May 30, 2025 • 31 mins
What happens when your career path suddenly shifts beneath your feet? Whether pushed out or feeling that inner nudge to move on, career transitions in midlife bring unique challenges—and surprising possibilities.
Coach Wayne vulnerably shares his own experience of being asked for his resignation despite years of excellence awards, revealing how this forced transition led him to fundamental questions about identity: "What, beyond the job, and who was I?" This powerful moment illustrates the crucial first step in any career change: recognizing that your job doesn't define you. Your worth extends far beyond your professional title or achievements.
The conversation offers practical wisdom around what employers actually care about (hint: it's not your GPA) and what makes candidates stand out in today's technology-driven hiring landscape. With AI now screening resumes before human eyes ever see them, your application strategy requires thoughtful alignment with job descriptions. The hosts provide actionable strategies for creating impact-focused resumes, strategically building networks that open doors, and maintaining digital profiles that enhance rather than hinder your opportunities.
Perhaps most valuable is the discussion around values—distinguishing between "means values" (your job) and "end values" (your deeper purpose). This framework helps midlifers make intentional choices rather than reactive ones during career transitions. As Coach Stacey reminds listeners, "Your experience is still valuable, as is your story," encouraging authenticity when crafting your professional narrative.
Coach Stacy closes this episode with a powerful reminder from Isaiah 43:19 about God making "a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert," encouraging listeners to do their part while trusting in divine support through challenging transitions. For anyone feeling stuck, pushed out, or simply ready for change, this conversation offers both practical tools and the perspective shift needed to transform career disruption into meaningful renewal.
Subscribe, share, and join us next week as we continue empowering your midlife journey with relevant topics and solution-focused conversations.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Wayne (00:06):
you've just stepped into the midlife revolution,
unleashed your space to ignitepossibility, redefine purpose
and embrace the power that comeswith age and experience,
co-hosted by yours truly, coachand I'm coach stacy m lewis, are
two-season coaches focused onthe midlife community of color.
Stacy (00:27):
This isn't just a podcast .
It's a movement In a world thatsometimes forgets the power and
the wisdom that comes with age.
We are here to ignite arevolution and rewrite the
narrative of this incrediblejourney.
Wayne (00:43):
So, whether you're navigating your career, growing
your business, rediscoveringpassions or challenging the
status quo, this is your space.
So buckle up, let's dive intothe Midlife Revolution.
Unleashed.
We're back.
(01:09):
I thought you could have gottenrid of us, but we're here to
stay stacy.
It's another week, it's a shortweek and I'm loving it, so it's
uh, absolutely.
I love these short ones today.
This is midlife revolution.
Unleash.
You're at the right place atthe right time.
I'm coach way Wayne, the VIPcoach, helping men, black men,
(01:32):
through midlife so that theirsecond half could be their best
half, and anchoring with me isnone other than Coach Stacey.
Stacy (01:37):
Oh, wayne, that extra day has done you some good huh.
Welcome everyone to the MidlifeRevolution Unleashed, as Coach
Wayne said.
I am Coach Stacey M Lewis.
It is my honor to be here.
I'm a nonprofit executive, I ama coach to midlife women and
I'm a lover of God and hispeople on most days, and so it
(02:01):
is always exciting to be here,and our hope and greatest
pleasure is to be able to bring,hopefully, some actionable
information, some insights, askyourself some great questions
and to say good evening to someof our favorite people, like
Delaine.
(02:22):
Good evening, delaine.
It's always a joy to have youin the house.
Wayne (02:28):
Good evening, lady D and Stacey.
You know, today we wanted totalk about folks that are going
through career changes, andsometimes this is not
voluntarily done.
You're nudged out or you seethe writing on the wall and you
(02:50):
sort of act swiftly and quicklybut really it's not something
you'd have done with thegreatest option available to you
.
So anyway, stacey, we're goingto talk about that today Career
changes.
Stacy (03:03):
So anyway, stacey, we're going to talk about that today.
Career changes yeah, I think oneof the there were a couple of
interesting hooks that weconsidered as we were preparing
for the show, and one is fromsetback to strategy thriving
after unexpected career change.
The door may have closed, butpurpose didn't vanish.
The door may have closed, butpurpose didn't vanish.
(03:27):
Let's talk about turning jobloss or dissatisfaction into
bold next steps.
So I think that this is areally timely subject matter,
because if you are in theemployment space, we'll say, or
even as an employer, but ifyou're in the employment space,
you are witnessing a lot ofturmoil and, whether it be folks
(03:53):
getting laid off from bigcompanies or individuals really
feeling a sense of jobdissatisfaction, those feelings,
those experiences prompt changeor prompt the need for change,
and so what we want to talkabout today is the need for
(04:16):
change and how to move thatforward.
I don't know, coach Wayne, ifyou have any stories Y'all know
Coach Wayne can give you a storyif you have any stories about
whether it was a forced or achosen pivot, as you were in the
midst of your career.
Wayne (04:37):
Yeah, I want to tell you I've been fired before and it's
not a good feeling.
I've been fired before, butit's at the level where I was.
It was.
When you're asked for yourresignation, it's at the higher
level that I was as a leader,overseeing four locations, right
.
I had gone through a majorbreakup and was so deflated, so
(05:01):
depressed, just lost sense ofthings that I was responsible
for and supposed to be doing andtherefore wasn't carrying my
responsibility as I needed to,and so, you know, that became a
stress, and I had, in thisorganization, won about six
years, over a period of time, ofexcellence award as a staff, as
(05:24):
a leader.
So you know I knew my stuff,but when it happened Stacey, it
meant a career change, and I hadbeen so attached to this for so
long it became a part of myidentity, so I was left feeling
totally empty, not knowing.
