Sonja Nesse got into fashion — the industry she'd dreamed about since she was 16. Then she saw the inside: the waste, the conditions, the clothes made to last two washes. It conflicted with everything she valued. Instead of walking away, she carved out the work that brings her joy and built Neranese, a sustainable small-batch label made in Los Angeles that puts people and planet first.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Sonja Nesse is the founder and designer of Neranese, a small-batch clothing line made in Los Angeles from low-impact and deadstock materials. She trained at UW-Madison and Fashion Institute of Technology, started her career designing for Simply Vera Vera Wang, and earned a Masters Degree in Design Management from Pratt Institute in New York City.

Today she runs Neranese alongside a full-time design role and freelance brand consulting — while raising three girls, including twins.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

[02:57] How creative reinforcement at home — and practical parents — turned a 16-year-old's sketches into a career plan

[08:15] The morning of the 2008 crash: watching 75% of her company get laid off in a single day

[15:11] The waste she couldn't unsee: 300 yards of fabric ordered "just in case," and the neon dye a factory begged her not to use

[20:28] Launching Neranese during her baby's naps — and why her first collection missed the mark (nobody wanted dresses; they wanted tie-dye sweats)

[25:55] Twins, a NICU, a move the same week as her C-section, and the phone call that erased the job she was counting on

[29:13] Her dad's advice — never say no to an opportunity — and how it built her three-stream career

[30:40] Why "what works for now" beats a 15-year plan — and the retirement party already on her calendar

[36:19] The 12 people who touch a single dress before it reaches you: why machines don't make clothes, people make clothes

[38:27] What actually makes a $68 organic cotton t-shirt cost $68

[41:53] Two things any consumer can do to shop more sustainably — no certifications required

GUEST LINKS: Neranese

Website: https://neranese.com

Neranese Dune Pants (Sonja & Molly's favorite)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neranese_collection/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonjanesse/_

CONNECT WITH HIR

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herintentionalreset.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587329908947

Website: https://www.herintentionalreset.com

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Shaina Mote: https://shainamote.com

Jesse Kamm: https://jessekamm.com

If HIR has been valuable to you, you can support the show here: https://ko-fi.com/herintentionalreset

No pressure — just making it easy for listeners who want to say so.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/the-way-forward

License code: RVGOVVHKDJFBKVJC

Six months into this midlife career change experiment, Molly’s pulling back the curtain — not on a guest, but on herself. Two lessons the guests keep teaching her, two mind shifts that have quietly changed how she thinks about money and risk, two things that have flat-out not gone to plan, and two she’s reworking heading into the back half of the year.

It’s an honest midyear check-in for any woman in her 40s or 50s rethinking her own second act. Then, rolling into the holiday weekend, she replays the episode that started it all: Joanna Ehresman, and the one piece of coaching advice — treat your next thing as an experiment — that took the pressure off everything.

What You Will Learn — Molly’s Midyear Recap

[00:48] Lesson one: almost no one pivots alone

[01:37] Lesson two: real career change takes three to five years, usually built alongside the day job

[02:53] Mind shift one: treating your next thing as an experiment — and the weight it lifts

[04:32] Mind shift two: rethinking income and benefits — non-traditional money, and Melanie’s hospital-board health coverage workaround

[06:11] What hasn’t gone well

[09:03] What she’s working on: flipping the schedule

[10:07] The inner work — doing the work

[11:06] Feedback is a gift: the stories and voices Molly most wants to hear next

Replay — Episode 1: Joanna Ehresman

“Using Your Existing Skills for Your Second Act”

After years in wealth-management marketing, Joanna’s role was eliminated in 2023. She rested, launched a fractional-CMO consultancy, then experimented her way into a created role at Fika Design Group — getting her foot in the door with a simple, honest ask: can I shadow you for a week? It’s a masterclass in career reinvention — bringing the skills you already have into the field you’ve always wanted.

