October 7, 2025 • 24 mins
Feeling stretched thin by nonstop news and workplace pressure. In this episode, executive and career coach John Neral helps mid-career professionals regain momentum with presence, pace, and practical wins. Learn how to prevent burnout, ask leadership for targeted support, and use small controllables to improve performance. We also cover a data-driven approach to job search and interviews, plus a simple Mid-Career GPS to turn chaos into clarity. Ideal for managers, team leads, and job seekers pursuing career clarity and promotion in a challenging market.
Who this is for:
Mid-career professionals ages 35 to 55 who want practical strategies to manage stress, stay effective at work, and make measurable progress in a challenging job market.
What you’ll learn
- How to pause and assess when current events and shutdown stress weigh on your energy and focus
- Why presence and pace improve decisions on the road, in meetings, and during interviews
- The manager’s responsibility to check in and support people, and how to ask leadership directly for the help you need
- How polarization creeps into daily interactions and how to defuse it at work
- The value of “taking a knee” to rest and reset without guilt
- Small controllables that compound: food journaling for awareness, quality sleep as performance gear, and 15-minute movement breaks to reset your brain
- A smarter, data-driven approach to mid-career job search: networking goals, interview preparation, and weekly traction metrics
- DSD: Do Something Different to get different results, even when you feel stuck
- How to build your Mid-Career GPS so you navigate chaos with clarity and intention
Practical takeaways
- Start each day with a two-minute check-in: energy, focus, and one priority
- Define three controllables for the week: nutrition awareness, sleep window, and one movement break per work block
- Set a weekly networking target with names, messages sent, and outcomes tracked
- For interviews, script two results-first stories and practice concise delivery
- Managers: schedule a 10-minute pulse check with each direct report and ask, “What support would be m
Ready to give your career the jumpstart it needs to whatever is next? Schedule a $197 Career/Leadership Strategy Session. Click here to learn more about how this transformative strategy session will help you.
Visit https://johnneral.com/resources to:
- Subscribe to my free leadership and career newsletter
- Get The Mid-Career Promotion Blueprint to help you figure out whatever is next for you and your career
- Join The Mid-Career GPS Membership Community.
Please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts here.
Connect with John on LinkedIn here.
Get John's New Mid-Career Journal on Amazon here.
Follow John on Instagram @johnneralcoaching.
Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
John Neral (00:00):
Over the last several weeks, I've been
checking in with my privateclients and network and asking
them this question.
How are you doing witheverything going on in the
world?
And often what follows is a bigbreath and a long pause.
If you haven't been asked thisquestion, I want you to do
(00:22):
yourself a favor and just pausethis episode for a few moments
and think about your answer.
We are all dealing with a lot,and it is impacting how we work
and how we live.
And if you are a federalemployee who is directly
impacted by the currentgovernment shutdown, I see you.
(00:44):
It is not an easy time for youand your loved ones because I
know you want to be at work andthere are other circumstances at
play.
So in this episode, I want toopen up some space.
And the one thing I'm doingright now that's helping just a
(01:15):
little bit.
Let's get started.
I help mid-career professionalslike you find a career they
(01:36):
love or love the one they haveusing my proven four-step
formula.
So, as a podcast host, I amoften listening to other
podcasts to see what they'redoing and what they're saying
and how they're producing theirepisodes and things.
And I recently stumbled upon apodcast called I've Had It.
(01:58):
Now, the hosts are JenniferWelch and Angie Pumps Sullivan.
And yes, it is a politicalpodcast, and it often delves
into things far more than thepolitical realm of things.
But the whole premise is thatthey start off this episode with
a few things that each of themhave had it with and they hear
(02:20):
from their listeners as well.
So, in the spirit of this, hereare a few things I've had it
with lately.
I have had it with people whodo not make a full stop at stop
signs or red lights.
I live outside the Washington,D.C.
area.
I cannot tell you how manytimes I see people blowing
(02:43):
through stop signs or blowingthrough red lights, or they come
down to this rolling stop andthey have no idea who else is
coming.
And it is an accident waitingto happen.
I have had it with people whoare not self-aware of anyone
else around them.
And by that I mean they areinterrupting conversations.
(03:04):
They are not aware of thepersonal space they are taking
up or infringing on somebodyelse's.
And it drives me nuts.
Everybody is in such a damnrush right now.
I was, I was in the car with myhusband last week, and I was, I
was coming up through anintersection and the light was
(03:24):
green.
But where the left-hand turnlane was and the right hand lane
was, I wasn't sure if in themiddle lane I had enough space
to comfortably go through so Ihad slowed down.