I had to withdraw the dough,though, and you know I was in
therapy for a while, but I hadto withdraw and ask myself some
(05:46):
very poignant questions what,beyond the job, and who was I?
And I had to realize the jobdidn't totally make me and, in
terms of meaningfulness and mywhy, I had to determine what I
(06:07):
needed to be able to move on.
Stacy (06:11):
Well said, well said.
The reality is that many of us,myself included, have had that
experience where we've been letgo, aka shoved, versus making
the decision to shift, andthere's always lesson in that,
(06:33):
and that is one key that isrelatable.
Whether you are being shoved orguided out or whether you are
making the decision, it is thatyou want that decision, the
actions, not to define you right, but to really move into the
(06:57):
process of the shift, a sense ofyour value as a human being and
your values and so that yournext moves.
Like you said, the job didn'tdefine you, it's not your
identity, and you had to thenseparate, and so it's so
important for us to be able toseparate, recognizing that the
(07:23):
job is usually a means to an end, often is fulfilling.
That's the heart's desireusually, but at the end of the
day it doesn't define us, and wehave to make sure that our
identity is sound, whether weare making the shift or being
shifted so Stacey.
Wayne (07:42):
It brings up the concept of what we call values again.
There are means values andthere are what we call end
values, and when you're making ashift in terms of your career,
it's important to recognize thatthe job is what we call the
means to the end.
This is what we call the meansvalue.
So what we really need todecipher and discern is our end
(08:06):
value, in other words, what itis that we're trying to deliver,
accomplish or what's ourinternal mission ultimately, so
that we can choose the nextcourse to meet that.
It doesn't have to be so.
Here's what we have to decide.
It doesn't have to be the sametrack that we have been on,
(08:27):
that's been tested and walked on.
It can be something entirelydifferent, as long as it's
meeting our why.
Stacy (08:35):
Yes, yes and yes.
And before I tag on to that, Iwant to acknowledge and say good
evening to Vivian and to Archer.
It is a pleasure to have youjoining the Midlife Revolution
Unleashed.
There were so many nuggets inwhat you just said, and one of
(08:58):
the things I just think about isthat sometime the push or the
nudge is not always external.
There are times that thenudging or the pushing is coming
internally and it really is ourown inner knowing, our own
(09:20):
sense of self connection withour values that is saying hey,
maybe it's time to change, maybeI really need to reassess where
I am or you're sensing thatmisalignment.
So it's not always you beingpushed.
Often you may be sensing it'stime to make that shift and we
(09:43):
want to make sure that youacknowledge that and that you
then set a course that isactionable but that's also
meaningful for you and you wantto normalize those feelings of
anxiety that you might have,whether being pushed externally
(10:04):
or internally, and the sense ofgrief or possibility that you
might have in this process.
Wayne (10:15):
Stacey.
We're talking about strategieswhich are going to come upon us.
When this happens, you have todo something.
You can't stay neutral, as theysay.
You've got to get into gear.
And I can speak again for thefolks that I coach, using the
model that I had to coach myselfthrough for two decades top of
(10:37):
the line, as good as they come,if I could say so.
And I ran a organization, oneof the oldest in the country,
their non-for-profit arm in NewYork City.
But when I had to make thatshift, I had to strategize on
the next move, and so I wascoming to Florida shortly after
(10:57):
leaving the world ofnon-for-profit, and that shift
meant for me I had to go intocorporate America.
Now I landed in a corporate 100as another leader there.
But here is what I recommend tofolks I had to take inventory.
I had never done health care,which is the industry I've never
(11:17):
been well, I'd been incorporate years ago, but this
was new.
And so I had to define Staceyin terms of strategy in an
inventory what did I bring tothe table and what I didn't
bring?
I had better go learn.
And so that's part of thestrategy you know that one has
(11:37):
to look at when they're makingthe shift.
Seek the opportunities.
Stacy (11:41):
Absolutely.
I think you really jumped to agreat place in the conversation,
and that is the reality thatthere are practical strategies,
(12:02):
whether we are going to embraceand implement practical
strategies or whether we aregoing to stay in a position
where the situation is drivingour actions, and so you talked
about that.
Earlier you talked about values.
We want to acknowledge that.
One strategy, one importantstrategy, is to really
acknowledge your values and tobegin to identify, not just in
(12:27):
your mind, but whether you trulylike and or dislike, whether it
be about the current positionyou're in, as you're feeling
that shift to move, or whetheryou have been ushered into the
(12:51):
next experience and you want toreally redefine your self and
reconnect with your own likesand dislikes before you move
forward.
Wayne (13:04):
States.
That's well taken.
If someone would ask me now,wayne, I'm about to shift
careers, what are the steps totake?
I'd give it to them like thisFirst, you have to give yourself
grace and don't beat yourselfup, because this happens every
day.
It's not the end of the road.
Right Again, your identitydoesn't have to be defined by
(13:27):
your career not fully, right,it's a part of it.
But also, take an inventory ofyour strengths, and what I mean
by your strengths are the thingsthat you can do without much
effort and probably better thanmost other people.
Right, these are your strengths.
We want to.
We want to define what thoseare, because you want to make
(13:48):
sure that you're aiming in theright direction so you can get
that sense of fulfillment and,performatively, you want to be
able to crush it with your nextmove.
Want to be able to crush itwith your next move.
I would also say, stacey, thatlook at again we said it your
(14:09):
values and your why, to makesure that the next step is in
alignment with that, so thatyou're not just visiting in
terms of transient movement, butyou're actually making a real
move making a real move.
Stacy (14:18):
Yeah, I'm going to add to that list, but not until I say
hello, Curtis, you are one ofour favorite coaches as well,
and good evening, Sister Audrey.
