IN CONVERSATION WITH: Claire Seixas

Key Takeaways

• Your career is a marathon, not a race - take time to stay true to yourself

• The most fulfilling work often combines your existing skills with deeper purpose

• Negative feedback can become powerful fuel if you channel it constructively

• Building confidence is an ongoing practice that requires self-compassion

• Sometimes the biggest career pivot leads to the most meaningful work

What happens when you spend 20 years climbing the fashion industry ladder, only to realise the view from the top isn't what you expected? Claire Seixas, founder of Cora Consultancy, is a Career Coach and Brand Consultant whose story is one of courage, reinvention, and the beautiful way women can lift each other up in business.

I first connected with Claire at the start of 2025 when I was just beginning to build my own coaching business and finding my feet. Rather than seeing me as competition, she reached out with genuine warmth and encouragement, even inviting me onto her podcast when I felt ready. It's exactly this kind of generous spirit that makes Claire so special, and why her career transformation journey resonates so deeply.

The Hungarian tailor who started it all

Claire's love of fashion began unexpectedly at 16 when she was introduced to a Hungarian tailor who lived nearby. When her mum suggested having something made for her school leaving do, Claire knew exactly what she wanted. Walking into the studio filled with fabric rolls and sketches was a revelation.

"I was just amazed. I walked into a studio and she had all these rolls of fabric. She designed something in a sketch, and I just fell in love with the environment. It kind of doubled down on this is definitely what I want to do."

The tailor, with her vibrant personality, invited Claire to work evenings and weekends to learn the trade. She made Claire a corset and skirt for her school event, and although it  was demanding work learning pattern cutting and construction skills, the experience gave Claire a deep understanding of how garments are actually made.

This foundation would prove crucial throughout her 20-year fashion career, but first came a pivotal disappointment. After studying fashion design and landing her first design role in Italy, Claire discovered the creative reality was far from her expectations.

"It was very much CAD design. You just literally were doing what somebody else told you, so the creative wish was cut."

Fortunately, a friend in product development suggested buying as an alternative - she'd still have creative freedom to work with fabrics and factories, plus it would tap into her natural negotiation skills.

This advice led Claire into buying, taking her from Blacks Outdoors in Nottingham to Dublin's Heaton's, then fast fashion giants Missguided and Boohoo, and eventually to head of buying at Zalando in Berlin, before moving to luxury at Farfetch.

The moment everything changed

Despite reaching the head of buying role at Zalando - a position she'd worked incredibly hard to achieve - Claire felt an unexpected emptiness.

"I was super proud because this was something that I really wanted to achieve personally for myself, and I did it. It ticked a certain amount of boxes, from a title, from maybe a salary point of view, but there was still something in me that was like, 'Oh, that's it.'"

When Zalando wanted her to relocate back to the office in Berlin after moving to Porto during Covid, Claire faced a crossroads. She made the decision to move to Farfetch, but the luxury resale world couldn't fill the growing void either.

"It was a short period of time and I didn't enjoy it again. It was just like, 'No, there's just something not right. My head has changed.'"

The catalyst for deeper change was deeply personal. Losing her brother suddenly during COVID made Claire question everything about her planned, methodical approach to life.

"I'm very much live my life on a spreadsheet and I like to have everything in order. And COVID happened. Nobody can control it... it makes you think life isn't a plan. Just do it."

Finding purpose in people

Claire's transition wasn't immediate. She took time to analyse what had given her the most satisfaction throughout her fashion career. The answer was clear: working with people.

"I love the creative side my coaching work brings, but working with people was always the biggest satisfaction. The difference now is the people that you work with want to work with you, and they want to make a change."

Escaping fashion's toxic culture also played a part. "When I first started out in fashion, it wasn't a nice place to be. It was aggressive. The expectations were unrealistic. The hours you did for the pay you got were not on par."

Her coaching philosophy is built on a key lesson: confidence isn't something you achieve once and keep forever. It's an ongoing practice, especially for women in demanding industries.

"I've been that person who's also not found my voice at times. A lot of women struggle with confidence and really having a voice for ourselves in the workplace."

