A big title and a steady paycheck can still come with a surprising emotion: grief. When you wake up one day and realize you’ve outgrown the career that made you “successful,” it can feel disorienting, and even embarrassing, to admit that you want something different. I unpack why that misalignment happens, how it builds slowly over years, and why so many high-achieving professionals feel oddly guilty for not feeling more satisfied.

We trace how career paths often start with a practical first job, then evolve through promotions, responsibility, and opportunity until a decade or two has passed. Along the way, the work can drift farther from the life you actually want, creating a constant low-grade tension between gratitude and fulfillment. If you’ve been asking yourself “What is my next act?” or “What do I want my second chapter to be?” you’re not alone, and you’re not behind.

We also talk candidly about the moments that force reinvention: layoffs, mergers, politics, and suddenly feeling undervalued. When change hits without a backup plan, the pressure can push you into another role that still doesn’t fit. That’s why I share simple, practical guidance for career transition planning while you’re still employed, including how to rethink your expertise, clarify your values, and start shaping a more authentic direction now.

If this resonates, subscribe, share the show with a friend who’s questioning their path, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations. What would your next chapter look like if the world felt open to you?

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For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/

Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO podcast.

Getting fired can punch a hole straight through your identity, especially when your career has been the proof that you’re “doing fine.” Mary Korn’s story cuts through that illusion. She had the title, the money, and the corporate ladder momentum, yet privately felt misaligned and depleted. Then she gets fired from a job she took in desperation and suddenly has to answer the scariest question of all: what now, with kids to support and no clear runway?

We dig into what actually helped her reinvent her career, beyond feel-good slogans. Mary shares how career coaching and skills testing clarified her direction, and how a disciplined approach to informational interviews and outbound outreach created real opportunity. One surprising moment on a walk points her toward medical associations, and that focus becomes the first traction in a business she’s building from scratch. If you’re navigating job loss, imposter syndrome, or a career pivot, you’ll hear practical moves you can copy and mindset shifts that make them possible.

From there, Mary’s path becomes purpose-driven entrepreneurship. She builds a for-profit social enterprise that grows to 1,300 employees across 30 states, creating meaningful work for disabled veterans, people with disabilities, military spouses, and others facing employment barriers. We also talk about scaling through government contracts, what it’s like to sell the company you love, and how she’s learning to market herself as she prepares to publish her book, "Fired to Inspired."

Subscribe for more stories of identity reinvention, share this with a friend who’s in a tough career moment, and leave a review with the biggest insight you’re taking away.

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For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/

Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO podcast.

Success can look flawless on LinkedIn while still feeling wrong in your body. That tension is exactly where my conversation with Yvonne Furneaux begins and where it gets most useful for anyone thinking about identity reinvention, career change, or a second chapter beyond a corporate title. Yvonne spent more than 25 years in corporate communications, employee experience, HR, and DEI leadership, and she shares what she learned from working within large systems that don’t treat everyone the same. 

We get into the messy realities professionals rarely say out loud: how layoffs actually land, why corporate loyalty keeps eroding, and what “humane” change management looks like when leaders put the employee experience at the center. Yvonne also talks about leaving Weight Watchers after leading through major disruption, then stepping into solopreneurship, where you’re no longer the voice of a company, you’re the voice of yourself. We unpack how she found her first consulting clients through her network and what it takes to reintroduce your expertise to people who only knew an earlier version of you. 

Then we tackle the present moment: AI in the workplace, job insecurity, loneliness, and the DEI backlash. Yvonne offers a practical lens that cuts through politics while still improving workplace fairness, focusing on workplace identity: title, location, remote versus onsite, frontline versus corporate. She calls the invisible divides “ghost gaps” like the power gap, information gap, opportunity gap, and visibility gap, and explains how they quietly determine who thrives at work. 

If you want clearer language for what you’ve been feeling and concrete ways to navigate systems that don’t always play fair, you’ll get a lot from this one. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Send questions or comments

For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/

Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO podcast.

A career can look successful and still feel strangely unfamiliar. Joe Arno spent decades building in sales, real estate leadership, and recruiting, only to realize that the work he was doing no longer matched the life he wanted to live. After a move, a bout with cancer, and one too many “shiny new” opportunities that didn’t fix the underlying problem, the misalignment became impossible to ignore.

