June 10, 2025 • 31 mins
Welcome to a major milestone—Episode 300 of The Mid-Career GPS Podcast! Only 2.6% of podcasts make it this far, and it’s all thanks to YOU—our dedicated listeners navigating the ups and downs of mid-career life.
In this special episode, host John Neral reflects on the journey that began during the pandemic and has grown into a go-to resource for mid-career professionals who feel stuck, undervalued, or uncertain about what’s next.
Whether you’re burned out, frustrated with today’s job market, or questioning your career direction, this episode is your reminder that you are not alone—and you are not stuck.
As we look ahead to the future of the podcast, John announces a renewed mission: to help mid-career professionals not just change jobs—but find careers they truly love.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
- What reaching 300 episodes means and why it matters to mid-career professionals
- How the podcast is evolving to focus more on career satisfaction, not just job search strategy
- Why today’s job market feels broken—and what you can do about it
- The biggest fears mid-career professionals face in 2025 (and how to move through them)
- How to take full ownership of your career journey with confidence and clarity
Free Resources to Help You Navigate What’s Next:
📘 Download: 10 Must-Listen Episodes to Help You Navigate What’s Next
👉 https://johnneral.com/resources
When you download the guide, you’ll get invited to a free Zoom call on Wednesday, June 25th at 7:00 pm Eastern, where we will celebrate the podcast, and I’ll be there to answer some of your career questions.
❤️ Love the Show? Help It Grow:
If you’ve gotten value from this podcast, please:
- Share it with three friends who feel stuck or burned out at work
- Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
- Download the free guide and join the June 25th celebration!
Thank you for listening to The Mid-Career GPS Podcast.
Please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts here.
Visit https://johnneral.com/resources for free and low-ticket resources, including how to join The Mid-Career GPS Membership Community.
Visit https://johnneral.com to join The Mid-Career GPS Newsletter, a free, twice-weekly career and leadership resource for mid-career professionals.
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):
Today is a milestone and I'm honored to share this
with you.
This is the 300th episode ofthe Mid-Career GPS podcast.
I could not have done thiswithout you and I'm taking some
time in this episode to sharesome big news with you about the
podcast, peel back the curtainon a few things and reflect on
(00:21):
how this job market has changedover the last five years and
what you need to know movingforward.
So, for the 300th time, let'sget started.
Hello, my friends, this is theMid-Career GPS Podcast and I'm
(00:44):
your host, John Neral.
I help mid-career professionalslike you find a career they
love, or love the career theyhave, using my proven four-step
formula.
Did you happen to noticesomething a little bit different
about that intro?
Yeah, I changed it just alittle bit.
See, moving forward, thispodcast is going to be focused
(01:04):
more specifically on findingthat career you truly love.
Look, there's nothing wrongwith finding a job you love, but
finding a job can feel verytransactional and understanding
what's going on in this jobmarket right now.
And moving forward, I'mshifting this conversation
(01:24):
around more career centeredtopics that are focused
specifically for you as amid-career professional.
I'll talk a little bit more andback it up with some small
little pieces of data to helpshare how I came up with that
decision.
But I want you to know rightoff the bat that this mid-career
journey, more than ever, isdynamic and needs to be creative
(01:49):
.
Now, to help celebrate this300th episode, I'm doing
something very, very special forall of you.
All right, first of all, I'vecreated a brand new resource it
is called 10 Must ListenEpisodes to Help you Navigate
what's Next, celebrating 300episodes of clarity, confidence
(02:14):
and career direction.
I went through my entirelibrary and I picked 10 episodes
that I believe every mid-careerprofessional not only needs to
listen to right now but willabsolutely benefit from, and if
you've been listening for awhile, you've probably heard
these episodes before.
But here's where this leadmagnet, or this resource, is
(02:37):
even more important.
I'm gonna be hosting a freecall Think of it as an open
office hour webinar meeting,whatever you want to call it on
Wednesday, june 25th, at 7 pmEastern on Zoom, and together
we're going to celebrate 300episodes of the Mid-Career GPS
(02:58):
podcast.
You have to download thisresource in order to get the
invite to the webinar, but onthis webinar I'm going to be
available for you to answerquestions you have about your
career path, answer somequestions that you may have
about the podcast in general oranything.
It is my opportunity to bethere for you, live on Zoom, for
(03:21):
us to celebrate these 300episodes and what we've got
moving forward.
So if you want to be a part ofthe Zoom and you want to go
ahead and download that brandnew resource, all you got to do
is go to my website, go tojohnnerrellcom, forward, slash
resources and get it today.
So come out and celebrate withus.
Bring your questions.
Okay.
So here we are.
(03:44):
We got to 300 episodes and I wasshocked to learn that, out of
the over four and a half millionpodcasts that are out there,
only 2.6% of us reach themilestone of 300 episodes.
That's a big deal, but when Istarted this podcast and this
(04:09):
was the second podcast I've hadmy first podcast was called Show
Up 2020, and it was recordedduring the pandemic.
It was about meeting people andtalking to them about how they
were showing up during a time wehad never really experienced
before.
I often said it was abouttalking to great people doing
(04:30):
extraordinary things during thepandemic, but last week, when I
sent out my weekly email to myfree email community, someone
responded and I'm not going toshare their name for the sake of
one.
I don't know if they want to bementioned or not and I didn't
(04:52):
ask them before I sat down torecord this episode, but if
they're listening they're goingto know it's them.
But here's what they wrote.
I just appreciate your sincereand honest tone throughout
everything you produce.
You have a wonderful way ofencouraging your audience as
well as delivering a few toughlove moments as well.
(05:14):
I went through a major jobsearch last year and found a new
role in February, and I amconvinced that your work helped
me in my interview process,especially the part about
knowing your story.
