WEBVTT 00:00:03.339 --> 00:00:05.759 What do you do when the career you've dedicated 00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:08.800 nearly three decades to no longer feels like 00:00:08.800 --> 00:00:12.500 home? After 29 years as a teacher, I found myself 00:00:12.500 --> 00:00:15.660 standing at a crossroads, grappling with fear, 00:00:16.079 --> 00:00:19.039 grief, and the undeniable pull towards something 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:22.899 new. I had the pension in sight, the job security, 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:26.839 the comfort of familiarity, but deep down I knew 00:00:26.839 --> 00:00:30.579 I was no longer aligned and I was exhausted. 00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:33.979 In today's episode of Life's Next Lesson Plan, 00:00:34.119 --> 00:00:36.560 I'm opening up about what it's really like to 00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:40.039 start over in your 50s. The doubts, the identity 00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:44.320 crisis, the freedom, and yes, the fire that comes 00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:47.340 with finally listening to your gut. If you've 00:00:47.340 --> 00:00:50.219 ever asked yourself, am I too old to make a change? 00:00:50.820 --> 00:00:53.299 Or what if I walk away from everything I've built? 00:00:53.899 --> 00:00:57.000 This episode is for you. I'll walk you through 00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:59.979 the emotional highs and lows of this midlife 00:00:59.979 --> 00:01:03.079 career transition. Share the breakthrough moments 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:06.120 that helped me reclaim my purpose and reveal 00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:10.340 what I'm doing next. You asked for it and it's 00:01:10.340 --> 00:01:14.480 here. Reinvention isn't just possible. It might 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:21.120 be your next calling too. So let's begin. Thank 00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:23.420 you for joining me for another episode of Life's 00:01:23.420 --> 00:01:26.099 Next Lesson Plan. I'm Rachel and I started this 00:01:26.099 --> 00:01:29.239 podcast during my 29th and last year as a high 00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:32.000 school teacher. The goal of my work with Life's 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:34.299 Next Lesson Plan as well as my Live and Learn 00:01:34.299 --> 00:01:37.219 Patreon is to create a connection where we are 00:01:37.219 --> 00:01:40.019 all teachers. We all have lessons and stories 00:01:40.019 --> 00:01:43.099 to share that can help others. I'm so fortunate 00:01:43.099 --> 00:01:45.700 to be able to extend the four walls of my previous 00:01:45.700 --> 00:01:49.500 classroom to an unlimited audience. where we 00:01:49.500 --> 00:01:51.799 can all learn from each other. And my guests 00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:54.500 are some of the most inspirational people, with 00:01:54.500 --> 00:01:57.319 the best stories and lessons I know, which is 00:01:57.319 --> 00:02:00.319 why I want to share them with you. Their words 00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:02.980 are something everyone should hear. It is my 00:02:02.980 --> 00:02:04.760 hope that you are able to take away something 00:02:04.760 --> 00:02:07.739 from each episode to apply to your own life, 00:02:08.120 --> 00:02:10.879 whether that be a career search, path to a more 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:14.539 fulfilling life, or new ideas on current topics. 00:02:15.860 --> 00:02:19.199 Hello, hello, hello. Today we're talking about 00:02:19.199 --> 00:02:22.759 what I'm actually going to be doing after an 00:02:22.759 --> 00:02:28.879 entire career of teaching. So I guess my intro 00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:31.919 is probably a little bit inaccurate if I'm being 00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:36.000 honest because it wasn't at my 29th year where 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:39.750 I felt like... needed a change. It was a few 00:02:39.750 --> 00:02:43.930 years leading up to that and if I'm gonna, you 00:02:43.930 --> 00:02:47.150 know, divulge exactly my journey today I would 00:02:47.150 --> 00:02:51.050 have to be honest and say that for years I had 00:02:51.050 --> 00:02:54.789 been exploring other potential avenues of what 00:02:54.789 --> 00:02:59.189 to do. Many of you know I dabbled in health coaching, 00:02:59.509 --> 00:03:01.909 not that that was ever my full -time plan, but 00:03:01.909 --> 00:03:05.270 maybe a part -time plan and I really, really 00:03:05.270 --> 00:03:10.129 enjoyed that. I actually also completed an online 00:03:10.129 --> 00:03:12.870 certification to become an instructional designer 00:03:12.870 --> 00:03:16.750 and did have quite a few interviews actually 00:03:16.750 --> 00:03:20.629 for a position in instructional design and I 00:03:20.629 --> 00:03:23.479 just... didn't love it. There were a lot of things 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:26.479 about it right up my alley and I think I was 00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:29.379 so focused on you know any career that could 00:03:29.379 --> 00:03:34.699 be remote and use my skills but it got really 00:03:34.699 --> 00:03:37.719 technical I think and while I'm not afraid of 00:03:37.719 --> 00:03:40.639 that it just wasn't exactly what I was looking 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:45.060 for. So unfortunately I did invest money in that 00:03:45.060 --> 00:03:48.740 path and did pursue it but knew that I would 00:03:48.740 --> 00:03:53.000 not be happy doing that. And I look back, I guess, 00:03:53.099 --> 00:03:55.620 with a little regret of maybe I should have taken 00:03:55.620 --> 00:03:59.719 a less expensive path to explore that. But it 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:02.439 is what it is. I mean, once I'm determined to 00:04:02.439 --> 00:04:07.060 try something, I do it. And then I've always 00:04:07.060 --> 00:04:11.460 had part -time jobs. I worked at CycleBar. I've 00:04:11.460 --> 00:04:14.460 worked at a kind of a big box outdoor retailer 00:04:14.460 --> 00:04:18.019 for quite a while and still you know I only have 00:04:18.019 --> 00:04:20.740 to work four hours a month to keep that position 00:04:20.740 --> 00:04:25.100 I did actually explore you know what if this 00:04:25.100 --> 00:04:28.899 were my only option what could you offer me and 00:04:28.899 --> 00:04:31.420 for years they were like the minute you're done 00:04:31.420 --> 00:04:33.899 teaching we have this for you you know you would 00:04:33.899 --> 00:04:39.339 have insurance and benefits and you know That 00:04:39.339 --> 00:04:42.420 having that and having those conversations, I'm 00:04:42.420 --> 00:04:46.680 going to be honest, was what helped me say, OK, 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:50.759 I have to make the decision. And I would have 00:04:50.759 --> 00:04:54.639 this if I absolutely needed it. It's not ideally 00:04:54.639 --> 00:04:59.759 what I want to do, but I could survive. And I 00:04:59.759 --> 00:05:02.800 knew that after years and years and years of 00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:05.839 applying to, you know, I applied to do social 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:09.819 media and content creation for businesses and, 00:05:09.819 --> 00:05:11.980 you know, interviewed and interviewed, I interviewed 00:05:11.980 --> 00:05:15.480 for actually the school district that I live 00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:18.860 in now, applied for communications coordinator 00:05:18.860 --> 00:05:23.379 position there and made it really far, but nothing 00:05:23.379 --> 00:05:27.019 was working. And it was... Making me realize 00:05:27.019 --> 00:05:29.339 after conversations with other people my age 