[13:46] Molly’s intro to the replay

[14:05] Meet Joanna — growth strategist to interior-design operations

[15:37] The marketing career, the rapid growth, and the 2023 layoff

[16:42] Rest first — then choosing consulting over another full-time role

[17:46] The podcast guest who reframed career moves as experiments

[18:29] Finding a coach, listening to her gut, and “say what needs to be said”

[22:23] The interior-design dream she’d been too scared to name

[23:44] The job-shadow pitch — and how an honest ask opened the door

[25:26] Turning a one-week shadow into a created, pilot-to-primary role

[37:06] Letting go of an old identity — and the fear underneath it

[38:59] The money math: equity, living below their means, working half as much

[43:06] The strengths she carried straight into the new role

[49:36] Where to find Joanna & Fika Design Group

[51:01] Molly’s takeaway: pivots aren’t always linear — and you can build as you go

[52:37] Bonus: the behind-the-scenes conversation and the “give yourself a year… we’ll see” permission that started it all

Connect with HIR

Instagram: instagram.com/herintentionalreset.co

Facebook: facebook.com/HerIntentionalReset

Website: herintentionalreset.com

Email: [email protected]

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: a.co/d/09E1ps0J

Her Intentional Reset Experience — The Artist’s Way Creative Cluster:

https://herintentionalreset.com/community/ OR

facebook.com/groups/herintentionalresetexperience

Connect with the Guest — Joanna Ehresman

LinkedIn: Joanna Ehresman

Fika Design Group (Instagram): @fika_design_group

Support the Show

If HIR has been valuable to you, you can support the show here: ko-fi.com/herintentionalreset

No pressure — just making it easy for listeners who want to say so.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/the-way-forward

License code: RVGOVVHKDJFBKVJC

• This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend books and resources discussed on the show that I genuinely use and believe in.

Melanie had every reason to stay: the title, the paycheck, the 401(k) she’d be walking away from as a single woman with no one to fall back on. Then a mentor asked her one question that made all of that beside the point — how many women are you NOT reaching by playing it safe?

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Melanie Kiss spent nearly 30 years in healthcare before founding Chicas Abroad, a women’s adventure travel company she built on the side and didn’t go full-time on until 48. Now the author of two books — a practical travel guide and a reinvention memoir, When the Compass Shifts — she walks through the thoughtful, strategic five-year transition: the money math, the mentor question that reframed everything, and the dream she’d buried since she was 16.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

• [03:31] Why she launched an adventure travel company in the middle of COVID, when no one was traveling
• [10:25] The single question from her mentor that flipped her from “I can’t afford to leave” to going all in
• [29:30] Why she wroteWhen the Compass Shifts— a reinvention memoir with reflection questions for women rethinking their next chapter
• [34:26] How she found her direction by noticing where her mind wandered — a dream she’d had since 15
• [41:26] Which corporate skills transferred straight into entrepreneurship — and the practical pieces (pricing, profit, contractors) she had to learn from scratch
• [51:07] Her mantra: get out of your comfort zone — and why she holds her clients to it too

GUEST LINKS: Chicas Abroad

Website: https://www.chicasabroad.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chicas_abroad/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicasabroad

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chicas-abroad/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniekiss/

Podcast: Chicas Chat

Book — Adventure More, Worry Less: https://amzn.to/4acOCef

Book — When the Compass Shifts: https://amzn.to/3SlkvLr

CONNECT WITH SPONSOR: Roots & Bloom

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootsandbloom_studio/

Listener promotion: Roots & Bloom 20% off plant purchase — mention "Her Intentional Reset" at checkout/to Ciera Curtis

CONNECT WITH HIR

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herintentionalreset.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587329908947

Website: https://www.herintentionalreset.com

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron: https://a.co/d/09E1ps0J

Her Intentional Reset Experience — The Artist's Way Creative Cluster: https://www.facebook.com/groups/herintentionalresetexperience

If HIR has been valuable to you, you can support the show here: https://ko-fi.com/herintentionalreset

No pressure — just making it easy for listeners who want to say so.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/the-way-forward

License code: RVGOVVHKDJFBKVJC

• This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend books and resources discussed on the show that I genuinely use and believe in.

Gina realized teaching no longer fit, but the bigger pull was her desire to live abroad and build a life that felt more expansive than the one she had in Atlanta. This episode follows how that desire led her from the U.S. classroom to the Philippines, then into digital nomad life, expat living, and a location-independent business.

