Claire Irvin has been a mainstay in the publishing world since leaving university, during which time she has faced many crossroads and pivotal moments.
In this everywomanClub Voices Of Experience edition, Claire recalls how, when facing redundancy in her first editorial assistant position, she convinced her employers to move her into a temporary editor position on a magazine she went on to relaunch with great success. “Looking back I was bolder ar the very start of my career than I think I was part way through it,” she admits.
“I took on a magazine and I knew what it should be. I had never worked in magazine publishing. I had no idea about commissioning, about the budget process, about the creative process or the people involved; I just knew what I wanted it to be and that gave everyone around me confidence in me.”
The power of positive visualisation is something that has stuck with Claire since this time. “I have great belief in the power of visualising something and working towards it, and I’ve unwittingly done this throughout my career. But it’s only fairly recently that I’ve tapped into it as a thing.
“This concept of visualising; feeling, breathing, touching a goal…can be a huge help in overcoming fear.”
Claire also discusses how her career has developed and changed since she become a parent. “Becoming a mum has changed everything about how I operate in the workplace,” she says.
“I now have boundaries that I never put upon myself (before I had children). I worked evenings and weekends, because I loved it. I thought I’d continue to do that. Becoming a mum has not made me less ambitious; in fact more so in many ways. But I’ve learned to work a lot more smartly. And I’ve learned to stop when I need to.”
Watch the video to hear more from Claire, including her thoughts on comfort zones and how to burst free of them.
