When London's tube strikes forced The Marketing Society's planned "Reset and Rise - an evening of career transitions", in-person event online, 80+ marketing leaders found themselves with an unexpected gift: an intimate evening of career transformation from the comfort of their homes. Hosted by Sophie Devonshire, CEO of The Marketing Society, this "Reset and Rise" session brought together two powerhouse speakers to tackle the twin challenges of career navigation: mindset and visibility.
The timing couldn't have been more relevant. With many attendees describing themselves as "in-betweeners" - either actively job hunting or contemplating their next move - the session delivered both psychological strategy and practical tools. Emma Harris, founder of the "Slow the F*** Down" movement and CEO of Glow London, opened with manifestation techniques grounded in neurolinguistic programming. Laura Fox, former LinkedIn executive turned consultant, followed with actionable strategies for building professional presence on the platform where increasingly, senior roles are won and lost.
By the evening's end, participants had not only gained concrete tools for career advancement but had connected with peers facing similar challenges, creating a support network that extended beyond the virtual room.
5 Key Points from the session:
Focus on Intangible Job Qualities, Not Just Functional Requirements
Move beyond tick-box criteria like salary and company size to identify what truly matters: culture, leadership style, team dynamics, autonomy, and flexibility. This prevents accepting roles that look impressive but feel wrong daily.
Manifestation is Programming Your Unconscious Mind
Rather than wishful thinking, manifestation works by convincing your unconscious mind (which drives 95% of behaviour) that your goal has already happened. This creates authentic confidence that communicates success in interviews.
Your LinkedIn Profile is Your Professional Infrastructure
LinkedIn has evolved beyond networking into essential professional infrastructure. With senior roles increasingly found through the platform, your profile serves as your shop window when you're not present.
The Eight-Second First Impression Rule
When someone lands on your LinkedIn profile, you have just eight to ten seconds to communicate your personal brand. This brief window determines whether people want to learn more or move to the next candidate.
Skills are the New Currency for Visibility
LinkedIn's AI-powered search prioritises skills, which have expanded from 50 to 100 on profiles. Mirror language from job descriptions you're targeting and use these keywords in posts to train the algorithm.
The Psychology of Career Success: Emma Harris's Manifestation Method
Emma Harris began with a bold declaration that has guided her career and countless others she's mentored: "You can have anything you want in life." This isn't wishful thinking, she explained, but neuroscience. With 95% of our behaviour driven by the unconscious mind, success comes from programming that mental "horse" rather than relying on conscious willpower alone.
Know What You Actually Want
Most job seekers focus on functional requirements - salary bands, company size, prestigious brands. Emma urged participants to dig deeper into the intangibles that determine daily satisfaction. How do you want to feel walking into the office? What leadership style energises rather than drains you? Do you thrive with autonomy or prefer structured guidance?
She shared her own cautionary tale: after securing what seemed perfect on paper, household brand, team, office, she found herself commuting three hours daily to work for a boss who didn't understand brand strategy, barely seeing her baby daughter. "I got exactly what I asked for, but not what I actually needed."
Programming Your Unconscious Mind
Emma explained how manifestation works through two neurological phenomena. First, the unconscious mind doesn't distinguish between imagination and reality, allowing vivid visualisation to create genuine confidence. Second, the reticular activating system, the brain's information filter, notices what you've programmed it to see, like spotting yellow cars when playing a childhood game.
The technique involves writing your ideal day 6-12 months ahead in present tense, using all senses to bring the experience to life. "I wake up feeling energised. I do yoga at 7am, which I now do three times weekly. Walking into my office with industrial windows and art deco features, I see my team's faces light up..." This creates what Harris calls a "future memory" that guides unconscious behaviour toward making it reality.
The Interview Advantage
When you've genuinely programmed your unconscious mind, you enter interviews already believing the role is yours. Since 93% of communication is non-verbal, tone and unconscious body language including skin tone, eye movement, even nostril flare, every cell communicates confidence. Emma reminded attendees that interviewers want you to be "the one" who solves their problem, not to catch you out.