00:05:29.339 --> 00:05:33.199 that like hey you're entering your 50s and a 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:36.040 you're expensive even though I was willing to 00:05:36.040 --> 00:05:41.160 you know make concessions with salary and Be 00:05:41.160 --> 00:05:44.220 you know, you're nearing retirement age. Although, 00:05:44.220 --> 00:05:47.300 you know, it's my hope to continue to work in 00:05:47.300 --> 00:05:50.589 some capacity. I've worked Almost every summer 00:05:50.589 --> 00:05:54.029 because I get bored. I shouldn't say I get bored 00:05:54.029 --> 00:05:56.910 I should say that me with a lot of unstructured 00:05:56.910 --> 00:06:01.050 time is just not good for a lot of reasons And 00:06:01.050 --> 00:06:04.129 so I always like to have at least something to 00:06:04.129 --> 00:06:07.449 do Or I didn't have too much unstructured time. 00:06:07.449 --> 00:06:13.290 So I will say 100 % that what finally helped 00:06:13.290 --> 00:06:17.839 me just make the decision, cut the cord was knowing 00:06:17.839 --> 00:06:20.879 that if nothing else worked out because I had 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:25.220 been applying so much that I would have that 00:06:25.220 --> 00:06:27.579 option at my part -time job to go full -time 00:06:27.579 --> 00:06:30.379 with benefits because I do carry the insurance 00:06:30.379 --> 00:06:35.220 for my daughter. I knew enough about myself that 00:06:35.220 --> 00:06:38.459 if my back were against the wall and I had no 00:06:38.459 --> 00:06:41.899 other option, I would dig in even harder, even 00:06:41.899 --> 00:06:43.879 though I felt like I was working pretty hard 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:49.959 to explore. So after many anguishing conversations 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:54.230 and communicating this, I knew I had to just 00:06:54.230 --> 00:06:56.889 make the decision and then it would force me 00:06:56.889 --> 00:06:59.949 to take action. So I guess this is just to say 00:06:59.949 --> 00:07:03.089 like you need to know yourself if you're feeling 00:07:03.089 --> 00:07:06.670 like a change is on the horizon for you. Like 00:07:06.670 --> 00:07:10.250 how do you plan to explore? What are you looking 00:07:10.250 --> 00:07:14.050 for? You know, there is just something about 00:07:14.050 --> 00:07:17.689 always having that comfort zone to fall back 00:07:17.689 --> 00:07:20.569 on. And I knew once I didn't have that, not that 00:07:20.569 --> 00:07:23.680 I couldn't, you know. Find many teaching jobs 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:26.860 now. It's becoming very obvious, but I knew I 00:07:26.860 --> 00:07:30.779 could not teach any longer I could But I would 00:07:30.779 --> 00:07:34.680 not be happy and I'm just tired. I'm just done 00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:38.399 and need a change So, you know, I have to be 00:07:38.399 --> 00:07:42.360 transparent about that now going on from there 00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:47.759 There were also years of internal struggle like 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:51.600 what are you doing? You know, you are so close 00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:54.399 to your your pension. You are leaving money on 00:07:54.399 --> 00:07:58.360 the table. A lot of second guessing myself. But 00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:01.540 when you know how you feel and you just feel 00:08:01.540 --> 00:08:07.259 like I cannot do this another year, I just that's 00:08:07.259 --> 00:08:12.339 how I felt. So, boom, made the decision. I think 00:08:12.339 --> 00:08:17.740 in late fall, you know. Definitely checked into 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:20.459 like how much notice do I need to give I really 00:08:20.459 --> 00:08:24.779 didn't have to give any But I knew in the position 00:08:24.779 --> 00:08:30.600 that I was in that I wanted I guess I'll just 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:33.320 say I wanted there to be a smooth transition 00:08:33.320 --> 00:08:38.179 because my publications program I've been doing 00:08:38.179 --> 00:08:43.299 for about 11 years and Holy cow the work and 00:08:43.299 --> 00:08:45.559 blood and sweat and tears that have has gone 00:08:45.559 --> 00:08:48.639 into building that program to what it is now 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:52.500 to just hand that off Once I found out there 00:08:52.500 --> 00:08:57.240 was nobody qualified to teach it Just to hand 00:08:57.240 --> 00:09:00.720 that off and leave the students Kind of in the 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:04.759 lurch. I just couldn't do that. I also made the 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:07.000 decision that I wanted to try podcasting because 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:11.129 why not and so The idea I had for my podcast 00:09:11.129 --> 00:09:13.450 was to talk about, obviously, other people who 00:09:13.450 --> 00:09:16.950 are feeling at a crossroads and talk about people's 00:09:16.950 --> 00:09:20.110 journeys in their careers. And I couldn't really 00:09:20.110 --> 00:09:23.669 do that and talk about leaving the classroom 00:09:23.669 --> 00:09:25.809 without people knowing I was leaving the classroom. 00:09:25.950 --> 00:09:28.789 So both of those reasons. Again, I've said it. 00:09:28.809 --> 00:09:31.529 I would have preferred to quit at the end of 00:09:31.529 --> 00:09:35.580 the school year in the summer. I don't. Even 00:09:35.580 --> 00:09:37.779 though I appreciate the parties and the celebrations, 00:09:37.860 --> 00:09:40.700 it makes me uncomfortable. I would have just 00:09:40.700 --> 00:09:44.940 preferred to go away quietly, but it was not 00:09:44.940 --> 00:09:47.700 the best choice for the situation that I'm in. 00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:53.220 So I'll just say that. And now, because a colleague 00:09:53.220 --> 00:09:56.559 of mine who I admire very much is taking over 00:09:56.559 --> 00:09:59.279 my program, it gives us the opportunity. I mean, 00:09:59.299 --> 00:10:03.300 this was actually something that I had. proposed 00:10:03.300 --> 00:10:06.659 to administration that I felt that the best person 00:10:06.659 --> 00:10:08.740 to take over the position was somebody already 00:10:08.740 --> 00:10:12.340 in the building who knew our school really well, 00:10:12.500 --> 00:10:14.940 someone who had really good connections, and 00:10:14.940 --> 00:10:16.879 someone who would be willing to work with me 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:21.730 through the transition. Knowing that this was 00:10:21.730 --> 00:10:25.070 the only person they had to take over, they graciously 00:10:25.070 --> 00:10:28.490 agreed and we have been working together and 00:10:28.490 --> 00:10:30.850 will continue to work together until she feels 00:10:30.850 --> 00:10:34.169 comfortable taking over the position. It is just 00:10:34.169 --> 00:10:38.409 so multifaceted and there is so much to it that 00:10:38.409 --> 00:10:42.490 is unlike anything else in the school that I'm 00:10:42.490 --> 00:10:45.509 happy that I made that decision. I think it was 00:10:45.509 --> 00:10:49.049 the right one. So again, for you, what does that 00:10:49.049 --> 00:10:52.039 look like. This was not my wish of how I wanted 00:10:52.039 --> 00:10:54.860 to do it but it also had the silver lining of 00:10:54.860 --> 00:10:58.059 me being able to do the podcast and talk about 00:10:58.059 --> 00:11:01.700 this and so in that way I think you know it worked 00:11:01.700 --> 00:11:04.639 out. I do think it's really important to talk 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:07.220 about all of the narratives that go through your 00:11:07.220 --> 00:11:10.289 head when making a decision like this. number 00:11:10.289 --> 00:11:13.169 one the fear of the unknown like will I find 00:11:13.169 --> 00:11:15.769 work that I love again because obviously it had 00:11:15.769 --> 00:11:20.769 an amazing career as a teacher and you know still 00:11:20.769 --> 00:11:24.690 I'm seeing the rewards of my hard work pay off 00:11:24.690 --> 00:11:27.269 in the kids and the opportunities that they're 00:11:27.269 --> 00:11:30.090 getting and you know got the best essays from 00:11:30.090 --> 00:11:32.309 the great cats be that I've ever received you 00:11:32.309 --> 00:11:34.850 know here at the end you know you kind of figure 00:11:34.850 --> 00:11:38.220 some things out at the end and you know still 00:11:38.220 --> 00:11:40.740 really proud of the work that I've done and I 00:11:40.740 --> 00:11:43.360 want to do something with purpose where I'll 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:46.100 get some of those feelings again. So that was 00:11:46.100 --> 00:11:49.039 scary and it makes you really picky. I've talked 00:11:49.039 --> 00:11:53.759 about ageism concerns. I mean, I don't feel like... 00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:56.259 I'm someone who should be using the word ageism 00:11:56.259 --> 00:11:59.440 because I feel young but it is starting over 00:11:59.440 --> 00:12:03.500 after 50 it is an actual concern and then let's 00:12:03.500 --> 00:12:07.220 just be honest there are huge financial implications 00:12:07.220 --> 00:12:12.500 for teachers many many many I'll say too many 00:12:12.500 --> 00:12:16.159 teachers stay in teaching too long or longer 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:20.139 than they would like to because of all the benefits 00:12:20.139 --> 00:12:23.269 of staying. And I guess, you know, there's a 00:12:23.269 --> 00:12:29.409 reason for that. It's a secure job. It has wonderful 00:12:29.409 --> 00:12:34.230 benefits and great options for pension and all 00:12:34.230 --> 00:12:37.509 of that. And that was a huge concern. And I could 00:12:37.509 --> 00:12:42.799 not have made this decision five years ago. There 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:44.980 are certain things in my personal life that had 00:12:44.980 --> 00:12:48.539 to line up with me feeling comfortable financially 00:12:48.539 --> 00:12:51.620 being able to do this. It's still terrifying. 00:12:53.779 --> 00:12:56.340 And then just what I talked about in my last 00:12:56.340 --> 00:13:00.759 solo episode 33 of the identity shift of if I'm 00:13:00.759 --> 00:13:04.889 not a teacher and you know, my daughter is leaving 00:13:04.889 --> 00:13:08.190 the nest, who am I? Right? Well, I'm still Rachel, 00:13:08.210 --> 00:13:10.710 right? And there's a lot to do with my identity. 00:13:10.789 --> 00:13:14.029 So I just want to be transparent about those 00:13:14.029 --> 00:13:18.269 are definitely challenges that I personally felt. 00:13:18.309 --> 00:13:20.929 And so as a result of that, I, you know, had 00:13:20.929 --> 00:13:25.470 to kind of have some mindset shifts and really 00:13:25.470 --> 00:13:29.309 be in tune with, you know, who I was. And, you 00:13:29.309 --> 00:13:32.009 know, experience that breakthrough of like, okay, 00:13:32.149 --> 00:13:35.539 I'm doing I have been talking about it and talking 00:13:35.539 --> 00:13:39.539 about it. I am going to do it. So one of the 00:13:39.539 --> 00:13:42.820 mindset shifts I had to have was just redefining 00:13:42.820 --> 00:13:47.120 what success in this chapter will be. And a lot 00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:49.419 of that, you know, has to do with how fulfilled 00:13:49.419 --> 00:13:51.840 you feel by your job. And even though teaching 00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:55.179 is... oh my gosh, one of the most difficult jobs 00:13:55.179 --> 00:13:59.039 I believe. It is also one of the most rewarding 00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:01.519 and fulfilling, right? So there's a double edged 00:14:01.519 --> 00:14:04.580 sword. And it is hard. I know people who are 00:14:04.580 --> 00:14:06.419 jealous of teachers, not that they would want 00:14:06.419 --> 00:14:09.519 to do their job, but just like, you have so much 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:12.419 purpose and you enact so much change, right? 00:14:12.600 --> 00:14:15.419 And shape people's lives. And that is really 00:14:15.419 --> 00:14:17.759 cool. I mean, I would not have some of the guests 00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:21.820 on my podcast here without teaching. So it is 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:25.720 definitely something I'm really proud of my legacy 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:28.559 and I'm really proud of the lives that I have 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:33.620 had the opportunity to influence. So that is 00:14:33.620 --> 00:14:37.500 hard to match. But I also know at this stage 00:14:37.500 --> 00:14:42.799 I've had that, right? And so my goal in seeking 00:14:42.799 --> 00:14:47.320 my next position was to take all of the skills 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:51.429 which You know, in the last 11 years have changed 00:14:51.429 --> 00:14:54.090 a lot. An English teacher is one thing, and there 00:14:54.090 --> 00:14:56.330 are certain skills that come with that. Being 00:14:56.330 --> 00:14:59.529 a journalism advisor is a whole other ball game. 00:14:59.710 --> 00:15:02.370 And I would not have felt comfortable podcasting 00:15:02.370 --> 00:15:04.649 if I didn't have the journalism skills that I 00:15:04.649 --> 00:15:08.570 have acquired in the last 11 years. So for me, 00:15:08.750 --> 00:15:12.129 more so, it was how could I provide value in 00:15:12.129 --> 00:15:16.100 a different way? So. how could I provide value 00:15:16.100 --> 00:15:20.460 to a company that needed my skills? And I have 00:15:20.460 --> 00:15:25.039 to credit my yearbook rep, Cindy, who said to 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:29.460 me, you know, why don't you contact this company 00:15:29.460 --> 00:15:32.360 or companies like this who are always looking 00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:36.299 for people with your skill set? And that is 100 00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:44.039 % what happened. So I basically contacted a company 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:48.320 in our area who I had worked with through yearbook. 00:15:48.779 --> 00:15:51.440 They're a photography and yearbook company. I 00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:54.039 did not realize all the years of working with 00:15:54.039 --> 00:15:57.200 them. all of the things that they did. I just 00:15:57.200 --> 00:15:59.679 knew that they provided us pictures for our yearbook. 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:03.659 I knew that they were a company run by former 00:16:03.659 --> 00:16:07.240 alumni from the high school where I taught. And 00:16:07.240 --> 00:16:10.820 I had had one of their relatives as a yearbook 00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:14.779 editor. And I didn't know if it was going to 00:16:14.779 --> 00:16:17.820 pan out to anything. I was still actually talking 00:16:17.820 --> 00:16:21.179 with my own yearbook company about potential 00:16:21.179 --> 00:16:25.509 employment opportunities there. Why not? Right? 