You’ve Achieved Success… So Why Do You Feel Stuck?

Hey Adventurers!

In this episode of The Adventure Reignition Podcast, we’re diving deep into one of the most challenging and transformative experiences high achievers face—the post-success dilemma. You’ve built something incredible—a career, a business, or a leadership role—but now you’re left wondering, what’s next?

If you feel like you’ve peaked, or that stepping into the unknown is both exciting and terrifying, this episode is for you.

Join me as I share:

✅ Why many high achievers experience an identity crisis after success and how to navigate it.

✅ The “Competence Trap”—why staying in what you’re good at might be holding you back.

✅ The 4-Step Reinvention Framework to confidently transition into a life aligned with your passions and values.

✅ How to redefine success on your terms—beyond external validation and achievements.

✅ How adventure and embracing discomfort can reignite your purpose.

This episode is for you if you’re feeling stuck, uninspired, or unsure how to move forward after reaching a career peak. Let’s break free from the comfort trap and design a future that excites you!

Episode Breakdown:

[00:01:22] The post-success dilemma: Why high achievers feel lost after success.

[00:06:38] My personal reinvention journey: Why I walked away from stability to chase adventure.

[00:09:01] The Competence Trap: Why being great at something can keep you stuck.

[00:13:11] Step #1: Slow down and reflect—why clarity starts with pausing.

[00:14:32] Step #2: Embrace the beginner’s mindset—why discomfort is the key to growth.

[00:16:00] Step #3: Redefine success—how to shift from external validation to internal fulfillment.

[00:21:12] Step #4: Take small, intentional steps—why action beats overthinking every time.

[00:24:22] The Everest analogy: How to find your next aligned adventure.

[00:26:34] Why embracing uncertainty leads to deeper creativity, purpose, and fulfillment.

Favorite Quote:

"Your best days aren’t behind you. They’re ahead. But only if you choose to take the next step."

Key Takeaways:

🔹 Success can become a prison if it defines your identity.

🔹 Reinvention isn’t about starting over—it’s about realigning with who you truly are.

🔹 The key to fulfillment is finding your next adventure, whether in career, creativity, or personal growth.

Call to Action:

🚀 Ready to start your reinvention journey? DM me "Reignite" on Instagram or LinkedIn, and let’s explore how to align your next chapter with your true self.

🎧 Subscribe & Review: If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to The Adventure Reignition Podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps us reach more adventurers like you!

Final Thought:

Success isn’t the end of the road—it’s the launching pad for your next great adventure. Whether you’re pivoting in your career, seeking more meaning, or craving a bold move, I hope this episode gives you the clarity and confidence to take that first step.

Life is too short to stay stuck in comfort. The adventure is waiting—let’s go find it.

Stay daring! 🚀

Where to find your host online :

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaisedepallens/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blaisedepallens/
Website: blaisedepallens.com

Transcript

00:00:57:08 - 00:01:05:19
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Hey, everybody! Welcome to the Adventure Ignition podcast. My name is Blaise Depallens. I am the host of the show

00:01:05:19 - 00:01:16:02
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Thanks for listening. I am grateful and honored to have you here on the show with me. Fasten your seat belts and say yes to your life's next adventure.

00:01:22:06 - 00:01:51:15
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Have you ever wondered if you've already peaked in your career of it? Like starting fresh is both thrilling, thrilling and terrifying. If so, this episode is for you. Maybe you've been in a role that defined you for years and you've built success, or a successful business, or just a successful role on that, but now you know it's time to move on.

00:01:51:17 - 00:02:25:07
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But leaving the familiar can be quite scary. You've accomplishing big things, but now you're left asking what's next? You're not alone and there is a way forward. Welcome to the Adventure Reinvention podcast. Today we're going to talk about career transition and sever problems that you might be experiencing right now, like peaking at your current career and role, or being afraid to leave that behind.

00:02:25:09 - 00:02:52:13
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Being imprisoned by your competence because you've been praised and you got a lot of applause for that. And finally, I'll share with you some practical steps to help you start on that journey to find what I call your new Align Everest. I'm really excited to dive into this episode with you. First, I want to thank you for being here.

00:02:52:15 - 00:03:23:18
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If you're new listeners, thank you as well, or if you've been a regular listener to this show over the last couple of months or years. Thank you so much for being part of this journey and adventure. And before we dive into the episode, I would love if you could give me a review either on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or if you are now on YouTube, because I started this year to record more and videos of this podcast.

00:03:23:20 - 00:04:08:07
Inconnu
Please subscribe to the podcast or just leave a thumbs up because it really helps get this message of adventure out. All right, let's dive into this episode about characterization, the very topic I'm really passionate about. And I'm really excited to to make for the first time, a very complete episode, especially for you if you are an executive or CEO or just like, started your business in the past four and made it grow for several years and you feel you picked and now it's like very hard transitioning into something else.

00:04:08:09 - 00:04:44:10
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And that's the first point that I call the post success dilemma. And honestly, if you feel lost after leaving a role or a business that define you for years, it's very difficult and it's normal to feel lost because you attach so much of your identity to your role or your your business, or anything that may be close to to who you think you are professionally.

00:04:44:12 - 00:05:30:17
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That once you literally go away from that, you really feel like something in use is a part of you, as has been ripped off. And that's normal. And that's why you enter in this transition phase where you feel lost. Things get scary and it's a bit uncertain, but if you are in that position, it's it may be challenging, but I can guarantee you that once you're out of this period and if you embrace this time, you will look a few years from now.

00:05:30:19 - 00:06:02:24
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You look back at this moment, and you will be grateful for that, because it means that you will be somehow, professionally, at least be born again. Whatever you do. And that's what we're going to be covering in this episode today. And especially if you had a lot of success, you may be afraid that nothing really compared to the past peak you experienced.

00:06:03:01 - 00:06:38:09
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And maybe now that you actually did something. Successful, or at least from the outside, you may be craving for more meaning, purpose and fulfillment, but without the intensity of burnout. Because I know it can be pretty, pretty intimidating. And if I haven't experienced myself on a professional way, I did experience something similar when I travel the world in 2016.

00:06:38:11 - 00:07:13:13
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For a year alone, I visited 17 countries. In 12 months. I was basically moving every three days to a new place. And at the end, honestly, as crazy as it may sounds, I felt burnout from traveling because moving every three days is a lot, but I spent so many experiences that I felt I lived ten lives in one year, and definitely the intensity was at its peak.

00:07:13:13 - 00:07:46:06
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The adrenaline was at its peak, the landscape, the people I met, everything made that year, the peak of my life at the end. I mean, I remember when I came back, I actually did a video in French when I came back, where I talk about this openly, that if I don't set myself new goals or new perspectives, I will look at my life and looked at the past or my life thinking about that time.

00:07:46:06 - 00:08:15:20
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And I would be depressed the rest of my life. So I kind of like experienced something like that. And I realized that I needed something slower, more sustainable and just leave my adventures, on a different way. So it definitely, forced me to, to be in a position of reinvention, even if I was still exploring a lot of who I was and what I wanted to do with my life.

00:08:15:20 - 00:09:01:17
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And also new places I wanted to visit. And there's a stats, that I found very surprising about people like you in that situation. That was very interesting. 70% of executives face identity crisis after leaving leadership roles. According to the Harvard Business Review. And reinventing yourself professionally and personally is a common but rarely discussed challenge. And that's true because I talked to several people with responsibilities other managers, CEOs, executives.

00:09:01:19 - 00:09:30:11
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And sometimes it can be really large, lonely roles and. It's hard to discuss those challenges either with your superiors or your the people you manage. So it can be quite scary to experience such,

00:09:30:13 - 00:10:07:05
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Such an identity or midlife crisis, however you want to call it. And one of the the thing that may, may be, is preventing you to move forward with your current start may be something fresh is the competence change because you've been celebrated for your expertise? But you started to do feel a bit daunting over that. And you feel there's something different from you.

00:10:07:07 - 00:10:27:02
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Staying in what is familiar is quite tempting and comforting, even if it doesn't excite you anymore. I feel we live in a society where.

00:10:27:04 - 00:11:07:03
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Discomfort. Is scary and in the contrary, where we constantly look for comfort. And you in that position, going back to your skills or what you've been praised for, is definitely comforting. And maybe because you're afraid of embracing the discomfort again, you might stay in that zone that feels good to you, even if you don't like it anymore. I personally experienced something a bit similar on my own journey.

