This episode of our Learn Better podcast features Kaplan’s very own Zoë Lister.
Zoë has worked at Kaplan for 17 years and has worked her way up throughout her career to Curriculum Manager for our ICAEW courses. As part of her role, she focuses on other skills and behaviours that our learners can gain throughout their studies, aside from the direct skills and knowledge taught through the course content.
However, since hitting a ‘bump in the road’, and finding out she has breast cancer back in March 2024, Zoë has used her personal experiences to provide techniques and advice on how you can recover from your own hurdles - no matter what they are.
Key topics discussed
Introductions
Stuart opens the discussion by asking Zoë to explain her background in accountancy and finance. Here, we discover how hurdles, mindsets, and life events can all contribute to an unpredictable career journey.
While Zoë has been with Kaplan for most of her career, she takes us back to when she finished university and had children, leading to her starting up her own practice with her partner. Due to her love of socialising and working closely with colleagues, Zoë changed her mind and decided to seek employment elsewhere - bringing her back to Kaplan, where she had initially studied to become an accountant.
Breast cancer diagnosis
In March 2024, Zoë was diagnosed with breast cancer. Although this is unexpected for anyone, Zoë notes how she is only 45 with six children and busy, happy work and personal life - so this came as a huge shock to her.
She compares the diagnosis, and how her life and routine have since changed, to a ‘bump in the road’, and emphasises that the scale of a bump is different for everyone.
Stuart and Zoë talk about how everyone is on a different path in life, and how a hurdle such as failing an exam can feel like ‘the end of the world’ to many people. This leads to Zoë sharing some of her advice from such a personal story to help our learners overcome their own bumps in the road.
“When you next face a bump in the road, you don’t necessarily have different skills to get past it quicker But in your mind, you know that you can overcome things - so there’s no reason you can’t overcome the next bump when you get to that as well.”
Zoë’s tips when facing adversity
Stuart asks Zoë to provide some of her advice and tips on how she maintains a positive attitude, specifically after receiving her diagnosis.
Zoë explains how she likes to focus on things that make others feel better, which she does often as part of her job. But recently, this has also helped to distract her from her current condition. She shares tips on how to get by when facing adversity, including accepting what has happened, dealing with what you know and not focusing on the ‘what ifs’.
“When I think of resilience, it is that you’ve come back from something. All you need to do, sometimes, is survive.”
Bumps in the road
Zoë talks about experiencing bumps in the road, and how they can lead to new opportunities. She shares advice and tips such as focusing on smaller milestones so you’re not feeling overwhelmed or deflated about what has happened or is coming.
She also explains the importance of giving yourself opportunities to celebrate the smaller successes, and to try and focus on what will make you feel better rather than dwelling on the negatives. Ways that can help overcome adversity include finding others who have been through something similar to what you’re going through.
Zoë closes the discussion on resilience by explaining how “sometimes, as resilient as you want to be, you don’t feel your best”, so you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself.
Catch up with previous episodes
Don’t worry if you’ve missed any episodes. All previous episodes of the Learn Better Series can be found on: