Career Change & Business Advice for Women | Second Act Success Podcast

By Shannon Russell | Career Change & Business Coach for WomenBusiness Entrepreneurship Education Self-Improvement Careers

Career Change & Business Advice for Women | Second Act Success Podcast episodes

October 05 How to Get Clients for Your Business: 4 Ways I Find Clients Without Being Salesy | #272
🔗 Read the Full Show Notes & Resources for This Episode → https://secondactsuccess.co/272
Wondering how to get clients for your business without constantly selling, posting on social media every day, or pretending you have everything figured out?
In this episode of the Second Act Success Podcast, business coach Shannon Russell is answering one of the biggest questions new entrepreneurs ask: How do you actually find clients and customers when you're starting a business?
Shannon shares the four biggest ways she gets clients in her own businesses: speaking at events, podcasting, her book, and referrals. She explains why each strategy works and what they all have in common: they allow potential clients to get to know her and build trust before they ever inquire about working together.
You'll also learn why referrals and warm leads can be so valuable for a service-based business, how consistently sharing your expertise keeps you top of mind, and why your personal brand doesn't need to look perfectly polished to attract paying clients.
In fact, Shannon argues that trying to look perfect can make it harder for potential clients to connect with you. Instead, sharing your real experiences, your story, why you started your business, and what you're learning along the way can help you build a brand people actually trust.
Whether you're trying to land your first client, grow a coaching or consulting business, attract customers to a new small business, or simply figure out how to market yourself without feeling salesy, this episode will give you practical ideas you can start using now.
Because people aren't looking for perfect. They're looking for someone they can trust.

🔗 Read the Full Show Notes & Resources for This Episode → https://secondactsuccess.co/272
Ready to Start Your Second Act?
Thinking about changing careers or starting a business? Let's map out your next steps.
→ Book Your Free Second Act Strategy Call

More From Shannon:
📖 Grab Shannon's Book, Start Your Second Act
🎤 Watch Shannon's TEDx Talk
📥 Download Free Resources
➡️ Connect: Instagram | LinkedIn
17 min
September 29 Career Burnout? How to Make a Midlife Career Change Without Starting Over | #271
Do you need to completely change careers to create a second act? Not necessarily.
In this episode of the Second Act Success Podcast, Shannon Russell talks with Marianne DeMello-Smith, creator and host of the Message in the Middle podcast, about career burnout, midlife career change, setting boundaries at work, and finding a career that fits the life you want now.
Marianne spent 26 years with the same financial services organization, working her way from client service representative to director and vice president. But after multiple acquisitions changed the company culture and direction, Marianne realized she was burned out, unhappy, and no longer aligned with the work environment she had once loved.
After leaving, Marianne gave herself six months to pause instead of immediately jumping into another job. She used that time to reconnect with herself, reevaluate her priorities, and decide what she wanted the next chapter of her career and life to look like.
Ultimately, Marianne discovered that her second act didn't require leaving corporate America. She found a new position as a chief of staff, but this time she entered the role with clear boundaries and honest conversations about what she was and wasn't willing to sacrifice for her career.
Shannon and Marianne discuss how to recognize career burnout, identify your transferable skills, use your professional network during a career transition, establish workplace boundaries, and stop believing that every career decision has to be forever.
They also talk about Marianne's decision to reconnect with her creative side by launching the Message in the Middle podcast and why sometimes the best way to begin something new is simply to "do it messy."
If you're experiencing career burnout, considering a midlife career change, or wondering whether you can create a more fulfilling second act without becoming an entrepreneur, this episode will help you think differently about what's possible.
Your second act doesn't have to mean starting over. Sometimes it means taking everything you've learned and using it to create a career that works better for who you are today.
🔗 Read the Full Show Notes & Resources for This Episode →

Ready to Start Your Second Act?
Thinking about changing careers or starting a business? Let's map out your next steps.
→ Book Your Free Second Act Strategy Call

