Founder of “Change is Possible” Community & Accelerator where corporate professionals build influential brands & portfolio careers I Change Advisor to Leaders I Ex-Citi COO I Follow for modern leadership, career & change

Over the past 25 years, I have built a successful international banking career.
Most recently, I was the Regional COO for Citibank’s $2Bn business across 16 countries in Asia - leading large-scale transformations in digitisation and culture.

But in 2021, I walked away from my high-paying executive role.

Why?

Because I wanted more space.
More time with family.
More alignment between who I am and how I work.

But I didn’t want to start from scratch.
So I asked myself a question:
What if I could build a career around everything I already know - and love?

That’s how my portfolio career began.
And it changed everything.

Now, I help other professionals do the same.

What I’ve built since 2021:
→ A 6-figure portfolio business with 3 income streams
→ Founder of Change is Possible - a business community for professionals redesigning their next chapter
→ 100K+ LinkedIn followers (grew from 17K in under a year)
→ Coached 100+ professionals through successful career transitions
→ Host of a Top 20 global podcast on career change, Change is Possible
→ TEDx speaker, Forbes columnist, and Bloomberg TV guest

Want to build your own portfolio career?
🚀 THE PORTFOLIO CAREER ACCELERATOR (Launching January 2026) 
Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1thkmph_EwRxLGfuL9muCsRir1uKDdF2nXYeI7X_1oSA/edit

This is an 8-week program designed to help you:
→ Turn your expertise into income
→ Build a personal brand that opens doors
→ Create your first income stream - even before you leave your job

Only 20 spots. 12 already claimed.

Other ways we can work together:
✔️ Join my business community — Change is Possible https://changeispossible.co.uk/ - doors open for new members on Sept.10, 2025
✔️ Book me to speak — I deliver keynotes on leadership, change, career reinvention, and the future of work - send a DM.
✔️ Hire me as an advisor — I support companies navigating complex transformation - send a DM to meet and explore.
✔️ Book 1:1 coaching — For senior execs ready to design their next chapter - send a DM.
✔️ Book my LinkedIn Growth Bundle — A 2-session intensive where I teach you the exact system I used to grow to 100K+ followers. Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bLp7wmK8xhIpfFu8beImvD5JZQHYsbraTBx5Orjx0zs/edit

P.S. Still wondering if change is really possible?
🎧 Tune in to my podcast Change is Possible — where 100+ professionals share how they redesigned their careers and lives. Watch here - https://www.youtube.com/@ChangeIsPossiblePodcast

Ani Filipova

The GPS doesn’t argue with reality.
It adjusts to it.
Your career works the same way…
Except most people wait too long to recalculate.

They stick to the original plan because:

– It once made sense
– It used to be rewarded
– It feels safer to continue than to adjust

Even when the signals are obvious.

The company changes.
The market shifts.
The skills that mattered five years ago lose value.

And still… they stay on the same route.

So how do you recalibrate? Here are several ways to it:

1. Review direction, not just performance

Every quarter, ask:
"If I started today, with what I know now, would I still choose this path?"

2. Run small course-corrections

You don’t need a dramatic pivot.
You need optionality.
Add one new project, one new skill, or one new network outside your role.

3. Reduce single-path dependence

Build at least one capability that creates value beyond your employer.
Anything that moves you from dependent to adaptable.

4. Treat friction as data

Persistent frustration usually isn’t weakness.
It’s misalignment.


You don’t have to abandon the destination.
But you do need to accept that the path will change.

The professionals who adjust early rarely need dramatic change later.
Those who ignore the signals end up being forced into it.

---

Here is the problem:

Most people only see recalibration options within their job or industry.
A promotion. A new company. A sideways move.

But there are usually far more ways to use your skills than your employer is paying you for.

You just do not see them yet.

That is what I help with inside the Portfolio Career Accelerator:

→ How to identify the real market value of your skills
→ How to position them beyond one employer
→ How to build options while you are still employed

Cohort 2 starts on April 27.

Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gpEqqqFs
♻️ Repost if someone in your network needs to see beyond their current path.

Some people did everything right and still didn’t make it.

I think about them a lot.

They made smart decisions.
Built the right skills.
Were genuinely good at what they did.

And the break never came.

Meanwhile, I know people (myself included) who caught a moment of luck so precise, so accidental, that if you shifted timing by six months, or moved geography by one country, the whole story collapses.

Here are two of mine:

1) A colleague in London mentioned, almost in passing, that there was a COO role available. I applied. I got it. That one conversation shaped the next chapter of my career.

2) Years later, I got invited to an event where entrepreneurs pitched to magazine editors. I saw what people were building. The energy in the room. The possibilities. That night is a direct line to me leaving my job.