This person behind me wailed ontheir horn, scared the living
daylights out of me.
And admittedly, I said a fewthings in the car I probably
(03:45):
shouldn't have, but it was inthat fit of anger and
frustration in like that, whatthe hell is your problem moment?
And I thought, well, they justdon't see what's in front of me.
They're only seeing what's infront of them, and I'm blocking
their way to getting somewhereelse.
So, y'all, I just need y'all toslow down.
(04:07):
Slow down.
Okay.
Watch out for the bicyclistsand the motorcyclists on the
road along with it andeverything.
Slow the heck down.
I have had it with managers andleaders who are not taking the
time to check in with theirteams right now because they are
(04:29):
quote unquote too busy, or theyare quote unquote, don't feel
it's important, or quoteunquote, they have other things
to do.
If you are leading anorganization, a department, a
team, or you are directlyresponsible for leading talent
within your organization and youare not giving them time to
(04:53):
check in and simply say, How areyou doing?
How are things going with yourwork?
Where do you need my support?
If you are not doing thosethings, that is an opportunity
for you to step back and take apulse check and really evaluate
(05:16):
how well you are serving yourteam right now.
I know people right now whothrough various reorganizations
are getting a lot more peopleput onto their caseload.
And that's troublesome becausethey're they're thinking about
capacity and how they're goingto be able to do it.
If you are in a peopleleadership role, the most
(05:40):
important thing you need to bepaying attention to is how are
your people driving toward themission, goal, and purpose of
that organization.
And if you quote unquote don'thave time for them, make time.
Because right now, people needyou.
People need you to be checkingin.
(06:00):
And for those of youbig-hearted leaders who are out
there and you're taking care ofyour team and you are sitting
here listening to this andgoing, but my management doesn't
do this for me, or I'm notgetting what I need from my
leadership, then what I want tooffer you is that this is an
opportunity for you to ask forexactly what it is that you need
(06:20):
and see if they are capable ofactually giving it to you.
It may not be in the way youideally desire it or want it,
but this is an opportunity foryou to check in.
If your boss says to you, hey,I'd love to check in, I'm just
really busy.
I know you're doing a greatjob.
(06:42):
Great.
You know what?
You and I both have to eat.
Let's go to lunch.
There are ways to get aroundit.
But it is more important thanever for you to check in with
the people you are working with,just as much as it is so
important right now for you tocheck in with your family and
(07:04):
friends.
So here in the DMV, um,understandably, I know a lot of
people who are federalemployees, and some are impacted
by the shutdown and some arenot because their agency is
appropriated outside of thefederal budget.
That being said, this is theopportunity to check in with
(07:25):
your family and friends to belike, okay, how are you doing?
I know you want to be at workand you can't right now.
This isn't a vacation.
What are you doing with yourtime?
How can I help you?
And if you work for a companythat contracts with a lot of
federal agencies, you may beimpacted as well.
(07:46):
And your family and friends maynot be fully aware of how much
you are being impacted either.
And however long this shutdowngoes, so for a point of
reference, today is October 5th.
This episode is going to dropon October 7th.
Everything I have checked thenews beforehand doesn't seem
(08:06):
likely we're going to reopen thegovernment by the time this
episode drops.
So, that being said, thinkabout what their work is going
to look like when they get back.
Can you imagine if you had totake a week off, let alone more
than that, from your work?
And then all of a sudden youjust come back to work, you
(08:26):
would have a lot of catch-up todo.
So let's just acknowledge thereis a lot of stress on those
government civil serviceprofessionals who are trying to
get their job done, but theycan't because the government is
shut down.
And then if they're livingpaycheck to paycheck, they're
(08:48):
worried about how they're goingto meet their bills.
So we're dealing with a lot.
We are juggling with a lot.
How are you taking care of yourfamily?
How are you taking care of yoursmall children, your preteens,
your teenagers, your collegestudents, you know, your
(09:08):
children who are of college age,or the ones who are getting
ready to graduate and they arestressed out if they are going
to be able to find a job comemid-2026, given everything
they're hearing and seeingwithin the jobs report right
now?
That's stressful.
If your parents are still withyou, how is their health?
(09:32):
How much are you taking care ofthem?
If you've recently lost a lovedone, how are you honoring your
grief?
How are you honoring your painin all of this?
While at the same time going towork and making like everything
is okay and everything's fineand everything's wonderful.
Because at mid-career, when wetalk about building this
(09:54):
mid-career GPS, the reality isyou handle a lot.