It gave me a helpful frameworkfor practicing before my
interviews.
So to who sent that do and Ithank you for that.
(05:51):
This podcast is not easy as asolopreneur and somebody who
does everything, so please knowI do not have a team that works
for me.
It is me myself and I, so Iserve my private clients, I
serve my membership communitypeople and I do this podcast and
I send out a weekly email to myfree email community twice a
(06:13):
week and for someone who startedoff his career as a middle
school mathematics teacher, thewhole idea about learning how to
record and edit and write shownotes and optimize and market
this podcast and everything.
That was never in the plan, butI am so glad that it is.
I started this particularpodcast because I wanted to put
(06:37):
information out there for peoplewho simply needed it.
The goal was to never become atop-ranked podcast.
It was never about generating aton of money from the podcast
or anything like that.
It was about feeding people.
It was about feeding peoplewith relevant information to
help them navigate one of themost dynamic, tumultuous,
(07:03):
stressful times in their career,because mid-career bridges that
excitement that you have whenyou're first starting out and it
bridges what ultimately willbecome that path to retirement
for you.
So when I was thinking aboutwhere this podcast was headed
and some potential changes to it, I turned to the group that I
(07:27):
knew would help me, and that wasmy email community.
So a few weeks back, I sentthem a survey and asked them if
they would kindly take some timeto fill it out, and I asked
them a series of questions aboutwhat they liked about the
podcast and what they would seemoving forward.
So for all of you who filledout the survey, thank you If you
(07:51):
want to get on my email listagain.
You go to my website,johnnerrellcom.
Forward slash resources.
You can download any of my freeresources that are there or you
can purchase some of the lowticket offers that are there and
you come right on into my emailcommunity.
But your feedback was sohelpful and it gave me some
things to not only consider butto reconsider about where this
(08:14):
podcast is headed Moving forward.
There absolutely needs to be acomponent to this podcast that
at times will talk about jobsearch and very tactical tips
with things related to yourresume, your LinkedIn, how
you're networking, how you'reinterviewing, because that is a
(08:36):
pivotal part and a vital part offinding that career you're
going to love.
So we will absolutely continueto talk about those job search
tips and those tactical tips.
I will tell you that I didconsider changing the title of
the podcast.
Now I have looked at apotential title change.
(08:58):
I've looked at a brandingchange and while there were some
really good suggestions change,and while there were some
really good suggestions, theoverwhelming component of the
survey results were keep thename the same.
It's your brand.
It highlights mid-career.
We know that this podcast isnot specific for students who
(09:20):
are just graduating from collegeor university or students who
are just graduating from collegeor university.
They're also typically nottopics related to retirement,
okay, so I'm keeping the namethe same, all right.
That doesn't mean I may notchange it down the road I don't
know.
But mid-career is the biggestand most popular search term
(09:41):
from an organic reach standpointand that is the key popular
search term from an organicreach standpoint, and that is
the key.
So over the course of fiveyears, I have only spent $70 in
specifically advertising of thepodcast, and you know what it
got me?
It got me nothing.
So all of this has been organic.
All of this has been organicbecause of how you support and
(10:02):
share information about thispodcast and me and how I connect
with people.
So title stays the same.
We're going to keep doing whatwe're doing, however, still
going to keep the cadence atonce a week.
So I drop episodes everyTuesday at 3 am Eastern and I
may, from time to time, drop abonus episode or a special
(10:25):
episode or series, becausethat's something I specifically
want to do, right?
That's something that isimportant for me, that I want to
be able to share with you.
Great example of that if you goback into the library.
Episodes 110 through 119, it'san entire arc on interview
preparation that I did in seasontwo of the podcast and season
(10:48):
two, maybe season three.
It all kind of gels togetherright.
But I did some very short miniepisodes under 10 minutes.
I had some amazing guests thatwere there and that series still
continues to do well.
I think about refreshing it anddoing another one, so we'll see
.
But my goal for you is to keepthese episodes digestible.
(11:12):
The feedback I got wasoverwhelmingly positive.
That interview conversationsaround 30 minutes and solo
episodes around 15 to 20 minutesis ideal for you as a listener
base.
So I'm going to continue tokeep that.
I also am going to continuedoing this podcast.
I have no reason or intentionto stop it at any time soon.
(11:37):
That is one of the ways I showup and serve for you.
I come from this place of valueand service on this podcast.
But there is one big change andI will tell you I wrestled with
this.
This one was a little hard butafter much research and
(11:59):
conversations and reflection Iam going to be scaling back on.
The number of guests on thispodcast has been part of my
marketing strategy for the lastfew years that I would showcase
(12:20):
two or three guests per monthand I got into a rhythm of
having guests on the show andthat becomes another component I
have to juggle.
So we have to juggle theirschedules, we have to find time
to record and sometimes theyneed to cancel or I need to
cancel, and it is an extra layerof work in that.
(12:42):
The other thing is, I getsolicited a lot by podcast
booking agents and other experts, if you will, who want to come
on the show and they're like hey, I'd love to have so-and-so on
your podcast and everything.
I don't pay my guests, theydon't pay me.
(13:03):
It is solely an exchange ofvalue in terms of the
conversation and in a perfectworld, they will help share the
podcast as well.
Sometimes they do, sometimesthey don't.
All that being said, I stillhave a few guest episodes in the
can that I will be releasing asscheduled, but toward the end
(13:27):
of the summer I am going to beone focusing on pretty much one
guest episode a month and twobringing you stories from people
who really are going to digmore deeply into their career
journey and why they love thecareer that they have so many of
(13:51):
you have shared with me thatyou enjoy the stories and the
inspiration, but I have feltlike the guest episodes have
become a little more tactical interms of providing some tips
and strategies and things.
