that he felt emotionally blank, unable to process his loss. The experience, alongside his growing sense that work no longer felt right, prompted him to question the life he was building. Roger shares how stepping away from corporate life gave him space to reconnect with himself, challenge his need for permission and begin building a creative consultancy alongside his job. Together, Heena and Roger explore the impact of burnout on our emotional capacity, how grief can change our perspective on work and life, and how to navigate a career transition without having the next chapter fully figured out. Connect with Roger on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/roger-fung)

2. 

   9 Sept 2026

   There's More To Me Than Meets The Eye: Still Learning Who I Am

   “There’s more to me than meets the eye.” That’s where Louise starts. And it’s honest. She knows it. But knowing there’s more and actually discovering what that is? That’s the lifelong work. In this episode, Louise Reader, shares her story through multiple transitions, corporate career, Buddhist monkhood, somatic practice, but not as a journey toward answers. As a journey of staying curious. Of releasing what doesn’t fit. Of slowly coming home to herself while still navigating with the story who she actually is. Because what’s real for Louise is that she hasn’t arrived. She’s still learning. Still exploring. Still working through the sadness and grief she carries. Still asking who she is beneath all the roles. This is for anyone who feels there’s more to them but hasn’t figured it out yet. For anyone learning that the figuring out might be the whole journey. For anyone giving themselves permission to stay in the becoming. Topics covered: Identity and labels / multiple life transitions / self-discovery as ongoing work / Buddhist practice / somatic work / sensitivity and humanness / grief and sadness / releasing old patterns / still learning who you are Connect with Louise: Louises's website: https://www.louisereader.com/ (https://www.louisereader.com/) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-reader-9b7b45234/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-reader-9b7b45234/)

3. 

   11 Aug 2026

   Why Is It So Hard To Stay When You've Always Moved On?

   She’s spent a lifetime moving on. Different homes, different countries, different careers, different versions of herself. Kym Vincenti calls herself a “life jumper”, always moving towards the next thing. But this season is different. For the first time, Kym has a reason to stay. In this conversation, we explore why some people find it difficult to stay still, what keeps us moving on, and what can finally make staying feel worth it, including: Why some people develop a lifelong instinct to keep moving, changing and creating new chapters How childhood experiences, loss and instability can shape our relationship with freedom, home and staying put What it means to be a “life jumper”, always moving towards the next experience, place, role or possibility Why staying still can feel harder than starting again How becoming a grandmother has given Kym a reason to stay that she has never had before The different identities, names and versions of ourselves we carry through different seasons of life The constant thread of service that can exist beneath a life that looks full of change What we learn about ourselves when we finally stop moving long enough to look back Writing your own story after spending years helping other people tell theirs How old experiences can resurface when we finally become still enough to feel them The difference between helping, fixing and taking responsibility for other people’s lives What it means to create a life that holds both adventure and rootedness If you have spent years moving on, starting again, seeking freedom or wondering what might be next, this conversation offers a different question: What might make staying worth it? Kym shares an extraordinary story of survival, movement, service, family and finding her way into a season she never expected, one where, perhaps for the first time, she has a reason to stay. Connect with Kym: Sexagenarian.co.uk (http://Sexagenarian.co.uk) https://glamgirlmedia.com/ (https://glamgirlmedia.com/) Instagram @kymvincenti LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kym-ciftci-vincenti-976a823a1 (http://linkedin.com/in/kym-ciftci-vincenti-976a823a1)

4. 

