Chris Bradshaw : Starting Over After Job Loss: Have You Really Lost Everything?

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! Losing your job can feel like losing everything you’ve worked towards. But does starting again really mean starting from scratch? Chris Bradshaw’s career has taken him from a British Gas call centre to Sony Europe, through redundancy and depression, and into building learning and development functions from the ground up. Through it all, one thing has remained central: the satisfaction of hearing someone say, “Chris, I did it.” In this episode of The Secrets of Learning and Development, Chris joins Julia Bend and Valerie Merrill for an open conversation about ambition, setbacks and recognising the value of the experience you carry into your next chapter. He shares what it meant to rebuild after losing a job he loved, why imposter syndrome surfaced when he moved into strategic leadership and how helping his children understand their neurodivergence prompted him to recognise ADHD traits in himself. That personal understanding now shapes the questions he asks of employers. Who might your job adverts be discouraging? How well do you understand the people you lead? And does support continue beyond the hiring process? From career reinvention to his forthcoming book, Hiring to Retiring, Chris offers a practical, personal perspective on helping people succeed and why good leadership starts with recognising that we don’t all think or work in the same way.  Key Learnings Starting again doesn’t mean starting from scratch. After redundancy, Chris felt he had returned to square one. Yet his experience and skills helped him succeed in a different business. A role can end without erasing the value you bring. Inclusive leadership starts with questioning everyday assumptions. Chris’s example of job adverts shows how language can discourage capable candidates. Supporting different ways of thinking begins with examining what a role actually requires and understanding what helps each person perform at their best. Guest Information: [email protected] https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-bradshaw-flpi-67430b2b9/ Since recording this episode Chris is now a Talent Development partner at Diligenta, writing full competency framework, onboarding and induction programme content. (FTC 12 months). Support the show Support the Show Help us continue making great content and get a shout-out on the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2389736/support