More From Shannon:
📖 Grab Shannon's Book, Start Your Second Act
🎤 Watch Shannon's TEDx Talk
📥 Download Free Resources
➡️ Connect: Instagram | LinkedIn
35 min
September 21 Leaving Corporate to Start a Business: How to Navigate a Messy Career Change | #270
What happens when the career and life you've carefully built suddenly fall apart?
In this episode of the Second Act Success Podcast, business coach and host Shannon Russell sits down with author, coach, and former corporate strategist Becca Eve Young for an honest conversation about career reinvention, leaving corporate, starting a business, and creating a life that actually feels like your own.
Becca began her career in interior design before moving into marketing and branding, eventually working with major brands and companies including Calvin Klein. But after experiencing multiple layoffs, the collapse of the housing market, a divorce, personal loss, and ultimately losing her corporate job during the pandemic while living in Mexico, Becca began questioning everything about the life she had been building.
Instead of returning to the corporate world, she sold her belongings, moved back to Mexico, began consulting as a fractional CMO, and started creating a slower life on her own terms. That transition eventually led her to entrepreneurship, coaching, and writing her memoir, It's Gonna Get Messy.
Shannon and Becca talk about what it really takes to make a major career change, why consulting can be a smart bridge from employee to entrepreneur, the importance of slowing down long enough to figure out what you actually want, and why the "messy middle" can sometimes lead you exactly where you're supposed to go.
You'll also hear Becca's perspective on accountability in entrepreneurship, finding work that truly lights you up, writing a deeply personal memoir, and learning to see life's difficult chapters as opportunities for growth.
If you're experiencing career burnout, considering leaving corporate, starting a business, or wondering how to reinvent yourself after an unexpected life change, this conversation is a powerful reminder that your next chapter doesn't need to look anything like the one you planned.
Listen now and start thinking about what you want your second act to look like.
🔗 Get the full show notes here!
Ready to Start Your Second Act?
Thinking about changing careers or starting a business? Let's map out your next steps.
→ Book Your Free Second Act Strategy Call

More From Shannon:
📖 Grab Shannon's Book, Start Your Second Act
🎤 Watch Shannon's TEDx Talk
📥 Download Free Resources
➡️ Connect: Instagram | LinkedIn
37 min
September 14 How to Overcome Self-Doubt and Go After Big Goals: 3 Lessons From My TEDx Talk | #269
What happens when you finally do the thing that scares you?
After dreaming about giving a TEDx Talk, applying to numerous events, getting accepted, and spending six months preparing for the TEDx stage, I finally stepped onto that red circle and shared my message about the Imagination Recession and why play and creativity matter more than ever.
But the experience taught me much more than how to give a TEDx Talk.
In this episode of the Second Act Success Podcast, I’m sharing three powerful lessons I learned about fear, self-doubt, confidence, and going after big goals.
I’m also sharing what surprised me about meeting the other TEDx speakers and realizing that even incredibly accomplished people experience imposter syndrome and wonder whether their story is worthy of being heard.
If you’re considering a career change, starting a business, pursuing a dream, or simply trying to find the courage to take your next big step, this episode is your reminder that confidence doesn’t have to come before action.
Sometimes you have to do the scary thing first.
🔗 Get the full show notes here!
Ready to Start Your Second Act?
Thinking about changing careers or starting a business? Let's map out your next steps.
→ Book Your Free Second Act Strategy Call

More From Shannon:
📖 Grab Shannon's Book, Start Your Second Act
🎤 Watch Shannon's TEDx Talk
📥 Download Free Resources
➡️ Connect: Instagram | LinkedIn
22 min
September 07 How to Turn Your Skills and Strengths Into a Business You Love | #268
👉 Start Your Second Act Strategy Call with Shannon here.
Are you underestimating your skills, experience, and potential? You may be able to see the possibilities for everyone around you, but when it comes to your own career change or business idea, self-doubt can quickly take over.
In this episode of the Second Act Success Podcast, business coach Shannon Russell shares how to recognize your strengths, listen to what others see in you, and uncover the skills that could lead to your next career move or business idea.
With fall bringing fresh-start energy, now is the perfect time to reflect on what you're good at, what others ask you for help with, and what you'd love to do more of. Shannon walks you through her Fall Potential List exercise to help you connect your career experience with what you might want to build next.
If you're considering a career change, starting a business, or simply wondering what's next, this episode will help you stop downplaying your potential and start asking a much more powerful question: What's possible?
🔗 Get the full show notes here!
Ready to Start Your Second Act?
Thinking about changing careers or starting a business? Let's map out your next steps.
→ Book Your Free Second Act Strategy Call

More From Shannon:
📖 Grab Shannon's Book, Start Your Second Act
🎤 Watch Shannon's TEDx Talk
📥 Download Free Resources
➡️ Connect: Instagram | LinkedIn
15 min
August 24 How to Start a Business While Working Full-Time with Jesikah Wells | #267
👉 Start Your Second Act Strategy Call with Shannon here.