   21 Jul 2026

   Who in My Family Ever Just Quits? | Honouring Family Sacrifice, Choosing To Write Your Own Story

   "Who in my family ever just quits?" When former attorney and professor Asha Wilkerson found herself asking this question, she realised she wasn't simply deciding whether to leave a successful legal career. She was confronting something much deeper: the invisible obligation to honour generations of family sacrifice. Asha's story is about leaving a successful career, navigating family sacrifice, redefining success and finding the courage to choose a different life. In deciding to write her own life story, she doesn't reject the sacrifices her family made. Instead, she comes to understand that perhaps the deepest way to honour those sacrifices is to embrace the freedom they made possible. This episode is for anyone who has reached a point of career transition, career change, reinvention or personal transformation and feels conflicted about choosing a different path, even when the life they have built looks successful from the outside. It is particularly relevant if you are asking: Why do I feel guilty about leaving a successful career? Why is it so hard to walk away from a career I've worked so hard to build? How do family expectations influence career choices? How can I honour my family's sacrifices without living according to their story? What happens when success no longer feels fulfilling? How do I reinvent myself after a successful career? Who am I if I stop doing the thing that made me successful? How do I write the next chapter of my life when the old one still looks successful from the outside? At the heart of this conversation is a powerful question about the stories we inherit and the stories we unconsciously continue. Sometimes, the hardest part of changing your life is not disappointing other people. It is giving yourself permission to stop carrying a story that was never meant to be yours forever. Because perhaps the greatest way to honour the sacrifices that came before us is not to spend our lives repaying them. Perhaps it is to use the freedom they created. Connect with Asha: https://www.ashasplacelisbon.com/ (https://www.ashasplacelisbon.com/) on Threads @AshaWilkersonEsq

5. 

   7 Jul 2026

   Who Am I Without My Career? Reinventing Yourself After Corporate Life

   For 27 years, Marianne Page built a successful career at McDonald's. Then she left and found herself asking a question that many accomplished professionals wrestle with: Who am I without my career? In this deeply honest conversation, Marianne reflects on the loss of identity that followed leaving corporate life, the dark season that came next, and the slow journey back to herself. Today, Marianne is an award winning motivational speaker, business mentor and bestselling author, but this episode isn't just about business success. It's about identity, purpose and what happens when the role you've worn for decades no longer fits. Together we explore: why so many leaders confuse who they are with what they do rebuilding confidence after leaving a long career finding joy again after redundancy or retirement values, resilience and creating a life that feels like your own why the season between "what was" and "what's next" can become the making of you Whether you're leaving corporate life, facing redundancy, approaching retirement, or simply wondering what's next after years of professional success, Marianne's story is a reminder that losing your role doesn't mean losing yourself. Connect with Marianne via her official website Marianne Page (https://mariannepage.com/) or on LinkedIn (https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mariannepage)

6. 

   23 Jun 2026

   You've Built a Successful Business. Why Do You Still Want Something More? | Sarah Clemson

   You’ve built a successful business yet something still feels unresolved. Many founders, entrepreneurs, and leaders reach a point where external success no longer matches internal fulfilment, and the work begins to feel repetitive or misaligned. In this episode of What Was, What Next, I speak with entrepreneur and creative strategist Sarah Clemson, who has built three successful businesses over the years. Sarah shares what it looks like to realise a business has become comfortable but no longer energising, and how she chose to evolve her work to reflect who she is becoming rather than who she once needed to be. We explore leadership, identity, achievement vs fulfilment, self-worth, and reinvention in later-stage business journeys including: Why successful businesses can start to feel repetitive or unfulfilling The shift from achievement-driven identity to fulfilment and alignment How self-worth and “proving yourself” can sit beneath long-term success What it means to evolve your business as you evolve as a person How confidence develops through courageous reinvention Redefining success across different seasons of leadership and life If you are a founder, business owner, or leader navigating a season where success no longer feels like enough, this conversation offers language, reflection, and perspective for what comes next. Connect with Sarah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahclemson/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahclemson/) Website: https://www.tothesummit.co.uk/team/ (https://www.tothesummit.co.uk/team/)

7. 