It is always a blessing whenyou are able to join us at the
live stream.
Wayne (14:37):
We got to holler I'm sorry at Facebook folks.
You see we got Lisa Johnson,judy Brown, vivian and Delaine
and Archer.
Stacy (14:44):
Forgive me, facebook folks yes, hollering at you.
Thank you so much for tuning inand joining us at the Midlife
Revolution Unleashed.
Let me add to your list, wayne,part of those strategies or
those actions your action planis.
I love where you said inventoryyour skills.
(15:05):
I would add begin to identifyand tap into your network.
I would add you know, kind oflooking at really who's in your
corner as you think about yournetwork and seize low cost or
(15:28):
free opportunities to upskill,think about where you want to go
and what add on to your skillset, to your strengths that you
mentioned would really benefityour forward momentum.
So I just wanted to bolster upthe list of a little bit.
Wayne (15:49):
Thanks, stacey.
I'm glad you brought up networkbecause I help people with a
strategy for networking.
See, some people don'tunderstand truly your net work
is your net worth in many ways.
A lot of times it's not justwho you know, but who knows you.
In other words, one of thethings I tell folks to do.
For example, if you know you'removing and you want to get into
(16:11):
another part of the job marketor industry, job boards
typically don't give you theinside scoop.
Everybody is applying for thejob boards.
It's public and only after it'snot filled up from the within
does it go out there.
People don't know that.
So the job board, by the timeit gets to the job board, it's
(16:32):
the dwindling, so to speak.
Now here is a quick tip whenyou're strategizing for
networking.
Here is a quick tip when you'restrategizing for networking,
you want to groom someone whereyou want to be long enough.
Not just jump in and say, tellme about a job or give me a
break, but you literally go intotheir profile, engage with them
(16:53):
over a period of time, addvalue.
If you know that the person isan avid golfer, send them a copy
of a golf magazine, just stuff,and after a while.
Then you can raise the questionto say hey, by the way, I'm
looking.
Do you know anyone within theindustry or your organization
that is hiring?
Stacy (17:14):
I love it.
I love it.
Yes, you certainly want toconnect with people that are
either doing what you want to do, that are where you want to be.
There's value there, even ifit's just that type of informal
interview where you just youknow, can we hop on a coffee
(17:37):
chat and you know, I'd love tojust share where I am and pick
your brain for, you know, 10minutes.
You just don't know how thoselittle things can really ignite
possibilities.
Wayne (17:52):
Stace, you talked about the redoing of the resume as we
upstart and reinvent ourselves,and that's so key as well.
Gone are the days where youwrite a resume and list the
things that you did.
Those are job descriptions.
Resumes now to be seen.
First of all, they're screenedby AI tools, so a human being
(18:13):
doesn't even see your resume ifit doesn't match the same
language as the job description.
And a quick tip is there aretools you can use right to put
the job description and yourresume and ask AI to rewrite it
in such a way that it alignswith what's being asked for.
That way it hits the rightterminologies and gets through
(18:38):
to the people who actually seeit.
A lot of folks don't even getthat far, and when you do that,
stacey, you write your resumewith what we call using impact
statements.
Stacy (18:51):
So right right, we don't want to know.
I mean, as someone that hires,we don't want to know just what
you did.
Right, all of us have theability to do things.
We don't want to know just whatyou did.
We want to know the change thatit made, the impact, as you
said, the impact statement, theimpact that it had on the last
(19:15):
company, on the last business.
And even if you're anentrepreneur and someone that is
looking for employment orengaged in employment I think
that I would kind of fit intothat bag.
Right, you want to make surethat you are connecting the dots
(19:35):
, as you said, so you're notjust sharing information about
what you did or the impact youhad, but really you're
connecting the dots as to howthat experience will really make
you a great find, a great assetto the work the company is
(19:57):
trying to do.
Wayne (19:58):
Yeah, and I know, though we talk to midlifers there may
be some younger folks listeninghere and Stacey, I've done
literally hundreds of interviewsin my lifetime and one of the
things at all levels senior andentry I've never asked anybody
what their GPA was.
Funny.
Stacy (20:15):
Have you Stacey Me either ?
Wayne (20:16):
I have not, was Funny have you Stacey Me either.
Stacy (20:18):
I have not, I have not.
And, honestly, sometime it'sgreat that the degree is in
alignment with the position, butwhen the degree is not whether
it be associate, bachelor's,master's, PhD when the degree is
not in alignment with theposition, I'm looking to see if
(20:40):
what you learned in that degreecoursework is an asset to the
work that we're trying toaccomplish as a business.
So I think that there's suchgreat opportunity and our hope
is that some of these nuggetsare reminders to those in
(21:04):
midlife like it's not too lateto make a shift.
So if you are on the job,feeling like it's a grind,
really think about Is it time?
Is there a little internalnudging that's leading or that's
making you think like, orrealistically, you know?
(21:25):
Or do you go to work every daylike, oh my gosh, I hate this
job?
So is that really how you wantto live out the rest of your
career, the rest of your career,or is it a good time to really
(21:48):
evaluate or re-evaluate whereyou are and what matters to you
now?
Wayne (21:50):
Stacey, the last outing that I had in corporate before I
fired in corporate and burntthe ships on the beach, never to
go back.
Um, you know we had theopportunity to interview, uh, um
, c-suite leaders and peopledon't realize this, but if you
show up with your profilelooking like a clown, not
(22:14):
looking kept, and your profileshows you just hanging around at
the barbecues and twerking andthat sort of stuff, it's going
to hurt you.
Stacy (22:23):
What profile is that, Wayne?
What profile are we talkingabout with the twerking?
I just want to make sure whereI should put my twerking.
