Art Teacher to Jewelry Founder: How Larissa Loden Built a Business (and Life) That Fuels Her | Ep. 18
Larissa Loden never wanted to be an entrepreneur. She grew up watching her family’s small business run on feast or famine and swore she’d never recreate that chaos — so she became an art teacher instead. Then her assistant principal handed her the permission slip that changed everything. A decade after that career pivot, she […]
From Vera Wang to Her Own Sustainable Label: Launching a Fashion Brand During Naptime
Sonja Nesse got into fashion — the industry she’d dreamed about since she was 16. Then she saw the inside: the waste, the conditions, the clothes made to last two washes. It conflicted with everything she valued. Instead of walking away, she carved out the work that brings her joy and built Neranese, a sustainable […]
What I’m Learning About Midlife Career Changes 6 mo. In (15min.)|Molly Wipperfurth + (replay) Using Your Existing Skills for your Second Act | Joanna Ehresman, Fika Design
Six months into this midlife career change experiment, Molly’s pulling back the curtain — not on a guest, but on herself. Two lessons the guests keep teaching her, two mind shifts that have quietly changed how she thinks about money and risk, two things that have flat-out not gone to plan, and two she’s reworking […]
Leaving Healthcare to Build a Travel Company: Midlife Career Pivot | Melanie Kiss, Chicas Abroad, Ep. 15
Melanie had every reason to stay: the title, the paycheck, the 401(k) she’d be walking away from as a single woman with no one to fall back on. Then a mentor asked her one question that made all of that beside the point — how many women are you NOT reaching by playing it safe? […]
From Third-Grade Teacher to Global Entrepreneur in Midlife | Gina Oliver, Wave Enterprise Co.
Gina realized teaching no longer fit, but the bigger pull was her desire to live abroad and build a life that felt more expansive than the one she had in Atlanta. This episode follows how that desire led her from the U.S. classroom to the Philippines, then into digital nomad life, expat living, and a […]
An Executive Coach on Facing Fear, Pivoting Careers, and Protecting Your Energy | Carrie Fabris, Career Frame
At home with her young kids, Carrie found herself with the space to ask a question a lot of women in midlife quietly carry: if I could do anything I wanted, what would it be? The honest answer didn’t fit the career she’d already built — and figuring out what to do about that took […]
The Artist’s Way at 40: One Woman’s Unexpected Second Act | Calleen De Oliveira, Ep. 12
You’re good at your job, you’re juggling everything, and somewhere underneath all of it there’s a quiet question you haven’t answered yet: what do I actually want to do next? The problem isn’t that you don’t know how to work hard — it’s that no one ever taught you how to listen to yourself. ABOUT […]
Curating a Career Pivot and a Life That Fits | Jennifer Conrad, Founder & President Twigs, Ep. 11
From Wall Street trader to fashion entrepreneur, Jennifer Conrad moved from New York to Madison, WI, on September 11, 2001. While coping with the events of that day, Jennifer identified a need in her new city — and a vision for what to do next. So she did what a former day trader would do: […]
How She Turned a Hobby Into a Business While Caregiving | Jenny Huynh, Wildflower Macarons, Ep. 10
You’ve got a hobby you can’t stop doing. But between the caregiving, the family, the life that’s already full, you’re not sure there’s room for it to become anything more — or if you’re even allowed to find out. A gentle note before you listen: this episode includes Jenny’s experience with postpartum depression and suicidal […]
Career Pauses Aren’t Gaps: Returning to Engineering After 12 Years at Home | Leah Tilstra, Ep. 9
Returning to work after a career break? Here’s what stay-at-home moms get told: the years home don’t count, you’ll come back at a lower title, and you should take whatever salary is offered. Leah Tilstra rejected all three — and walked back into engineering at Abbott with a senior title and a sign-on bonus after […]