LinkedIn as Professional Infrastructure: Laura Fox's Strategic Approach
Laura Fox, drawing from seven years inside LinkedIn, positioned the platform not as another social media obligation but as essential professional infrastructure. With 1.2 billion members and senior roles increasingly discovered through the platform, your LinkedIn presence works for you 24/7.
The Eight-Second Rule
Laura challenged participants to audit their profiles through fresh eyes, simulating that crucial first impression. "Open your phone, look at your profile, and give yourself 8-10 seconds. What message lands?" Many discovered their profiles read like CVs - words on a page without personality, leadership style, or values.
The transformation starts with basics: a compelling headline that describes impact rather than just title ("ROI-driven CMO transforming challenger brands" versus "Chief Marketing Officer"), a professional photo with colour for visual interest, and a background banner that reinforces your brand.
The Bio That Tells Your Story
Laura showcased exceptional examples, particularly praising profiles that led with a "TLDR" summary before diving into narrative. The best bios answer a simple test: if you removed the person's name, would you still know it was them? Generic phrases like "data-driven, ROI-focused marketer" appear in thousands of profiles.
She demonstrated the power of specific storytelling through Ellie Hainsworth's profile, which chronicles a journey "from Honda to Virgin Media, Formula One, to Formula E" - immediately communicating unique experience that no competitor could claim.
Content Strategy Without Overwhelm
For those intimidated by content creation, Laura offered a framework: choose two professional themes you want to be associated with and post consistently about these topics. This focused approach builds clear personal branding rather than scattered messaging that confuses your professional identity.
She encouraged "commenting as strategy" for those not ready to post original content. The algorithm rewards engagement, and thoughtful comments on others' posts can build visibility while supporting your network.
Skills as LinkedIn Currency
Perhaps most practically, Laura revealed LinkedIn's expanded skills section now accommodates 100 skills (up from 50) because AI-powered search increasingly relies on these keywords. She advised mirroring language from target job descriptions and using these terms in posts to train the algorithm.
3 Takeaways From Emma Harris
Write Your Future Day Exercise
Pick a day 6-12 months ahead and write in present tense how you want to feel, your routine, and ideal work day. Include specific details using all senses.
Create Your Intangible Job Criteria
Beyond salary and title, identify culture, leadership style, team dynamics, and values that matter most. Rank using a 3-6-9 scale.
Set Your First Action
After visualising your future, identify one concrete step you can take today to move towards that outcome.
The Connection Between Mindset and Visibility
Both speakers emphasised how internal confidence and external presence reinforce each other. Emma's manifestation techniques create the genuine self-belief that Laura's LinkedIn strategies help communicate to the market. Neither approach works in isolation - you need both the inner conviction that you deserve the role and the professional presence that makes you discoverable when opportunities arise.
The evening's interactive elements, including breakout rooms where participants shared childhood career dreams and current success strategies, reinforced that career advancement happens through community, not isolation. As Sophie Devonshire noted, "50% of UK jobs are found through your network" - making both the mindset work and the visibility strategy essential components of career success.
3 Takeaways From Laura Fox
Optimise Your Profile Basics
Ensure compelling headline, professional photo with colour, background banner, detailed first-person bio, and comprehensive experience sections with action-verb bullet points.
Content Strategy with Two Themes
Choose two professional areas you want to be known for and post consistently about these topics for focused personal branding.
Use the LinkedIn Back-Channel Audit
Have someone look at your profile for 8-10 seconds and tell you what they understood about you.
You can have anything you want in life. There are two conditions: you have to know what you want, and you have to know that you can have it.
Emma Harris GLOW London
2 Action Items
to take from this...
1. Complete the Profile Audit Today
Open your LinkedIn profile on your phone and assess it as if seeing it for the first time. Update your headline, add a background image, and ensure your bio tells your unique story.
2. Write Your Manifestation Exercise
Spend 30 minutes writing your ideal day 6-12 months from now in present tense, including work environment, relationships, health, and feelings. Place this where you'll see it regularly.
This session was part of The Marketing Society's ongoing programme supporting marketing leaders through career transitions. The evening demonstrated how combining psychological strategy with practical digital presence creates accelerated career success.
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