Wayne (22:31):
Yeah, we check People, check to see who you are.
So, if your profile, if you'rea professional, go back in,
clean up your Facebook, yourLinkedIn and all of these, your
Instagram profiles.
Take off the cussing and thetwerking and all that stuff,
because it could hurt you asyou're reinventing yourself.
Those days are gone, whenanything in the dark stays in
(22:54):
the dark.
Stacy (22:56):
Yeah, nothing in the dark stays in the dark.
Right, that's definitelyscripture.
In the dark stays in the dark.
Right, that's definitelyscripture.
Now I know I need to take downmy little twerking videos, I
think you know.
In alignment with that, Wayne,is the reminder that your
(23:16):
experience is still valuable, asis your story got the potential
to be powerful, and so thestory that you begin to tell
about your career transition orwhere you are now or where
(23:37):
you're looking to go, that storymatters.
So, even as you are updatingyour LinkedIn profile or
reconnecting with people, beprepared to tell or share what's
been happening in thattransition period If you're
(23:58):
between jobs.
I'm just watching thecommentary blow up because
they're like oh no, not twerking, stacey.
And yes, you're right, we leftout TikTok James.
Welcome to the midliferevolution unleashed.
See Curtis is always keeping uson task that he read several
(24:21):
months ago that many companiesare not giving so much attention
to be shared, just in case itopens the door for another
(24:51):
opportunity that you may nothave been expecting.
Wayne (24:54):
Yeah To Curtis's point.
The resume simply gets yourfoot in the door and then it's
up to you.
Simply gets your foot in thedoor and then it's up to you.
You got to sell you and becausethe resume is now screened by
artificial intelligence, you gotto meet certain criteria to
just get in that door.
And then, of course, when youget in, you know, and Stacey, I
(25:15):
don't know if you would agreewith this, but our folks that
have experienced our midlifers,it's always, it's all about
relationship, all through andthrough.
So don't burn bridges behindyou.
Go clean those up, the deadbodies, you know.
Clean those up and Try to getsponsors.
A sponsor is someone who canspeak on your behalf even when
(25:38):
you're not in the room, someonewho can speak on your behalf
even when you're not in the room.
So if you're moving to otherplaces, you know and you have
those relationships.
You need to build them, ofcourse.
Then you try to work yoursponsorships.
Stacy (25:50):
Yeah, yeah, I think that that's a great addition to to
those connections to thatcommunity, really making sure
that you are broadening yourconnections in a way that allows
you to be nimble and allows youto be seen.
Wayne (26:10):
Yeah, Stace, I know you always have a wise uh, the book
off uh, yes, instructions BeforeLeaving Earth, that book.
Let us have it Stacey.
Stacy (26:30):
I think that one thing about career is that it is a
place or space, an arena whereit is easy to get discouraged.
If your career is not thrivingor if you're in a dry season, so
to speak, it's easy to getdiscouraged.
(26:53):
And I would just remind eachand every one of us that the
word says in Isaiah 43, 19, Iwill make a way in the
wilderness and rivers in thedesert, which means that God
will indeed provide, he willmake a way.
(27:16):
So we have work to do right.
Part of our call to action isto make sure our documents are
up to date.
Right, we're not talking aboutlegacy planning, but we are
talking about your career, whoyou are in the workspace, making
sure that your documents are upto date, doing your part to
make those connections andensure that you know you are
(27:40):
seen as someone that can addvalue, and remembering that God
is always willing to make a way,always ready to make a way.
You do your part, god will dohis part.
He's making a way in thewilderness and rivers in the
desert.
Wayne (27:59):
And Stacey always lead with an attitude of gratitude
right, because while you're busysaying what you're grateful for
, there's no room for disgustand negativity.
The two can't hold the samespace, and so, even if you have
been asked to leave, terminated,fired somewhere else, don't go
in and say anything negativeabout where you're coming from.
Stacy (28:23):
No, nothing, because it only says to someone that, oh,
that's how they wouldpotentially leave us, even if
they left on good terms.
Right, they would begin talkingnegatively about their
experience.
Experience, gratitude andgenerosity are really going to
(28:45):
help us move forward.
Even in those what seem likedry seasons or when we're in the
wilderness between jobs orlooking to leave a job or being
pushed out of a job.
It is that gratitude and thegenerosity that is going to save
the day.
Wayne (29:06):
Stacey, it's almost that time.
It's almost a rap, rap, rap.
Stacey, how do people get intouch with us?
And I know we have it in theshow notes, but you do such a
great job working with the womenthat you work with, Stacey.
I think we ought to just tellpeople how to find you.
Stacy (29:23):
Well, the reality is, wayne, if you are checking us
out on LinkedIn or Facebook, youknow how to reach me, and, at
the same time, we always makesure that our contact
information is in the footer ofour podcast, the Midlife
Revolution Unleashed, which youcan find on your favorite
(29:45):
podcast player.
And if all of that doesn't workout well, I can be found at
thestacymlewiscom.
That's where I am.
Wayne (29:55):
Hey, I can be found at viptransformativelivingcom.
That's my website, but if youwant to send me something
directly, I'm going to bypassall the frills and thrills.
Just Wayne Dawson VIP atgmailcom.
That's not my business, that'smy personal.
Send it to me and we'll setsomething up.
(30:16):
I'll see if I can get you tothe top.
Stacy (30:19):
What I have.
No doubt you can help folk getto the top.
I, Stacey, am always cheeringyou on.
Indeed, we are so appreciativeof each and every one of you for
joining us tonight on theMidlife Revolution Unleashed.
Don't forget to tell yourfriends in the community about
our great podcast and let usknow what you'd like us to focus
(30:43):
on in an upcoming episode.
