In this episode my guest is Marco Paleologo Oriundi, who is the senior product manager of one of the biggest banks in UK and a very good friend of mine.
Marco made lots of changes in his career and life and shares how he was able to do these changes in our conversation.
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Why should you listen to this episode
If you'd like to change your job, the city or the country you live in, if you have a dream that is calling you and at the same time giving you shivers, you should listen to our converation.
The Key messages I took away
Marco's first big career change could happen because of a bold move, a move that might not have worked.
While he was working in a bank branch as a cashier, he sent an email to the head of Retail Banking (to his manager's, manager's manager) that he wanted to work internationally. He got an appointment from the head, and even though he did not achieve his end goal, the head was pleased to have met this courageous and ambitious young man that he moved him to the talent pool. That open the next doors for him and in the end he got the chance to work internationally.
Who can you contact for something that you want to achieve that will be a stretch for you?
Interestingly, when Marco was closest to his dream, he got scared as hell. He got panicked, he got confused. He had to take a step back from the usual life and be alone to be able to decide.

“It is always about the fear of loss. Being in your comfort zone, while deciding if you want to push yourself in going out is extremely difficult. Unless you're very motivated to make the change, it is acting like a sort of blanket. Imagine during the winter mornings, you're in bed, under your fantastic blanket. You know that you need to go out, prepare yourself and then finally go to work. How much are you motivated to leave that fantastic blanket? Your motivation rises each and every moment when you get closer to the door of the flat. You stand up, you are a little bit more motivated. You take a shower. And then you start to get dressed, you have breakfast, and they finally you go out. All these steps are building your motivation because you're going farther and farther from your blanket.
...
I was obviously creating a lot of noise in my head so I actually decided to leave everything and go one week to the mountains, far from everything, far from my comfort zone. It was the first step, it was the shower.”
- Marco Paleologo Oriundi -
What is your blanket? What awaits you out of the blanket?
Marco pointed out to the importance of "nay-sayers", people who do not support your decision of going out of your comfort zone. He suggested to take their points logically and assess them as they might point to important aspects that you in the dreamer state might be blind to.
Episode Notes
1:52 Meaning of success and making an impact
9:28 Working with and growing through change
11:49 Marco's personal history of pushing out of comfort zone
13:38 Marco's first job and career change story
21:17 Deciding for the big change
33:48 How to own your life
You can get in touch with Marco via Linkedin.
You can listen to the podcast Unique Careers, Unique Lives on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
If you think someone needs to listen to this episode, please share it with them. We will change ourselves together, we will change the world together, we are in this together!
Love,
Isil