Neither moment was “earned”.
Both changed everything.

And I know plenty of successful people have these moments too, but they rarely mention them because it complicates their success story.

We are sooo binary:

- Success is merit: work hard, decide well, win.
- Success is luck: hard work doesn't matter anyway.

The real version sits in the middle.

Decisions create the conditions.
Luck pulls the trigger.

Sometimes luck pulls the trigger for someone who didn’t deserve it.
Sometimes it never shows up for someone who did.

If you are navigating this, here is what I know:

1️⃣  Your decisions still matter a great deal.
They don’t guarantee the outcome.
But they are how you stack the odds in your favour.

2️⃣  Luck is real.
You don’t get to choose when it shows up. Acknowledging it keeps you hungry without making you bitter, and grateful without making you passive.

3️⃣  Make peace with the unfairness.
This is the hardest part.
Sometimes you do everything right and still don’t make it. The only move left is to accept and move on

The truth is: most success stories are part skill, part luck, and a lot of editing.

---
You can’t control luck, but you can control your odds.
That’s what we build inside the Portfolio Career Accelerator. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gpEqqqFs

or DM me

I used to think I handled feedback well.

Then I watched myself get defensive almost immediately.

I nodded. Said, “Thank you for sharing.”

Then spent the next three days arguing with it in my head.
And thinking, “Who does he think he is?”

Here is what most people get wrong about criticism:

They do not hear, “Here is how to improve.”
They hear, “You are not as good as you thought.”

That is why people:

▶️ Get defensive.
▶️ Justify themselves.
▶️ Go quiet.
▶️ Blame the delivery.

It feels like a threat.

The top 1% leaders do not hear feedback and think, “That is unfair.”

They think, “What is useful here?”

That shift changes everything.

Here is what that looks like:

▶️ Pause.
▶️ Let them finish.
▶️ Write it down.
▶️ Ask for an example.

Then leave the room and decide what is signal and what is noise.

Not all feedback is right.
But almost all feedback reveals something.

If you want to grow fast:

Stop protecting your ego.
Start mining for signal.

Feedback is uncomfortable.
But staying the same is worse.

Follow me, Ani Filipova, for leadership truths most people avoid.
♻️ Repost if someone in your network needs to hear this.

How to learn so fast it feels unfair.

Here is why this matters now more than ever:

- The half-life of skills is shrinking.
- What you learned 5 years ago may already be outdated.
- AI is changing industries faster than most people can adapt.

Learning how to learn is no longer a nice-to-have.
It is the skill that makes all other skills possible.

Leaving corporate was one of the biggest learning curve of my life.

- Suddenly, no team.
- No structure.
- No playbook.

If I did not learn fast, I did not earn.

So I devoured information.
And still felt behind.
Because volume is not the same as mastery.

When I interviewed Dr. Justin Sung on my podcast, he explained why.
The best learners do 3 things differently:

1️⃣ They pause.
Your brain needs time to organise what it just received.

2️⃣ They synthesise.
They teach it, apply it, turn it into something useful.
This is where real understanding happens.
And where you discover what you actually do not know yet.

3️⃣ They compare.
They connect new ideas to what they already know.
This anchors new knowledge into your existing mental frameworks.
It makes learning stick.

🎥 Watch the full podcast episode with Dr.Sung here: https://lnkd.in/g32j73jq

♻️ Repost if someone in your network needs to learn faster.

Lea 🌈 Turner

If Carlsberg made LinkedIn Trainers | 1-1 & Company Training | Join 470+ solopreneurs & small business owners in my membership community, The HoLT (ask me how)

You've tried communities before but they never live up to the hype, do they? The founder only shows up for calls, the chat is dead or clique-y, they're either women only, or full of d*ck swinging sales bros pitch slapping you into oblivion, and you only get the *good stuff* if you pay for the upsells...and you're left feeling...deflated, womp womp. 

*clears throat, stretches out arms, JAZZ HANDS* until... The HoLT!

We have none of that malarkey. 

No upsells, no tiered memberships, and categorically, absolutely, without question... no knobs. 

"But LEA, what is The HoLT?" I hear you cry. It's an inclusive, vibrant, fun, affordable community of over 500 small business owners, freelancers, side hustlers and employees, coming together for weekly masterclasses from ACTUAL experts, teaching every business skill you could possibly need to improve how YOU do business, from copywriting to confidence building, AI to automation, PR to passive income. 

And unlike other communities, we record every masterclass, add it to the library, and no matter when you join, you get access to ALL of them (currently over 150!)

But there's so much more; weekly community calls for informal networking, content support, tech clinics to tackle your IT nightmares, in-person co-working days, online co-working, wellbeing sessions, LinkedIn clinics... I could go on but I'd ruin your surprise and delight when you join. 