00:11:07:05 - 00:11:16:00
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After four years of working and studying business. I.

00:11:16:02 - 00:11:51:16
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I didn't see a path forward for me. Following that path for going a job and climbing the corporate ladder, I could see people, different jobs. I had. It wasn't exciting for me. That wasn't the life I wanted to live. And that's why I kind of like quit my job to travel the world after my studies, because I wanted to explore tests and just get to know myself on a deeper level, because I couldn't see any path forward for me.

00:11:51:16 - 00:12:36:24
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If I would just follow the what I call the conventional path. And. If you like, stay in that cage and you stay in the comforts, you will slowly observe something that your direction is drifting away from what you're deeply wants. And then because you don't have a clear aligned Everest, as I call it, you really start to feel like you're going through the motions and you don't really take ownership of creating and designing your own new path.

00:12:36:24 - 00:13:11:07
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And that's why this transition period is really important. But all those feelings doesn't diminish your previous and current success, but it really gives you the signal that you are now ready for a growth period and ready to embrace that new chapter. And for me, the path forward is to find your align Everest, your purpose, or your new role, or whatever you want to call.

00:13:11:07 - 00:13:57:22
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It's. And I have four steps that can get you started in that journey. The first one is to actually start slowing down and reflect on your personal journey. Start to see where you were five years ago and where you are right now. Identify your values and some of the patterns that give you past achievement meaning. Because if you look back and you can identify some part of your journey that gave you meaning, that may be something you can take and use in your next step.

00:13:57:24 - 00:14:32:01
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Step number two is to embrace the beginner's mindset and reframe that insecurity that you might experience and feel. As an opportunity to explore new things and grow. And I know it might be difficult for you because as you've been really competent and praised and you had crazy results.

00:14:32:03 - 00:15:04:02
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It might be really uncomfortable to start over. And being a beginner again. That's something I personally enjoy because it means I'm learning new things and I'm exploring new perspective and maybe, growing a skill or for me, it's a learning process and I love to grow and learn. So it's it's it it might come more naturally, but I can understand that.

00:15:04:04 - 00:16:00:13
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Just focusing on your own skills might be comforting, but embrace the beginner mindset once again. Step number three is to redefine success. Try to really shift from the external validation you might have experienced in your previous and in successful roles. Because as you move forward, trying to please other and trying to replicate the excellence or success. You will make that difference between what you are doing and what you deeply want to do inside.

00:16:00:15 - 00:16:11:24
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Grow up more of parts and making you. Even more depressed and misaligned with your next step.

00:16:11:24 - 00:16:23:12
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So really try to focus on internal fulfillment. It could be used by focusing on things you curious about.

00:16:24:03 - 00:16:26:11
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A new skill you want to master.

00:16:29:07 - 00:16:31:20
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A new activity you want to start?

00:16:31:20 - 00:17:08:00
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Maybe a role where you want to have more freedom in creating things on your own terms, and maybe finding something that brings more purpose and that is bigger than yourself. That would be the. Somehow, in the five intrinsic motivators that can really help you focus on the internal fulfillment. Step number four.

00:17:08:02 - 00:17:22:18
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And that step. Take small, intentional steps. Experiment with what I call micro adventures or some 60 to 90 days commitments to build momentum.

00:17:23:06 - 00:17:48:10
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I think this is really important for many reasons, because if you try something and you straightaway dismiss it, you're never going to cross that desert's to find the joy after that. What I mean to be practical and concrete.

00:17:48:10 - 00:18:07:21
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I'll give two example. The first one is people starting to to go at the gym. Usually we say in the gym real that it takes 6 to 8 weeks to see the first results.

00:18:07:23 - 00:18:41:02
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So if you are not aware of that, after being in the gym for three weeks and seeing any results, you might give up before you actually see the results one. And then to actually enjoy the process. So that's why I think it's really important to give yourself 60 to 90 days doing that new micro adventure. Whether it's a skill you want to learn, a topic you want to explore.

00:18:41:04 - 00:19:19:01
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Try to commit for a period of time to to 60 to 90 days. And I can relate to that because I had a kind of like a hate and love relationship with video creation. So I had this idea when I started to make videos that I, I could make them quick. And I remember the first couple of videos I created, sometimes for a 30s to one minute video, it would take me six hours to create and for me it was crazy.