And you handle a lot that manypeople don't see because you
keep it very close.
And you're afraid to expose andshow that for fear someone
(10:16):
might think less of you or judgeyou or question how able you
are to do your job.
Instead of checking in tosimply say, How are you doing
right now?
How can I help you?
What do you need?
It may be very hard to be happyin a time like this, especially
(10:40):
as we head into the holidays.
So if that's you, um, I justsimply offer that you consult
your medical team or a medicalprofessional if you feel the
need.
We're dealing with a lot.
And one of the things thatstruck me this week was uh some
comments that I heard by NafisaCollier from the WNBA who
(11:05):
blasted WNBA leadership.
And what struck me about thatwas how quickly we are all
willing to go and attack aleadership.
And trust me, in a lot ofcases, this is warranted.
All right.
(11:26):
It is warranted to say toleadership, do better.
You are not doing a good enoughjob.
You need to be moretransparent, be more
communicative, be moreempathetic, be more about
sharing knowledge.
But when you think about yourwork leadership, here's what I
(11:46):
want you to do.
First of all, think about yourimmediate manager or supervisor.
What's your relationship likewith them?
What's your relationship likewith that person above them and
the person above them?
Are you happy with the workthat they're doing?
Are you frustrated with thework that you're doing?
(12:07):
What's in your control toactually impact the way they are
leading?
I keep saying I need to do anepisode at some point about why
everyone every now and then getsa shitty boss.
And and in that, there arestill ways for you to manage the
(12:29):
relationship.
But if you're having difficultywith leadership, the first step
is to question why.
What is it that I'm feelingresentful about?
What is it that I'm angry orfrustrated about with my
leadership?
And is there an opportunity toimpact change within that
leadership?
Right now, we are so polarized,and I am not talking just about
(12:54):
politics.
We are so polarized in I'mright, you're wrong.
I I see it when I'm driving.
I'm right, you're wrong.
Because I don't want anybodyhitting me.
Given the polarization that weare feeling, it is
understandable that it'strickling over into other
(13:17):
aspects of our life and how welive and how we work.
Last week, I coined a phrasefrom a dear, dear friend of
mine.
I was like, I had to take aknee.
I took a knee on Friday.
I wasn't feeling good.
I stayed in bed the entire day.
I was feeling blah.
I was fighting some kind ofstomach bug or whatever it was.
(13:38):
And and I gotta tell you, I hadthe TV on in the background and
I caught a little bit of pricesright around 11 o'clock.
And because that's the thingyou do when you're sick, right?
You got to watch the pricesright.
And um, and by the way, justhere's what else I've had it
with.
Stop bidding a dollar whenyou're the first person in
contestants row or bidder's row,just because you want to have
(14:00):
your moment and be like onedollar drew.
No, stop it.
You bid a dollar strategicallywhen you're the last person to
bid so you can get up on stageor you bid the dollar over.
If you're doing it, if you'rethe first person to do it in
contestants row, when you're onthe prices right, you're a
moron.
That's it.
I stand by that.
Okay, anyway.
Think about we are see, we'repolarized.
(14:20):
I'm very polarized on thistopic.
And those of you who are gameshow friends of mine, you get
this and you understand it.
Okay.
But I had to take a knee.
I needed it.
I needed to simply take a stepback and recharge my battery.
Okay.
So I said at the top, there wasone thing that I'm doing that
(14:44):
is helping a little bit.
And it stems from aconversation I had with my coach
recently.
And I was talking about howfrustrated and stressed I get
over certain things right now.
Um, because there is, there'sjust a lot going on, right?
And what he said to me was he'slike, oftentimes when we think
(15:05):
about instituting change, wethink about this big change.
But it is the small things thathelp us gain momentum.
It is traction we find in thesmall things that we do that we
get to reinforce and not gettingourselves wound up over all of
(15:27):
the things we have no controlover.
But that if I could take a stepback and focus on what I have
control over, I would startgaining momentum.
So here's here's a few thingsI'm doing.
So one of the things I starteddoing was I went back to
journaling my food.
And even though I don't likedoing it, I don't like having to
(15:52):
record what I measure andeverything like that.
It's an accountability piecefor me in terms of knowing,
okay, here's what I'm I'm takingin every day.
All right.
So that's that's one littlething that I know I have control
over.
I still, you know, pretty mucheat what I want, but I just keep
a record of it.
Okay.
That's one.
(16:13):
The second thing I'm doing isdoing a better job of trying to
get more quality sleep.
And I know when I'm stressed orwound up on things that I don't
sleep particularly well.