And yes, that'll still happen,but I want to get back to being
a storyteller.
I want to get back to reallyhelping people tell their part
(14:14):
of that story.
So, in terms of a balance and acadence and a structure, for
now, I'm going to be cuttingback on the number of guest
episodes.
Before I move on, I just wantto share this.
I went back through the library.
I have interviewed over 100people on this podcast.
(14:36):
I want to thank you for sharingyour story, your expertise.
Some of you have been on morethan once, and you have been a
huge part of me, helping tobuild my network.
I am so grateful you are a partof it.
I look forward to staying intouch and seeing you on LinkedIn
and social media and seeingwhere your business and career
(14:57):
and everything is progressing.
So thank you for being a partof 300 episodes as well.
The other change to talk about,though, is what's happening in
the job market.
This podcast began in 2021,almost a year after the COVID-19
pandemic started, and while thepodcast has focused on
(15:18):
navigating job changes becausethe world had shut down and
people were looking to get backto work.
It was a scary time back then.
It's a scary time right now.
So many things are happeningand, depending upon which job
report you read, which industryyou're in, your industry may be
(15:40):
thriving or barely surviving.
You might hear that there'splenty of jobs out there, and
other times you hear that theyaren't.
Who's in your circle?
Who are you talking to?
How are they doing in terms offinding a new job, let alone
simply getting an interview?
How are they navigating all ofthe changes that are happening
(16:01):
with AI and how it's impactingthe job search process, let
alone getting your resume orapplication in front of the
right people?
And what we also need toacknowledge here, regardless of
which side of the aisle you areon, what is happening in the
federal government, especiallywith the federal workforce, is
(16:22):
changing daily, and corporate isfollowing.
Nonprofits are being impactedin different ways than we've
seen before.
I'm not trying to create acatastrophic mindset here or
anything, because it's notcatastrophic in that regard, but
(16:44):
it is challenging.
There are people out there youmay be one of them that hasn't
landed an interview in six, nineor 12 months and you're sitting
there wondering my bank accountis draining.
I'm trying to figure out whatto do differently and I'm
frustrated and upset and angry.
I get that.
(17:05):
What's going to happen with allthe tariff situation?
How is that going to impactyour company's budget, your
company's sales and revenue andbottom line?
How is AI directly impactingthe work you do?
Are you looking five years fromnow and wondering whether or
not your role is going to beautomated and, essentially, ai
(17:28):
will take it over?
I believe AI is a powerful tooland I know it's not going away.
I believe there is a way toleverage AI very strategically
in our careers and as we'renavigating towards something
else.
But people still need people.
People need to be able to notrely on an AI tool such as
(17:53):
ChatGPT, for example, and thinkit's the be-all and end-all to
give you all the answers.
It's not.
It's a tool.
It's a pretty amazing tool atthat.
But these are the things whyconnection is so important.
It's why, earlier this year, asa byproduct of this whole
mid-career GPS idea, is that Icreated a membership community
(18:18):
and it's for people to come andget information but, more
importantly, to connect and talkwith each other, talk with me
about what's going on in theircareer and what that all means
for them.
If you want to learn more, it'son my website, johnnarrellcom.
Forward slash membership.
But these are all the thingsthat are offshoots of the
podcast.
Well, here we are in June of2025.
(18:43):
And it goes without saying thatthere probably were some things
on your bingo card you didn'tsee or expect were going to
happen by now, and there'sprobably a few things that will
find their way under your bingocard later on in the year.
This year has been a lesson innavigating change and dealing
with change in ways many peopledidn't think would either happen
(19:07):
or happen to them.
As I talk to my colleagues andfriends in this space and we
talk about what's happening, thebiggest thing I will offer you
right now is something I havealways said from day one you are
(19:28):
100% responsible for yourcareer.
If you don't like where you are, change it.
If you're afraid of losing yourjob, fix it.
If you want to lead moreimpactfully or increase your
visibility, find ways to makethat happen.
If you are 100% responsible foryour career, then you are the
(19:52):
one who knows to make the bestdecisions for you.
I can never tell you what youshould or shouldn't do.
It's not my role, it's not myplace and I certainly wouldn't
appreciate it if you bopped inunsolicited and were like hey,
john, here's how I think youshould run your business.
I didn't ask for it.
You're coming to this podcastto listen and I feel like that's
(20:13):
an invitation.
I know that's an invitationbecause you're welcoming me in,
but anytime you could turn offthe podcast right now and go
listen to something else.
I get that this year has been atremendous amount of change and,
as somebody who has navigatedthrough budget cuts and
restructurings andreorganizations, they are not
(20:36):
fun and they are super stressful.
They are super stressfulwhether you keep your job or you
are let go.
Nobody wants to wake up in themorning and be fearful that
they're going to lose theirtheir job.
Unemployment is not fun.
Unemployment is not a vacation,because, even if you have a
(21:00):
wealth of financial resourcesset aside and you're fortunate
enough to take a break forhowever long of a time it is,
unless you are replacing thatmoney in some way, that money
gets depleted and eventually youwill sit there and go.
I need to get back to work.
I need to get back to work.
How am I going to be able to dothat?
(21:20):
That's why change at mid-careeris so hard, because for so many
of us right and I say usbecause I remember my mid-career
days fondly and I never wantpeople to struggle so much
through navigating theirmid-career but part of the thing
(21:40):
at mid-career is you may bethinking that you feel like you
have to have everything figuredout and you don't.
You're not supposed to.
Everything isn't supposed to beperfect at mid-career, because
things happen, circumstanceshappen, some of them are outside
of your control, but you willalways be 100% responsible for
(22:02):
your career.
Right now in this job market,people are less likely to make a
bold move in their career, andI get that to make a bold move
in their career, and I get that.