00:16:25.629 --> 00:16:27.509 All they can say is, oh, you know, thank you 00:16:27.509 --> 00:16:31.350 for reaching out. Sorry. No. Well, I reached 00:16:31.350 --> 00:16:34.649 out to them, I believe, before the holidays, 00:16:34.889 --> 00:16:37.610 I think, if I remember right. And I think we 00:16:37.610 --> 00:16:40.649 started talking in around that time, but then 00:16:40.649 --> 00:16:44.269 January, I think we actually had four or five 00:16:44.269 --> 00:16:48.350 meetings face to face where we would talk about 00:16:48.350 --> 00:16:50.799 what And they basically said, what are you looking 00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:54.659 for? And I laid out exactly what I was looking 00:16:54.659 --> 00:16:57.700 for and the skills they knew of me and they knew 00:16:57.700 --> 00:17:01.759 of my work because actually one of my new supervisors 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:05.240 is a parent who I had all three of his students 00:17:05.240 --> 00:17:07.960 in different classes and they just knew, you 00:17:07.960 --> 00:17:10.480 know, having had worked with our school and having 00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:14.220 gone there and our partnership through yearbook, 00:17:14.220 --> 00:17:17.019 they knew of my work and of my students work. 00:17:17.579 --> 00:17:22.809 So That's what started it. And I didn't know 00:17:22.809 --> 00:17:25.509 where it was going to end up, but it was very 00:17:25.509 --> 00:17:30.089 unconventional. I have the job now and I never 00:17:30.089 --> 00:17:33.349 turned in a resume. They never asked for a reference. 00:17:33.609 --> 00:17:36.890 I mean, they know my principal. They know everybody 00:17:36.890 --> 00:17:39.809 I work with. They know my yearbook rep very well. 00:17:41.069 --> 00:17:45.269 But how crazy, right? After all the cover letters 00:17:45.269 --> 00:17:49.490 and resumes and interviews that I had, this is 00:17:49.490 --> 00:17:52.150 a lesson that I have said to my students and 00:17:52.150 --> 00:17:56.529 I'm going to say it to you to spread. Every day 00:17:56.529 --> 00:18:00.849 of your life is a job interview. and you're not 00:18:00.849 --> 00:18:03.190 going into every day of your life intending it 00:18:03.190 --> 00:18:05.450 to be a job interview, but I'm gonna give you 00:18:05.450 --> 00:18:09.130 a couple examples of how this has repeated itself 00:18:09.130 --> 00:18:11.950 in my life and maybe this has happened to you 00:18:11.950 --> 00:18:17.289 too. So going way back to just starting out as 00:18:17.289 --> 00:18:19.869 a journalism advisor, right? Like I'm the type 00:18:19.869 --> 00:18:23.019 of person who... hits the ground running. I had 00:18:23.019 --> 00:18:25.680 won, you know, the JEA, which is the National 00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:28.759 Journalism Education Association. I had won their 00:18:28.759 --> 00:18:32.220 Rising Star Award that after applying for that 00:18:32.220 --> 00:18:36.559 was pretty rigorous. I had applied for a special 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:39.299 journalism fellowship. It was a two -week fellowship 00:18:39.299 --> 00:18:43.339 at Mizzou. Again, a very rigorous application 00:18:43.339 --> 00:18:46.220 process that included work samples, letters of 00:18:46.220 --> 00:18:48.819 recommendation. They were choosing different 00:18:48.819 --> 00:18:51.859 yearbook advisors from different states. They 00:18:51.859 --> 00:18:54.660 put us up in a boutique hotel for two weeks in 00:18:54.660 --> 00:18:58.140 the summer on the campus of Mizzou. I met people 00:18:58.140 --> 00:19:01.319 I still love and keep in touch with today in 00:19:01.319 --> 00:19:04.359 the field of journalism. I did a lot of things 00:19:04.359 --> 00:19:07.220 then that led me to, I taught summer journalism 00:19:07.220 --> 00:19:11.000 workshops. I had one of the best JEA mentors 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:14.079 out there to help me start my program. Thank 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:18.529 you, Linda, for everything. This to say that 00:19:18.529 --> 00:19:21.650 in the pandemic, which I would have been like 00:19:21.650 --> 00:19:23.970 eight years into my journalism career by then, 00:19:24.910 --> 00:19:28.569 I got a call from my mentor, Linda, who had worked 00:19:28.569 --> 00:19:31.990 with my students, who had worked with me. at 00:19:31.990 --> 00:19:34.849 Iowa, University of Iowa summer journalism workshop. 00:19:35.490 --> 00:19:40.289 She was helping at a local college, Mount Mary 00:19:40.289 --> 00:19:42.809 University. She was helping them with their journalism 00:19:42.809 --> 00:19:46.710 program. And they were losing their advisor and 00:19:46.710 --> 00:19:49.470 they needed someone to just step in for a while. 00:19:49.789 --> 00:19:52.670 And she's like, are you in the area? Are you 00:19:52.670 --> 00:19:55.740 interested? She knew my work. She knew me. I 00:19:55.740 --> 00:19:59.660 didn't reach out to them, and there I did turn 00:19:59.660 --> 00:20:02.759 in a resume as a college adjunct professor position, 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:07.180 right? I had interviews and was hired. But that 00:20:07.180 --> 00:20:11.480 was because every time she saw my work and saw 00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:16.980 me, that was an interview, right? Then, same 00:20:16.980 --> 00:20:20.099 time, during the same time frame, I got a... 00:20:20.119 --> 00:20:23.039 message from a guy I'd gone to college with. 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:28.119 He was starting a business in the wellness space 00:20:28.119 --> 00:20:31.180 and he needed someone who was into wellness and 00:20:31.180 --> 00:20:35.319 knew how to write. That's me. And all he wanted 00:20:35.319 --> 00:20:39.220 was basically a ghostwriter to, you know, I was 00:20:39.220 --> 00:20:43.299 provided SEO outlines of topics that he needed 00:20:43.299 --> 00:20:46.750 content for his website for. Never turned in 00:20:46.750 --> 00:20:49.289 a resume, didn't really have a formal interview. 00:20:49.410 --> 00:20:52.950 It was just like, can you send us a sample? We'll 00:20:52.950 --> 00:20:54.930 give you an outline. Can you do a writing sample 00:20:54.930 --> 00:20:57.450 for us? And we'll see if it'll work. Boom, bam, 00:20:57.569 --> 00:21:01.630 boom. I think I was writing a blog a week. Great 00:21:01.630 --> 00:21:06.009 extra money in both of those cases because of 00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:08.980 the skills that they knew that I had and the 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:13.700 person that I was. And so I feel like this opportunity 00:21:13.700 --> 00:21:17.660 is similar to that. So I want you to think about, 00:21:17.660 --> 00:21:22.480 right, people whose paths you've crossed, who 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:26.660 know your work, and how that could work to your 00:21:26.660 --> 00:21:30.640 advantage, because definitely that's what helped 00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:34.369 me. All right, I'm gonna be awful. And we're 00:21:34.369 --> 00:21:37.390 going to take a little break here and do some 00:21:37.390 --> 00:21:40.710 ads and ask the teacher anything. And then when 00:21:40.710 --> 00:21:42.869 we come back, I'll talk to you exactly about 00:21:42.869 --> 00:21:44.769 what I'm going to be doing and how that will 00:21:44.769 --> 00:21:48.009 look. To those of you who have followed me for 00:21:48.009 --> 00:21:50.990 a while, you know that I value mental and physical 00:21:50.990 --> 00:21:53.490 wellness. Personally, I've worked with a few 00:21:53.490 --> 00:21:55.849 different coaches over the years and even been 00:21:55.849 --> 00:21:58.789 one myself. If you are looking for education 00:21:58.789 --> 00:22:01.650 and support in your own wellness journey, I would 00:22:01.650 --> 00:22:03.569 love to invite you to the wellness community 00:22:03.569 --> 00:22:06.349 I am currently in that keeps me accountable daily 00:22:06.349 --> 00:22:09.390 with my nutrition and movement. If you are a 00:22:09.390 --> 00:22:11.930 Facebook user, you can search for our free group 00:22:11.930 --> 00:22:16.490 called Team MG. This group is led by my coach, 00:22:16.509 --> 00:22:19.250 Megan Grimord, who is a certified trainer and 00:22:19.250 --> 00:22:22.210 nutrition coach. She offers lots of education 00:22:22.210 --> 00:22:25.329 and support for your wellness journey. If you 00:22:25.329 --> 00:22:27.430 want to get to know Coach Megan Moore, you can 00:22:27.430 --> 00:22:30.730 follow her on Instagram at all lowercase, Megan, 00:22:30.730 --> 00:22:35.869 M -E -G -A -N, underscore, grimoire, G -R -I 00:22:35.869 --> 00:22:39.670 -M -O -R -D, or even listen to her on episode 00:22:39.670 --> 00:22:43.630 10 of the podcast. She has also created a discount 00:22:43.630 --> 00:22:46.210 code for my listeners. Just go to her website, 00:22:46.569 --> 00:22:53.240 www .team -mg .com. and enter code lesson plan 00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:57.019 10 to get $10 off any of her premium coaching 00:22:57.019 --> 00:23:00.400 packages for the first month. Coach Megan is 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:03.339 a busy mom like me who works full time, so I 00:23:03.339 --> 00:23:06.200 appreciate her practicality mixed with some tough 00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:12.740 love to keep me going. 