And that's what happened thispast week.
I had a couple of nights thispast week where I got maybe
(16:33):
about three or four hours sleep.
And it's just really hard forme to function really, really
well the next day.
Like I'm I'm good for a whileand then kind of flame out the
end of the day.
So it's about getting bettersleep.
It's about recognizing thatwhen I'm here at this desk and
(16:55):
I'm here behind this mic and I'mhaving my meetings and I'm
having my conversations, thattaking 15 minutes to get up and
stretch or do something or gofor a walk or or just even go up
and down the stairs in myhouse, something that I'm not
anchored to this desk andfeeling like my butt is turning
(17:18):
into cottage cheese.
I'm sorry.
But that's just that's just thereality of it, right?
Like I feel like sometimes Iget stuck behind this desk and
I'm turning into mush.
And I'm like, no, I have totake better care of myself.
So it's these little thingsthat I get to do.
(17:39):
And I want to emphasize thatwith you.
It's that I get to do.
I don't have to do any of thesethings.
I get to do them.
I get to do them to see ifthat's building the traction,
the momentum that I need and Iwant to help me be better
balanced and deal with all ofthe things that at times feel
very heavy right now.
(17:59):
I'm coming up on two yearswhere my retina detached out of
nowhere.
And it was a very, very scarytime for me, health-wise.
Thankfully, um the doctors werewonderful.
Everything's, everything isgood.
But this is that reminder forme that running myself into the
(18:21):
ground and getting stressed outover things that I have no
control over, even though I amwired in a certain way, is not
ultimately healthy for me.
So if you're feeling somethingsimilar, right?
If you're feeling like, look, Ineed to find that balance.
And as much as I focus onleadership and career coaching
(18:41):
with my clients, I will tell youthat there are times in the
coaching relationship that stufflike this comes up.
And when it comes up, it is notabout what works for me.
It is about how I can help myclients figure out what works
best for them or what they'recurious about or willing to try,
(19:03):
that they can then in turn getthe momentum that they want.
Look, my friends, if you'vebeen looking for a job over the
past several months, more thanlikely you are frustrated and
fried that you are not gettingthe results you want.
We can manage that.
We can manage that differentlyand more strategically with a
(19:25):
mid-career GPS.
How would it feel like for youif you looked at your week's
worth of efforts in terms ofwhere you applied and where you
networked and felt better aboutthat kind of traction and
momentum you were getting thanrandomly sending out resumes
like you may be doing now?
We work on how we prepareourselves for interviews before,
(19:51):
during, and after.
So that interview experiencegives you better data for you to
personally evaluate how well itwent rather than getting caught
up in all of the mind dramaabout whether or not you're
going to get the offer.
Yes, that's important.
But again, this comes back tothe things that you have control
(20:15):
over.
As one of the people I follow,Amy Porterfield, she talks about
DSD, do something different.
If you are frustrated that youare not getting the results you
want, this is an opportunity foryou to do something different.
And that might be something assimple as booking a strategy
(20:36):
session with me.
In a career and leadershipstrategy session, you and I are
gonna sit down for 45 minutes.
I am gonna take everything thatyou're doing and dissect it.
And we are gonna build astrategic plan for you moving
forward that will ultimatelysave you time, help you get
better results, and clear yourbrain from all of the drama and
(21:00):
frustration that you areexperiencing right now in your
career.
Now, to be clear, this is not afree session.
I do not do free sessions withpeople because I've been doing
this now for over nine years.
Time is precious.
This is an exchange of value.
So if you want to book a careerand leadership strategy
(21:23):
session, there's a few ways youcan go about doing it.
So you can check the shownotes.
You can email me at john atjohnnarrell.com.
You can check my website,johnnarrell.com, under the
resources tab, and you will seea place to book a strategy
session.
Right now, the cost for thatstrategy session is $197.
And my question to you is howmuch would 45 minutes of working
(21:49):
with me one-on-one and the costof something that is less than
$200 impact your career in sucha way that you could get the
transformation you are lookingfor to feel like you could move
forward with more confidence,more conviction, more strategy,
(22:10):
more intention that ultimatelyleads to more results than what
you are getting now.
Whether it's finding a new job,managing your current
employment situation, orpreparing to find that new job
in 2026.
That is what a career andleadership strategy session is
all about.
Go to my website,johnnarrell.com for more
(22:31):
information or check the shownotes.
But that is one thing you coulddo a little bit differently
right now.
Because here's the thing (22:39):
you can stay stuck where you are,
spinning your wheels and beingfrustrated.
