
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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- S9 E3: The Career Tool Most Buyers Never Think to Use with Levanah Gates, The Buyer's Coach · May 6, 2026 · 52 min
- S9 E2: Navigating a Non-Linear Career in Fashion with Lynsey Scoins · April 28, 2026 · 60 min
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