Gina Oliver shares how she and her husband chose the Philippines, learned to navigate visas, housing, remote work, and culture shock, and eventually built Wave Enterprise into a location-independent podcast and social media studio. The conversation also gets practical about building a career abroad, finding community as an expat, and making your work support the lifestyle you actually want.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Gina Oliver is the co-founder of Wave Enterprise Co, a location-independent podcast & social media management studio for female-owned wellness brands. After 7 years abroad, she’s unlearned a lot of societal norms & identified her core values: community, wellness, & connection. She hopes to inspire others to live well through her work & podcast, Ripple FX.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

• (00:01:59)What teacher burnout actually looked like — and the decision to move abroad in search of a more expansive life
• (00:03:34)How she and her husband chose the Philippines, downsized their life in Atlanta, and funded the move
• (00:07:23)"Who am I without this job?" — the identity reset that comes with leaving a career you trained for
• (00:16:34)Unlearning hustle culture from the inside out, and what shifted once she stopped performing productivity
• (00:25:24)The emotional pattern of every big move — fear, grief, then the synchronicities — and how to trust it
• (00:34:21)Building expat community from scratch: why it's non-negotiable, and the rooms she walked into first
• (00:39:06)Practical considerations of life abroad — the financial realities, cost-of-living trade-offs, housing, Wi-Fi, healthcare, and running a business with a spouse
• (00:42:00)How Wave Enterprise became a location-independent podcast and social media studio — and how she designed the work to support the life
• (00:45:45)"Today is the day." — Gina's mantra and her one piece of advice for the woman still waiting

GUEST OFFER: If you’re interested in building a life abroad, or you’re currently growing a business through social media and podcasting, you can book a free virtual coffee chat with Gina. She'd love to connect!

GUEST LINKS:

• Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/waventerpriseco/
• LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/wellnesssocialmedia/
• Website:https://waventerprise.co/
• Podcast Ripple FX:https://open.spotify.com/show/0IeEWDyizz9idw4GPUaGrv?si=1a6cac7950be4383

CONNECT WITH SPONSOR: Roots & Bloom

• Instagram@rootsandbloom_studio
• Listener promotion: Roots & Bloom 20% off plant purchase — mention “Her Intentional Reset” at checkout/to Ciera Curtis

CONNECT WITH HIR

• Instagram @herintentionalreset.co
• Facebook @Her Intentional Reset.co
• Website:www.herintentionalreset.com
• Her Intentional Reset Experience: the Artist's Way Creative Cluster -Join here
• More information onHIRE: the Artist's Way Creative Cluster
• The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron -Amazon link

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Girl Gone International (GGI):https://girlgoneinternational.com
• Digital Nomad Visa:https://www.globalcitizensolutions.com/digital-nomad-visa/
• The Daily Dharma podcast:https://thedailydharma.buzzsprout.com
• Workaway:https://www.workaway.info
• Wise (international money transfers):https://wise.com
• Time Buddy / World Time Buddy:https://www.worldtimebuddy.com

If HIR has been valuable to you, you can support the show here: Kofi Support The Show

• No pressure — just making it easy for listeners who want to say so.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

• https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/the-way-forward
• License code: RVGOVVHKDJFBKVJC

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend books and resources discussed on the show and I genuinely use and believe in.

At home with her young kids, Carrie found herself with the space to ask a question a lot of women in midlife quietly carry: if I could do anything I wanted, what would it be? The honest answer didn't fit the career she'd already built — and figuring out what to do about that took more than one try.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Carrie Fabris spent 20+ years in corporate leadership at companies like Google, Travelocity, and Sabre before leaving to start her coaching firm, Career Frame. When it didn't take, she went back to corporate for two years — then relaunched, this time to make it stick. Now an executive coach and author of All In: A Working Mom's Unapologetic Quest for a Juicy Life, she works with senior leaders and teams, but the same lessons apply just as much to a working mom wondering what's next or trying to avoid burnout — including her "Return on Energy" idea: like ROI, but for your energy — are you getting a worthwhile return on what you pour into something, even if the payoff is down the road?

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

• [04:02] Why her first attempt at leaving corporate failed — and why she had to go back before she could move forward
• [11:07] What “all in” really means — the idea behind her book All In: A Working Mom’s Unapologetic Quest for a Juicy Life
• [17:46] How to use her FRAME It executive-coaching framework at home — whether you’re leading a team at work or managing your own energy as a busy mom
• [22:57] The Return on Energy framework — a simple gut-check for where your time and energy actually go
• [26:11] The “busy” red flag, and the questions to ask yourself when you can't slow down
• [32:53] How to use your Clifton Strengths to find work that actually energizes you
• [42:05] Setting Your Rate — Why Carrie Doesn't Charge Hourly