Trust me, it is no fun.
I have been there several timesin my career.
Right?
Even with my business, when Ifeel like I am getting stuck or
frustrated, it is an opportunityto do something different.
(23:00):
This is one way I can help you.
This is one way I can help you.
So, that being said, rememberthis.
You will build your mid-careerGPS one mile or one step at a
time.
And how you show up matters.
And one of the best ways youcan show up for yourself is
(23:22):
taking care of yourself first.
Put your oxygen mask on firstbefore helping others.
You will be glad you did.
So until next time, my friends,take care, and I'll be back
with you next week.
Take care.
Bye-bye.
Thank you for listening to theMid Career GPS Podcast.
Make sure to follow on yourfavorite listening platform.
(23:45):
And if you have a moment, I'dlove to hear your comments on
Apple Podcasts.
Visit johnnarrell.com for moreinformation about how I can help
you build your Mid-Career GPS,or how I can help you and your
organization with your nextworkshop or public speaking
event.
Don't forget to connect with meon LinkedIn and follow me on
social at John Daryl Coaching.
(24:07):
I look forward to being backwith you next week.
Until then, take care.
And remember, how we show upmatters.
Over the last several weeks, I've been
checking in with my privateclients and network and asking
them this question.
How are you doing witheverything going on in the
world?
And often what follows is a bigbreath and a long pause.
If you haven't been asked thisquestion, I want you to do
(00:22):
yourself a favor and just pausethis episode for a few moments
and think about your answer.
We are all dealing with a lot,and it is impacting how we work
and how we live.
And if you are a federalemployee who is directly
impacted by the currentgovernment shutdown, I see you.
(00:44):
It is not an easy time for youand your loved ones because I
know you want to be at work andthere are other circumstances at
play.
So in this episode, I want toopen up some space.
And the one thing I'm doingright now that's helping just a
(01:15):
little bit.
Let's get started.
I help mid-career professionalslike you find a career they
(01:36):
love or love the one they haveusing my proven four-step
formula.
So, as a podcast host, I amoften listening to other
podcasts to see what they'redoing and what they're saying
and how they're producing theirepisodes and things.
And I recently stumbled upon apodcast called I've Had It.
(01:58):
Now, the hosts are JenniferWelch and Angie Pumps Sullivan.
And yes, it is a politicalpodcast, and it often delves
into things far more than thepolitical realm of things.
But the whole premise is thatthey start off this episode with
a few things that each of themhave had it with and they hear
(02:20):
from their listeners as well.
So, in the spirit of this, hereare a few things I've had it
with lately.
I have had it with people whodo not make a full stop at stop
signs or red lights.
I live outside the Washington,D.C.
area.
I cannot tell you how manytimes I see people blowing
(02:43):
through stop signs or blowingthrough red lights, or they come
down to this rolling stop andthey have no idea who else is
coming.
And it is an accident waitingto happen.
I have had it with people whoare not self-aware of anyone
else around them.
And by that I mean they areinterrupting conversations.
(03:04):
They are not aware of thepersonal space they are taking
up or infringing on somebodyelse's.
And it drives me nuts.
Everybody is in such a damnrush right now.
I was, I was in the car with myhusband last week, and I was, I
was coming up through anintersection and the light was
(03:24):
green.
But where the left-hand turnlane was and the right hand lane
was, I wasn't sure if in themiddle lane I had enough space
to comfortably go through so Ihad slowed down.
This person behind me wailed ontheir horn, scared the living
daylights out of me.
And admittedly, I said a fewthings in the car I probably
(03:45):
shouldn't have, but it was inthat fit of anger and
frustration in like that, whatthe hell is your problem moment?
And I thought, well, they justdon't see what's in front of me.
They're only seeing what's infront of them, and I'm blocking
their way to getting somewhereelse.
So, y'all, I just need y'all toslow down.
(04:07):
Slow down.
Okay.
Watch out for the bicyclistsand the motorcyclists on the
road along with it andeverything.
Slow the heck down.
I have had it with managers andleaders who are not taking the
time to check in with theirteams right now because they are
(04:29):
quote unquote too busy, or theyare quote unquote, don't feel
it's important, or quoteunquote, they have other things
to do.
If you are leading anorganization, a department, a
team, or you are directlyresponsible for leading talent
within your organization and youare not giving them time to
(04:53):
check in and simply say, How areyou doing?
How are things going with yourwork?
Where do you need my support?
If you are not doing thosethings, that is an opportunity
for you to step back and take apulse check and really evaluate
(05:16):
how well you are serving yourteam right now.
