Career Accelerator: Why Slowing Down Creates Real Progress

When was the last time you paused long enough to ask yourself what you actually want from your career?

The Paradox of Acceleration

Here’s what most people get wrong about career acceleration: they think it means moving faster.

More applications sent. More networking events attended. More LinkedIn messages fired off into the void. More urgency. More hustle.

But what if the real accelerator wasn’t speed, it was clarity?

What 70% of Us Get Wrong About Career Transitions

Research shows that 70% of career moves happen reactively, not strategically. We’re wired to “satisfice”, a cognitive bias where we choose the first acceptable option rather than seeking what’s actually optimal.

Translation? Most people are saying yes to the path that’s immediately in front of them, not the path they actually want to be on.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth: you can’t think strategically when you’re sprinting.

The Middle Isn’t a Corridor, It’s Where the Work Happens

I’ve been running Career Accelerator cohorts for a while now, and there’s a pattern I see every single time.

Week 3 arrives, and I ask: “What would leading with 10% less urgency look like?”

The room goes quiet.

Not because people don’t have an answer. But because they suddenly realise they’ve been operating at 110% for so long, they’ve forgotten what anything else feels like.

One recent participant, LC, described it perfectly:

“I’ve really enjoyed the Career Accelerator with you and our group. It’s helped remind me to put myself first without fear of consequence/conflict (when my needs are perfectly reasonable!), focus on self-care and breath work, and given me more confidence to sell myself! Whilst I’ve had other things to deal with alongside this, I welcomed the live sessions as a chance to pause, connect, and learn from one another.”

Notice what she didn’t say?

She didn’t say “it helped me send more applications” or “I learned to hustle harder.”

She said: pause, connect, learn.

What Actually Happens When You Create Space

The Career Accelerator isn’t about adding more to your plate. It’s about creating protected space to:

1. Pause Without Guilt

Your career isn’t a race you’re losing. But when was the last time you actually stopped to assess where you’re going? Not just reacted to what landed in your inbox or what seemed like the “sensible next step”?

The programme creates structured time to step out of the daily grind. To breathe. To think clearly about what you actually want, not what you think you should want. (Should is sh*t, but that’s another blog!)

2. Connect With Others Who Get It

LC mentioned something crucial: “a safe, calm, welcoming, and confidence-boosting space.”

There’s something almost irreplaceable about what happens when you put the right people in a room together. When one person shares a win, someone else realises they’ve been downplaying their own progress. When someone admits they’re struggling with boundaries, three others nod in recognition, the relief of “it’s not just me” is palpable.

Growth doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in community.

3. Gain Clarity on Your Next Move

Here’s what clarity actually looks like:

• Finally asking the question you’ve been avoiding
• Admitting what you don’t know yet (without shame)
• Identifying what actually lights you up (not what looks good on paper)
• Choosing strategic moves over reactive ones

As LC put it: “given me more confidence to sell myself” and helped her “break out of my people-pleasing ways.”

That’s not generic confidence. That’s the confidence that comes from knowing what you want and being able to articulate it clearly.

The Real Transformation: From Reactive to Strategic

Most career moves are driven by:

• Someone left, so now there’s an opening
• A recruiter reached out on LinkedIn
• You’re unhappy where you are, so anything else feels better
• Everyone else is climbing, so you should too

But strategic career moves? Those come from:

• Understanding what actually drives you (not what sounds impressive)
• Building relationships before you need them
• Asking for what you want without apology
• Making choices aligned with your values, not just your CV

Why Breathwork and Reflection Aren’t “Nice to Haves”

LC specifically called out “focus on self-care and breath work” as part of what shifted for her.

Here’s why that matters:

When you’re dysregulated, caught in fight-or-flight mode, shallow breathing, shoulders up to your ears (if this resonates, I see you) you make reactive decisions. You say yes when you mean no. You avoid important conversations. You chase opportunities for the wrong reasons.

But when you’re grounded? When you’ve created actual space to think?

You make choices from clarity, not panic. You communicate with confidence, not performance. You trust yourself to navigate uncertainty.

The Career Accelerator in Action: What the 8 Weeks Look Like

This isn’t a passive course you buy and never finish. It’s hands-on, relational, and designed for real humans with real lives.

Key takeaways from October’s cohort:

1. Being brave to ask for what they want (no more apologising for having needs)
2. True & genuine connection (above networking performance)
3. Having a safe space to reflect (structured time to actually think)
4. Lifting one another up (community as catalyst)
5. Vulnerability supercharges learning (honesty over polish)
6. Clarity = knowing what to do next (not just endlessly researching)

Who This Is For (And Who It’s Not)

This is for you if:

• You’re technically succeeding but emotionally flatlined
• You know you want something different but can’t quite articulate what
• You’re tired of reactive career moves and ready for strategic ones
• You thrive on connection and learn best in community
• You want to invest in yourself with 10% less urgency and 10% more intention

This probably isn’t for you if:

• You want a quick fix or magic bullet
• You’re looking for someone to tell you exactly what to do
• You’re not willing to be honest about what’s not working
• You prefer to figure everything out alone

The Invitation: February 2025

The next Career Accelerator cohort begins in February.

Eight sessions. Small group. Real humans figuring out their next chapter without the pressure to perform perfection.

We’ll combine strategic career coaching with breathwork, creative facilitation, and honest conversation. You’ll leave with clarity on what you want, confidence to ask for it, and a community that keeps you accountable.

This isn’t about working harder. It’s about working with more intention.

What would be possible if you gave yourself permission to pause, reflect, and design your career strategically instead of reactively?

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Ready to accelerate by slowing down?

Learn more about the Career Accelerator and February cohort details

Questions? DM me—I’m always up for a conversation about what career acceleration could look like for you.

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A Note from Past Participants

“You have such an eloquent way with words and always offer great ways to reframe any negative feelings. It has definitely encouraged me to break out of my people pleasing ways (at least from time to time!)” — LC, October 2024 Cohort

“The live sessions were a chance to pause, connect, and learn from one another. Thank you for providing a safe, calm, welcoming, and confidence-boosting space.” — October 2024 Cohort

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About Bry

I’m an executive coach and workshop facilitator who runs The Glass Female, helping professionals build influential careers without compromise. With 20+ years of HR experience and credentials as an ICF accredited coach, Lego Serious Play Practitioner and UN Women UK Delegate, I combine strategic career and leadership guidance with breathwork and creative facilitation methods. I believe the best careers are built from clarity, not chaos, and that you don’t need to sacrifice yourself to be successful.