Leader Journeys: From Head of HR to Future Therapist with Christina McLoughlin

From HR Leader to Counseling Student: Christina McLaughlin on Identity Shifts, Balance, and Joy Today, I share my conversation with a new friend, and fellow life-long learner and career counseling enthusiast, Christina McLoughlin. Kathleen welcomes Christina McLaughlin, an Ottawa-based bilingual senior HR leader and consultant (HR with Christina) who left her full-time role as head of HR for a large Canadian union to pursue an online master’s in counseling psychology while rebuilding her career through part-time HR consulting. Christina describes the identity opportunity of moving from expert to beginner, the grief and refocusing that followed her mother’s passing, and the role her daughter (a therapist) and husband (a later-life PhD student) played in inspiring her pivot. They discuss patience, empathy, embracing uncertainty, multicultural awareness, and the “gray” in coaching and counseling, along with fears, imposter syndrome, and the practical realities of starting a business. Christina shares advice to act before motivation, say yes to moments, set boundaries, and prioritize joy, nature, learning, and balance. Christina's favorite podcast: Talk about Talk with Dr. Andrea Wojnicki 00:00 Leader Journeys: Christina McLouglin From Head if HR to Counseling & Therapy Graduate Student01:02 Welcome01:39 Introduction: From Head of HR to Future Therapist02:51 Going back to school mid-life, mid-career04:43 A Gift from her Mother07:21 Not Taking anything for Granted08:19 Patience with12:47 No Longer Holding ourselves back as Women16:13 Flexibility and Freedom17:01 Inspired by her Adult Daughter and Husband20:16 "Never lose your joy for living" Get full access to The Rooted Leader at aspiretogrow.substack.com/subscribe