We would love to hear from you.
Wayne (30:49):
So till next week same time, folks.
Ciao, have a wonderful shortweek.
Bye, now, that's right.
Show gratitude, and there youhave it, folks, this week's
episode of the midliferevolution unleashed.
Hey, we truly appreciate yourspending this time in this space
with us.
Join us next week at the sametime as we dive into relevant
(31:13):
topics and present solutions tospark new thinking and empower
your midlife journey.
Stacy (31:21):
And don't forget if you enjoyed today's episode, let us
know in the comments and shareit with others.
And, of course, remember tosubscribe, share like.
Hit that notification bell.
You are the midlife revolutionunleashed.
I'm Coach Stacey and I'mcheering you on.
Wayne (31:41):
And I'm Coach Wayne and I'm cheering you on, and I'm
Coach Wayne, and I'll see you atthe top.
you've just stepped into the midlife revolution,
unleashed your space to ignitepossibility, redefine purpose
and embrace the power that comeswith age and experience,
co-hosted by yours truly, coachand I'm coach stacy m lewis, are
two-season coaches focused onthe midlife community of color.
Stacy (00:27):
This isn't just a podcast .
It's a movement In a world thatsometimes forgets the power and
the wisdom that comes with age.
We are here to ignite arevolution and rewrite the
narrative of this incrediblejourney.
Wayne (00:43):
So, whether you're navigating your career, growing
your business, rediscoveringpassions or challenging the
status quo, this is your space.
So buckle up, let's dive intothe Midlife Revolution.
Unleashed.
We're back.
(01:09):
I thought you could have gottenrid of us, but we're here to
stay stacy.
It's another week, it's a shortweek and I'm loving it, so it's
uh, absolutely.
I love these short ones today.
This is midlife revolution.
Unleash.
You're at the right place atthe right time.
I'm coach way Wayne, the VIPcoach, helping men, black men,
(01:32):
through midlife so that theirsecond half could be their best
half, and anchoring with me isnone other than Coach Stacey.
Stacy (01:37):
Oh, wayne, that extra day has done you some good huh.
Welcome everyone to the MidlifeRevolution Unleashed, as Coach
Wayne said.
I am Coach Stacey M Lewis.
It is my honor to be here.
I'm a nonprofit executive, I ama coach to midlife women and
I'm a lover of God and hispeople on most days, and so it
(02:01):
is always exciting to be here,and our hope and greatest
pleasure is to be able to bring,hopefully, some actionable
information, some insights, askyourself some great questions
and to say good evening to someof our favorite people, like
Delaine.
(02:22):
Good evening, delaine.
It's always a joy to have youin the house.
Wayne (02:28):
Good evening, lady D and Stacey.
You know, today we wanted totalk about folks that are going
through career changes, andsometimes this is not
voluntarily done.
You're nudged out or you seethe writing on the wall and you
(02:50):
sort of act swiftly and quicklybut really it's not something
you'd have done with thegreatest option available to you
.
So anyway, stacey, we're goingto talk about that today Career
changes.
Stacy (03:03):
So anyway, stacey, we're going to talk about that today.
Career changes yeah, I think oneof the there were a couple of
interesting hooks that weconsidered as we were preparing
for the show, and one is fromsetback to strategy thriving
after unexpected career change.
The door may have closed, butpurpose didn't vanish.
The door may have closed, butpurpose didn't vanish.
(03:27):
Let's talk about turning jobloss or dissatisfaction into
bold next steps.
So I think that this is areally timely subject matter,
because if you are in theemployment space, we'll say, or
even as an employer, but ifyou're in the employment space,
you are witnessing a lot ofturmoil and, whether it be folks
(03:53):
getting laid off from bigcompanies or individuals really
feeling a sense of jobdissatisfaction, those feelings,
those experiences prompt changeor prompt the need for change,
and so what we want to talkabout today is the need for
(04:16):
change and how to move thatforward.
I don't know, coach Wayne, ifyou have any stories Y'all know
Coach Wayne can give you a storyif you have any stories about
whether it was a forced or achosen pivot, as you were in the
midst of your career.
Wayne (04:37):
Yeah, I want to tell you I've been fired before and it's
not a good feeling.
I've been fired before, butit's at the level where I was.
It was.
When you're asked for yourresignation, it's at the higher
level that I was as a leader,overseeing four locations, right
.
I had gone through a majorbreakup and was so deflated, so
(05:01):
depressed, just lost sense ofthings that I was responsible
for and supposed to be doing andtherefore wasn't carrying my
responsibility as I needed to,and so, you know, that became a
stress, and I had, in thisorganization, won about six
years, over a period of time, ofexcellence award as a staff, as
(05:24):
a leader.
So you know I knew my stuff,but when it happened Stacey, it
meant a career change, and I hadbeen so attached to this for so
long it became a part of myidentity, so I was left feeling
totally empty, not knowing.
I had to withdraw the dough,though, and you know I was in
therapy for a while, but I hadto withdraw and ask myself some
(05:46):
very poignant questions what,beyond the job, and who was I?
And I had to realize the jobdidn't totally make me and, in
terms of meaningfulness and mywhy, I had to determine what I
(06:07):
needed to be able to move on.
Stacy (06:11):
Well said, well said.
The reality is that many of us,myself included, have had that
experience where we've been letgo, aka shoved, versus making
the decision to shift, andthere's always lesson in that,
(06:33):
and that is one key that isrelatable.
Whether you are being shoved orguided out or whether you are
making the decision, it is thatyou want that decision, the
actions, not to define you right, but to really move into the
(06:57):
process of the shift, a sense ofyour value as a human being and
your values and so that yournext moves.
