Life Reimagined: Tammy Janes on Transformation & Letting Go
Tammy Janes spent nearly 15 years at Unilever, built a global transformation practice from a team of two to roughly 30 people, and then was told her role was being eliminated — not because she failed, but because she succeeded so completely that the organization no longer needed her. What do you do when doing your job well is the thing that ends it? And what does it take to rebuild, network from scratch, and lead a team through a redundancy you didn't choose — all at the same time? This is that story.
In This Episode:
- How Tammy went from wanting to be a lawyer to spending six years in management consulting across three verticals — CPG, financial services, and pharma — before finding a home at Unilever for nearly 15 years, holding 10 or 11 different roles in that time
- What it actually felt like to tell her team their roles were being eliminated — and how she coached half of them into other positions inside the organization while processing her own exit at the same time
- The six-month sabbatical she took after Unilever: why she chose to stop, what she did with the time (a personal trainer, five books, and time with her then-toddler daughter), and why she says she would tell anyone going through the same thing to do the same
- Why networking is the one career investment Tammy says she neglected when she felt safe — and the specific coffee chat tip her career coach gave her that made every meeting less about asking and more about giving
- Her personal purpose statement developed through a full-day Unilever workshop: "To be perfect enough to raise the bar" — and what the "perfect enough" qualifier means for how she avoids analysis paralysis
- Why organizational transformation fails when it's either rushed (60 days) or too slow (endless meetings), and the phased, win-by-win approach she believes actually sticks
Episode Highlights:
00:00 - Redundancy and Pivoting
00:19 - Podcast Premise
01:00 - Meet Tammy
01:41 - Law to Business Pivot
03:35 - Consulting Beginnings
05:28 - Choosing Unilever And Purpose
09:21 - Proudest Wins At Unilever
10:27 - Agile Ways Of Working
13:24 - Team Made Redundant
16:06 - Sabbatical and Networking
21:10 - Empathy Led Leadership
23:36 - Purpose and Motivation
26:28 - Transformation Advice
27:30 - Timelines That Stick
29:59 - Career Vision Flexibility
31:20 - Life Reimagined Mindset
33:06 - Impact Beyond The Job
34:21 - Gut Check Corporate Return
36:08 - Networking Anxiety Trust
45:12 - Energy Regeneration And Balance
50:56 - Learning Through Podcasting
52:30 - Questions After Layoffs
53:37 - Closing and Call to Action
Resources Mentioned:
- Unilever — multinational consumer packaged goods company and Tammy's employer for nearly 15 years
- Sofina Foods — one of Canada's leading manufacturers of primary and further processed protein products and Tammy's current employer
- Leaders Eat Last, book by Simon Sinek
- Next Up — Toronto-based women's professional organization
- Schulich School of Business at York University — where Tammy completed her undergraduate business degree
- Knorr What's for Dinner campaign — in-store marketing campaign Tammy worked on during her Canadian trade marketing role at Unilever
- Dove Self-Esteem Program — Unilever's self-esteem workshops for young girls; Tammy delivered workshops in schools
- Paul Polman — referenced as Unilever CEO during Tammy's early years; credited with embedding purpose into the business
Quotes:
“ If you do your job well, you should make yourself redundant in the hope that you go onto the next thing. “ - Tammy Janes
“ So I took about six months off, sabbatical, just took a break. You know, I figured I'm not gonna get this time back with my daughter. I got a personal trainer, I read five books. Like, it was just a good break that I needed.” - Tammy Janes
“ Why is, why are we all so scared to talk about this when it happens to people all the time?” - Sarah Jeanneault
“ A really good tip of just do some quick homework before you meet with the person. Find out what they're working on, what's going on with them, and, you know, offer up, "Hey, I might know someone that does this, and would you be interested?" Or even asking the question of, "Is there any way I can help you? Thank you for your time.'" - Tammy Janes
“ Come out with a purpose statement. And mine was, "To be perfect enough to raise the bar."” - Tammy Janes
"People don't fear fear, they fear the unknown that fear brings." - Tammy Janes
Tammy Janes is a transformation and strategy leader whose career spans management consulting, nearly 15 years at Unilever in 10-plus roles, and her current position as Director, Business Performance at Sofina Foods. At Unilever she built and led the global agile ways-of-working practice, growing a capability team from two people to approximately 30 before the function was successfully embedded into the organization. She is known for leading with empathy, driving continuous improvement, and building teams that outlast her.
Connect with Tammy Janes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammy-janes/
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This show is produced by Twisted Spur Media Ltd.
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed by guests during Why To The Way Podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Sarah Jeanneault, Twisted Spur Media Ltd. and/or her affiliates. Sarah Jeanneault, Why To The Way Podcast, and Twisted Spur Media Ltd. are not responsible for and do not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. Listeners are advised to consult with a qualified professional or specialist before making any decisions based on the content of this podcast.