Do you need to quit your job to start your second act? Not necessarily.
In this episode of the Second Act Success Podcast, business coach for women Shannon Russell sits down with Jesikah Wells, host of the Broken to Beautiful podcast, to talk about career transition, working motherhood, finding personal fulfillment, and building something of your own while still working full-time.
Jesikah shares how her career evolved from the legal department at Wells Fargo into wealth investment management and eventually project management for nonprofit organizations. At the same time, she began building her own creative second act through podcasting, blogging, and her Broken to Beautiful brand.
Jesikah proves that a second act career doesn't always require making one giant leap. Sometimes career reinvention begins by creating space for the ideas that excite you, exploring new opportunities, and slowly building something alongside your 9-5.
Shannon and Jesikah also discuss mom guilt, finding time for yourself as a working mother, overcoming fear and imposter syndrome, and why pursuing something that fulfills you isn't selfish.
If you're considering a career change, midlife career transition, starting a business, or simply wondering what else might be possible for you, this conversation is a reminder that your second act can begin before you're ready to leave your current career.
🔗 Get the full show notes here!

Ready to Start Your Second Act?
Thinking about changing careers or starting a business? Let's map out your next steps.
→ Book Your Free Second Act Strategy Call

More From Shannon:
📖 Grab Shannon's Book, Start Your Second Act
🎤 Watch Shannon's TEDx Talk
📥 Download Free Resources
➡️ Connect: Instagram | LinkedIn
27 min
August 17 How to Turn Your Corporate Experience Into a Business with Allison Lane | #266
👉 Start Your Second Act Strategy Call with Shannon here.

What if changing careers didn’t mean starting over?
In this episode of the Second Act Success Podcast, Shannon Russell sits down with PR and marketing expert Allison Lane to talk about career reinvention, leaving corporate, and using the experience you already have to build your next chapter.
After decades working in corporate PR and marketing with major brands, Allison reached burnout and eventually left her corporate career to start her own business. Today, she helps women build authority, increase their visibility, and position themselves as thought leaders, authors, speakers, and experts.
Shannon and Allison discuss why a midlife career transition doesn’t mean beginning at the bottom, how to recognize your transferable skills, and why building your personal brand before leaving corporate can give your second act career a powerful head start.
If you’re considering a career change, starting a business, or wondering what’s next after corporate life, this conversation will remind you that you’re not starting over. You’re building on everything you’ve already accomplished.
Whether you’re exploring second act careers, navigating a midlife career transition, or dreaming about becoming a female entrepreneur, this episode will help you stop thinking about what you’re leaving behind and start recognizing everything you’re bringing with you.
Listen to the Second Act Success Podcast with Shannon Russell and discover how to turn your career experience into your next opportunity.
Learn more at https://secondactsuccess.co/266.
Ready to Start Your Second Act?
Thinking about changing careers or starting a business? Let's map out your next steps.
→ Book Your Free Second Act Strategy Call

More From Shannon:
📖 Grab Shannon's Book, Start Your Second Act
🎤 Watch Shannon's TEDx Talk
📥 Download Free Resources
➡️ Connect: Instagram | LinkedIn
38 min
August 10 Career Change After 40: How to Figure Out What's Next | #265
Are you thinking about a career change but have no idea what you want to do next?
Maybe your current career no longer fits the person you are today. Maybe you’ve experienced an “aha moment” that made you question your work, your priorities, or what you want your life to look like. Or maybe you simply know you’re ready for something different.
In this special episode of the Second Act Success Podcast, business coach and career transition coach Shannon Russell shares Chapter 3, “Discovering Your Second Act,” from her book Start Your Second Act: How to Change Careers, Launch a Business, and Create Your Best Life.
Shannon walks you through the process of discovering your next chapter and reminds you that making a midlife career transition does not mean starting over. Your skills, experience, relationships, resilience, and knowledge come with you.
You’ll learn how to reflect on what is and isn’t working in your current career, identify your strengths and passions, explore second act career ideas, build your network, prepare financially for a career transition, and create a timeline for making your next move. Shannon also shares lessons from her own transition from television producer to entrepreneur and explains how the skills she developed during 16 years in the entertainment industry helped her build successful businesses.
Whether you’re considering leaving corporate, starting a business, becoming a female entrepreneur, or simply searching for a more flexible career, this episode will help you begin thinking differently about what your next chapter could look like.
Because your first career gave you experience. Your second act career is your opportunity to decide how you want to use it.
If you’re ready for career reinvention, press play and start discovering what your second act could be.
🔗 Get the full show notes here!
Ready to Start Your Second Act?
Thinking about changing careers or starting a business? Let's map out your next steps.
→ Book Your Free Second Act Strategy Call

More From Shannon:
📖 Grab Shannon's Book, Start Your Second Act
🎤 Watch Shannon's TEDx Talk
📥 Download Free Resources
➡️ Connect: Instagram | LinkedIn
53 min
July 27When to Hire Your First Employee: What to Outsource First to Grow Your Small Business | #264
👉 Start Your Second Act Strategy Call with Shannon here.