Like you said, the job didn'tdefine you, it's not your
identity, and you had to thenseparate, and so it's so
important for us to be able toseparate, recognizing that the
(07:23):
job is usually a means to an end, often is fulfilling.
That's the heart's desireusually, but at the end of the
day it doesn't define us, and wehave to make sure that our
identity is sound, whether weare making the shift or being
shifted so Stacey.
Wayne (07:42):
It brings up the concept of what we call values again.
There are means values andthere are what we call end
values, and when you're making ashift in terms of your career,
it's important to recognize thatthe job is what we call the
means to the end.
This is what we call the meansvalue.
So what we really need todecipher and discern is our end
(08:06):
value, in other words, what itis that we're trying to deliver,
accomplish or what's ourinternal mission ultimately, so
that we can choose the nextcourse to meet that.
It doesn't have to be so.
Here's what we have to decide.
It doesn't have to be the sametrack that we have been on,
(08:27):
that's been tested and walked on.
It can be something entirelydifferent, as long as it's
meeting our why.
Stacy (08:35):
Yes, yes and yes.
And before I tag on to that, Iwant to acknowledge and say good
evening to Vivian and to Archer.
It is a pleasure to have youjoining the Midlife Revolution
Unleashed.
There were so many nuggets inwhat you just said, and one of
(08:58):
the things I just think about isthat sometime the push or the
nudge is not always external.
There are times that thenudging or the pushing is coming
internally and it really is ourown inner knowing, our own
(09:20):
sense of self connection withour values that is saying hey,
maybe it's time to change, maybeI really need to reassess where
I am or you're sensing thatmisalignment.
So it's not always you beingpushed.
Often you may be sensing it'stime to make that shift and we
(09:43):
want to make sure that youacknowledge that and that you
then set a course that isactionable but that's also
meaningful for you and you wantto normalize those feelings of
anxiety that you might have,whether being pushed externally
(10:04):
or internally, and the sense ofgrief or possibility that you
might have in this process.
Wayne (10:15):
Stacey.
We're talking about strategieswhich are going to come upon us.
When this happens, you have todo something.
You can't stay neutral, as theysay.
You've got to get into gear.
And I can speak again for thefolks that I coach, using the
model that I had to coach myselfthrough for two decades top of
(10:37):
the line, as good as they come,if I could say so.
And I ran a organization, oneof the oldest in the country,
their non-for-profit arm in NewYork City.
But when I had to make thatshift, I had to strategize on
the next move, and so I wascoming to Florida shortly after
(10:57):
leaving the world ofnon-for-profit, and that shift
meant for me I had to go intocorporate America.
Now I landed in a corporate 100as another leader there.
But here is what I recommend tofolks I had to take inventory.
I had never done health care,which is the industry I've never
(11:17):
been well, I'd been incorporate years ago, but this
was new.
And so I had to define Staceyin terms of strategy in an
inventory what did I bring tothe table and what I didn't
bring?
I had better go learn.
And so that's part of thestrategy you know that one has
(11:37):
to look at when they're makingthe shift.
Seek the opportunities.
Stacy (11:41):
Absolutely.
I think you really jumped to agreat place in the conversation,
and that is the reality thatthere are practical strategies,
(12:02):
whether we are going to embraceand implement practical
strategies or whether we aregoing to stay in a position
where the situation is drivingour actions, and so you talked
about that.
Earlier you talked about values.
We want to acknowledge that.
One strategy, one importantstrategy, is to really
acknowledge your values and tobegin to identify, not just in
(12:27):
your mind, but whether you trulylike and or dislike, whether it
be about the current positionyou're in, as you're feeling
that shift to move, or whetheryou have been ushered into the
(12:51):
next experience and you want toreally redefine your self and
reconnect with your own likesand dislikes before you move
forward.
Wayne (13:04):
States.
That's well taken.
If someone would ask me now,wayne, I'm about to shift
careers, what are the steps totake?
I'd give it to them like thisFirst, you have to give yourself
grace and don't beat yourselfup, because this happens every
day.
It's not the end of the road.
Right Again, your identitydoesn't have to be defined by
(13:27):
your career not fully, right,it's a part of it.
But also, take an inventory ofyour strengths, and what I mean
by your strengths are the thingsthat you can do without much
effort and probably better thanmost other people.
Right, these are your strengths.
We want to.
We want to define what thoseare, because you want to make
(13:48):
sure that you're aiming in theright direction so you can get
that sense of fulfillment and,performatively, you want to be
able to crush it with your nextmove.
Want to be able to crush itwith your next move.
I would also say, stacey, thatlook at again we said it your
(14:09):
values and your why, to makesure that the next step is in
alignment with that, so thatyou're not just visiting in
terms of transient movement, butyou're actually making a real
move making a real move.
Stacy (14:18):
Yeah, I'm going to add to that list, but not until I say
hello, Curtis, you are one ofour favorite coaches as well,
and good evening, Sister Audrey.
It is always a blessing whenyou are able to join us at the
live stream.
Wayne (14:37):
We got to holler I'm sorry at Facebook folks.
You see we got Lisa Johnson,judy Brown, vivian and Delaine
and Archer.
Stacy (14:44):
Forgive me, facebook folks yes, hollering at you.
Thank you so much for tuning inand joining us at the Midlife
Revolution Unleashed.
Let me add to your list, wayne,part of those strategies or
those actions your action planis.
I love where you said inventoryyour skills.
(15:05):
I would add begin to identifyand tap into your network.
I would add you know, kind oflooking at really who's in your
corner as you think about yournetwork and seize low cost or
(15:28):
free opportunities to upskill,think about where you want to go
and what add on to your skillset, to your strengths that you
mentioned would really benefityour forward momentum.