Whatever reservations you mayhave about the economy,
corporate climate, your jobsecurity, there is no question
(22:25):
that there are someunderstandable benefits to
investing in the job and careerthat you have.
The saying it's so much easierto find a job when you have one
yeah, it's still true.
It's not impossible to findfind a job when you have one.
Yeah, it's still true.
It's not impossible to find anew job when you don't have one,
but yeah, it is a little biteasier.
But if you're listening to meright now and you're currently
(22:46):
unemployed, it's not a deathsentence, it's a circumstance.
It's something that happens andyou will find a new job and you
will continue to pursue yourcareer sooner rather than later.
But if you're going to take timeto invest in the job and the
(23:07):
career you have, let's just takea moment and look at your
career goals.
Where are you going?
What does staying in yourcurrent job do for you right now
and how does it benefit you inthe long term?
What are the skills you get togain on this job that set you up
for what's next?
If you're at the manager leveland you want to be a senior
(23:31):
manager, or if you're a seniordirector and you want to be a
vice president, or if you're asenior director and you want to
be a vice president, what do youhave to do to get there?
What do you get to learn rightnow in your current role to set
you up for that success, whetherit's inside your current
organization or outside of it,my friends, I want to offer you
(23:51):
survive and thrive where you canright now in this job market,
find opportunities and takeadvantage of whatever you
possibly can to benefit thegrowth of your career and where
it's headed.
If you are between the ages of35 and 50, the likelihood is you
(24:14):
probably have at least one morejob move in your future.
You will probably go work for adifferent employer before you
actually retire Maybe severalmoves, who knows?
What does moving forwardactually look like for you?
Does moving forward actuallylook like for you?
(24:37):
That's why building amid-career GPS is so important,
because you are constantlythinking about what's coming up,
what's going to be next for you.
More than ever in this jobmarket, I see time and time
again that mid-careerprofessionals fear being stuck.
They don't want to settle andthe last thing they want to do
(24:58):
is make a mistake.
Let me say that again In thisjob market, more so than ever,
mid-career professionals fearbeing stuck, don't want to
settle and they don't want tomake a mistake.
You can put a lot of pressureon yourself, thinking you've got
(25:22):
to be perfect.
Mid-career is not perfect.
Life is not perfect.
Someday I will go back into thevault and share a few other
stories with you about my ownscrew-ups professionally.
They've happened, but you learnfrom them, you deal with them.
You move on, but you learn fromthem, you deal with them, you
(25:43):
move on right.
If you are desiring more, if youwant more impact, more
opportunities, more visibility,more leadership, more
compensation, more confidence,all of that happens when you
have more clarity, more clarityabout where you are going.
(26:04):
That is a powerful thing.
When it comes to the coachingrelationship, I have seen my
coaching practice still stay inthis idea about here's how we're
going to help you find a newjob.
But so much of what I coach myclients on is how they can get
more, how they can get moresatisfaction, more impact, more
(26:26):
clarity, more communication, abetter relationship with their
management, their leadership somuch Oftentimes we think we
can't have more.
More means that we're beinggreedy.
I don't believe that.
Greed is one thing.
Wanting something more tobetter yourself or make a better
(26:48):
impact is something totallydifferent.
That's where, when you makethese moves at mid-career, it
sets you up for so much of yourcareer moving forward, and you
know I'm here to help you withthat, whether it's by listening
to this podcast.
Come into my free emailcommunity.
You hire me as your coach.
(27:09):
You come into the membershipcommunity.
Whatever it is, I am here foryou to support you in whatever
you need, and if now is theright time for you to consider
hiring me as a coach orinterested in hiring me as your
coach, we need to talk right.
Reach out to me.
You can email me at john atjohnnerrellcom.
(27:30):
Let's start a conversation, allright, so don't forget to
celebrate these 300 episodes.
I've got this brand new leadmagnet.
You can find it on my websiteat johnnerrellcom forward slash
resources and when you downloadthat lead magnet with these 10
episodes from the podcast, youare going to be invited to a
(27:52):
free webinar on Wednesday, june25th at 7 pm Eastern on Zoom.
Love to see you there.
Love to see you there.
But now I'm going to ask you forsomething very specific,
because I need your help, myfriends.
300 episodes is truly amilestone, but I want more reach
, I want more impact.
(28:13):
I want more people being awareof this podcast, and here's how
you can help me.
If you would be so kind, takethe link to this episode in
whatever platform where you'relistening and text it or email
it to three of your friends andsay hey, love this podcast.
(28:35):
Do me a favor, click the linkto follow or subscribe and start
listening If you have afavorite episode of mine that
you've enjoyed, send that tothem.
Hey, you need to check out thispodcast.
Give it a listen, follow orsubscribe wherever you listen.
A little over a year ago, applePodcasts changed the algorithm
(28:57):
for how podcasts were beingdistributed and how they were
being sent out.
Really kind of messed things upa little bit, in my opinion.
My numbers got all wanky, so,in that regard, it was a little
frustrating to see my weekly andmy monthly downloads drop.
But again, I still have ways tomeasure the impact of this
(29:22):
podcast.
But, more than ever, organicreach is important, so that's
why I'm asking if you could justhelp spread the word.
This would be so grateful.
Right, take a post that I do onLinkedIn and share it to your
network, or, if it's onInstagram at JohnNarrowCoaching,
(29:42):
send that.
That would be really, reallyhelpful.
I would truly, truly appreciateit.
If you want to tag me onFacebook or Instagram, it's at
JohnNarrowCoaching.
If we're on LinkedIn, it's justmy name it's John Narrow.
Okay, all right.
So, with a heart full oftremendous gratitude, I want to
(30:05):
thank you, whether this is yourfirst episode or you've been
here for all 300,.