I know people right now whothrough various reorganizations
are getting a lot more peopleput onto their caseload.
And that's troublesome becausethey're they're thinking about
capacity and how they're goingto be able to do it.
If you are in a peopleleadership role, the most
(05:40):
important thing you need to bepaying attention to is how are
your people driving toward themission, goal, and purpose of
that organization.
And if you quote unquote don'thave time for them, make time.
Because right now, people needyou.
People need you to be checkingin.
(06:00):
And for those of youbig-hearted leaders who are out
there and you're taking care ofyour team and you are sitting
here listening to this andgoing, but my management doesn't
do this for me, or I'm notgetting what I need from my
leadership, then what I want tooffer you is that this is an
opportunity for you to ask forexactly what it is that you need
(06:20):
and see if they are capable ofactually giving it to you.
It may not be in the way youideally desire it or want it,
but this is an opportunity foryou to check in.
If your boss says to you, hey,I'd love to check in, I'm just
really busy.
I know you're doing a greatjob.
(06:42):
Great.
You know what?
You and I both have to eat.
Let's go to lunch.
There are ways to get aroundit.
But it is more important thanever for you to check in with
the people you are working with,just as much as it is so
important right now for you tocheck in with your family and
(07:04):
friends.
So here in the DMV, um,understandably, I know a lot of
people who are federalemployees, and some are impacted
by the shutdown and some arenot because their agency is
appropriated outside of thefederal budget.
That being said, this is theopportunity to check in with
(07:25):
your family and friends to belike, okay, how are you doing?
I know you want to be at workand you can't right now.
This isn't a vacation.
What are you doing with yourtime?
How can I help you?
And if you work for a companythat contracts with a lot of
federal agencies, you may beimpacted as well.
(07:46):
And your family and friends maynot be fully aware of how much
you are being impacted either.
And however long this shutdowngoes, so for a point of
reference, today is October 5th.
This episode is going to dropon October 7th.
Everything I have checked thenews beforehand doesn't seem
(08:06):
likely we're going to reopen thegovernment by the time this
episode drops.
So, that being said, thinkabout what their work is going
to look like when they get back.
Can you imagine if you had totake a week off, let alone more
than that, from your work?
And then all of a sudden youjust come back to work, you
(08:26):
would have a lot of catch-up todo.
So let's just acknowledge thereis a lot of stress on those
government civil serviceprofessionals who are trying to
get their job done, but theycan't because the government is
shut down.
And then if they're livingpaycheck to paycheck, they're
(08:48):
worried about how they're goingto meet their bills.
So we're dealing with a lot.
We are juggling with a lot.
How are you taking care of yourfamily?
How are you taking care of yoursmall children, your preteens,
your teenagers, your collegestudents, you know, your
(09:08):
children who are of college age,or the ones who are getting
ready to graduate and they arestressed out if they are going
to be able to find a job comemid-2026, given everything
they're hearing and seeingwithin the jobs report right
now?
That's stressful.
If your parents are still withyou, how is their health?
(09:32):
How much are you taking care ofthem?
If you've recently lost a lovedone, how are you honoring your
grief?
How are you honoring your painin all of this?
While at the same time going towork and making like everything
is okay and everything's fineand everything's wonderful.
Because at mid-career, when wetalk about building this
(09:54):
mid-career GPS, the reality isyou handle a lot.
And you handle a lot that manypeople don't see because you
keep it very close.
And you're afraid to expose andshow that for fear someone
(10:16):
might think less of you or judgeyou or question how able you
are to do your job.
Instead of checking in tosimply say, How are you doing
right now?
How can I help you?
What do you need?
It may be very hard to be happyin a time like this, especially
(10:40):
as we head into the holidays.
So if that's you, um, I justsimply offer that you consult
your medical team or a medicalprofessional if you feel the
need.
We're dealing with a lot.
And one of the things thatstruck me this week was uh some
comments that I heard by NafisaCollier from the WNBA who
(11:05):
blasted WNBA leadership.
And what struck me about thatwas how quickly we are all
willing to go and attack aleadership.
And trust me, in a lot ofcases, this is warranted.
All right.
(11:26):
It is warranted to say toleadership, do better.
You are not doing a good enoughjob.
You need to be moretransparent, be more
communicative, be moreempathetic, be more about
sharing knowledge.
But when you think about yourwork leadership, here's what I
(11:46):
want you to do.
First of all, think about yourimmediate manager or supervisor.
What's your relationship likewith them?
What's your relationship likewith that person above them and
the person above them?
