Independent Executive

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What should you be doing before you’re ready to leave corporate?

For Julián Hernández, the answer started years before his final day.

After more than 30 years in advertising across Latin America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East, followed by five years consulting for governments and national champions, Julián had built a successful corporate career. But alongside it, he had also been quietly building something else: optionality.

In this conversation with Independent Executive host Sabine Kühn, Julián shares how he prepared for independence while he was still employed - from investing in his own development and building a presence on LinkedIn, to separating his identity from his job title and rethinking where responsibility for his career really sat.

He also talks candidly about what happens once you actually leave: pricing your own work, setting up a company, losing the infrastructure you once took for granted and discovering which parts of corporate life you unexpectedly miss.

This episode is for anyone who is successful in corporate today, but knows they may not want - or be able - to stay there forever.

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
01:22 Julián’s 30-year global advertising career
03:52 Why we treat employment as the default
07:49 Building options and a lesson from his father
14:50 Becoming “Julián Inc.”
22:15 Why your job title is rented
24:58 How LinkedIn became a source of paid work
28:08 Ageing at work and leading across cultures
34:23 Taking responsibility for your own growth
42:56 What life actually looks like after leaving
51:08 What to do five years before going independent
56:05 Letting go of your old identity

About Julián Hernández
Julián Hernández has spent more than 30 years in communications, primarily in advertising, working across Latin America, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. After three decades in agencies, he spent five years consulting for governments, corporates and national champions before moving into independent work. Today, he is a Partner at Unthinkable Creative Co. and works with organisations internationally.

Connect with Julián:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianhernandezr/

About Independent Executive
Independent Executive is a podcast for accomplished executives who want to build a career with more independence, choice and ownership. Hosted by Executive Strategist Sabine Kühn, each episode features a candid conversation with an executive who has left corporate life to build something of their own.

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Connect with Sabine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-kuhn/ | @sabinek___ on Instagram

Work with Talent & Truth: https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/executive-strategy

What is Independent Executive?

Independent Executive is a podcast for accomplished executives who want to build a career with more independence, choice and ownership.

Hosted by Executive Strategist Sabine Kühn, each episode features a candid conversation with an executive who has left corporate life to build something of their own. From advisors and consultants to founders, board members and portfolio executives, Sabine gets behind the polished version of going independent to understand how they actually did it: why they made the move, how they decided what to offer, how they built a reputation beyond the company name and title, the mistakes they made, and what they wish they’d known before they started.

You’ll hear practical lessons on positioning, building relationships, creating credibility and navigating the identity shift that comes with leaving an established executive career behind.

Whether you’re already independent, actively considering the move, or simply want to create more choice in your career, Independent Executive offers an honest look at what it takes to build a successful professional life on your own terms.