Thank you for being a part ofthis.
I never thought I would enjoypodcasting so much, but it's
because of you and your feedbackand your support.
I truly appreciate it.
So one more time, for the 300thtime, my friends, remember this
(30:27):
you will build your mid-careerGPS one mile or one step at a
time, and how you show upmatters.
Make it a great rest of yourday.
I'll see you next week forepisode 301.
Take care, make it a great restof your day.
I'll see you next week forepisode 301.
Take care.
Thank you for listening to theMid-Career GPS podcast.
(30:48):
Make sure to follow on yourfavorite listening platform and,
if you have a moment, I'd loveto hear your comments on Apple
podcasts.
Visit johnnerrellcom for moreinformation about how I can help
you build your mid-career GPS,or how I can help you and your
organization-career GPS, or howI 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
(31:10):
social at John Darrell Coaching.
I look forward to being backwith you next week.
Until then, take care andremember how we show up matters.
Thank you.
Today is a milestone and I'm honored to share this
with you.
This is the 300th episode ofthe Mid-Career GPS podcast.
I could not have done thiswithout you and I'm taking some
time in this episode to sharesome big news with you about the
podcast, peel back the curtainon a few things and reflect on
(00:21):
how this job market has changedover the last five years and
what you need to know movingforward.
So, for the 300th time, let'sget started.
Hello, my friends, this is theMid-Career GPS Podcast and I'm
(00:44):
your host, John Neral.
I help mid-career professionalslike you find a career they
love, or love the career theyhave, using my proven four-step
formula.
Did you happen to noticesomething a little bit different
about that intro?
Yeah, I changed it just alittle bit.
See, moving forward, thispodcast is going to be focused
(01:04):
more specifically on findingthat career you truly love.
Look, there's nothing wrongwith finding a job you love, but
finding a job can feel verytransactional and understanding
what's going on in this jobmarket right now.
And moving forward, I'mshifting this conversation
(01:24):
around more career centeredtopics that are focused
specifically for you as amid-career professional.
I'll talk a little bit more andback it up with some small
little pieces of data to helpshare how I came up with that
decision.
But I want you to know rightoff the bat that this mid-career
journey, more than ever, isdynamic and needs to be creative
(01:49):
.
Now, to help celebrate this300th episode, I'm doing
something very, very special forall of you.
All right, first of all, I'vecreated a brand new resource it
is called 10 Must ListenEpisodes to Help you Navigate
what's Next, celebrating 300episodes of clarity, confidence
(02:14):
and career direction.
I went through my entirelibrary and I picked 10 episodes
that I believe every mid-careerprofessional not only needs to
listen to right now but willabsolutely benefit from, and if
you've been listening for awhile, you've probably heard
these episodes before.
But here's where this leadmagnet, or this resource, is
(02:37):
even more important.
I'm gonna be hosting a freecall Think of it as an open
office hour webinar meeting,whatever you want to call it on
Wednesday, june 25th, at 7 pmEastern on Zoom, and together
we're going to celebrate 300episodes of the Mid-Career GPS
(02:58):
podcast.
You have to download thisresource in order to get the
invite to the webinar, but onthis webinar I'm going to be
available for you to answerquestions you have about your
career path, answer somequestions that you may have
about the podcast in general oranything.
It is my opportunity to bethere for you, live on Zoom, for
(03:21):
us to celebrate these 300episodes and what we've got
moving forward.
So if you want to be a part ofthe Zoom and you want to go
ahead and download that brandnew resource, all you got to do
is go to my website, go tojohnnerrellcom, forward, slash
resources and get it today.
So come out and celebrate withus.
Bring your questions.
Okay.
So here we are.
(03:44):
We got to 300 episodes and I wasshocked to learn that, out of
the over four and a half millionpodcasts that are out there,
only 2.6% of us reach themilestone of 300 episodes.
That's a big deal, but when Istarted this podcast and this
(04:09):
was the second podcast I've hadmy first podcast was called Show
Up 2020, and it was recordedduring the pandemic.
It was about meeting people andtalking to them about how they
were showing up during a time wehad never really experienced
before.
I often said it was abouttalking to great people doing
(04:30):
extraordinary things during thepandemic, but last week, when I
sent out my weekly email to myfree email community, someone
responded and I'm not going toshare their name for the sake of
one.
I don't know if they want to bementioned or not and I didn't
(04:52):
ask them before I sat down torecord this episode, but if
they're listening they're goingto know it's them.
But here's what they wrote.
I just appreciate your sincereand honest tone throughout
everything you produce.
You have a wonderful way ofencouraging your audience as
well as delivering a few toughlove moments as well.
(05:14):
I went through a major jobsearch last year and found a new
role in February, and I amconvinced that your work helped
me in my interview process,especially the part about
knowing your story.
It gave me a helpful frameworkfor practicing before my
interviews.
So to who sent that do and Ithank you for that.
(05:51):
This podcast is not easy as asolopreneur and somebody who
does everything, so please knowI do not have a team that works
for me.
It is me myself and I, so Iserve my private clients, I
serve my membership communitypeople and I do this podcast and
I send out a weekly email to myfree email community twice a
(06:13):
week and for someone who startedoff his career as a middle
school mathematics teacher, thewhole idea about learning how to
record and edit and write shownotes and optimize and market
this podcast and everything.
That was never in the plan, butI am so glad that it is.
I started this particularpodcast because I wanted to put
(06:37):
information out there for peoplewho simply needed it.
The goal was to never become atop-ranked podcast.
It was never about generating aton of money from the podcast
or anything like that.
It was about feeding people.
It was about feeding peoplewith relevant information to
help them navigate one of themost dynamic, tumultuous,
(07:03):
stressful times in their career,because mid-career bridges that
excitement that you have whenyou're first starting out and it
bridges what ultimately willbecome that path to retirement
for you.
