Faye McDonough

As I get ready for a new chapter, I’ve found myself reflecting on what brought me here…

My origin story, as Amanda Baker would say*

So, here’s the steps, the moments broken down. The makings of my Origin Story. The ‘how I got here’:

Career paths rarely unfold as planned. Looking back, mine feels like a series of seemingly random events that somehow created a coherent journey toward work that genuinely energises me.

People have always fascinated me. As a kid, I’d get completely lost in books, musicals and a range of (possibly unsuitable?) epic movies with compelling characters and complex stories.

The Way We Were, The Godfather trilogy, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Mary Poppins… I’m still constantly revisiting these tales of authenticity, loyalty, reinvention and family.

Plus, you know – the role St Paul’s Cathedral plays in Mary Poppins 👌🏻 I take a deep breath every time I wander past – I can’t believe I work a stone’s throw from there.

If you’d told four-year-old me that I’d build a career in finance, she would have had no idea what that meant. Even twenty-year-old me couldn’t have predicted where those early temp jobs would eventually lead.

Accidentally Finding Finance

Running out of money at university forced me to get my finances sorted quickly. I took temp jobs to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and somehow always landed in Finance departments.

I met a future boss completely by chance when he was a customer. Looking back, it was a small moment with a big impact. It seems my path chose me before I chose it.

These weren’t grand career moments – they were practical necessities that happened to point in a particular direction. Sometimes the most significant career decisions don’t feel like decisions at all in the moment.

I spent a lot of time talking about Anything But Finance but now I embrace it – that’s getting older for you!

Your reflection: What practical necessities or chance encounters have shaped your career direction in unexpected ways?

When Plans Fall Apart

Failing to get a promotion I thought I was a shoe-in for knocked me sideways. But that disappointment led me to leave Manchester for Cambridge – a move that’s worked out rather brilliantly (if I say so myself).

Then came two redundancies. Tough at the time, absolutely. But they redirected my career in ways I couldn’t have planned – first from Large Corporate to FinTech, then from Profit to Purpose. The outcome was definitely worth the uncertainty.

There’s something humbling about having your professional plans completely disrupted. In the moment, it feels like failure or unfairness. With hindsight, those disruptions often create opportunities you never would have actively pursued.

The promotion that didn’t happen opened doors I hadn’t known existed. The redundancies forced me to consider what I actually wanted from work rather than just following the logical next step.

Your reflection: What disappointments or disruptions in your career have ultimately led to better opportunities? How did those experiences change your perspective on career planning?

Balancing Acts

I’ve combined some of my most demanding professional roles with raising a young family. Sometimes I wonder how I managed it.

It felt like a white-knuckle ride – hanging on to full-time work and a hard-earned career when my health was suggesting that it might not be worth it.

Ten years of parenting on, life in the McD household is still busy, but I’m in a calmer, more settled, more purposeful place now.

The early years of combining career and family felt unsustainable at times. You’re constantly questioning whether you’re doing enough in either area, whether the sacrifices are worth it, whether there’s a better way to structure your life.

What I’ve learned is that these intense periods don’t last forever, even when they feel endless. The solutions that work evolve as children grow and career priorities shift.

Your reflection: How have you navigated competing priorities in your life? What has helped you find more balance or purpose over time?

Full Circle

My career has always been guided by a desire for connection and relationship building. Don’t believe the corporate stereotype – Financial Services is 100% people-focused.

From colleagues you collaborate with, to borrowers you support, to professionals you partner with, to communities you build and to change that you deliver. It’s ALL about people.

And so my story comes full circle – I’m in a career where I get to learn about my team’s hopes and dreams while helping business owners bring their strategies and purpose to life with money.

This realisation took years to crystallise. For a long time, I thought I’d accidentally ended up in finance rather than choosing it deliberately. Now I see that the people-focused aspects of financial work were what drew me in from the beginning.

The technical skills matter, but what makes the work meaningful is understanding how financial decisions affect real people’s lives and futures.

What Makes an Origin Story

Looking back, I can see the thread that connects seemingly unrelated experiences:

• The early financial pressure that taught me money matters
• The chance encounters that opened unexpected doors
• The setbacks that forced me to reassess what I wanted
• The balancing act that clarified my priorities
• The gradual understanding of what energises me professionally

None of these felt significant in isolation, but together they created a path toward work that aligns with my values and strengths.

Questions for Your Own Origin Story

As you think about your own journey:

• What practical necessities or constraints have shaped your direction?
• Which disappointments or setbacks have ultimately benefited you?
• How have your priorities and understanding of yourself evolved?
• What themes or values have remained consistent even as your circumstances changed?
• What moments felt small at the time but proved significant later?

The Value of Reflection

Origin stories aren’t just about where you’ve been – they help clarify where you’re going. Understanding the patterns in your journey can help you make more intentional choices about what comes next.

They also remind you that careers rarely follow straight lines, and that’s perfectly normal. The detours and disruptions often prove just as valuable as the planned progression.

What’s your origin story? What are the moments that make you who you are? I would LOVE to hear them.

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Picture below: four-year-old me (before the unsuitable movie days). Same fringe, same smile. Absolutely no idea what she was in for!

*Amanda is brilliant at challenging us to keep it real online and might be helpful to you too.