Jul 7, 2019
In this episode, Sara talks
with Tikiri Herath about her journey from managing corporate risk
programs for the Canadian government to writing thriller
novels. Tikiri shares how major, life-disrupting events caused her
to reexamine her definition of a "successful" life, how she
recognized her deeper calling, and her process of carefully
planning and executing her career change over a number of years.
Today, Tikiri is an award-winning novelist and author and
founder of the Rebel Diva Academy.
Sara and Tikiri discuss:
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How
they got connected
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Tikiri's global
upbringing
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Tikiri moving to
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
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Striking out on her
own at 19
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Working her way up and
getting comfortable with being uncomfortable
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Putting herself through school doing menial jobs
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Landing a terrific job after graduating
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Getting comfortable in her cushy lifestyle and forgetting the
fire within her
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How unhappiness at work led to a hard-nosed attitude
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A series of life events that shook her to her core
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Feeling like her office lanyard was a noose around her
neck
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Moving to Europe with her husband, who got a diplomatic
position
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Feeling compelled to write about her travel experiences
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Divorcing and moving across Canada
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Connecting with her gut instincts
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The important role books played in her life
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How she planned and prepared for her career change over a few
years
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Saying goodbye to her 6-figure pension
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A boss telling her she wasn't going to leave her job
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Staying on and working remotely for a couple of years as she
transitioned
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The moment she first recognized what she wanted to do with her
life
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Writing her first novel and then three subsequent nonfiction
books
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Using her background in project management to navigate her
career change
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The importance of looking inward to see what kind of life you
want to live
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A short message from a professor that made a big impact on
her
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The thrillers she writes about strong, kick-@$$ girls from
across the world who overcome adversity
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Her Rebel Diva nonfiction books and online course, that help
people connect with their values & purpose
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The advice she'd given someone looking to make a big career
change
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...and
more!
Tikiri's Full Bio:
Tikiri Herath is the multiple award-winning author of the Red
Heeled Rebels international thriller novels and the Rebel Diva
empowerment book series. She is also the founder of the Rebel Diva
Academy, an education and media company designed to inspire and
uplift women around the world.
When she’s not writing or plotting another fictional crime
scene, she’s in her kitchen cooking up fusion cuisine with a glass
of red wine in hand and sweet jazz playing in the
background. She is also an adrenaline junkie who has rock
climbed, bungee jumped, rode on the back of a motorcycle across
Quebec, flown in an acrobatic airplane upside down, and parachuted
solo.
Born on a tropical island in the Indian Ocean, Tikiri spent
her childhood in the savannas of Southern Africa, and her adult
life working in Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America. She
holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Victoria in
British Columbia and a Master’s degree from the Solvay Business
School in Brussels. After a lifetime of global travel and work, she
is now a recovering nomad who calls Vancouver, Canada home.
Connect with Tikiri and Red Heeled
Rebels:
Connect with Sara McArdle and Women Who Went for
It:
Phone: 503.893.2043
Want to make your own career change?