So when I was thinking aboutwhere this podcast was headed
and some potential changes to it, I turned to the group that I
(07:27):
knew would help me, and that wasmy email community.
So a few weeks back, I sentthem a survey and asked them if
they would kindly take some timeto fill it out, and I asked
them a series of questions aboutwhat they liked about the
podcast and what they would seemoving forward.
So for all of you who filledout the survey, thank you If you
(07:51):
want to get on my email listagain.
You go to my website,johnnerrellcom.
Forward slash resources.
You can download any of my freeresources that are there or you
can purchase some of the lowticket offers that are there and
you come right on into my emailcommunity.
But your feedback was sohelpful and it gave me some
things to not only consider butto reconsider about where this
(08:14):
podcast is headed Moving forward.
There absolutely needs to be acomponent to this podcast that
at times will talk about jobsearch and very tactical tips
with things related to yourresume, your LinkedIn, how
you're networking, how you'reinterviewing, because that is a
(08:36):
pivotal part and a vital part offinding that career you're
going to love.
So we will absolutely continueto talk about those job search
tips and those tactical tips.
I will tell you that I didconsider changing the title of
the podcast.
Now I have looked at apotential title change.
(08:58):
I've looked at a brandingchange and while there were some
really good suggestions change,and while there were some
really good suggestions, theoverwhelming component of the
survey results were keep thename the same.
It's your brand.
It highlights mid-career.
We know that this podcast isnot specific for students who
(09:20):
are just graduating from collegeor university or students who
are just graduating from collegeor university.
They're also typically nottopics related to retirement,
okay, so I'm keeping the namethe same, all right.
That doesn't mean I may notchange it down the road I don't
know.
But mid-career is the biggestand most popular search term
(09:41):
from an organic reach standpointand that is the key popular
search term from an organicreach standpoint, and that is
the key.
So over the course of fiveyears, I have only spent $70 in
specifically advertising of thepodcast, and you know what it
got me?
It got me nothing.
So all of this has been organic.
All of this has been organicbecause of how you support and
(10:02):
share information about thispodcast and me and how I connect
with people.
So title stays the same.
We're going to keep doing whatwe're doing, however, still
going to keep the cadence atonce a week.
So I drop episodes everyTuesday at 3 am Eastern and I
may, from time to time, drop abonus episode or a special
(10:25):
episode or series, becausethat's something I specifically
want to do, right?
That's something that isimportant for me, that I want to
be able to share with you.
Great example of that if you goback into the library.
Episodes 110 through 119, it'san entire arc on interview
preparation that I did in seasontwo of the podcast and season
(10:48):
two, maybe season three.
It all kind of gels togetherright.
But I did some very short miniepisodes under 10 minutes.
I had some amazing guests thatwere there and that series still
continues to do well.
I think about refreshing it anddoing another one, so we'll see
.
But my goal for you is to keepthese episodes digestible.
(11:12):
The feedback I got wasoverwhelmingly positive.
That interview conversationsaround 30 minutes and solo
episodes around 15 to 20 minutesis ideal for you as a listener
base.
So I'm going to continue tokeep that.
I also am going to continuedoing this podcast.
I have no reason or intentionto stop it at any time soon.
(11:37):
That is one of the ways I showup and serve for you.
I come from this place of valueand service on this podcast.
But there is one big change andI will tell you I wrestled with
this.
This one was a little hard butafter much research and
(11:59):
conversations and reflection Iam going to be scaling back on.
The number of guests on thispodcast has been part of my
marketing strategy for the lastfew years that I would showcase
(12:20):
two or three guests per monthand I got into a rhythm of
having guests on the show andthat becomes another component I
have to juggle.
So we have to juggle theirschedules, we have to find time
to record and sometimes theyneed to cancel or I need to
cancel, and it is an extra layerof work in that.
(12:42):
The other thing is, I getsolicited a lot by podcast
booking agents and other experts, if you will, who want to come
on the show and they're like hey, I'd love to have so-and-so on
your podcast and everything.
I don't pay my guests, theydon't pay me.
(13:03):
It is solely an exchange ofvalue in terms of the
conversation and in a perfectworld, they will help share the
podcast as well.
Sometimes they do, sometimesthey don't.
All that being said, I stillhave a few guest episodes in the
can that I will be releasing asscheduled, but toward the end
(13:27):
of the summer I am going to beone focusing on pretty much one
guest episode a month and twobringing you stories from people
who really are going to digmore deeply into their career
journey and why they love thecareer that they have so many of
(13:51):
you have shared with me thatyou enjoy the stories and the
inspiration, but I have feltlike the guest episodes have
become a little more tactical interms of providing some tips
and strategies and things.
And yes, that'll still happen,but I want to get back to being
a storyteller.
I want to get back to reallyhelping people tell their part
(14:14):
of that story.
So, in terms of a balance and acadence and a structure, for
now, I'm going to be cuttingback on the number of guest
episodes.
Before I move on, I just wantto share this.
I went back through the library.
I have interviewed over 100people on this podcast.
(14:36):
I want to thank you for sharingyour story, your expertise.
Some of you have been on morethan once, and you have been a
huge part of me, helping tobuild my network.
I am so grateful you are a partof it.
I look forward to staying intouch and seeing you on LinkedIn
and social media and seeingwhere your business and career
(14:57):
and everything is progressing.
So thank you for being a partof 300 episodes as well.
The other change to talk about,though, is what's happening in
the job market.
This podcast began in 2021,almost a year after the COVID-19
pandemic started, and while thepodcast has focused on
(15:18):
navigating job changes becausethe world had shut down and
people were looking to get backto work.