And unlike most founders, I am in The HoLT every single day (in sickness and in health, til death do us part) because I genuinely care about the members, love connecting people, nurturing them and supporting them. 

I was sick of being a lonely solopreneur. I had no one to share my wins & failures with, who'd understand, not judge me, to ask for reliable advice when I needed it without making me feel stupid, to learn with, grow with, and make it fun along the way. So, I created a safe space for others who felt the same. It has grown and evolved over the past 3 years, to become a magical space full of the sorts of people you WANT on your side in business, cheering you on and encouraging you when sh*t gets tough. 

Join the waiting list at The-HoLT.com and be first to find out when our doors re-open.

PS. If communities aren't your *thing* we have The Vault. Access 200+ masterclass recordings with new ones added weekly, for just £20/month, no contract or commitment.

Director

Providing bespoke 1:1 and group LinkedIn training, digital courses and in-person workshops for businesses. 

In the past 24 hours I have been ABSOLUTELY AUDACIOUS, and sent requests for masterclasses to big names I was convinced would say no. 

But they didn't.

Which means I've now secured sessions inside The HoLT from:

Jo Bird, ex-Gymshark personal branding queen with over 100k followers on socials and one of the loveliest humans in business. 

Bob Burg, the nicest man in sales, Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker on Genuine Influence®, Relationship Building, and Referrals and notorious animal lover. 

Sam Browne, conversion copywriter and best selling course creator with over 100k LinkedIn followers. 

CHRIS DO (!!! squeal!!!) personal branding and design LEGEND with MILLIONS of followers across every platform. 

Radiana Mativa, creator of Happiness Programs for Google, Hugo Boss, Adidas and Ikea. 

BE FKN AUDACIOUS. 

Look what can happen! 

This is gonna be a fkn GREAT summer inside The HoLT!

Doors open again in 2 weeks. Hop on the list at https://the-holt.com/

Founder, The HoLT. The community for small business owners & solopreneurs | No knobs allowed 🍆

I’ve been celebrating International Women’s Day by:

Having a lie in with a coffee, because my 10 year old son knows I like one in bed on a Sunday. 

Getting my son to help hoover the car, pick up after the dog, sort the laundry, clear up after brunch, and feed the menagerie of animals. 

Because the best way I know to make the world a better place for the women who come after us, is to raise kind men who willingly share the load. 

To all the women out there carrying more than their fair share, you’re heroes, and I hope you’ll find at least a few moments of peace today 🩷

No alternative text description for this image

Last week I had a meeting. 

It had been rescheduled already. 

The meeting was fine. Next steps were agreed. 

The next day I receive an email from someone else on the team. 

Can we have another meeting to discuss the meeting. 

No we fkn can’t. 

Do corporates really have so many superfluous staff with time to fill that they want meetings about meetings?

Well, I don’t. 

Whatever you need can be discussed by email without needing to clog up my calendar with your ‘clarity’ meetings. 

Just one of many, many reasons I’m grateful I never worked in corporate. 

If I wanted to spend my life jumping through hoops, I’d have joined the fkn circus.

Thank you to the beautiful room of people at The Big Festoon who came to watch me speak today. 

And especially to our HoLT members for being so supportive and encouraging. 

I’m glad it’s over and I can breathe again. 

But I’m glad I did it despite trembling with nerves. 

Soz about the tears x

In every area of my business I’ve always been happy to go my own way, and not try to be like everyone else…except one. 

When speaking on stage alone, I felt like I needed to be polished, structured, slick and practiced. 

I needed to waltz up and down the stage, bringing high energy, humour, and put on a good show. 

Which is why I shied away from it for years. I’d created a massive block in my head because I CAN’T be like that on stage.  That’s not who I am. 

But after a LOT of chats with a LOT of experienced speakers, they reminded me that I don’t have to do it like everyone else does it. 

When people want me on their stages they don’t WANT me to be like everyone else. 

They want me. Just as I am. 

Because WHAT I have to say is far more important than the theatrics surrounding it. 

And so that’s exactly what I’m bringing to 1000 people in the AO Arena on Thursday at The Big Festoon. 

It’ll be me and my dog. On a sofa on the stage. Having an intimate but powerful conversation with the audience. 

Nothing flashy. No gimmicks. 

Just a girl sharing her heart with those willing to listen. 

We all need the reminder sometimes that imitating or comparing ourselves and our abilities to others only ever holds us back. 

Our most valuable assets are the bits of who we are that are unique to us. Lean into them. They’re magic. 

Wish us luck. 

✨ 🩷

I was assalted at my son’s school yesterday. 

