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When we face a major career pivot or step into a high-stakes leadership role, we often change more than just our job title. We may lose the ability to "trade" on the value of our previous role, leaving us in a vulnerable gap between who we were and who we are becoming.
In this special episode of Life from Within, the tables are turned as Elicia Carmichael interviews Kelly. Moving away from the role of the expert, Kelly shares her own "quarter-life crisis" transition from the high-momentum startup world to the uncertain life of an actor in LA. We discuss the "identity loss" that often blindsides high achievers and how to build the internal scaffolding necessary to support a new version of yourself.
💡Key Takeaways- The Weight of the Room: Why an executive is never in a "small room," and how your positional power changes the way your words land.
- Trading on Value: Understanding the specific type of loss that occurs when you move into a field where your previous successes no longer serve as currency.
- The Decision vs. The Integration: Why the choice to change can happen in a moment, but the integration of a new identity takes months, or even years, of "micro-shifts".
- Who over What: Shifting the question from "What do I want to do?" to "Who do I want to be?" to find clarity in the middle of complexity.
Chapters
00:00 | Introduction
02:42 | My Experience with Identity Loss
10:56 | How to Introduce Yourself in a Meaningful Way
12:43 | Navigating an Identity Change in Your Career
18:14 | The Importance of Taking the Chance
21:18 | The Decision-Making Process
22:04 | Micro Shifts: Building Confidence in Communication
24:27 | Who Do You Want to Be? A Guiding Question
26:36 | Multiple Dreams: Embracing Change in Identity
Interviewer
Elicia Carmichael focuses her professional energy and boundless curiosity on the intersection of finance and impact. She is the CFO and leader of financial solutions at Labor Mobility Partnerships (LaMP), where she deploys blended capital designs to overcome global migration challenges — turning the global labor/demographics mismatch into prosperity for all. In 2024, she founded the Mobility Finance Network, which unites experts from finance, industry, and migration policy to design and fund financial instruments that make cross-border opportunities accessible for migrants, students, and refugees. Her current initiatives span the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe and are driven by her desire to see safe, legal cross-border growth opportunities available to blue-collar workers. Prior to joining LaMP, Elicia was VP of Strategy for Root Capital, where she led the innovation and business development functions in service of their $100M agricultural development investment portfolio.
Elicia holds an MBA from Cornell University and a BA in International Studies from Colby College. In her free time, she hikes, scuba dives, and patrols for invasive aquatic plants in the pristine lakes of Maine.
Connect with Elicia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliciacarmichael/
“Guest”
Kelly Dwyer is an executive coach and facilitator. Through her podcast Life from Within, she opens up real conversations about personal growth, career crossroads, and the inner work of leadership. She created the show to explore the moments of courage and clarity that spark inner shifts and lead to meaningful outer progress.
In her coaching and facilitation practice, Kelly partners with thoughtful leaders, including founders, C-suite executives, and rising leaders who shoulder significant responsibility and want to lead with grounded clarity and self-trust. She helps them return to what matters most, cut through the noise, and navigate inflection points with aligned conviction.
Kelly is a graduate of the University of Colorado and holds an MBA from Cornell University.
Connect with Kelly
Coaching and facilitation: https://kellydwyer.co
IG – @kd_lifefromwithin
LinkedIn – /in/kellydwyer
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