In this episode, we talk about the real pressures behind professional reinvention: the loneliness of entrepreneurship, the illusion that independence automatically brings balance, and the way industries like real estate can push people into moves that sound exciting but don’t fit. Joe breaks down a blind spot in traditional recruiting and revenue-share models: the company has representation, but the individual often doesn’t. That insight becomes the spark for his work as what he calls “the agent of the agent,” helping people slow down and choose a path based on what they actually need to thrive.

Joe also shares his 4W Strategic Identity Process framework for aligned decisions: who you are, what you need, where you thrive, and why you’re doing it. If you’re navigating a career pivot, burnout, or a nagging sense that your success is drifting, this conversation offers a grounded way to find clarity and build a path that feels like yours again. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s at a crossroads, and leave a review with the biggest “W” you’re thinking about right now.

Send questions or comments

For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/

Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO podcast.

The hardest part of leaving corporate life is not losing a paycheck. It’s losing the built-in credibility that came with your title, your team, and the company name on your badge. When you become independent, you are the marketing department, the PR department, and the sales team overnight, and it can feel scary to put yourself out there when visibility was never part of your old job.

We dig into what it really takes to be seen today, from LinkedIn to podcasts to video and beyond, and why the old playbook (publish once, rank on Google, wait for leads) no longer works in an attention economy. I share my own reality with solo content: the vulnerability of owning your point of view, the grind of promoting what you create, and the discipline it takes to stay consistent when content has a short shelf life.

We also clear up a big misconception: you don’t need to become an “influencer” chasing viral moments. You do need to build influence so the right clients can find you when they’re looking for answers to their problems. That means showing up with clarity, values, and a consistent message that earns trust, even with cold leads who have never heard of you.

If you’ve been wondering why referrals slowed down or why your expertise feels invisible online, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend making a career pivot, and leave a review with the platform you’re trying to show up on next. What’s the one thing that stops you from posting consistently?

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For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/

Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO podcast.

Two widowmaker heart attacks will either break your story or rewrite it. I sit down with Adrian “AJ” Jones, a longtime financial services leader who had to confront the question most high performers avoid until something forces it: what if the life you built no longer matches who you are? AJ walks me through the early twists that pulled him from international relations into finance, how comfort can become a trap, and how “fine” can mask deep misalignment.

We get candid about what happens after a major health scare when the paycheck still feels safer than the calling. AJ shares the messy middle: going back to work, feeling the strain in his body through anxiety and sleeplessness, and realizing that identity, fear, and momentum can keep you stuck even when you know better. Then comes the second shock, another heart attack, and a sharper lesson that career success means nothing without health.

AJ also breaks down the evolution of his company, More, from a broad community idea to a focused mission around alignment and authentic truth. We talk about career reinvention, burnout signals, and why alignment may be more than motivation. AJ is building evidence into his work with psychology and neuroscience, and he shares resources, including his book, "Powered by Authenticity," and his podcast, Code 3: Life Reinvented.

If you know someone who’s high on achievement but low on aliveness, share this conversation with them. Subscribe to Beyond Expertise and leave a review so more people can find stories that help them reinvent with purpose.

Send questions or comments

For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/

Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO podcast.

The strangest career clue is not burnout, it's relief. When concert cellist Kate Kayaian watched her entire performance calendar vanish during COVID, she expected panic. What she felt instead was a weight lifted, and that single emotional moment forced a bigger question: if the “dream” disappears and you feel freer, what does that say about your identity?

Kate grew up in a world where music was not a hobby but a calling. She had a community and a clear definition of success. In this episode, we unpack how achievement-based careers can become a locked-in professional identity, even when you are thriving on paper. She shares why she chose the freelance path over an orchestra job, how the lifestyle tradeoffs stacked up over time, and how ego can quietly shape what we chase. If you are a high achiever facing a career change, a midlife pivot, or an “I don’t want the next rung” moment, her story makes the emotional side of reinvention feel honest and navigable.

We also get practical. Kate breaks down her “plateau and portal” framework, the ideas behind her book "Beyond Potential," and the steps she uses with clients to reassess old stories, redefine who they are beyond titles, and reignite momentum with a real roadmap. You will hear how she built the Virtual Summer Cello Festival, turned that into coaching and leadership programs, and why tiny experiments and one clear non-negotiable can be enough to start moving again.