So I just wanted to bolster upthe list of a little bit.
Wayne (15:49):
Thanks, stacey.
I'm glad you brought up networkbecause I help people with a
strategy for networking.
See, some people don'tunderstand truly your net work
is your net worth in many ways.
A lot of times it's not justwho you know, but who knows you.
In other words, one of thethings I tell folks to do.
For example, if you know you'removing and you want to get into
(16:11):
another part of the job marketor industry, job boards
typically don't give you theinside scoop.
Everybody is applying for thejob boards.
It's public and only after it'snot filled up from the within
does it go out there.
People don't know that.
So the job board, by the timeit gets to the job board, it's
(16:32):
the dwindling, so to speak.
Now here is a quick tip whenyou're strategizing for
networking.
Here is a quick tip when you'restrategizing for networking,
you want to groom someone whereyou want to be long enough.
Not just jump in and say, tellme about a job or give me a
break, but you literally go intotheir profile, engage with them
(16:53):
over a period of time, addvalue.
If you know that the person isan avid golfer, send them a copy
of a golf magazine, just stuff,and after a while.
Then you can raise the questionto say hey, by the way, I'm
looking.
Do you know anyone within theindustry or your organization
that is hiring?
Stacy (17:14):
I love it.
I love it.
Yes, you certainly want toconnect with people that are
either doing what you want to do, that are where you want to be.
There's value there, even ifit's just that type of informal
interview where you just youknow, can we hop on a coffee
(17:37):
chat and you know, I'd love tojust share where I am and pick
your brain for, you know, 10minutes.
You just don't know how thoselittle things can really ignite
possibilities.
Wayne (17:52):
Stace, you talked about the redoing of the resume as we
upstart and reinvent ourselves,and that's so key as well.
Gone are the days where youwrite a resume and list the
things that you did.
Those are job descriptions.
Resumes now to be seen.
First of all, they're screenedby AI tools, so a human being
(18:13):
doesn't even see your resume ifit doesn't match the same
language as the job description.
And a quick tip is there aretools you can use right to put
the job description and yourresume and ask AI to rewrite it
in such a way that it alignswith what's being asked for.
That way it hits the rightterminologies and gets through
(18:38):
to the people who actually seeit.
A lot of folks don't even getthat far, and when you do that,
stacey, you write your resumewith what we call using impact
statements.
Stacy (18:51):
So right right, we don't want to know.
I mean, as someone that hires,we don't want to know just what
you did.
Right, all of us have theability to do things.
We don't want to know just whatyou did.
We want to know the change thatit made, the impact, as you
said, the impact statement, theimpact that it had on the last
(19:15):
company, on the last business.
And even if you're anentrepreneur and someone that is
looking for employment orengaged in employment I think
that I would kind of fit intothat bag.
Right, you want to make surethat you are connecting the dots
(19:35):
, as you said, so you're notjust sharing information about
what you did or the impact youhad, but really you're
connecting the dots as to howthat experience will really make
you a great find, a great assetto the work the company is
(19:57):
trying to do.
Wayne (19:58):
Yeah, and I know, though we talk to midlifers there may
be some younger folks listeninghere and Stacey, I've done
literally hundreds of interviewsin my lifetime and one of the
things at all levels senior andentry I've never asked anybody
what their GPA was.
Funny.
Stacy (20:15):
Have you Stacey Me either ?
Wayne (20:16):
I have not, was Funny have you Stacey Me either.
Stacy (20:18):
I have not, I have not.
And, honestly, sometime it'sgreat that the degree is in
alignment with the position, butwhen the degree is not whether
it be associate, bachelor's,master's, PhD when the degree is
not in alignment with theposition, I'm looking to see if
(20:40):
what you learned in that degreecoursework is an asset to the
work that we're trying toaccomplish as a business.
So I think that there's suchgreat opportunity and our hope
is that some of these nuggetsare reminders to those in
(21:04):
midlife like it's not too lateto make a shift.
So if you are on the job,feeling like it's a grind,
really think about Is it time?
Is there a little internalnudging that's leading or that's
making you think like, orrealistically, you know?
(21:25):
Or do you go to work every daylike, oh my gosh, I hate this
job?
So is that really how you wantto live out the rest of your
career, the rest of your career,or is it a good time to really
(21:48):
evaluate or re-evaluate whereyou are and what matters to you
now?
Wayne (21:50):
Stacey, the last outing that I had in corporate before I
fired in corporate and burntthe ships on the beach, never to
go back.
Um, you know we had theopportunity to interview, uh, um
, c-suite leaders and peopledon't realize this, but if you
show up with your profilelooking like a clown, not
(22:14):
looking kept, and your profileshows you just hanging around at
the barbecues and twerking andthat sort of stuff, it's going
to hurt you.
Stacy (22:23):
What profile is that, Wayne?
What profile are we talkingabout with the twerking?
I just want to make sure whereI should put my twerking.
Wayne (22:31):
Yeah, we check People, check to see who you are.
So, if your profile, if you'rea professional, go back in,
clean up your Facebook, yourLinkedIn and all of these, your
Instagram profiles.
Take off the cussing and thetwerking and all that stuff,
because it could hurt you asyou're reinventing yourself.
Those days are gone, whenanything in the dark stays in
(22:54):
the dark.
Stacy (22:56):
Yeah, nothing in the dark stays in the dark.
Right, that's definitelyscripture.
In the dark stays in the dark.
Right, that's definitelyscripture.
Now I know I need to take downmy little twerking videos, I
think you know.
In alignment with that, Wayne,is the reminder that your
(23:16):
experience is still valuable, asis your story got the potential
to be powerful, and so thestory that you begin to tell
about your career transition orwhere you are now or where
(23:37):
you're looking to go, that storymatters.
