S9 E5: Katie Williams: Burnout, Boundaries, and Life After Retail

S9 E5: Katie Williams: Burnout, Boundaries, and Life After Retail

From Buying and Beyond by Buying & Beyond

May 20, 2026 · 54 min · Season 9 · Episode 5

About this episode

Katie Williams discusses her experiences in fashion retail, the impact of burnout, and the transferable skills from merchandising.

In this episode we sit down with Katie Williams - former senior merchandiser at Topman and Quiz Clothing, psychotherapist, and founder of her own coaching business - to talk about the realities of building a career in fashion retail, what burnout actually looks like from the inside, and why the skills you develop in buying and merchandising translate far beyond the shop floor. Katie takes us through her accidental entry into merchandising, 10 years at Topman during its heyday, her move to Sco...

People in this episode

Guest: Katie Williams

Topics covered

  • burnout
  • boundaries
  • fashion retail
  • career development
  • psychotherapy

Keywords

  • burnout
  • fashion retail
  • career
  • psychotherapy
  • merchandising
  • boundaries
  • coaching

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Topman, Quiz Clothing, Sco...

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