It was a scary time back then.
It's a scary time right now.
So many things are happeningand, depending upon which job
report you read, which industryyou're in, your industry may be
(15:40):
thriving or barely surviving.
You might hear that there'splenty of jobs out there, and
other times you hear that theyaren't.
Who's in your circle?
Who are you talking to?
How are they doing in terms offinding a new job, let alone
simply getting an interview?
How are they navigating all ofthe changes that are happening
(16:01):
with AI and how it's impactingthe job search process, let
alone getting your resume orapplication in front of the
right people?
And what we also need toacknowledge here, regardless of
which side of the aisle you areon, what is happening in the
federal government, especiallywith the federal workforce, is
(16:22):
changing daily, and corporate isfollowing.
Nonprofits are being impactedin different ways than we've
seen before.
I'm not trying to create acatastrophic mindset here or
anything, because it's notcatastrophic in that regard, but
(16:44):
it is challenging.
There are people out there youmay be one of them that hasn't
landed an interview in six, nineor 12 months and you're sitting
there wondering my bank accountis draining.
I'm trying to figure out whatto do differently and I'm
frustrated and upset and angry.
I get that.
(17:05):
What's going to happen with allthe tariff situation?
How is that going to impactyour company's budget, your
company's sales and revenue andbottom line?
How is AI directly impactingthe work you do?
Are you looking five years fromnow and wondering whether or
not your role is going to beautomated and, essentially, ai
(17:28):
will take it over?
I believe AI is a powerful tooland I know it's not going away.
I believe there is a way toleverage AI very strategically
in our careers and as we'renavigating towards something
else.
But people still need people.
People need to be able to notrely on an AI tool such as
(17:53):
ChatGPT, for example, and thinkit's the be-all and end-all to
give you all the answers.
It's not.
It's a tool.
It's a pretty amazing tool atthat.
But these are the things whyconnection is so important.
It's why, earlier this year, asa byproduct of this whole
mid-career GPS idea, is that Icreated a membership community
(18:18):
and it's for people to come andget information but, more
importantly, to connect and talkwith each other, talk with me
about what's going on in theircareer and what that all means
for them.
If you want to learn more, it'son my website, johnnarrellcom.
Forward slash membership.
But these are all the thingsthat are offshoots of the
podcast.
Well, here we are in June of2025.
(18:43):
And it goes without saying thatthere probably were some things
on your bingo card you didn'tsee or expect were going to
happen by now, and there'sprobably a few things that will
find their way under your bingocard later on in the year.
This year has been a lesson innavigating change and dealing
with change in ways many peopledidn't think would either happen
(19:07):
or happen to them.
As I talk to my colleagues andfriends in this space and we
talk about what's happening, thebiggest thing I will offer you
right now is something I havealways said from day one you are
(19:28):
100% responsible for yourcareer.
If you don't like where you are, change it.
If you're afraid of losing yourjob, fix it.
If you want to lead moreimpactfully or increase your
visibility, find ways to makethat happen.
If you are 100% responsible foryour career, then you are the
(19:52):
one who knows to make the bestdecisions for you.
I can never tell you what youshould or shouldn't do.
It's not my role, it's not myplace and I certainly wouldn't
appreciate it if you bopped inunsolicited and were like hey,
john, here's how I think youshould run your business.
I didn't ask for it.
You're coming to this podcastto listen and I feel like that's
(20:13):
an invitation.
I know that's an invitationbecause you're welcoming me in,
but anytime you could turn offthe podcast right now and go
listen to something else.
I get that this year has been atremendous amount of change and,
as somebody who has navigatedthrough budget cuts and
restructurings andreorganizations, they are not
(20:36):
fun and they are super stressful.
They are super stressfulwhether you keep your job or you
are let go.
Nobody wants to wake up in themorning and be fearful that
they're going to lose theirtheir job.
Unemployment is not fun.
Unemployment is not a vacation,because, even if you have a
(21:00):
wealth of financial resourcesset aside and you're fortunate
enough to take a break forhowever long of a time it is,
unless you are replacing thatmoney in some way, that money
gets depleted and eventually youwill sit there and go.
I need to get back to work.
I need to get back to work.
How am I going to be able to dothat?
(21:20):
That's why change at mid-careeris so hard, because for so many
of us right and I say usbecause I remember my mid-career
days fondly and I never wantpeople to struggle so much
through navigating theirmid-career but part of the thing
(21:40):
at mid-career is you may bethinking that you feel like you
have to have everything figuredout and you don't.
You're not supposed to.
Everything isn't supposed to beperfect at mid-career, because
things happen, circumstanceshappen, some of them are outside
of your control, but you willalways be 100% responsible for
(22:02):
your career.
Right now in this job market,people are less likely to make a
bold move in their career, andI get that to make a bold move
in their career, and I get that.
Whatever reservations you mayhave about the economy,
corporate climate, your jobsecurity, there is no question
(22:25):
that there are someunderstandable benefits to
investing in the job and careerthat you have.
The saying it's so much easierto find a job when you have one
yeah, it's still true.
It's not impossible to findfind a job when you have one.
Yeah, it's still true.
It's not impossible to find anew job when you don't have one,
but yeah, it is a little biteasier.
But if you're listening to meright now and you're currently
(22:46):
unemployed, it's not a deathsentence, it's a circumstance.
It's something that happens andyou will find a new job and you
will continue to pursue yourcareer sooner rather than later.
But if you're going to take timeto invest in the job and the
(23:07):
career you have, let's just takea moment and look at your
career goals.
Where are you going?
What does staying in yourcurrent job do for you right now
and how does it benefit you inthe long term?
What are the skills you get togain on this job that set you up
for what's next?
