Resiliency When Things Don’t Go to Plan

In this episode of the Critical Careers podcast, Lizzy McDowell, Marketing Director at Kao Data and co-founder of Critical Careers, is joined by Hadas Lorber from Nebius, and Social Impact Consultant and Professional Speaker, Michillay Brown, for a conversation about resilience, reinvention, and building a career that does not always follow a straight line.  Hadas shares how her career moved from national security and government affairs into digital infrastructure, and why that transition made sense when she began to see technology as a central part of national security. After more than 25 years in government, including work on strategic technology dialogues, AI, quantum and international cooperation, she reflects on how curiosity, adaptability and a strong sense of direction helped her begin again in a fast-changing industry.  Michillay reflects on a career shaped by early responsibility, personal loss and determination. After losing her father at a young age and watching her mother support the family as a nurse, she began working early, taking on roles in hospitality, retail and voluntary organisations before building a career across sustainability, social impact, mining, energy, tech and digital infrastructure. She explains how those experiences shaped her resilience long before she held a formal leadership title.  Together, the conversation explores how resilience is built through life experience, not just career milestones. Hadas and Michillay discuss grief, motherhood, sacrifice, starting over, transferable skills, mentorship, human-centred leadership and the importance of building a compass rather than following a fixed map.  At its heart, this episode is a reminder that careers are rarely linear. Sometimes the moments that feel like setbacks, pivots or starting again are the experiences that build the strongest foundations for leadership.  “For me, resilience is really maintaining your sense of direction when circumstances change.” - Hadas Lorber  “I think resilience is built in those different chapters from when you’re younger throughout. It builds up to the leadership title that follows afterwards.” - Michillay Brown  -----Key Takeaways - Resilience is built through life experience, not only through formal leadership roles or career milestones. - Hadas Lorber’s move from national security into digital infrastructure shows how careers can evolve when skills, values and global challenges intersect. - Michillay Brown’s journey highlights how early responsibility, personal loss and hard work can shape long-term resilience and leadership. - Voluntary work, unpaid opportunities and early career sacrifices can build valuable experience, credibility, networks and future opportunities. - Starting again can feel like a step backwards, but it can also be a sign of growth, curiosity and expanding capability. - Human-centred leadership means asking for help, protecting capacity, leading with empathy and recognising the human cost of work. - In a fast-changing world shaped by AI, curiosity, critical thinking and the willingness to keep learning are essential leadership skills. - Careers need a compass more than a map: know your values, interests and direction, but leave room for unexpected opportunities.  -----To learn more about Critical Careers, or to get involved with the Critical Careers community, head to the Critical Careers website or search “Critical Careers”.  Thank you to our founding partner, Kao Data, and our season sponsors: CBRE, AVK, JLL, Eversheds Sutherland, and Mace Construct.