   9 Jun 2026

   The Green Hour: From healing with medicine to healing with stories

   In this insightful conversation Dr. Lalith Wijedoru shares his transformative journey from paediatric emergency doctor to social health consultant and storytelling facilitator. Discover how storytelling and reflective spaces can enhance social health, improve workplace culture, and foster genuine human connections. Keywords social health, storytelling, workplace culture, emotional resilience, healthcare, leadership, personal growth, ethical dilemmas, storytelling facilitation, career pivot Key Moments 00:00 Introduction to Lalith Wijedoru 03:01 The Journey from Medicine to Storytelling 05:54 Ethical Challenges in Paediatric Medicine 09:10 The Power of Storytelling in Healing 11:56 Innovating Schwartz Rounds During the Pandemic 14:51 Measuring Stress and Recovery in Healthcare 18:10 Navigating Silence in Coaching 20:50 Building a Human-Centric Workplace Culture 24:02 Reactions to Career Transition 27:10 Lessons Learned in Entrepreneurship 29:09 Navigating Family Estrangement and Personal Growth 31:01 The Commonality of Human Emotions 34:16 Reflective Storytelling as a Healing Tool 35:39 Wrestling with Financial Stability 38:19 Tenacity in Entrepreneurship 41:11 Shameless Self-Promotion for Growth 46:58 Healing Through Storytelling and Shared Experiences Guest links LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lalithwijedoru/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lalithwijedoru/) Instagram- @lalithwijedoru

8. 

   26 May 2026

   Finding Your Path: Rebuilding Life and Legacy After Illness

   The conversation with Katie Higginson explores themes of embracing change, navigating chronic illness, finding community and support, reevaluating work and identity, transitioning to a new chapter, and embracing hope and renewal. It delves into the challenges and triumphs of these experiences, offering insights and encouragement for those facing similar journeys. Takeaways Embracing change is part of the journey Community and support are essential during difficult times You can connect with Katie on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiehigginson/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiehigginson/)

9. 

   12 May 2026

   Embracing Uncertainty: Reclaiming Personal Power and Meaning with Life's Season Changes

   In this episode, Marcela Heime shares her journey through leadership transitions, exploring the grief and rebirth that come with change. Discover how she navigated closing a cherished charity and found self-awareness and growth in the process. Marcela discusses the importance of honouring emotions, setting boundaries, and questioning core values to foster authentic growth. Perfect for those in transition, this conversation offers insights into embracing uncertainty as a vital part of growth and evolution If you want to connect with Marcela her profile on LinkedIn is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcela-heime-msc-0941318 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcela-heime-msc-0941318)

10. 

    28 Apr 2026

    The Courage of Leaving What No Longer Fits Your Values

    I am joined by Denise Voon, clinical adviser to the College of Optometrists, optometric advisor to the GOC and specialist hospital optometrist specialising in medical retina. Denise shares her  journey of leaving a long-standing career to find true alignment with her values. Discover how she navigated the 'what ifs' of change, embraced new opportunities, and found happiness by bringing her whole self to work. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone facing a season of transition.

11. 

    16 Apr 2026

    Embracing Uncertainty and Doing It Anyway

    I'm thrilled to welcome Priya Davda, a friend and colleague with whom I've shared many years of collaboration. Priya is courageously embracing both her successful career as an optometrist and her new journey as an online business owner. Her story of embracing curiosity without further procrastination following a health scare is both inspiring and relatable. You can find Priya on instagram @itspriyadavda

12. 

    2 Jul 2025

    What comes after the fire

    This episode explores the stillness and clarity that follow deep transformation, guiding leaders and creators to reclaim inner clarity and listen for what's next.

13. 

    27 Jun 2025

    Loneliness in Leadership

    Heena explores the unique isolation leaders experience when success causes them to question their path and seek authentic connection, addressing the challenge of finding support when feeling alone.

14. 

    25 Jun 2025

    When the fire fades-Recognising the turning point

    Heena reflects on the disorienting space leaders and founders face when their initial drive fades, offering insights for those questioning their path and evolving through transition.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 9 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

17

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

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