If you're at the manager leveland you want to be a senior
(23:31):
manager, or if you're a seniordirector and you want to be a
vice president, or if you're asenior director and you want to
be a vice president, what do youhave to do to get there?
What do you get to learn rightnow in your current role to set
you up for that success, whetherit's inside your current
organization or outside of it,my friends, I want to offer you
(23:51):
survive and thrive where you canright now in this job market,
find opportunities and takeadvantage of whatever you
possibly can to benefit thegrowth of your career and where
it's headed.
If you are between the ages of35 and 50, the likelihood is you
(24:14):
probably have at least one morejob move in your future.
You will probably go work for adifferent employer before you
actually retire Maybe severalmoves, who knows?
What does moving forwardactually look like for you?
Does moving forward actuallylook like for you?
(24:37):
That's why building amid-career GPS is so important,
because you are constantlythinking about what's coming up,
what's going to be next for you.
More than ever in this jobmarket, I see time and time
again that mid-careerprofessionals fear being stuck.
They don't want to settle andthe last thing they want to do
(24:58):
is make a mistake.
Let me say that again In thisjob market, more so than ever,
mid-career professionals fearbeing stuck, don't want to
settle and they don't want tomake a mistake.
You can put a lot of pressureon yourself, thinking you've got
(25:22):
to be perfect.
Mid-career is not perfect.
Life is not perfect.
Someday I will go back into thevault and share a few other
stories with you about my ownscrew-ups professionally.
They've happened, but you learnfrom them, you deal with them.
You move on, but you learn fromthem, you deal with them, you
(25:43):
move on right.
If you are desiring more, if youwant more impact, more
opportunities, more visibility,more leadership, more
compensation, more confidence,all of that happens when you
have more clarity, more clarityabout where you are going.
(26:04):
That is a powerful thing.
When it comes to the coachingrelationship, I have seen my
coaching practice still stay inthis idea about here's how we're
going to help you find a newjob.
But so much of what I coach myclients on is how they can get
more, how they can get moresatisfaction, more impact, more
(26:26):
clarity, more communication, abetter relationship with their
management, their leadership somuch Oftentimes we think we
can't have more.
More means that we're beinggreedy.
I don't believe that.
Greed is one thing.
Wanting something more tobetter yourself or make a better
(26:48):
impact is something totallydifferent.
That's where, when you makethese moves at mid-career, it
sets you up for so much of yourcareer moving forward, and you
know I'm here to help you withthat, whether it's by listening
to this podcast.
Come into my free emailcommunity.
You hire me as your coach.
(27:09):
You come into the membershipcommunity.
Whatever it is, I am here foryou to support you in whatever
you need, and if now is theright time for you to consider
hiring me as a coach orinterested in hiring me as your
coach, we need to talk right.
Reach out to me.
You can email me at john atjohnnerrellcom.
(27:30):
Let's start a conversation, allright, so don't forget to
celebrate these 300 episodes.
I've got this brand new leadmagnet.
You can find it on my websiteat johnnerrellcom forward slash
resources and when you downloadthat lead magnet with these 10
episodes from the podcast, youare going to be invited to a
(27:52):
free webinar on Wednesday, june25th at 7 pm Eastern on Zoom.
Love to see you there.
Love to see you there.
But now I'm going to ask you forsomething very specific,
because I need your help, myfriends.
300 episodes is truly amilestone, but I want more reach
, I want more impact.
(28:13):
I want more people being awareof this podcast, and here's how
you can help me.
If you would be so kind, takethe link to this episode in
whatever platform where you'relistening and text it or email
it to three of your friends andsay hey, love this podcast.
(28:35):
Do me a favor, click the linkto follow or subscribe and start
listening If you have afavorite episode of mine that
you've enjoyed, send that tothem.
Hey, you need to check out thispodcast.
Give it a listen, follow orsubscribe wherever you listen.
A little over a year ago, applePodcasts changed the algorithm
(28:57):
for how podcasts were beingdistributed and how they were
being sent out.
Really kind of messed things upa little bit, in my opinion.
My numbers got all wanky, so,in that regard, it was a little
frustrating to see my weekly andmy monthly downloads drop.
But again, I still have ways tomeasure the impact of this
(29:22):
podcast.
But, more than ever, organicreach is important, so that's
why I'm asking if you could justhelp spread the word.
This would be so grateful.
Right, take a post that I do onLinkedIn and share it to your
network, or, if it's onInstagram at JohnNarrowCoaching,
(29:42):
send that.
That would be really, reallyhelpful.
I would truly, truly appreciateit.
If you want to tag me onFacebook or Instagram, it's at
JohnNarrowCoaching.
If we're on LinkedIn, it's justmy name it's John Narrow.
Okay, all right.
So, with a heart full oftremendous gratitude, I want to
(30:05):
thank you, whether this is yourfirst episode or you've been
here for all 300,.
Thank you for being a part ofthis.
I never thought I would enjoypodcasting so much, but it's
because of you and your feedbackand your support.
I truly appreciate it.
So one more time, for the 300thtime, my friends, remember this
(30:27):
you will build your mid-careerGPS one mile or one step at a
time, and how you show upmatters.
Make it a great rest of yourday.
I'll see you next week forepisode 301.
Take care, make it a great restof your day.
I'll see you next week forepisode 301.
Take care.
Thank you for listening to theMid-Career GPS podcast.
(30:48):
Make sure to follow on yourfavorite listening platform and,
if you have a moment, I'd loveto hear your comments on Apple
podcasts.
Visit johnnerrellcom for moreinformation about how I can help
you build your mid-career GPS,or how I can help you and your
organization-career GPS, or howI 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
(31:10):
social at John Darrell Coaching.
I look forward to being backwith you next week.
Until then, take care andremember how we show up matters.
Thank you.
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