So, even as you are updatingyour LinkedIn profile or
reconnecting with people, beprepared to tell or share what's
been happening in thattransition period If you're
(23:58):
between jobs.
I'm just watching thecommentary blow up because
they're like oh no, not twerking, stacey.
And yes, you're right, we leftout TikTok James.
Welcome to the midliferevolution unleashed.
See Curtis is always keeping uson task that he read several
(24:21):
months ago that many companiesare not giving so much attention
to be shared, just in case itopens the door for another
(24:51):
opportunity that you may nothave been expecting.
Wayne (24:54):
Yeah To Curtis's point.
The resume simply gets yourfoot in the door and then it's
up to you.
Simply gets your foot in thedoor and then it's up to you.
You got to sell you and becausethe resume is now screened by
artificial intelligence, you gotto meet certain criteria to
just get in that door.
And then, of course, when youget in, you know, and Stacey, I
(25:15):
don't know if you would agreewith this, but our folks that
have experienced our midlifers,it's always, it's all about
relationship, all through andthrough.
So don't burn bridges behindyou.
Go clean those up, the deadbodies, you know.
Clean those up and Try to getsponsors.
A sponsor is someone who canspeak on your behalf even when
(25:38):
you're not in the room, someonewho can speak on your behalf
even when you're not in the room.
So if you're moving to otherplaces, you know and you have
those relationships.
You need to build them, ofcourse.
Then you try to work yoursponsorships.
Stacy (25:50):
Yeah, yeah, I think that that's a great addition to to
those connections to thatcommunity, really making sure
that you are broadening yourconnections in a way that allows
you to be nimble and allows youto be seen.
Wayne (26:10):
Yeah, Stace, I know you always have a wise uh, the book
off uh, yes, instructions BeforeLeaving Earth, that book.
Let us have it Stacey.
Stacy (26:30):
I think that one thing about career is that it is a
place or space, an arena whereit is easy to get discouraged.
If your career is not thrivingor if you're in a dry season, so
to speak, it's easy to getdiscouraged.
(26:53):
And I would just remind eachand every one of us that the
word says in Isaiah 43, 19, Iwill make a way in the
wilderness and rivers in thedesert, which means that God
will indeed provide, he willmake a way.
(27:16):
So we have work to do right.
Part of our call to action isto make sure our documents are
up to date.
Right, we're not talking aboutlegacy planning, but we are
talking about your career, whoyou are in the workspace, making
sure that your documents are upto date, doing your part to
make those connections andensure that you know you are
(27:40):
seen as someone that can addvalue, and remembering that God
is always willing to make a way,always ready to make a way.
You do your part, god will dohis part.
He's making a way in thewilderness and rivers in the
desert.
Wayne (27:59):
And Stacey always lead with an attitude of gratitude
right, because while you're busysaying what you're grateful for
, there's no room for disgustand negativity.
The two can't hold the samespace, and so, even if you have
been asked to leave, terminated,fired somewhere else, don't go
in and say anything negativeabout where you're coming from.
Stacy (28:23):
No, nothing, because it only says to someone that, oh,
that's how they wouldpotentially leave us, even if
they left on good terms.
Right, they would begin talkingnegatively about their
experience.
Experience, gratitude andgenerosity are really going to
(28:45):
help us move forward.
Even in those what seem likedry seasons or when we're in the
wilderness between jobs orlooking to leave a job or being
pushed out of a job.
It is that gratitude and thegenerosity that is going to save
the day.
Wayne (29:06):
Stacey, it's almost that time.
It's almost a rap, rap, rap.
Stacey, how do people get intouch with us?
And I know we have it in theshow notes, but you do such a
great job working with the womenthat you work with, Stacey.
I think we ought to just tellpeople how to find you.
Stacy (29:23):
Well, the reality is, wayne, if you are checking us
out on LinkedIn or Facebook, youknow how to reach me, and, at
the same time, we always makesure that our contact
information is in the footer ofour podcast, the Midlife
Revolution Unleashed, which youcan find on your favorite
(29:45):
podcast player.
And if all of that doesn't workout well, I can be found at
thestacymlewiscom.
That's where I am.
Wayne (29:55):
Hey, I can be found at viptransformativelivingcom.
That's my website, but if youwant to send me something
directly, I'm going to bypassall the frills and thrills.
Just Wayne Dawson VIP atgmailcom.
That's not my business, that'smy personal.
Send it to me and we'll setsomething up.
(30:16):
I'll see if I can get you tothe top.
Stacy (30:19):
What I have.
No doubt you can help folk getto the top.
I, Stacey, am always cheeringyou on.
Indeed, we are so appreciativeof each and every one of you for
joining us tonight on theMidlife Revolution Unleashed.
Don't forget to tell yourfriends in the community about
our great podcast and let usknow what you'd like us to focus
(30:43):
on in an upcoming episode.
We would love to hear from you.
Wayne (30:49):
So till next week same time, folks.
Ciao, have a wonderful shortweek.
Bye, now, that's right.
Show gratitude, and there youhave it, folks, this week's
episode of the midliferevolution unleashed.
Hey, we truly appreciate yourspending this time in this space
with us.
Join us next week at the sametime as we dive into relevant
(31:13):
topics and present solutions tospark new thinking and empower
your midlife journey.
Stacy (31:21):
And don't forget if you enjoyed today's episode, let us
know in the comments and shareit with others.
And, of course, remember tosubscribe, share like.
Hit that notification bell.
You are the midlife revolutionunleashed.
I'm Coach Stacey and I'mcheering you on.
Wayne (31:41):
And I'm Coach Wayne and I'm cheering you on, and I'm
Coach Wayne, and I'll see you atthe top.
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