Are you happy with the workthat they're doing?
Are you frustrated with thework that you're doing?
(12:07):
What's in your control toactually impact the way they are
leading?
I keep saying I need to do anepisode at some point about why
everyone every now and then getsa shitty boss.
And and in that, there arestill ways for you to manage the
(12:29):
relationship.
But if you're having difficultywith leadership, the first step
is to question why.
What is it that I'm feelingresentful about?
What is it that I'm angry orfrustrated about with my
leadership?
And is there an opportunity toimpact change within that
leadership?
Right now, we are so polarized,and I am not talking just about
(12:54):
politics.
We are so polarized in I'mright, you're wrong.
I I see it when I'm driving.
I'm right, you're wrong.
Because I don't want anybodyhitting me.
Given the polarization that weare feeling, it is
understandable that it'strickling over into other
(13:17):
aspects of our life and how welive and how we work.
Last week, I coined a phrasefrom a dear, dear friend of
mine.
I was like, I had to take aknee.
I took a knee on Friday.
I wasn't feeling good.
I stayed in bed the entire day.
I was feeling blah.
I was fighting some kind ofstomach bug or whatever it was.
(13:38):
And and I gotta tell you, I hadthe TV on in the background and
I caught a little bit of pricesright around 11 o'clock.
And because that's the thingyou do when you're sick, right?
You got to watch the pricesright.
And um, and by the way, justhere's what else I've had it
with.
Stop bidding a dollar whenyou're the first person in
contestants row or bidder's row,just because you want to have
(14:00):
your moment and be like onedollar drew.
No, stop it.
You bid a dollar strategicallywhen you're the last person to
bid so you can get up on stageor you bid the dollar over.
If you're doing it, if you'rethe first person to do it in
contestants row, when you're onthe prices right, you're a
moron.
That's it.
I stand by that.
Okay, anyway.
Think about we are see, we'repolarized.
(14:20):
I'm very polarized on thistopic.
And those of you who are gameshow friends of mine, you get
this and you understand it.
Okay.
But I had to take a knee.
I needed it.
I needed to simply take a stepback and recharge my battery.
Okay.
So I said at the top, there wasone thing that I'm doing that
(14:44):
is helping a little bit.
And it stems from aconversation I had with my coach
recently.
And I was talking about howfrustrated and stressed I get
over certain things right now.
Um, because there is, there'sjust a lot going on, right?
And what he said to me was he'slike, oftentimes when we think
(15:05):
about instituting change, wethink about this big change.
But it is the small things thathelp us gain momentum.
It is traction we find in thesmall things that we do that we
get to reinforce and not gettingourselves wound up over all of
(15:27):
the things we have no controlover.
But that if I could take a stepback and focus on what I have
control over, I would startgaining momentum.
So here's here's a few thingsI'm doing.
So one of the things I starteddoing was I went back to
journaling my food.
And even though I don't likedoing it, I don't like having to
(15:52):
record what I measure andeverything like that.
It's an accountability piecefor me in terms of knowing,
okay, here's what I'm I'm takingin every day.
All right.
So that's that's one littlething that I know I have control
over.
I still, you know, pretty mucheat what I want, but I just keep
a record of it.
Okay.
That's one.
(16:13):
The second thing I'm doing isdoing a better job of trying to
get more quality sleep.
And I know when I'm stressed orwound up on things that I don't
sleep particularly well.
And that's what happened thispast week.
I had a couple of nights thispast week where I got maybe
(16:33):
about three or four hours sleep.
And it's just really hard forme to function really, really
well the next day.
Like I'm I'm good for a whileand then kind of flame out the
end of the day.
So it's about getting bettersleep.
It's about recognizing thatwhen I'm here at this desk and
(16:55):
I'm here behind this mic and I'mhaving my meetings and I'm
having my conversations, thattaking 15 minutes to get up and
stretch or do something or gofor a walk or or just even go up
and down the stairs in myhouse, something that I'm not
anchored to this desk andfeeling like my butt is turning
(17:18):
into cottage cheese.
I'm sorry.
But that's just that's just thereality of it, right?
Like I feel like sometimes Iget stuck behind this desk and
I'm turning into mush.
And I'm like, no, I have totake better care of myself.
So it's these little thingsthat I get to do.
(17:39):
And I want to emphasize thatwith you.
It's that I get to do.
I don't have to do any of thesethings.
I get to do them.
I get to do them to see ifthat's building the traction,
the momentum that I need and Iwant to help me be better
balanced and deal with all ofthe things that at times feel
very heavy right now.