100 % of men and women 00:23:12.740 --> 00:23:15.519 have hormones. And with the increased presence 00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:18.220 of processed foods and environmental toxins, 00:23:18.779 --> 00:23:20.559 it's more important than ever to make mindful 00:23:20.559 --> 00:23:23.819 choices in the products we use every day. That's 00:23:23.819 --> 00:23:27.119 why I trust Q and Grace, high -performing, clean 00:23:27.119 --> 00:23:30.500 products designed to support hormone health while 00:23:30.500 --> 00:23:34.039 reducing exposure to harmful chemicals. because 00:23:34.039 --> 00:23:37.619 this topic has been my primary focus since ending 00:23:37.619 --> 00:23:41.019 birth control in 2024 and an attempt to regulate 00:23:41.019 --> 00:23:44.279 my changing midlife hormones. After making healthy 00:23:44.279 --> 00:23:47.819 swaps in my diet, personal care products, and 00:23:47.819 --> 00:23:50.579 exercise routine, I've been able to lower my 00:23:50.579 --> 00:23:53.720 dose of anxiety medication I once relied very 00:23:53.720 --> 00:23:56.859 heavily on and have restored balance to my nervous 00:23:56.859 --> 00:24:00.140 system and cleared up the brain fog I was experiencing 00:24:00.140 --> 00:24:03.440 in perimenopause. Pugh and Grace has played a 00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:06.680 key role in this transformation, offering safe, 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:09.960 effective, non -toxic solutions that support 00:24:09.960 --> 00:24:13.240 my wellness journey. If you listened to episode 00:24:13.240 --> 00:24:16.660 16 with certified Mayo Clinic health and wellness 00:24:16.660 --> 00:24:19.539 coach Tracy Danielson Mitchell, you heard our 00:24:19.539 --> 00:24:21.599 talk about the importance of hormone health. 00:24:22.259 --> 00:24:24.680 To share with you everything I did throughout 00:24:24.680 --> 00:24:27.359 my journey to balance my hormones, I did a deep 00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:30.579 dive on my Live and Learn Patreon about all of 00:24:30.579 --> 00:24:35.460 the tests and supplements that I use in order 00:24:35.460 --> 00:24:40.509 to navigate this journey in my 50s. To find this 00:24:40.509 --> 00:24:44.190 episode, you can just visit patreon .com slash 00:24:44.190 --> 00:24:47.430 live and learn. Some of my favorite products 00:24:47.430 --> 00:24:50.369 I use every day include Hue and Grace's hydrate 00:24:50.369 --> 00:24:53.950 and detox that contains powerful antioxidants, 00:24:54.430 --> 00:24:58.250 electrolytes, and prebiotic fiber. Their popular 00:24:58.250 --> 00:25:00.769 blue drink you see me drinking on Instagram is 00:25:00.769 --> 00:25:03.650 their triple boost hormone support protein powder 00:25:03.650 --> 00:25:06.990 with blue spirulina that I mix with their daily 00:25:06.990 --> 00:25:10.730 collagen supplement. I also keep my skin hydrated 00:25:10.730 --> 00:25:14.589 and smooth with their spray -on body oil. I love 00:25:14.589 --> 00:25:17.190 putting this on before going out and it gives 00:25:17.190 --> 00:25:21.309 my aging skin a more dewy look. I've also switched 00:25:21.309 --> 00:25:23.750 out my hair care products to Hue and Grace's 00:25:23.750 --> 00:25:27.329 Your Best Hair Day line with all -natural ingredients 00:25:27.329 --> 00:25:30.309 that help nourish my hair and stretch out time 00:25:30.309 --> 00:25:33.670 between washes. If you're on this journey with 00:25:33.670 --> 00:25:36.529 me and are interested in exploring Hue and Grace's 00:25:36.529 --> 00:25:40.259 trusted non -toxic products, For 10 % off and 00:25:40.259 --> 00:25:43.579 free shipping, you can use my discount link at 00:25:43.579 --> 00:25:47.160 hewinggrace .com slash lesson plan and reach 00:25:47.160 --> 00:25:51.299 out anytime via email at nextlessonplan at gmail 00:25:51.299 --> 00:25:55.460 .com with questions. Live and learn with me as 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:58.660 we focus on living fully and feeling our best. 00:25:59.059 --> 00:26:02.670 Visit hewinggrace .com. slash lesson plan to 00:26:02.670 --> 00:26:05.069 see how easy it is to start making some healthy 00:26:05.069 --> 00:26:11.450 swaps on your way to non -toxic living. That's 00:26:11.450 --> 00:26:14.289 our bell, and it's ask the teacher anything time. 00:26:15.069 --> 00:26:18.069 So question one, what's been the most unexpected 00:26:18.069 --> 00:26:21.849 joy of this new chapter? And I'm assuming that 00:26:21.849 --> 00:26:24.470 means like new chapter of podcasting and maybe 00:26:24.470 --> 00:26:26.630 a new chapter to make the decision. I'm just 00:26:26.630 --> 00:26:30.869 going to go with that. I've talked about this 00:26:30.869 --> 00:26:33.730 before, I think, but definitely putting yourself 00:26:33.730 --> 00:26:36.210 out there and voicing kind of what's going on 00:26:36.210 --> 00:26:40.170 in your life brings people who are resonating 00:26:40.170 --> 00:26:43.430 with your message sort of to you or things that 00:26:43.430 --> 00:26:45.049 you've talked about or things that you've gone 00:26:45.049 --> 00:26:46.730 through. And I think when you're vulnerable, 00:26:46.829 --> 00:26:49.289 people feel comfortable being vulnerable with 00:26:49.289 --> 00:26:54.329 you. And so that's been really, really nice. 00:26:54.950 --> 00:26:57.309 I think there are different, again, opportunities 00:26:57.309 --> 00:27:01.569 that are popping up in my life that would not 00:27:01.569 --> 00:27:05.890 have popped up I don't think if I hadn't a taken 00:27:05.890 --> 00:27:10.130 the sleep and be been vocal about sharing it 00:27:10.130 --> 00:27:14.829 and so again totally it was not the path that 00:27:14.829 --> 00:27:19.329 I would have preferred to take but decided if 00:27:19.329 --> 00:27:21.250 this is the way I was going to do it, I was going 00:27:21.250 --> 00:27:24.769 to do it 100%. And those are really the benefits 00:27:24.769 --> 00:27:28.109 that I have seen of just, I think, reconnecting 00:27:28.109 --> 00:27:30.569 with certain people and different opportunities 00:27:30.569 --> 00:27:34.609 popping up that I couldn't have predicted. Question 00:27:34.609 --> 00:27:38.390 two, has your decision to leave teaching changed 00:27:38.390 --> 00:27:43.029 how you view education as a whole? I don't think 00:27:43.029 --> 00:27:46.960 it's the decision. that has changed my view of 00:27:46.960 --> 00:27:50.400 education. I think I made the decision because 00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:55.240 my view of education changed. So, you know, anytime 00:27:55.240 --> 00:27:57.960 you do something over a span of three decades, 00:27:58.559 --> 00:28:01.220 things are going to change. You're going to experience 00:28:01.220 --> 00:28:04.579 extreme, you know, differences in how it was 00:28:04.579 --> 00:28:10.319 when you began. And, you know, It's it's funny 00:28:10.319 --> 00:28:12.660 to now be the one of the older teachers in the 00:28:12.660 --> 00:28:14.539 building and to listen to the young teachers 00:28:14.539 --> 00:28:17.920 Who sound exactly like I sounded when I was that 00:28:17.920 --> 00:28:21.220 age like I'm gonna work here my entire life I'm 00:28:21.220 --> 00:28:24.119 gonna retire, you know and die in this building 00:28:25.240 --> 00:28:28.599 Yeah, I felt like that too. And I was super passionate 00:28:28.599 --> 00:28:31.180 about what I did and, you know, threw myself 00:28:31.180 --> 00:28:34.099 in it. And I get that and that is very true for 00:28:34.099 --> 00:28:37.240 a lot of people. But, you know, I don't know 00:28:37.240 --> 00:28:40.039 if it's just this pull of knowing there's something 00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:43.900 different or just I know I'm exhausted. I know 00:28:43.900 --> 00:28:47.160 my patience is short. I know there are things 00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:50.039 about the system that really, really, really 00:28:50.039 --> 00:28:53.059 have been bothering me in the last few years. 