Are you trying to do everything in your business yourself?
One of the biggest mistakes new entrepreneurs make is waiting too long to hire help. While wearing every hat might seem like the most affordable option, it can actually slow your business growth and lead to burnout.
In this episode of the Second Act Success Podcast, business coach Shannon Russell shares how to know when it's time to hire your first employee, what tasks to outsource first, and how bringing in the right support can help you scale your business faster.
Whether you're just starting a business, growing your small business, or navigating your second act career, this episode will help you confidently build a team without feeling overwhelmed.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How to know when it's time to hire help
The difference between hiring employees and outsourcing freelancers
What business tasks to outsource first
How virtual assistants can save you time
When to hire a bookkeeper, web designer, or marketing expert
Where to find freelancers and contractors
Tips for interviewing, onboarding, and managing your first hire
How outsourcing can help you avoid burnout and grow your business
If you're ready to stop doing everything yourself and start leading your business like a CEO, this episode is for you.
Ready to Start Your Second Act?
Thinking about changing careers or starting a business? Let's map out your next steps.
→ Book Your Free Second Act Strategy Call

More From Shannon:
📖 Grab Shannon's Book, Start Your Second Act
🎤 Watch Shannon's TEDx Talk
📥 Download Free Resources
➡️ Connect: Instagram | LinkedIn
15 min
July 20How to Choose the Right Business to Start | #263
👉 Start Your Second Act Strategy Call with Shannon here.
How do you know which business is the right one to start?
If you've been thinking about starting a business but feel overwhelmed by all the online advice, you're not alone. Every day there seems to be a new business trend, side hustle, or entrepreneur claiming they made six figures overnight. But copying someone else's business isn't the path to building one you'll actually love.
In this episode of the Second Act Success Podcast, business coach Shannon Russell shares the five questions every aspiring entrepreneur should ask before starting a business. Learn how to choose a business idea that aligns with your skills, lifestyle, values, energy, and long-term goals instead of chasing shiny objects online.
If you're considering a career change, career transition, or starting a business after leaving corporate, this episode will help you confidently choose a business that fits your life and creates lasting freedom.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How to choose the right business idea
Why shiny object syndrome keeps entrepreneurs stuck
How to validate whether a business fits your lifestyle
The importance of building a business around your strengths
Why solving problems creates profitable businesses
How to avoid burnout while starting a business
Five questions every future entrepreneur should answer before launching
If you're ready to stop comparing yourself to everyone online and start building a business that's uniquely yours, this episode is for you.
Ready to Start Your Second Act?
Thinking about changing careers or starting a business? Let's map out your next steps.
→ Book Your Free Second Act Strategy Call

More From Shannon:
📖 Grab Shannon's Book, Start Your Second Act
🎤 Watch Shannon's TEDx Talk
📥 Download Free Resources
➡️ Connect: Instagram | LinkedIn
12 min

About Career Change & Business Advice for Women | Second Act Success Podcast

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to the Second Act Success Podcast, a top 2% globally ranked podcast for women ready to make a career change, quit their job, start a business, and become their own…

boss.

Hosted by Shannon Russell, business coach for women, author, and entrepreneur, Second Act Success helps women transition from employee to entrepreneur and build a business using the skills, experience, and ideas they already have.

If you're wondering how to start a business, considering a career change after 40, growing a side hustle, or planning your exit from corporate, you'll find practical business advice, inspiring stories, and actionable strategies to help you build your next chapter.

Listen and learn how to:

• Quit your job and start a business
• Navigate a career change or midlife career transition
• Find and validate the right business idea
• Turn your skills and experience into a profitable business
• Create a business plan and find your ideal clients
• Build your personal brand and market your business
• Turn a side hustle into a full-time business
• Transition from employee to entrepreneur
• Become your own boss without starting over from scratch

You'll also hear real-life success stories from female entrepreneurs and women who have changed careers, left corporate jobs, started businesses, and created more flexibility, freedom, and fulfillment in their lives.

Is this podcast for you?

Are you dreaming about quitting your job to start your own business?

Do you have a business idea but aren't sure where to begin?

Are you wondering how to use your corporate experience to become an entrepreneur?

Do you want more flexibility for your family and the things that matter most to you?

Are you ready to turn your side hustle into a business or finally become your own boss?

If you're ready to stop wondering "what if?" and start building your second act, you're in the right place.

🎧 Listen to new episodes every week for career change strategies, entrepreneurship advice, business tips for women, and inspiration to help you build your second act.

🔗 Book a free Second Act Strategy Call with Shannon Russell and find free resources at secondactsuccess.co.

Subscribe to Second Act Success and start building the career, business, and life you want next.