Kate is also a podcast host on her show, Tales From the Lane.

If you are ready to explore identity reinvention, purpose, and life beyond expertise, subscribe, share this with a friend who feels stuck, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Send questions or comments

For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/

Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO podcast.

A layoff. A cross-country move. A booming coaching practice. Then a stroke that forced a hard pause. Chip Scholz’s story is a sharp reminder that career and identity reinvention rarely unfold as we script them, and that “success” can still quietly pull us away from the life we actually want.

On this episode of Beyond Expertise, we trace Chip’s path from working non-stop in college, landing in sales during a recession, to discovering he thrives when he can define his own role and build real community relationships. He explains what pushed him out of the corporate world, why he stopped chasing the motivational-speaking stage, and how executive coaching gave him what he craved: long-term relationships and measurable impact. If you’re trying to figure out how to reinvent your career, start a coaching business, or build a more fulfilling professional identity, you’ll hear concrete tactics, not just inspiration, including his simple five-by-five networking method for generating warm introductions.

The conversation also goes deeper into meaning and purpose. Chip reflects on David Brooks’ “The Second Mountain,” the toll of 100-hour weeks and constant travel, and how recovery changed his priorities around sleep, health, and the way he chooses work. We also talk about writing books, using StoryWorth to break through writer’s block, and why hobbies like woodturning can become a surprisingly powerful part of a purposeful life.

Listen now, then subscribe, share this with someone at a crossroads, and leave a review so more professionals can find these stories of reinvention.

Show notes, references, and links are available at: https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/show/beyond-expertise/from-selling-canned-corn-to-purposeful-coaching-with-chip-scholz/

Send questions or comments

For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/

Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO podcast.

Your job title can make introductions easier, but it can also quietly take over your identity. In this episode, I’m digging into what happens when we tie our self-worth to corporate roles, company logos, and the status that comes with them, then suddenly realize it feels unsettling or empty.

After leaving the corporate world and starting my own solo consulting business as a fractional CMO, I ran straight into a strange reality: without the corporate infrastructure around me, my title didn’t carry the same weight or even make sense to most people. That awkward “So what do you do?” moment became a mirror, forcing a bigger question about professional identity and career reinvention. I also look at how prestige shapes perception, why certain brands spark instant interest, and how easy it is to confuse public recognition with real purpose.

I talk about the identity shock that can hit after layoffs, downsizing, or restructuring, especially for leaders who invested years in one company and wake up without the role that defined them. Finally, I discuss why this isn’t just a late-career issue; younger professionals are questioning whether climbing a corporate ladder is worth it and considering entrepreneurship, independent consulting, and building a business earlier on.

Beyond Expertise is about creating an authentic identity aligned with your values, goals, and the value you want to bring to others. If you’re ready to stop being held hostage by a title and start building a career on your terms, subscribe, share this with a friend who’s in transition, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What would you say you do if you couldn’t use your job title?

Send questions or comments

For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/

Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO podcast.

Your career can provide you with status, structure, and a straightforward answer to the question “Who are you?” Then one day, that answer stops working. Maybe you’re tired of climbing the corporate ladder. Maybe your role disappears in a layoff, merger, or firing. Or perhaps you decide to walk away. Whatever the reason, you might find yourself in a strange middle ground. No longer where you used to be, but not yet where you want to go.

I’m Eric Dickmann, a former corporate executive who spent over 30 years building a career before stepping away to start something new. The transition hasn’t been straightforward; it has been filled with uncertainty, reflection, and the tough realization that identity can quickly become overly attached to a job title. Beyond Expertise exists specifically for that season, when you’re questioning what’s next and who you want to become.

We dig into what career reinvention really looks like: rediscovering interests you buried while building a corporate life, exploring new paths and creative pursuits, rebuilding your network, and uncovering relationships that fit the person you are now. This is a podcast for professionals in transition, for anyone navigating a midlife career change, and for people who still feel they have more to contribute.

If you’re ready to define yourself beyond work and build a next chapter with real fulfillment, subscribe, share this with someone in the in-between, or share a question you’re wrestling with right now.

Send questions or comments

For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/

Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO podcast.