00:28:53.059 --> 00:28:56.269 And either, you know, you can work to change 00:28:56.269 --> 00:28:59.990 those things, or you can make a change. And I 00:28:59.990 --> 00:29:05.329 had put in my time, is what I felt. And so, yeah, 00:29:05.410 --> 00:29:07.950 I'm sad about some of the things that I'm seeing 00:29:07.950 --> 00:29:11.680 in public education. Yes, I am. There were years 00:29:11.680 --> 00:29:14.579 where I actually thought about opening up my 00:29:14.579 --> 00:29:17.960 own school. And I've seen on X, you know, these 00:29:17.960 --> 00:29:21.259 X teachers who have opened up these one room 00:29:21.259 --> 00:29:24.940 school houses. And, you know, I've toured charter 00:29:24.940 --> 00:29:29.759 schools before and, you know, there's opinions 00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:33.880 about that idea and that model. But I do think 00:29:33.880 --> 00:29:38.059 that there needs to be Changes and you know, 00:29:38.059 --> 00:29:41.380 I think what kept me in teaching as long as I 00:29:41.380 --> 00:29:44.799 did was AP capstone training, which I did a whole 00:29:44.799 --> 00:29:47.539 episode about revolutionized my teaching and 00:29:47.539 --> 00:29:50.660 the things that I was able to do in my classroom 00:29:50.660 --> 00:29:54.700 with that model with kids Really putting them 00:29:54.700 --> 00:29:57.000 in the driver's seat same thing through journalism 00:29:57.000 --> 00:30:00.640 where they are running with their ideas. I Think 00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:03.720 more of that is needed. I mean I had an entire 00:30:03.720 --> 00:30:07.500 conversation about this with my guest Star Stakstein 00:30:07.500 --> 00:30:11.180 and Michael Hernandez. You know, Star has written 00:30:11.180 --> 00:30:14.519 numerous books and they do webinars on these 00:30:14.519 --> 00:30:17.960 topics and so I'm not the only one feeling these 00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:21.579 things, but I just, again, as I said in the opening, 00:30:21.700 --> 00:30:25.359 didn't feel aligned. So when that is how you're 00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:28.579 feeling, then you need to do something about 00:30:28.579 --> 00:30:31.829 it. And so that's what I did. Am running out 00:30:31.829 --> 00:30:34.890 of questions, so I need you to submit more to 00:30:34.890 --> 00:30:37.970 me either on social media Or there is a question 00:30:37.970 --> 00:30:40.829 box on my website at life's next lesson plan 00:30:40.829 --> 00:30:45.089 calm You know life's gonna be changing here soon, 00:30:45.089 --> 00:30:47.930 so maybe you'll have a fresh batch about that 00:30:47.930 --> 00:30:51.569 for me Thanks always for providing those questions 00:30:51.569 --> 00:30:57.109 Okay, okay, let's get into it so I talked about 00:30:57.359 --> 00:31:01.480 you know kind of how I landed on the path that 00:31:01.480 --> 00:31:04.839 I was on this unconventional direction of you 00:31:04.839 --> 00:31:08.680 know me reaching out to a company and them being 00:31:08.680 --> 00:31:11.920 open and willing enough to have multiple conversations 00:31:11.920 --> 00:31:15.259 with me and so you know I'm not going to say 00:31:15.480 --> 00:31:18.059 the exact name of the company in particular, 00:31:18.140 --> 00:31:20.000 but it wouldn't be that difficult to figure it 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:24.059 out. Again, it's a company that works out of 00:31:24.059 --> 00:31:26.759 Wisconsin and Illinois, which I didn't even realize 00:31:26.759 --> 00:31:29.420 that until we started speaking how large they 00:31:29.420 --> 00:31:34.559 were. I went to them and I explained my situation. 00:31:34.819 --> 00:31:37.859 You know, they knew me or knew of me and said, 00:31:37.960 --> 00:31:39.880 you know, after all of this time, I'm looking 00:31:39.880 --> 00:31:43.880 for a change and I would like to find a company 00:31:43.880 --> 00:31:47.880 who needs the skills that I can offer. However, 00:31:47.900 --> 00:31:53.180 I can help. You know, it was. Such a crazy moment 00:31:53.180 --> 00:31:56.720 because they told me that they had been wanting 00:31:56.720 --> 00:32:00.700 to do some of the things That I could help them 00:32:00.700 --> 00:32:03.539 do for years, but just didn't have anybody to 00:32:03.539 --> 00:32:09.240 help them Okay, so What like how crazy is that? 00:32:09.519 --> 00:32:14.569 Okay, so and again, you know Sometimes I just 00:32:14.569 --> 00:32:16.690 always think, oh, people are just being nice, 00:32:16.809 --> 00:32:18.529 right? Like, they're just saying that so that 00:32:18.529 --> 00:32:20.710 I don't feel bad coming in here knocking on their 00:32:20.710 --> 00:32:24.089 door, right? Asking them basically for a job 00:32:24.089 --> 00:32:27.930 out of nowhere. But that was the case. There 00:32:27.930 --> 00:32:31.990 were a lot of things that they... want to try 00:32:31.990 --> 00:32:35.569 to do or at least learn more about to expand 00:32:35.569 --> 00:32:38.490 their company and they needed someone with my 00:32:38.490 --> 00:32:42.049 skill set. There's a lot of things I went to 00:32:42.049 --> 00:32:44.210 them, you know, things they're already doing 00:32:44.210 --> 00:32:47.660 like my yearbook rep had said. You know, one 00:32:47.660 --> 00:32:49.759 of the things that I wanted in this next phase, 00:32:49.819 --> 00:32:52.380 because I've been commuting so much, is the opportunity 00:32:52.380 --> 00:32:55.779 to have more remote time. I want a hybrid position 00:32:55.779 --> 00:32:58.980 with the ability to work remotely. I'd like to 00:32:58.980 --> 00:33:01.480 spend some time in warmer weather as I get older. 00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:06.759 This company, their dead time is during our cold 00:33:06.759 --> 00:33:10.380 time in Wisconsin, so that is actually a possibility. 00:33:11.319 --> 00:33:13.640 But basically, I was like... Do you just need 00:33:13.640 --> 00:33:15.720 someone to put together elementary and middle 00:33:15.720 --> 00:33:17.420 school yearbooks at home? And they were like, 00:33:17.420 --> 00:33:20.299 yeah, we have people who do that. Yes, they have 00:33:20.299 --> 00:33:22.279 a lot on their plates. We could always use that 00:33:22.279 --> 00:33:25.539 help. But like, we could use you for so much 00:33:25.539 --> 00:33:28.960 more than that. But that's originally what I 00:33:28.960 --> 00:33:31.420 expected to be doing, like using my yearbook 00:33:31.420 --> 00:33:35.980 skills. Not everybody has those skills to help 00:33:35.980 --> 00:33:39.460 them in some capacity. And so that's where the 00:33:39.460 --> 00:33:42.849 conversation started. And then from there it 00:33:42.849 --> 00:33:46.130 evolved, you know, by me then finding out more 00:33:46.130 --> 00:33:49.849 about what their needs were and how I could be 00:33:49.849 --> 00:33:54.190 a fit for them. And this, like I said, was at 00:33:54.190 --> 00:33:57.210 least three to four conversations. And at one 00:33:57.210 --> 00:34:00.390 point they pulled in another person who was this 00:34:00.390 --> 00:34:04.279 parent whose children I had. and knew of me, 00:34:04.380 --> 00:34:07.680 knew my work, and many different aspects. And 00:34:07.680 --> 00:34:09.940 so we just started talking about what this could 00:34:09.940 --> 00:34:12.940 look like. And that evolved from their goals 00:34:12.940 --> 00:34:16.840 and my goals to them having conversations