S9 Ep6: The Avid Networking Companion in the Trailblazer Community

What if the next step in your career came from simply showing up, helping someone else and being willing to say yes?

In this episode of the Mums on Cloud Nine podcast, I’m joined by Salesforce Golden Hoodie recipient Karmel James, whose career took her from studying chemistry to becoming a self-taught Salesforce professional, consultant and passionate member of the Salesforce community.

From Chemistry to Salesforce

Karmel never planned a career in Salesforce. After graduating with a chemistry degree, she joined a nonprofit and found herself helping with a Salesforce implementation when her manager left the organization.

With the consultants gone and a platform she barely knew suddenly becoming her responsibility, Karmel turned to Trailhead and her scientific background. She knew how to research a problem, test possible solutions and keep learning until things made sense.

Salesforce soon became something she wanted to pursue as a career.

Why Showing Up Can Change Your Career

Karmel began attending Salesforce Saturdays, user groups, developer meetups and community events, including sessions where she initially felt outside her comfort zone.

Those rooms created opportunities she could never have planned.

During one Salesforce Saturday, Karmel helped another attendee work through a business problem on a whiteboard. Someone from a consulting company happened to be watching and later asked whether she had considered becoming a consultant.

Three interviews later, Karmel had a new job.

Her experience offers a useful lesson for anyone building or relaunching a career. People get to see how you think, communicate and help others when you participate in communities. Sometimes your next opportunity starts before you even know somebody is watching.

Creating Spaces Where People Feel They Belong

Karmel also shares the story behind receiving her Salesforce Golden Hoodie in Washington, DC, in December 2022.

At community events, she made a habit of spotting people sitting alone or looking uncomfortable. She would introduce herself, invite them to sit beside her and help them feel part of the group.

Her philosophy is wonderfully simple: if somebody has made the effort to enter the room, they deserve to feel they belong there.

That approach eventually caught the attention of Salesforce’s Gilda Hilaire, who saw how consistently Karmel supported people across the community.

Karmel was eventually invited to speak at World Tour DC, unaware that Salesforce had another surprise waiting for her. After telling her story on stage, she was called back up and presented with a Golden Hoodie.

Becoming a “General Surgeon” of Salesforce

Rather than defining herself through one industry, Karmel describes herself as a “general surgeon of Salesforce.”

Her career has taken her through nonprofits, SaaS, associations, private equity, healthcare and financial services. Her confidence comes from understanding the Salesforce platform and developing strong business analysis skills, then learning the business behind each new role.

For women worried that they lack experience in a particular sector, her story shows why transferable skills, curiosity and the ability to understand business problems can open unexpected doors.

Why Mums Already Have Transferable Skills

Towards the end of our conversation, Karmel makes a powerful observation about mums returning to work.

She sees mums as CEOs of their families.

Managing budgets, solving problems, negotiating with children, organizing competing priorities and making decisions are genuine transferable skills. Karmel argues that women returning to work should recognize the experience they already possess rather than discounting it because it happened outside a traditional workplace.

We also discuss AI, why Karmel prefers to understand how something works before relying on technology to provide an answer, and why human judgment remains important as AI becomes part of everyday work.

Mums on Cloud Nine is your go-to destination for inspiring content that empowers women to build a life and career they love.

Each week, we share expert advice, personal stories, and practical tips across a range of topics, from health and mindset to money and career growth.

Check out our website at www.mumsoncloudnine.co.uk and subscribe for weekly tips to elevate your mindset.

What skills from your own life could become the starting point for your next career opportunity? Share your thoughts with us.

About Supermums 

Founded by Heather Black, a Salesforce Golden Hoodie winner, Supermums helps relaunchers and seasoned Salesforce professionals accelerate their careers in tech through expert training, career coaching and recruitment support. 

Whether someone is returning to work, pivoting into a new role, or ready to step up in the Salesforce ecosystem, Supermums provides practical training, mentoring and access to job opportunities to help them build confidence, sharpen their skills and progress faster. 

Alongside its career development programmes, Supermums partners with employers to connect them with talented Salesforce professionals who are ready to make an impact.

Find out more here https://supermums.org/podcast-intro

About our Sponsor, Hubbl Technologies 

Hubbl gives Salesforce teams the clarity they need to move faster.

By connecting technical metadata with real business processes, Hubbl reveals what is happening inside your Salesforce org — from security and access risks to process gaps, tech debt, and AI readiness. The result: less guesswork, faster audits, better documentation, and smarter decisions for teams who want to build, scale, and innovate with confidence 

Find out more about https://qrco.de/bgY7zw

Episode Highlights

• How Karmel James accidentally moved from chemistry into a Salesforce career
• Why teaching herself Salesforce through Trailhead changed the direction of her working life
• How attending Salesforce Saturdays and user groups led directly to new job opportunities
• Why helping someone at an event resulted in Karmel being offered her first consulting role
• How welcoming newcomers into the Salesforce community led to Karmel receiving a Golden Hoodie
• Why business analysis skills have helped Karmel move confidently between different industries
• How knowing your strengths can help recruiters and employers recognize what you can offer
• Why Karmel prefers to understand how something works before relying on AI for answers
• How saying yes to opportunities can open career paths you never expected
• Why Karmel believes mums already have leadership, negotiation, budgeting and problem-solving skills that transfer into the workplace