00:19:19:03 - 00:19:53:22
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And then I got better into the thing. And it got even longer because as I was becoming a better videographer and editor, I started to add up some effects, some principle, and a lot of things as I was learning. And I kind of like thought for myself, this is not sustainable. It's taking way too much time for me to create.

00:19:53:24 - 00:20:27:03
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2 to 3 minutes video was sometimes editing for, I don't know, 15 hours. And I wasn't really accepting that as a real part of the job. And after the pandemic and even during the pandemic, when when I came back to to editing again, I understood it was part of the process as because I was. Actually committing to it and embracing the whole thing as it was.

00:20:27:05 - 00:20:53:02
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I started to enjoy it a lot, and now I'm like, on Instagram. I produce almost one video a day. Not every day, but around at least five weeks. It's a video and I really love it. Is challenging. It's not easy, but I really love the process of creating a video now because I accepted the fact that one, it could take time.

00:20:53:07 - 00:21:12:19
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And now, because I have put in the hours, I'm able to reduce that time because I'm more efficient, because I'm mastering the process and I'm still getting better every time. Today. So my point here is.

00:21:12:21 - 00:21:42:22
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Take small, intentional steps and create those micro adventures about a skill, an interest. Something that you're curious about. You want to test for 60 to 90 days and see how it goes. Maybe you want to start coaching, so maybe try to to see about the coaching word for 90 days. Maybe you just want to completely shift your career and start a new, thing.

00:21:42:22 - 00:22:37:20
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Maybe it's to it's about creativity. So you want to start photography and commit for 60 to 90 days. And one example that I want to showcase about the whole process. So step one reflect on your journey. Step two embrace the beginner's mindset. And step three redefine your success and step forward. Take small, intentional steps. One of the examples I love to share is not related to careers specifically, but it's a French YouTuber I didn't know until last fall in 2024, where he just launched a whole documentary about his journey from not being a mountain guy at all to climb Everest in one year.

00:22:37:22 - 00:23:08:21
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And for me to really showcase that process, because he reflected on his journey and identified his values and the things he really wanted to do and wanted to explore and test new things and all around. The documentary that you can watch on YouTube, also in English, because he's been dubbed in English, you see that he really embraced the, the, the beginner's mindset.

00:23:08:21 - 00:23:23:01
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And he did a lot of mistakes. And he had two guides with him along in the documentary, in the whole project to help him get a better, hiker.

00:23:23:12 - 00:23:57:24
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And the whole process for him was, yes, the, the, the perspective. And the goal was to climb Everest and it may maybe feel that is. Looking for external validation. But from the documentary, if you have the chance to watch it, you will see, for him it was a pursuit of transformation. And you really see for the documentary from the beginning and the end, that this adventure completely transformed is outlook and perspective on life.

00:23:57:24 - 00:24:22:21
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And that's the power of adventure. And then one of his lessons of the documentary was, get better 1% every day. Take one step after the other and get into movement. And that was one of his key message from the documentary. And that's exactly what he has done. He gives himself one year to do this focus for on one year.

00:24:22:23 - 00:24:51:16
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And now he loves. He loved it so much to process that. He says in recent interviews that you want to keep, going to the mountains. Because he did. He really discovered himself and a new passion. So that's an example of the, four steps I mentioned here that I think can really, show you the power of of following them.

00:24:51:18 - 00:25:32:20
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And why is it worth its. I mentioned it a little bit, before in this episode. But I really feel that our society is going through what I call the comfort crisis. Everything we we have at our hands now is to create more comfort. Nowadays, you don't even need to go to the grocery because you can have them delivered straight to you, or use UberEats to eat something instead of going to to the shop.

00:25:32:22 - 00:26:09:16
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And everything is done in our society to make us feel more and more comfortable. And I think it's really something that drains our energy and passion over time. And for me, this is worth it. The whole process is worth it because it helps you step into the unknown, and it will help you reignite creativity and challenge you in new ways and leads to really authentic and meaningful changes.

00:26:09:18 - 00:26:34:10
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And I can definitely relate to that. Over my turn of adventures, I always came back with something that changed my perspective, a new understanding about myself or something that would be a defining moment for the next couple of steps I would take.

