A CONFIDENCE coach who has helped hundreds of mums find work they love, has published a free e-book offering tips for getting out of a career rut. Career and confidence coach, Fiona Clark, founder of Inspired Mums, was inspired to publish for mums stuck in a career rut - Eight steps to finding work you love- because of her experience with mums who stay in careers they find deeply dissatisfying.

Fiona, 40, from Holmer Green said: "Every week I see mums who have stayed in jobs they hate, because they’re simply not aware of some of the amazing other opportunities out there or they haven’t got the confidence to find them."

The five most common explanations for feeling stuck, she hears, are I don’t know what I want to do instead; I don’t have the confidence or courage to change; I can’t afford to change careers;I don’t believe it’s possible to earn money doing something I love and I feel overwhelmed by the prospect of changing roles, so better the devil know.

Fiona said: "Women today have a massive challenge where they need to get their work and family life balance right while feeling fulfilled at the same time. "They often face a crossroads when they have children and they no longer know what they want. Or they’ve been out of the job market for years and their confidence is rock bottom. All too often I hear mums say ‘I’ll do anything as long as it fits around the kids’ but this can lead to roles where they feel undervalued and unmotivated."

The e-book is packed with tips, exercises and inspiring case studies to get mums out of whatever career rut they may find themselves in and on their way to a new career.

Being stuck in a career rut is a topic very close to Fiona’s own heart. She spent the first ten years of her career climbing the corporate ladder working in various commercial roles for blue chip organisations.

On paper she appeared to have a successful career but deep down she knew she wasn’t on the right path. She was doing roles that didn’t play to her strengths and this meant she often felt stressed and unmotivated.

Her light bulb moment came when she decided to take control and have some career coaching to work out exactly what she wanted to do. The coaching opened her eyes to the opportunities available to her that were fulfilling and offered the flexibility she wanted as a mum. As a result of her own journey, she trained to be a coach. In 2006 Fiona founded Inspired Mums career and confidence coaching to help women fulfil their potential and find family-friendly careers.

Since then Fiona has given hundreds of mums career direction and confidence either through one-on-one coaching or workshops - helping them find their own ‘light bulb’ moment.

There is a lawyer who negotiated the holy grail of a flexible role on partner level in a law firm, an accountant who swapped the pressures of a city firm for a calmer and more creative life as an interior designer and a mum who managed the transition from 19 years in the RAF to landing a job as a bursar in a private school.

Fiona’s e-book is free to download. Go to www.facebook.com/inspiredmumscoaching for more information.