Welcome to our Career Pivot Series! Whatever your situation, we hope this series will be a place that can provide some inspiration for a career pivot, while also acknowledging its challenges. We’ll talk to women who have pivoted careers and to a coach who works with career pivoters, and we’ll also look at the psychology of it all. Because a career pivot is a bet – a bet on ourselves. If there’s something you would like us to cover, or if have your own career-pivot story, please email us at hello@capsulenz.com!
This week we talk to Ana Christmas, 46, who has pulled off some major career pivots fairly fearlessly. What inspired her, what did she learn, and what advice might she give?
It was really quite the pivot: Ana Christmas was an events manager, worked for an ad agency then, surprisingly even to her, changed course to work as an advocate at a women’s refuge organisation. And she’s now CEO of a conservation organisation. So why, when and how?
For four years Ana was event manager for the (former) ACP Magazines, staging events including Metro Restaurant of the Year, Home of the Year – and NEXT magazine’s Next Woman of the Year Awards. Ana felt inspired by the entrants in the NEXT awards. “They highlighted amazing things women were doing and inspired my urge to help and support others.”
‘I had a strong desire to have a values alignment with a job’
Made redundant from ACP, Ana became an account director at an advertising agency, and enjoyed the creativity and people for a year. “But I woke up one day thinking, ‘is this what I’m supposed to be doing here and now? Am I making a net positive difference in the world?’ And I decided I wasn’t. I had a strong desire to have a values alignment [with a job], and wanted to align my concept of working into a vocation.” She considered training for psychotherapy, or becoming a yoga instructor.
Around then, Ana and musician husband Jimmy, who have four sons, moved from Auckland to South Kaipara (two hours’ drive north of Auckland) to a five-acre block with sheep, chickens, fruit trees, native bush and half a million bees. (The boys are now 26, 17, 14 and 9.) Over a conversation with the person shearing her sheep, Ana learnt of a role at the local women’s refuge. “I decided that working as an advocate for a women’s refuge, supporting women and children affected by family violence, was something that really called me.”
Ana was a refuge advocate for Kia Tīmata Ano (a trust, and confidential safe house) for six years, including four years as executive director. In 2020 she merged Kia Timata Ano Trust and the Helensville Women & Family Centre into Kindred Family Services, which supports people experiencing family violence and mental-health challenges in the Rodney area. “To be an effective advocate, you take yourself out of the equation, let go of the saviour complex, in order to empower people’s autonomy and sovereignty.”
‘I had to do a lot of ‘letting go’ and explore how much of my identity was linked to my job’
How did she manage to make such a big career switch? “The key part was assessing my strengths and my values: curiosity, empathy and compassion. I’d look at an advertised role wondering, ‘could I do that? Would that be possible? What are the preventing factors and can they be overcome?’. I’d look at job descriptions and think ‘I can do that, I can learn that, and I can get a friend’s advice about that other thing. It didn’t mean that I didn’t have doubts and self-doubt, but I talked to myself like my best friend would talk to me.”
“I had to do a lot of ‘letting go’ and explore how much of my identity was linked to my job. Who am I if I don’t work as XYZ? Am I a human being, or am I a human doing?
The Power Of Transferable Skills
Many of us don’t feel confident applying for a job if we don’t have all the qualifications, skills and experiences listed. “I think we’ve been conditioned, particularly as women, that – on top of being a top-notch mother and partner – we should also strive to be this ‘one thing’ that’s identifiably successful: our career. But what if you strip that away, and look at what’s left?”
When you’re going for a role that is quite different to those in your CV, Ana says to explain exactly what your transferable skills are. “Your values and strengths are transferable over different sectors: for instance, a commitment to ongoing learning, empathy, compassion, strategic thinking, good communication, and a spirit of curiosity. So aim to convince the person [employer] that you’re willing to learn, that you have curiosity, integrity, will conduct yourself well, and do your absolute best. It’s not being egotistical, it’s just saying ‘this is my unique offering’.
“Also, use every application and interview as practise for that dream job. For each role I was interested in, I conducted research about the organisation, and explored the latest practices and thought models from experts in that sector. Still, decision-makers can hesitate about taking on someone lacking experience in that sector. So following up is important. With the refuge job, I thanked them for the opportunity of applying, and asked if they have any further questions or need something else from me’.”
The Impact Of Covid-19
COVID was a massive challenge for Ana. She co-led the creation of the Kai Collective for South Kaipara, which provided emergency food for multiple organisations including schools, and provided family-violence and mental-health support, particularly to those rurally isolated.
Ana was with Kindred (including the organisations she’d merged) for nearly 10 years. “But when we came out of the pandemic, I got very close to burnout as many others were. There was so much disruption and uncertainty.” And she was TIRED.
Come 2023, Ana was thinking “I need restoration”. Then she saw a role for The Forest Bridge Trust. “I thought ‘this is it’: the restoration of the whenua, and humans’ relationship with it.” In August, she became the trust’s CEO, working to inspire, support and resource people (including landowners) in order to build a ‘bridge’ of restored and protected habitat and an enhanced ecosystem (including native species, indigenous forest, wetlands and riverbanks), connecting Kaipara in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east.
“When I first met the board members, I knew there was a values alignment, but also knew there was concern that I didn’t have conservation experience. I front-footed it and offered to spend time preparing and upskilling prior to starting the role.” And she got the job.
She has another interview tip. “Ask about professional-development and learning opportunities within an organisation. That’s important to me. I’m in my final months of completing my Master’s degree in organisational change and resilience through academyEX: The Mind Lab: a tertiary organisation well-equipped to offer programmes for people who work-full time. Ana says being able to work flexible hours, and work from home sometimes, “has made a huge difference in juggling aspects of my life”.
Yes, it was hard to leave each of her jobs. “It’s always terrifying stepping into the unknown. Also it’s OK to be fearful and observant because your brain is giving you important, pragmatic messaging like ‘what if my funds run out?’.” To deal with “unhelpful mind clutter”, she uses tools like the “three-page mind dump”: on waking, writing down three pages of unfiltered thoughts.
A Big Change In Salary
When Ana left the ad agency for the women’s refuge job, “it was terrifying to go from a six-figure salary to one substantially less than that. Gosh, we’d just taken a mortgage out on our first home. I was the main income earner. Jimmy was a professional musician who absolutely contributed to family finances, but his income at that time was unpredictable. “But we made it work. Many things I used to spend money on didn’t matter as much anymore. When you’re working in media and events, you need your nails done, your heels and your makeup and all that costs a lot.”
Might there be more career switches ahead? “I’m open to opportunities because I have a spirit of curiosity and a love of growth. But I LOVE my role and so glad I could take this leap.” She encourages women to ponder a career change. “It could be an opportunity to pivot into something that enables you to shine.”