GUEST OFFER: Complimentary leadership quiz — “Discover Your Frame It Method Leadership Style”

RESOURCES:

• All In: A Working Mom's Unapologetic Quest for a Juicy Life —Amazon link
• The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron -Amazon link
• Clifton Strengths -Amazon link

GUEST LINKS: Wildflower Macarons

• Careerframe.com:https://careerframe.com/
• Instagram:@cdfabrice(primary)
• Instagram:@CareerFrame
• LinkedIn:Career Frame
• LinkedIn:Carrie Fabris

CONNECT WITH SPONSOR: Roots & Bloom

• Instagram@rootsandbloom_studio
• Listener promotion: Roots & Bloom 20% off plant purchase — mention “Her Intentional Reset” at checkout/to Ciera Curtis

CONNECT WITH HIR

• Instagram @herintentionalreset.co
• Facebook @Her Intentional Reset.co
• Website:www.herintentionalreset.com

If HIR has been valuable to you, you can support the show here: Kofi Support The Show

• No pressure — just making it easy for listeners who want to say so.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

• https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/the-way-forward
• License code: RVGOVVHKDJFBKVJC

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend books and resources discussed on the show and I genuinely use and believe in.

You’re good at your job, you’re juggling everything, and somewhere underneath all of it there’s a quiet question you haven’t answered yet: what do I actually want to do next? The problem isn’t that you don’t know how to work hard — it’s that no one ever taught you how to listen to yourself.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

In this episode, Molly shares how The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron kept showing up in her life right when she needed it — and why that’s not as mystical as it sounds. Then she brings in Calleen De Oliveira, who used this exact book in her 40s to leave a 25-year advertising career, go to nursing school, and build a life she is proud of. What came out of those morning pages surprised even Calleen — and it went far beyond a career change. Plus: Molly announces the first Her Intentional Reset Experience: The Artist’s Way Creative Cluster, and is giving away eight copies of the book to listeners who want to join.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

• [01:15] The three-day sequence that convinced Molly this book was worth paying attention to — and the neuroscience that explains why it happened
• [06:52] What The Artist’s Way actually is — and why it’s not just for people who want to paint
• [13:22] What morning pages did for Calleen that nothing else could: nursing school, sobriety, and a marriage she almost lost
• [19:01] What a real Creative Cluster looks like — Calleen’s group of eight women stayed together for a decade
• [24:15] The right mindset to bring into this 12-week practice (and what Calleen says to anyone who doesn’t want to commit)
• [32:09] How to join the very first Her Intentional Reset Experience — The Artist’s Way Creative Cluster — and how to win one of eight free copies of the book

RESOURCES:

• "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron |Amazon Link
• "The Right to Write" by Julia Cameron |Amazon link here
• Julia Cameron 12-Week Virtual Guide — will be available for HIRE: The Artist's Way Creative Cluster participants only.

PODCAST REFERENCES:

• Episode 11: HIR From Wall Street to Fashion Founder, Jennifer Conrad, Twigs
• Episode 8: HIR From Spotify Exec to Solo Founder, Courtney Reimer
• Mel Robbins Podcast: (on Reticular Activating System - RAS) 8 Things to Tell Yourself Every Morning

Her Intentional Reset Experience (HIRE): The Artist's Way Creative Cluster

• Sign up for HIRE at:Her Intentional Reset Experience: the Artist's Way Creative Cluster - Facebook Private Group
• Book giveaway details and entry link follow on Instagram / Facebook at herintentionalreset.co (Winners will be announced on Saturday, June 6th, 2026)
• Instagram @herintentionalreset.co
• Facebook @Her Intentional Reset.co
• Website:www.herintentionalreset.com

LOGISTICS: Her Intentional Reset Experience (HIRE)

• Week 1 starts June 15th, 2026 – Week 12, Aug. 31st
• June 17th, 2026 first virtual meeting
• Bi-weekly virtual meetings through end of August
• Come when you can. No pressure, no perfect attendance, no guilt.

If HIR has been valuable to you, you can support the show here: Kofi Support The Show

• No pressure — just making it easy for listeners who want to say so.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

• https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/the-way-forward
• License code: RVGOVVHKDJFBKVJC

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend books and resources I genuinely use and believe in.