with 00:34:16.840 --> 00:34:19.960 people who were currently employed there. They 00:34:19.960 --> 00:34:22.340 wanted to ask them, are there parts of your job 00:34:22.340 --> 00:34:24.500 you would like to get off your plate that I could 00:34:24.500 --> 00:34:28.730 help with? And then I basically... Told them 00:34:28.730 --> 00:34:31.070 some of the things that I thought that they could 00:34:31.070 --> 00:34:34.849 maybe offer or add That they weren't currently 00:34:34.849 --> 00:34:37.829 doing that was in my wheelhouse that that I could 00:34:37.829 --> 00:34:40.090 help with and they took notes and took notes 00:34:40.090 --> 00:34:43.949 And we just kept talking about okay You know, 00:34:44.170 --> 00:34:47.050 how could this look they had to wait, you know, 00:34:47.170 --> 00:34:49.769 because this definitely started in January and 00:34:49.769 --> 00:34:54.119 didn't Finalize until you know, I think late 00:34:54.119 --> 00:34:57.579 March, early April, yeah, April. And so they 00:34:57.579 --> 00:34:59.920 had, they were waiting for certain pieces of 00:34:59.920 --> 00:35:02.360 their puzzle and certain answers because again, 00:35:02.800 --> 00:35:05.699 they didn't have a job posting. I went to them 00:35:05.699 --> 00:35:08.239 and they said, tell us exactly what you want. 00:35:08.500 --> 00:35:12.119 I told them exactly what I wanted and they created 00:35:12.119 --> 00:35:15.820 a job around that. We did have to negotiate salary 00:35:15.820 --> 00:35:18.679 a little bit and I can't just walk into that 00:35:18.679 --> 00:35:21.900 position making what I made as a teacher, but 00:35:21.920 --> 00:35:24.340 You know, I talked to a lot of people about this 00:35:24.340 --> 00:35:27.820 and I talked about it on my podcast as well of 00:35:27.820 --> 00:35:31.239 like, there are different types of wealth. And, 00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:35.539 you know, if working remotely from a sunny location 00:35:35.539 --> 00:35:38.719 is worth 20 grand to you, then it's worth 20 00:35:38.719 --> 00:35:42.260 grand to you, right? This stage of my life, I 00:35:42.260 --> 00:35:44.820 want more flexibility. I want those 10 hours 00:35:44.820 --> 00:35:48.820 in my car back. And I will still have to drive 00:35:48.820 --> 00:35:51.360 quite a ways when I need to go into the office, 00:35:51.360 --> 00:35:55.380 but it will not be five days a week. Um, and 00:35:55.380 --> 00:36:00.159 again, just a lot more flexibility, really amazing 00:36:00.159 --> 00:36:02.599 people to work for. Like if you wanted to pick 00:36:02.599 --> 00:36:05.519 your ideal bosses. And again, I haven't started 00:36:05.519 --> 00:36:08.849 yet. I don't start until July, but you know, 00:36:08.849 --> 00:36:12.210 I know of them too and have crossed paths with 00:36:12.210 --> 00:36:16.570 them previously in my life. And so how crazy, 00:36:16.570 --> 00:36:19.889 right? That just going from like, oh my God, 00:36:19.929 --> 00:36:23.809 what have I done? What am I going to do? To putting 00:36:23.809 --> 00:36:28.409 out into the universe, this is what I want and 00:36:28.409 --> 00:36:31.449 going to find it. And in a lot of cases, you 00:36:31.449 --> 00:36:33.929 know, as I've explained, sometimes it has come 00:36:33.929 --> 00:36:38.460 to me without even asking. So I just think it's 00:36:38.460 --> 00:36:42.079 so important to really think about your life's 00:36:42.079 --> 00:36:46.059 work and the skills that you build or, you know, 00:36:46.260 --> 00:36:50.300 choose to have in your life. And so yeah, I'm 00:36:50.300 --> 00:36:54.539 gonna be working full time. That was my, it's 00:36:54.539 --> 00:36:56.860 going to be seasonal though. It's gonna be like 00:36:56.860 --> 00:36:59.780 a lot of hours. during some parts of the year 00:36:59.780 --> 00:37:03.039 that are really busy for them and then falling 00:37:03.039 --> 00:37:06.579 short of full time during their quieter periods. 00:37:07.380 --> 00:37:10.360 And so, you know, I know that it's going to be 00:37:10.360 --> 00:37:12.239 year round. And, you know, one of the biggest 00:37:12.239 --> 00:37:14.079 things people say is like, how can you give up 00:37:14.079 --> 00:37:16.960 your summers off? Well, if I'm going to be honest 00:37:16.960 --> 00:37:21.559 with you, I could not relax or decompress as 00:37:21.559 --> 00:37:24.489 a teacher until 4th of July. is where I felt 00:37:24.489 --> 00:37:28.130 like, okay, I'm a human again. And then honestly, 00:37:28.349 --> 00:37:30.789 meetings started at the beginning of August. 00:37:32.150 --> 00:37:34.909 So yeah, I felt like I had a month of summer 00:37:34.909 --> 00:37:38.730 and I always worked another job, whether it was 00:37:38.730 --> 00:37:41.010 related to teaching, like teaching summer journalism 00:37:41.010 --> 00:37:44.710 workshops, you know, by my choice, or, you know, 00:37:45.090 --> 00:37:47.250 that I wanted something completely not related 00:37:47.250 --> 00:37:49.369 to teaching because I was starting to get burned 00:37:49.369 --> 00:37:52.989 out. And I've talked about that during this episode. 00:37:53.389 --> 00:37:57.670 I always like to have something to provide structure 00:37:57.670 --> 00:38:02.190 and just build new skills and explore. And so 00:38:02.190 --> 00:38:05.250 that doesn't phase me. Also, everybody who I've 00:38:05.250 --> 00:38:07.210 talked to who's transitioned out of teaching 00:38:07.210 --> 00:38:10.150 to working year round is like, it's just so different. 00:38:10.409 --> 00:38:13.650 You're not completely exhausted by the end of 00:38:13.650 --> 00:38:16.369 the week, especially if you're working at home. 00:38:16.489 --> 00:38:20.889 You don't have the extreme mental load that teachers 00:38:20.889 --> 00:38:23.630 carry. And so you're not in your pajamas by six 00:38:23.630 --> 00:38:26.630 o 'clock on Friday, which I am most Fridays. 00:38:27.469 --> 00:38:29.949 So I think it's just different. And that doesn't 00:38:29.949 --> 00:38:33.469 bother me. I'll still have plenty of time to 00:38:33.469 --> 00:38:35.349 do what I want to do, especially if I'm getting 00:38:35.349 --> 00:38:39.710 10 hours a week back in my car. You know, I will 00:38:39.710 --> 00:38:42.070 be working full time. I will be working for a 00:38:42.070 --> 00:38:45.449 photography and yearbook company with amazing 00:38:45.449 --> 00:38:47.929 bosses. A lot of people who are my supervisors 00:38:47.929 --> 00:38:51.409 are people who I know or people who are on my 00:38:51.409 --> 00:38:54.449 team are people who I have worked with in my 00:38:54.449 --> 00:38:57.869 yearbook journey. So that's kind of fun. And 00:38:57.869 --> 00:39:00.469 I'm just excited to again, I'm going to be learning 00:39:00.469 --> 00:39:02.809 a ton. I'm sure it'll be like drinking out of 00:39:02.809 --> 00:39:06.880 a fire hose. I love that. I love learning new 00:39:06.880 --> 00:39:10.840 things. This is just another avenue for me to 00:39:10.840 --> 00:39:13.920 build my skill set and to hopefully, you know, 00:39:14.219 --> 00:39:18.400 provide value with the skills that I have. So, 00:39:18.500 --> 00:39:21.619 you know, I guess if I have to turn this into 00:39:21.619 --> 00:39:25.599 a lesson and some takeaways today is, you know, 00:39:25.840 --> 00:39:30.730 trust your instincts. but plan practically. This 00:39:30.730 --> 00:39:33.210 was not an overnight decision, although I feel 00:39:33.210 --> 00:39:35.429 like, you know, one day I was like, I have to 00:39:35.429 --> 00:39:38.389 do it. There were years and years of conversations 00:39:38.389 --> 00:39:42.610 leading up to that. Your skills are more transferable 00:39:42.610 --> 00:39:45.349 than you think, and you may have to think outside 00:39:45.349 --> 00:39:50.849 the box for how you use them. When I graduated 00:39:50.849 --> 00:39:54.449 from college 30 years ago, many of the jobs that 00:39:54.449 --> 00:39:57.920 exist now didn't exist and so you know kind of 00:39:57.920 --> 00:40:01.659 think about what could I do or what am I willing 00:40:01.659 --> 00:40:05.599 to learn courses am I willing to take in order 00:40:05.599 --> 00:40:10.019 to provide value to another company it is okay 00:40:10.019 --> 00:40:14.179 to grieve your old chapter and be excited about 00:40:14.179 --> 00:40:17.739 the new one you know yeah I want my classroom 00:40:17.739 --> 00:40:20.280 packed up so on that last day I am out and I 00:40:20.280 --> 00:40:23.599 am you know, not going to look back. There are 00:40:23.599 --> 00:40:25.579 definitely things that I'm going to miss and 00:40:25.579 --> 00:40:29.800 it is sad, but it's time. And oh my gosh, I'm 00:40:29.800 --> 00:40:35.179 so excited to see what's next for me. And community 00:40:35.179 --> 00:40:39.280 and mentorship are crucial during big transitions. 