(17:59):
I'm coming up on two yearswhere my retina detached out of
nowhere.
And it was a very, very scarytime for me, health-wise.
Thankfully, um the doctors werewonderful.
Everything's, everything isgood.
But this is that reminder forme that running myself into the
(18:21):
ground and getting stressed outover things that I have no
control over, even though I amwired in a certain way, is not
ultimately healthy for me.
So if you're feeling somethingsimilar, right?
If you're feeling like, look, Ineed to find that balance.
And as much as I focus onleadership and career coaching
(18:41):
with my clients, I will tell youthat there are times in the
coaching relationship that stufflike this comes up.
And when it comes up, it is notabout what works for me.
It is about how I can help myclients figure out what works
best for them or what they'recurious about or willing to try,
(19:03):
that they can then in turn getthe momentum that they want.
Look, my friends, if you'vebeen looking for a job over the
past several months, more thanlikely you are frustrated and
fried that you are not gettingthe results you want.
We can manage that.
We can manage that differentlyand more strategically with a
(19:25):
mid-career GPS.
How would it feel like for youif you looked at your week's
worth of efforts in terms ofwhere you applied and where you
networked and felt better aboutthat kind of traction and
momentum you were getting thanrandomly sending out resumes
like you may be doing now?
We work on how we prepareourselves for interviews before,
(19:51):
during, and after.
So that interview experiencegives you better data for you to
personally evaluate how well itwent rather than getting caught
up in all of the mind dramaabout whether or not you're
going to get the offer.
Yes, that's important.
But again, this comes back tothe things that you have control
(20:15):
over.
As one of the people I follow,Amy Porterfield, she talks about
DSD, do something different.
If you are frustrated that youare not getting the results you
want, this is an opportunity foryou to do something different.
And that might be something assimple as booking a strategy
(20:36):
session with me.
In a career and leadershipstrategy session, you and I are
gonna sit down for 45 minutes.
I am gonna take everything thatyou're doing and dissect it.
And we are gonna build astrategic plan for you moving
forward that will ultimatelysave you time, help you get
better results, and clear yourbrain from all of the drama and
(21:00):
frustration that you areexperiencing right now in your
career.
Now, to be clear, this is not afree session.
I do not do free sessions withpeople because I've been doing
this now for over nine years.
Time is precious.
This is an exchange of value.
So if you want to book a careerand leadership strategy
(21:23):
session, there's a few ways youcan go about doing it.
So you can check the shownotes.
You can email me at john atjohnnarrell.com.
You can check my website,johnnarrell.com, under the
resources tab, and you will seea place to book a strategy
session.
Right now, the cost for thatstrategy session is $197.
And my question to you is howmuch would 45 minutes of working
(21:49):
with me one-on-one and the costof something that is less than
$200 impact your career in sucha way that you could get the
transformation you are lookingfor to feel like you could move
forward with more confidence,more conviction, more strategy,
(22:10):
more intention that ultimatelyleads to more results than what
you are getting now.
Whether it's finding a new job,managing your current
employment situation, orpreparing to find that new job
in 2026.
That is what a career andleadership strategy session is
all about.
Go to my website,johnnarrell.com for more
(22:31):
information or check the shownotes.
But that is one thing you coulddo a little bit differently
right now.
Because here's the thing (22:39):
you can stay stuck where you are,
spinning your wheels and beingfrustrated.
Trust me, it is no fun.
I have been there several timesin my career.
Right?
Even with my business, when Ifeel like I am getting stuck or
frustrated, it is an opportunityto do something different.
(23:00):
This is one way I can help you.
This is one way I can help you.
So, that being said, rememberthis.
You will build your mid-careerGPS one mile or one step at a
time.
And how you show up matters.
And one of the best ways youcan show up for yourself is
(23:22):
taking care of yourself first.
Put your oxygen mask on firstbefore helping others.
You will be glad you did.
So until next time, my friends,take care, and I'll be back
with you next week.
Take care.
Bye-bye.
Thank you for listening to theMid Career GPS Podcast.
Make sure to follow on yourfavorite listening platform.
(23:45):
And if you have a moment, I'dlove to hear your comments on
Apple Podcasts.
Visit johnnarrell.com for moreinformation about how I can help
you build your Mid-Career GPS,or how I can help you and your
organization with your nextworkshop or public speaking
event.
Don't forget to connect with meon LinkedIn and follow me on
social at John Daryl Coaching.
(24:07):
I look forward to being backwith you next week.
Until then, take care.
And remember, how we show upmatters.
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