From Wall Street trader to fashion entrepreneur, Jennifer Conrad moved from New York to Madison, WI, on September 11, 2001. While coping with the events of that day, Jennifer identified a need in her new city — and a vision for what to do next. So she did what a former day trader would do: she trusted her gut, moved quickly, and built it herself.

Jennifer, Founder & President of Twigs, an elevated, fashion boutique, will discuss how she built this career pivot on instinct and discipline, how she's kept the business strong through pandemics and recessions for two decades, the importance of prioritizing your people, and what she's learned about building both a career and a life that fit.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Twigs is an independent women's fashion boutique with locations in Madison and Brookfield, WI, with a nationwide online presence at shoptwigs.com. Jennifer opened Twigs on January 2002, drawing on the economics degree she earned at Columbia and a career as a money market trader at Citigroup. In 2012, Elle Magazine recognized Twigs as one of the best boutiques in America.

What make’s Twigs stand the test of time is Jennifer’s approach to curation: a thoughtful mix of contemporary clothing, jewelry, and accessories for three generations of women — carefully pulling together pieces that are worth your time and attention. What keeps customers coming back is the Twigs team's ability to cultivate a community while providing exceptional customer service and attention to the little details.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

• 08:49 —Spotting a need in a field you didn't come from — and deciding to act on it
• 11:52 —How Jennifer uses her background as a trader to assess risk and make fast decisions when the business needs to pivot
• 13:32 —The "big enough and small enough" philosophy that has shaped how she's grown — staying nimble while building real durability through a pandemic and a recession
• 24:04 —When to take the leap to expansion — and how a candid conversation with another retailer helped her say yes to a second store
• 34:25 —Jennifer's leadership style and why appreciating her team is the foundation of everything
• 39:13 —The art and joy of curating — how Jennifer finds designers, edits a collection, and curates for three generations of women
• 49:08 —What it takes to keep a business healthy over the long haul, including the team and the benefits that have kept her people with her
• 50:55 —Jennifer's honest advice for any woman thinking about a real industry jump
• 56:11 —Learning to take care of yourself in order to be there for others

GUEST LINKS:

• Website:www.shoptwigs.com
• Instagram:@shoptwigs
• Email: [email protected]

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron,Amazon link here.
• Note, by using the link HIR will receive a small affiliate link compensation.

CONNECT WITH SPONSOR: Roots & Bloom

• Instagram@rootsandbloom_studio
• Listener promotion: Roots & Bloom 20% off plant purchase — mention “Her Intentional Reset” at checkout/to Ciera Curtis

CONNECT WITH HIR

• Instagram @herintentionalreset.co
• Facebook @Her Intentional Reset.co
• Website:www.herintentionalreset.com

If HIR has been valuable to you, you can support the show here: Kofi Support The Show

• No pressure — just making it easy for listeners who want to say so.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

• https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/the-way-forward
• License code: RVGOVVHKDJFBKVJC

You've got a hobby you can't stop doing. But between the caregiving, the family, the life that's already full, you're not sure there's room for it to become anything more — or if you're even allowed to find out.

A gentle note before you listen: this episode includes Jenny's experience with postpartum depression and suicidal thoughts. If that's a tender topic for you, please take care with this one. Support resources are linked below.

ABOUT THE GUEST: Jenny Huynh is the baker behind Wildflower Macarons, a home-based small business in Eden Prairie, Minnesota that she started in 2020 during a postpartum she didn't yet have a name for. Five years in, she's grown it from a kitchen hobby into a custom-order business known for intricate, hand-painted novelty macarons inspired by her Southeast Asian heritage — all while being the primary caregiver for her father-in-law and raising her own son. Her story is a real look at what it takes to grow a small business in midlife when life keeps adding to your plate, not subtracting from it.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

• [00:02:20] How a birthday party started a business — with zero initial plan
• [00:05:33] What postpartum looked like for Jenny as a new mom, and why we all need to share our experiences
• [00:13:20] Going from kitchen hobby to officially licensed cottage food business — and why it was easier than she expected
• [00:16:06] The sandwich generation reality: raising her son and caregiving for her father-in-law while running a business
• [00:21:00] How she used her macarons to raise money for community rent during ICE raids — and why every role matters, no matter how small
• [00:30:01] The strength her husband sees in her that she didn't see in herself
• [00:31:53] The advice she'd give her younger self: why she's "more than enough"

GUEST OFFER: Wildflower Macarons is generously offering Her Intentional Reset listeners 10% off first-time customer order. Reach out and mention Her Intentional Reset podcast. All details below.