00:40:40.059 --> 00:40:46.280 Thank you so much to my sister who held me up 00:40:46.280 --> 00:40:50.239 during this agonizing decision and listened to 00:40:50.239 --> 00:40:54.000 me over the years and knew that it was time and 00:40:54.000 --> 00:40:56.659 knew she told me she could hear it in my voice, 00:40:56.820 --> 00:40:59.420 knew that I had made the right decision, and 00:40:59.420 --> 00:41:02.079 has helped me on this entire podcasting journey. 00:41:02.320 --> 00:41:07.280 So much still is I mean multiple texts a day 00:41:07.280 --> 00:41:10.980 there for a while Thank you so much Renee and 00:41:10.980 --> 00:41:13.940 also Brett, of course my significant other who 00:41:13.940 --> 00:41:18.199 you know taught me that True life fulfillment 00:41:18.199 --> 00:41:22.559 is not tied to money is not tied to your identity 00:41:22.559 --> 00:41:26.500 in a career and that it is okay to put yourself 00:41:26.500 --> 00:41:31.039 first. Thank you, thank you for supporting me 00:41:31.039 --> 00:41:34.079 and thinking, you know, these tough decisions 00:41:34.079 --> 00:41:37.760 through with me and providing a model for what's 00:41:37.760 --> 00:41:41.460 really important in life. So definitely find 00:41:41.460 --> 00:41:46.559 your people who, you know, won't judge you and 00:41:46.559 --> 00:41:51.179 are there to hear what's right for you, not what 00:41:51.179 --> 00:41:55.010 society says you should be doing, or what the 00:41:55.010 --> 00:41:58.530 bank says you should be doing. It's never too 00:41:58.530 --> 00:42:02.190 late to start again. And you are brave, and you 00:42:02.190 --> 00:42:06.429 are curious, and you are strong. You can do it. 00:42:06.989 --> 00:42:09.989 So two short action steps for today. I want you 00:42:09.989 --> 00:42:13.150 to frame this in. You are not starting over. 00:42:13.769 --> 00:42:18.369 You are starting. from where you are now. And 00:42:18.369 --> 00:42:20.809 so it's not like you're starting as a newbie 00:42:20.809 --> 00:42:23.369 fresh out of college. You are starting with so 00:42:23.369 --> 00:42:27.809 much life experience and so many skills, right? 00:42:27.849 --> 00:42:30.969 So I want you to not think about it as like a 00:42:30.969 --> 00:42:34.869 clean slate, but definitely all of these assets 00:42:34.869 --> 00:42:38.570 that you have. And with that idea then, if you 00:42:38.570 --> 00:42:42.519 could... Get a fresh start. What passions do 00:42:42.519 --> 00:42:46.320 you have and what careers align with that? And 00:42:46.320 --> 00:42:49.300 that could just start with a simple list. Or 00:42:49.300 --> 00:42:53.239 I'm sorry, I use chat GPT to solve a lot of my 00:42:53.239 --> 00:42:56.900 burning questions and it is actually so helpful. 00:42:57.380 --> 00:43:00.599 And the more that I use it, the more it knows 00:43:00.599 --> 00:43:03.699 about my life and things that are important to 00:43:03.699 --> 00:43:06.340 me. And I know that sounds ridiculous because 00:43:06.340 --> 00:43:09.519 it's AI, but you can have these conversations 00:43:09.519 --> 00:43:12.500 with people who know you. But sometimes it's 00:43:12.500 --> 00:43:17.220 really nice to just have an objective. artificial 00:43:17.220 --> 00:43:20.800 intelligence to provide you with some, you know, 00:43:20.920 --> 00:43:24.679 again, jobs that I didn't know existed or creative 00:43:24.679 --> 00:43:27.260 ways to use my skills that I didn't know existed. 00:43:27.440 --> 00:43:30.659 Actually, just help with brainstorming was really 00:43:30.659 --> 00:43:34.900 great. And then in my last episode, episode 33, 00:43:35.219 --> 00:43:38.460 that's where I talked about identity and just 00:43:38.460 --> 00:43:41.420 who you are at your core and what is important 00:43:41.420 --> 00:43:44.820 to you, what your top three values are. So, you 00:43:44.820 --> 00:43:49.210 know, I would, I think, start with some journaling, 00:43:49.269 --> 00:43:52.030 whether it's downloading that free journal that 00:43:52.030 --> 00:43:54.869 I offered to do some brainstorming there about 00:43:54.869 --> 00:43:58.369 what's important to you, or again, find a journal, 00:43:58.849 --> 00:44:02.590 but do some writing, do some reflecting, really 00:44:02.590 --> 00:44:05.349 put it out there so that you can see it in black 00:44:05.349 --> 00:44:08.090 and white. So that's what I'm gonna leave you 00:44:08.090 --> 00:44:12.360 with today. I'm sure that I will be as I get 00:44:12.360 --> 00:44:14.619 started in July, you know talking a little bit 00:44:14.619 --> 00:44:16.820 more specifically about what I'm going to be 00:44:16.820 --> 00:44:20.719 doing Because you know, I have a lot of hats 00:44:20.719 --> 00:44:23.559 that I'll be wearing but I can't really Visualize 00:44:23.559 --> 00:44:26.539 them because I haven't worked for a company like 00:44:26.539 --> 00:44:33.320 this before so stay tuned Alright guys, thanks 00:44:33.320 --> 00:44:36.639 for joining me for this personal episode of life's 00:44:36.639 --> 00:44:39.320 next lesson plan If you're standing on the edge 00:44:39.320 --> 00:44:42.739 of a big change, whether by choice or circumstance, 00:44:43.260 --> 00:44:45.739 I hope today reminded you that starting over 00:44:45.739 --> 00:44:48.400 doesn't mean starting from scratch. It means 00:44:48.400 --> 00:44:51.820 starting from experience. So leaving behind a 00:44:51.820 --> 00:44:54.960 29 -year career is not going to be easy, but 00:44:54.960 --> 00:44:58.820 definitely necessary for my health, for my growth, 00:44:58.860 --> 00:45:02.019 and for the life I still want to build. I'm learning 00:45:02.019 --> 00:45:04.460 that reinvention is less about having all the 00:45:04.460 --> 00:45:07.119 answers and more about trusting yourself enough. 00:45:07.440 --> 00:45:10.739 to take the next step, even when the road is 00:45:10.739 --> 00:45:14.320 unclear. If today's conversation resonated with 00:45:14.320 --> 00:45:16.719 you, I'd love to hear what chapter you're stepping 00:45:16.719 --> 00:45:19.800 into or dreaming about. And if you're looking 00:45:19.800 --> 00:45:22.699 for support and rediscovering your identity during 00:45:22.699 --> 00:45:26.099 a transition, don't forget to grab my free identity 00:45:26.099 --> 00:45:29.840 journal at Life's Next Lesson Plan dot com slash 00:45:29.840 --> 00:45:33.349 freebies. Let this be a reminder, it's never 00:45:33.349 --> 00:45:35.949 too late to become the version of yourself you've 00:45:35.949 --> 00:45:39.630 been quietly envisioning. And if you know someone 00:45:39.630 --> 00:45:43.030 who could benefit from this message, please be 00:45:43.030 --> 00:45:47.070 sure to share the podcast. And it always helps 00:45:47.070 --> 00:45:50.789 me grow the podcast if you do that, as well as 00:45:50.789 --> 00:45:53.630 scrolling down and leaving a rate and review. 00:45:53.809 --> 00:45:56.510 Thank you so much to those of you who've already 00:45:56.510 --> 00:45:59.969 done that. You can also join me on Instagram 00:45:59.969 --> 00:46:03.449 at Life's Next Lesson Plan or on my YouTube channel 00:46:03.449 --> 00:46:05.869 where I've been counting down my final days in 00:46:05.869 --> 00:46:09.969 the classroom and also chronicling our new upcoming 00:46:09.969 --> 00:46:14.710 camper adventures. So until next time, stay curious, 00:46:15.309 --> 00:46:19.050 stay brave, and keep writing your next lesson 00:46:19.050 --> 00:46:19.349 plan.