“How I made a radical career change after my cancer diagnosis”

When Carla Faria, 54, from Surrey, was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, she took the time to reflect on her career and found herself striking out in a completely new direction

Before Carla was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was working as the chief revenue officer at an influencer marketing agency. She had worked in the media for 25 years and had enjoyed climbing the ladder and working among like-minded creatives. However, despite enjoying her work, she knew something was missing and for the first time in her career, Carla found herself thinking, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.’ 

“For the first time in my life, I left a job without another one to go, feeling sure I’d be able to go freelance until I’d figured out a plan,” says Carla. 

But within weeks of leaving her post, the country was plunged into the first Covid-19 lockdown, and shortly afterwards, Carla’s world was upended further by a breast cancer diagnosis. 

“There was so much going on – everything turned upside down in a matter of weeks,” says Carla. “I was lucky in that my cancer had been detected early but it was triple negative – a very aggressive form – and I was advised to have a double mastectomy followed by lots of chemotherapy.”

Concerned about the risk of Covid infection, Carla’s oncologist advised her to stay away from people as much as possible. So, for the first time in years, Carla found that she had the time and space to think and reflect.

“The combination of getting outside every day and knowing I couldn’t be around people gave me loads of time to think,” says Carla. “Looking back, I don’t think I’d done any proper thinking for decades. It was like coming up for air – and it felt brilliant.

“Over many months, it started to become obvious that all the jobs I’d been going after weren’t really aligned with what was important to me. So I started asking myself questions: what does matter to me? What do I enjoy? What feels worthwhile?”

Gradually, Carla came up with a collection of thoughts and pinpointed the things she enjoyed: problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, thinking differently, and perhaps most importantly, supporting others in their own growth. 

Q&A: Working during breast cancer, tips and advice

Some breast cancer patients take a complete break from working during breast cancer to get through the treatment, whilst others find that working throughout treatment is a welcome distraction. Sometimes extended time off work isn’t even an option. Whichever of these situations you find yourself in, there are questions that you probably have, and rights you may not know you have.

“I remember thinking to myself, if only there was a job that encompasses all these things. And that’s when I came across coaching.”

So once Carla’s surgeries were out of the way, she embarked on a postgraduate coaching course and by the autumn of 2021, she was ready to strike out in her new, chosen direction. 

“It felt like a revelation,” says Carla. “I gradually started building up my own business and I can honestly say it’s been revolutionary. When your work feels aligned to your values, you’re much more able to weather life’s highs and lows. I have a better perspective on life and I feel so much more energised by what I do.”

Working individually and with groups, Carla now coaches people through their own professional and personal challenges. As part of that, she offers coaching at Future Dreams House for people who are struggling with issues relating to cancer and work, whether that’s navigating difficult conversations or worrying about workload. 

“In coaching, we do a lot of reflecting. I teach people how to reflect effectively so that we can disrupt that voice in their head that might be saying ‘You’re not doing well enough’. It’s very rewarding as it’s about empowering people to find their way through difficult times.

“I say to my clients that you can’t choose how to feel when something tough happens; you just feel what you feel. But you have all the choice in the world when it comes to how you respond. I think that this was and still is my approach when I think about the cancer journey. Cancer is terrifying and it can knock you off your feet both emotionally and physically, but there is a moment where you can say, “OK, so what now?” and I think I took that moment and used it to build a more fulfilling way of living.”

Carla’s advice:

• Breast cancer diagnosis and treatment can be overwhelming, but it can also open up an opportunity to reflect and I would urge people to use that opportunity if possible. So many of us are busy racing through life that we rarely stop to ask: how did I get here? And do I like where I’m heading? 
• People often think confidence is a binary thing – you either have it or you don’t. But I’d invite people to think about it as something that can evolve with time and effort. You can cultivate confidence by gently stepping out of your comfort zone and doing things that feel difficult – that’s ‘part one’. Reflecting on what you have achieved is essential – that’s the ‘part two’ of confidence-building.
• We’re often self-critical and prone to telling ourselves we aren’t doing well enough. Make sure you listen out for that voice and lean into giving yourself comfort and encouragement.

“Work connects me to my life before cancer”

Teena Gill, 48, from Harrow, explains why continuing with her job has been beneficial for her mental health and wellbeing. “I was diagnosed with breast cancer in the middle of the pandemic, in 2020. At the time, I was quite private about it. I chose to continue working throughout my treatment – work gave me a sense of purpose and motivation, an extra reason to get out of bed when I really didn’t feel like it. While…

Breast cancer support: book classes, therapies and workshops

In-person or online, wherever you are in the UK. Future Dreams offers a wide variety of group and individual support for women at any stage of a breast cancer journey.

Further information

Future Dreams hold a range of support groups, classes, workshops and events to help you and your carers during your breast cancer diagnosis. These are held both online and in person at the London-based Future Dreams House. To see what’s on offer and to book your place, see here.

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The information and content provided in all guest articles is intended for information and educational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice. It is important that all personalised care decisions should be made by your medical team. Please contact your medical team for advice on anything covered in this article and/or in relation to your personal situation. Please note that unless otherwise stated, Future Dreams has no affiliation to the guest author of this article and he/she/they have not been paid to write this article. There may be alternative options/products/information available which we encourage you to research when making decisions about treatment and support. The content of this article was created by Barbara Wilson and we accept no responsibility for the accuracy or otherwise of the contents of this article.