The power of staying true to yourself

One of Claire's core pieces of advice resonates deeply with anyone who's felt overwhelmed by big personalities in creative industries:

"Stay very, very true to yourself. When you're in an industry where there's a lot of big characters, you can feel like you want to minimise yourself. But your career is a marathon and not a race... You have about 40 years on average in your career. Make sure you're doing it at the pace you want to do it, not at the pace you're being influenced by others."

She's learned that confidence often comes from asking questions, even when it feels scary.

"It just takes that one time and you go bright red, and you're like, 'can I just ask this?' And you blurt it out... Then somebody goes to you, 'what a good question.' And someone else says, 'Oh, I was wondering about that too' - that, for me, is a nice moment of pride."

The teacher who called her a dreamer

Sometimes the most powerful driver comes from being underestimated. Claire still remembers a teacher who looked at her parents when she shared her passion for a career in fashion and said dismissively, "Oh, she's a dreamer, isn't she?" and it stuck with her ever since.

“If I could meet him today, I don't know whether I'd thank him or tell him something else! It really put something in me that was like, 'No, I'm going to do this. Wait, you'll see.'"

Combined with consistent encouragement from family who kept telling her she can do all these things for herself helped build the confidence Claire needed to eventually make her leap.

Creating real impact through Cora Consultancy

Now running Cora Consultancy from Porto, Claire has discovered creative outlets she never knew she had, from website development to hosting her podcast 'Off the Rails,' where she has deep conversations with industry experts across fashion, lifestyle and beauty.

Claire’s coaching focuses on the pivotal moments that shape careers. Asking for that well-deserved pay rise, pivoting into a new career, getting interview-ready, and prepping to excel in a new role.

In July, Claire launched The Confidence Shift: 6 Steps to Leading Your Way - a 6-week online masterclass series covering everything from leadership playbooks to negotiation strategy, strategic networking to overcoming imposter syndrome. It's designed as a practical launchpad for more clarity, confidence, and career momentum.

The results of her work speaks for themselves. In just the first 3 months of this year Claire had already helped 11 women land roles they love, from fashion to tech to purpose-driven startups. What did they all have in common? Not perfect résumés or insider connections, but confidence to reach out rather than just apply and hope, personal brands that actually said something, and the mindset to move even when they didn't feel "100% ready."

I love how honest her approach to work-life balance is and it also serves as a helpful reminder to anyone who might deep down feel guilty about resting.

"When you're taking that time out of your business, you're actually refuelling every part of your body, physically and mentally, and you will come back feeling 100 times better."

But perhaps her most important insight is about self-recognition when working alone: "When you're on your own, you don't tend to celebrate milestones. I think it's really good to recalibrate - what did I achieve this month? And celebrate that."

My take

What strikes me most about Claire's story is how she transformed leaving a senior corporate role into something far more aligned with her purpose. Her willingness to pause, reflect, and completely change direction shows incredible courage.

Claire's journey resonates because of how she reached out when I was starting my own coaching business. In an industry where women are often pitted against each other, she chose connection over competition. While our work differs - I focus on luxury styling and fashion career transitions, while Claire offers career coaching across all industries - there's absolutely room for both of us to thrive.

Her story reinforces what I see constantly: the most successful pivots aren't about throwing away past experience, but weaving it together in more fulfilling ways. So many women I work with have finally achieved the role they'd worked towards for years - the title, the salary, the recognition - and then felt that same "is this it?" emptiness that both Claire and I experienced. They're exhausted, burnt out, and can't quite believe this is what they worked so hard for.

Claire's reminder that "you have about 40 years" at first feels sobering, but reframed is actually quite liberating! If you've reached what you thought was the goal and now you're wondering "is there something more meaningful?" - you're definitely not alone.

There's time to explore what that might look like, but first you have to give yourself permission to ask the question.

You can follow Claire's journey on LinkedIn and Instagram, and learn more about her work at www.coraconsultancy.com

About the author: Drawing from her experience leading global Personal Shopping teams at NET-A-PORTER and MATCHES and ILM L7 Executive Coaching training, Pippa Mellor 1:1 fashion career coaching and personal shopping consulting services for premium and luxury fashion brands.