There’s a 12” crack across my windscreen that I can’t get repaired til Monday. 

A ‘relaxing’ Mother’s Day started with my cat delivering a giant wood pigeon to my bedroom. 

And then our family day out to the zoo was cut short by torrential rain. 

This week has NOT gone to plan. 

But nothing will dent my good mood today because I’m meeting up with HoLT members for a coworking and networking day in Manchester. 

And thankfully, the coffee will definitely be good. 

As long as the teacher doesn’t make it 😳🤮

You know those people in your life where, when you're with them, you are having way too much fun to remember to take photos?

Well, that's what it's like when I'm with Alex Coward 

Which explains this weird two-headed monster that AI created of us. Anyway...

I have had Alex on speed dial for a while now after meeting her inside The HoLT, and spending way too much time bending her ear about life and business. 

She's the kind of no BS mentor EVERY business owner can benefit from, and DOES when they work with her. 

She has helped countless members inside The HoLT to make sharper decisions, build cleaner strategies, and create momentum that doesn't rely on them pushing harder. 

There's no fluff or filler with Alex. She gets right to the core of your problems, and challenges you with tough questions that when answered, create a clear path forward. 

And she has done this for me on countless occasions over the past year. 

She is one of many, many members I've grown to rely on. 
And she knows she can rely on me, too. 
Because we're more than each other's clients at this point. 
We've grown to become genuine friends. 

So, I apologise for the horrifying photo, but I had to tell you how wonderful she is.
If you're stuck in your business, Alex is a force you need on your side.

And she only has half the heads in person.

We had 𝗦𝗢 𝗠𝗨𝗖𝗛 𝗙𝗨𝗡 on Tuesday evening that we're doing it again!

The amazing Adam Jones, founder of Cinderella Events, hosted an online Murder Mystery for 65 of our HoLT members.

We arrived without knowing what to expect. 
But when we started pouring over the evidence with our teams, we were all immersed in catching the killer.

Members in the community have been raving about how much fun it was. 
That they weren't sure if it would be their kind of event, but they loved it. 

The level of detail was incredible, with actors playing suspects, warrants to submit for access, cyphers to solve to gain more evidence, we interrogated suspects in full costumes with realistic backdrops. 

I've never known anything like it! 

And we enjoyed it so much, members have demanded we do it again. 

But this time... we're having a custom one just for us, at the sad expense of Backdoor Barry 😲

The only way to get involved is to join the community. 

Or, if you're a lover of murder mysteries, get in touch with Adam to host your own - online, or in-person, for corporate events, murder mystery weekends... he does it all, and he can build them entirely customised for your business, brand, or wild idea. 

Wanna find out who killed Barry?

You'll have to join us inside The HoLT, while he's still alive to let you in....

Doors open again very soon www.the-HoLT.com

I'm getting very behind at this.

Trying to keep up with all the new member posts has become impossible over the past few months. 

We've been welcoming new members on an almost daily basis. 

From debt collectors to business mentors. 
Murder mystery creators to marketers. 
Coaches, ops managers, OBMs, personal trainers, industrial cleaners - the variety is endless. 

But the things we all have in common?
We want to grow - personally and professionally.
And we don't want to do it alone.

A huge welcome to DOZENS of our new members. I'll try to tag you all in the comments but please don't hate me if I miss one, it's Sunday and my brain is fried!

(PS. Doors to The HoLT open next week - will I be putting your face in a tiny box on Canva soon? https://the-holt.com/ )

We have just booked our next mastermind and it's all about SALES.

27th April Week 1 - Mindset with the INCREDIBLE Desislava Dobreva. If you are looking to be LIT up with fire and motivation Desi is the absolute BEST in her field. She'll be setting our minds in the right frame before we move on to...

5th May Week 2 - Positioning with ﻿Hannah Walker﻿, who lists clients like Sehrhant (from Selling Manhattan) amongst her clients. She's gonna make sure we've got everything in place so we're ready for...

11th May Week 3 - Sales calls and objection handling with master of sales ﻿Ivy Malik ﻿who will provide all the tools we need, so we are ready for...

18th May Week 3 - Closing the deal with @Richard Moore, who will help us push those clients over the line and money into our bank accounts!

And as always, recordings will be available to anyone who can't make it live.

This is gonna be an UNREAL mastermind with four absolute POWERHOUSES. 

If you're not on the list to join The HoLT yet, we're opening doors again soon so hurry along to https://the-holt.com/ and sign up, and join us for THOUSANDS OF POUNDS WORTH of sales training for just £65 a month (cancel any time).

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Ani Filipova

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The Battle

Ani Filipova

Lea 🌈 Turner

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Engagements

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Ani Filipova's LinkedIn Performance

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