00:26:34:12 - 00:27:17:21
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I can definitely relate to the fact that traveling for me, as I was moving to places a lot, it really sparked my creativity in many ways. I would challenge what I think was true based on my. Life in environments back home. And now I was on my own in the other side of the world. I would see things that would be impossible to, to, to, to believe back home and traveling and seeing a lot of new things in such a short period of time really sparked my creativity.

00:27:17:21 - 00:27:43:01
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And that's how I started photography in the first place. I was like, okay, I'm seeing so many places I want to do this photography. And I was taking at least one photo a day to to grow. And I felt so creative during my trip. And setting myself up a challenge to post one photo a day for a year during my trip around the world.

00:27:43:01 - 00:28:17:10
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Just challenge me to to to grow and improve on my photography and at the end, it led me to embracing a career as a creator just from being in the unknown, embracing discomfort, to studying, taking photos, to challenging myself to post one picture every day for a year and then started to become a video game for me. Almost like a video game.

00:28:17:12 - 00:28:44:16
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I would take pictures, see how I could use my camera to take more better pictures, see how I can frame better the photos. And I was like watching tutorials. And then I met photographers that taught me the basics of photography and it becomes a game. And if I watch my photos from back then in 2016 to today, I learned so much.

00:28:44:18 - 00:28:59:22
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And that was because of me challenging myself and embracing the unknown and having an adventure, creating those shifts.

00:28:59:22 - 00:29:48:02
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you don't have to navigate this alone. And that's the reason why I've created a whole coaching program based on my years of adventure, of my self-discovery, my researches, and interviewing more than 40 people on the podcast that are inspiring to really help you craft what I called your next Align Everest, and really confidently identify your next career move based on who you are, your passions, and your strength so that we can really find meaning, fulfillment, and purpose moving forward.

00:29:48:04 - 00:30:23:17
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And that's something that is so rewarding that if you want to really start to embrace that transition and that adventure with me, Jamie, reignite her on Instagram or on LinkedIn and we'd start together crafting the next chapter of your life and see if we can work together. And I'm something I'm deeply passionate about because I think once you really.

00:30:23:19 - 00:30:56:09
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Leave and craft a career aligned to who you are and based on what you love doing, your whole perspective shifts. And it's not about the pressure. It's not about the burnout. It's not about the praise. It's about what you love from inside and who you are. And it's not easy. Every day. But at least it's an adventure you enjoy.

00:30:56:11 - 00:31:38:08
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And I think the self-discovery is exactly what you need is you. On top of that, add that adventurous spirit that I want people to embrace and yeah, I really think that the chapter you just closed or you're closing was incredible. Whether you have built a business over the last ten years and you feel now off and wanting to pivot, or maybe it's not about pivoting majors and about reorganizing your whole processes so that you can be less involved in today's.

00:31:38:10 - 00:32:17:14
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And if you are a CEO or a leadership role manager, executive, maybe it's time to you for you to embrace that next step, align to who you are and find really joy in the work instead of the grind and the praise and conforming to others and. This is part of your story and. Even if I felt the same way after my travel.

00:32:17:16 - 00:32:47:02
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Your best days are not necessarily behind you. They are ahead. So I want to finish this episode with my favorite quote of all time from Ellen Keller that says is the best. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all, and the adventures waiting. Take the first step.

00:32:47:02 - 00:33:05:00
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That's it for today's episode. I really hope you had a great time on the show today. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to the Adventure Ignition Podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify because it helps a lot.

00:33:05:02 - 00:33:34:24
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Get this message of Adventure out. If you have any question, any suggestions, or you just want to contact me, please do it on social media. I blaze the stones over LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook. I would be pleased to start a conversation with you and answer your questions before to leave you. I really want to take a moment to acknowledge you for still being here on this episode.

00:33:34:24 - 00:34:04:01
Inconnu
And thank you so much for your support and being part of my journey on the Adventure Recognition Podcast. And as usual, I'm going to end this episode with a famous quote from Allen Keller that I love so much. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. Thank you so much for your support. Don't forget to say yes to adventure, surf the vibe and spread the love.

00:34:04:03 - 00:34:05:15
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Peace out.