GUEST LINKS:

• Instagram:@wildflowermacarons
• Website:wildflowermacarons.com
• 10% off first-time customer discount code — "Welcome10"

CONNECT WITH SPONSOR:

• Instagram@rootsandbloom_studio
• Listener promotion: Roots & Bloom 20% off plant purchase — mention “Her Intentional Reset” at checkout/to Ciera Curtis

CONNECT WITH HIR

• Instagram @herintentionalreset.co
• Facebook @Her Intentional Reset.co
• Website:www.herintentionalreset.com

COMMUNITY CAUSES

• PROP (People Reaching Out to People):https://propfood.org/

ADDITIONAL LINKS

• Postpartum Support International:postpartum.net| helpline 1-800-944-4773

If HIR has been valuable to you, you can support the show here: Kofi Support The Show

• No pressure — just making it easy for listeners who want to say so.

Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/the-way-forward

• License code: RVGOVVHKDJFBKVJC

Returning to work after a career break? Here's what stay-at-home moms get told: the years home don't count, you'll come back at a lower title, and you should take whatever salary is offered. Leah Tilstra rejected all three — and walked back into engineering at Abbott with a senior title and a sign-on bonus after twelve years raising four kids.

How did she pull it off? She refused the apologetic part-time re-entry, used one old work relationship to land the right R&D team at Abbott, and walked into salary negotiations with a clear number and the willingness to be told no. The mantra she carries into every high-stakes interview: "They didn't know me yesterday, but they'll remember me tomorrow."

ABOUT GUEST: Leah Tilstra is a mechanical engineer and senior R&D engineer at Abbott, working on artificial heart valves in the TAVI space. Early in her career, she climbed quickly through medical device roles then made the intentional decision to step away for twelve years to raise her four children and support her family's move from Texas to Minnesota. During her career pause, she didn't just stay at home. Leah ran a nonprofit preschool, built a sewing business, coached middle school athletes, and led a moms' community group.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

• [00:14:10] The pharmacy wake-up moment that pushed Leah from "testing the waters" to returning to work full-time
• [00:21:29]The networking move that helped a stay-at-home mom return to engineering after a 12-year career break
• [00:37:13] How to negotiate salary and a sign-on bonus after a long career pause — even when the company offers less
• [00:38:57] The one-line confidence script she repeats before any high-stakes room or interview
• [00:27:10] The "Sift My Wife Does" Google Doc that names the mental load every working mom is carrying

GUEST LINKS

• Instagram: @illegallyblondie
• Facebook:@illegallyblond
• LinkedIn:Leah Tilstra

CONNECT WITH HIR

• Instagram @herintentionalreset.co
• Facebook @Her Intentional Reset.co
• Website:www.herintentionalreset.com

If HIR has been valuable to you, you can support the show here: Kofi Support The Show

• No pressure — just making it easy for listeners who want to say so.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

• https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/the-way-forward
• License code: RVGOVVHKDJFBKVJC

You spent 20+ years building real expertise — the kind you can't fake — and now you're staring down a layoff, a restructure, or just a quiet voice asking if this is really it. What if the skills you've spent two decades building are the exact foundation you need for something that's finally yours?

ABOUT GUEST: Courtney Reimer is the founder and principal strategist at Sounds Great, a podcast strategy company, and the host of the podcast Talking the Talk. After two decades as a senior executive at Spotify, Audible, MTV, and Discovery — including executive producing Archetypes with Meghan Markle — she was laid off and started her own business. In this conversation she walks through the real mechanics of a midlife career change: the "you're not your job" reframe from her husband, the moment she realized her expertise was worth paying for, the under-pricing trap, and why being 52 is an asset rather than a liability.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

• [00:09:59]How Courtney decided to bet on herself and start consulting after a layoff
• [00:11:03]The signal that tells you your 20 years of expertise is worth paying for
• [00:14:06]The five-word mantra her husband gave her:"You're not your job"
• [00:26:08]The practical and financial considerations of starting your own business
• [00:28:33]How to set your consulting rates when you're starting out
• [00:31:17]Why 52 is a credibility marker, not a liability, in a midlife career change

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Podcast: Talking the talk

Additional Guest References

• Deb Boulanger podcast:Life After Corporate
• The Artist's Wayby Julia Cameron

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