Her Next Chapters

What do you do when you know something is changing, but you don’t yet know what comes next?

In this episode of Her Next Chapters, I’m reflecting on midlife transitions, career clarity, changing seasons, and the value of creating space before rushing into your next move.

I’m also sharing why I’m pausing the podcast for a season while continuing to work with clients on career clarity, resumes, interviews, and building confidence in their experience and capabilities.

If you’re in a season of change too, grab a journal and spend some time with these questions: 

• What feels like it has run its course?
• What are you holding onto simply because it has always been there?
• Where do you feel energized?
• Where do you feel resistance?
• What have you been curious about but haven’t made room to explore?
• What do you want more of in your next chapter?
• What do you want less of?
• What would happen if you didn’t demand an immediate answer?

This isn’t an ending, just a season of making a little more room to notice what’s changing and what might be getting ready to begin. I’m still here, still supporting women through their career transitions, and when the podcast is ready for its next chapter, you’ll hear from me again. 

Free Resource

Grab the Strengths-First Resume Template - ideal for career transitions, whether you’re returning after a break, navigating a layoff, pivoting roles, or ready for a change.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Work with Me

Want an HR expert’s eyes on your resume?
Book a 30-minute Resume Review with Christina - live on Zoom, recorded, and focused on one goal: getting you interviews. 

Want to talk through your career goals and explore next steps?
Schedule a career consultation to see how I can support you. 

Email me directly at [email protected]

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kohlchristina

If the word networking makes you want to hide in the corner, this episode is for you.

Networking doesn’t have to mean walking into a crowded professional event, making awkward small talk, or asking strangers for a job. In this episode, Christina reframes networking as something much simpler: connecting with people.

Through real-life stories from her own life and her clients’ job searches, Christina shares how everyday conversations with neighbors, other parents, yoga classmates, former colleagues, and friends can lead to unexpected introductions and career opportunities. You’ll hear why curiosity is one of the best networking skills you can develop, how to reconnect with people you haven’t talked to in years, and why you need to let people know what you’re looking for before they can help.

You’ll also learn practical networking strategies for introverts, including how volunteering can make professional events easier and why a target employer list can make your networking conversations more productive.

Whether you’re returning to work, making a midlife career change, or actively looking for your next role, this episode will help you approach networking in a way that feels more natural, genuine, and human.

Episode resources:
Target Employer List: Episode 118

For a Networking Guide, email [email protected]

Free Resource

Grab the Strengths-First Resume Template - ideal for career transitions, whether you’re returning after a break, navigating a layoff, pivoting roles, or ready for a change.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Work with Me

Want an HR expert’s eyes on your resume?
Book a 30-minute Resume Review with Christina - live on Zoom, recorded, and focused on one goal: getting you interviews. 

Want to talk through your career goals and explore next steps?
Schedule a career consultation to see how I can support you. 

Email me directly at [email protected]

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kohlchristina

Sometimes the biggest thing standing between us and our next chapter isn't a lack of qualifications—it's the story we're telling ourselves.

In this episode, I share two pivotal moments that shaped my career and my life: the question that gave me the courage to begin coaching, and the wake-up call that changed the direction of my career.

If you've been putting off something important, questioning whether your experience still matters, or wondering what's next, I hope this conversation gives you the encouragement to take that first step. And if you're feeling like you have to figure it all out on your own, I hope it reminds you that you don't have to.

Free Resource

Grab the Strengths-First Resume Template - ideal for career transitions, whether you’re returning after a break, navigating a layoff, pivoting roles, or ready for a change.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Work with Me

Want an HR expert’s eyes on your resume?
Book a 30-minute Resume Review with Christina - live on Zoom, recorded, and focused on one goal: getting you interviews. 

Want to talk through your career goals and explore next steps?
Schedule a career consultation to see how I can support you. 

Email me directly at [email protected]

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kohlchristina

After five consecutive weeks of job search episodes, I'm hitting pause — and I'm making the case that you should too.

In this episode, I share that I'm heading to Italy for a couple of weeks with my husband and two other couples who have been friends since the school pickup line days. All of our kids are now in college or beyond — and this trip is one of the unexpected gifts of the empty nest season. I'm giving myself the rest of June to unplug, recharge, and transition back into real life before returning to the podcast in July.

But before I go, I have something important to say to anyone who's been grinding through a job search without a break: pushing harder is not always the answer. Sometimes the most strategic thing you can do is stop, recalibrate, and come back with fresh eyes.

In this episode I cover:

• Why rest is a legitimate job search strategy — not a sign of giving up
• How strategic volunteering through organizations like Catch a Fire (catchafire.org) can keep your search moving while doing something meaningful
• Why spending time with people this summer is networking — even when it doesn't feel like it
• How paying attention to what lights you up is clarity work in disguise

Her Next Chapters will be back in July with new episodes. Until then — rest, recalibrate, and go be with people you love.

Grazie, friends. See you in July.

Free Resource

Grab the Strengths-First Resume Template - ideal for career transitions, whether you’re returning after a break, navigating a layoff, pivoting roles, or ready for a change.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Work with Me

Want an HR expert’s eyes on your resume?
Book a 30-minute Resume Review with Christina - live on Zoom, recorded, and focused on one goal: getting you interviews. 

Want to talk through your career goals and explore next steps?
Schedule a career consultation to see how I can support you. 

Email me directly at [email protected]

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kohlchristina

You're not 22. You're not looking for your first job out of college. And you're not willing to take just anything.

So why are you searching like you are?

In this episode of the Her Next Chapters job search series, I'm sharing one of the most underused strategies in a midlife job search: building a target employer list. Instead of reacting to job postings, you'll learn how to use LinkedIn's company search and filters to identify the right employers — before a role ever gets posted. Then I'll show you how to activate your network with something specific and actionable, so the people who already know and trust you can actually help.

This is the job search as an act of intention. And it changes everything about how you show up.

Topics covered: LinkedIn company search, filtering by location, industry, and company size, how to research target employers, and how to give your network a concrete ask.

Free Resource

Grab the Strengths-First Resume Template - ideal for career transitions, whether you’re returning after a break, navigating a layoff, pivoting roles, or ready for a change.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Work with Me

Want an HR expert’s eyes on your resume?
Book a 30-minute Resume Review with Christina - live on Zoom, recorded, and focused on one goal: getting you interviews. 

Want to talk through your career goals and explore next steps?
Schedule a career consultation to see how I can support you. 

Email me directly at [email protected]

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kohlchristina

In this episode of Her Next Chapters, we continue the job search series by talking about a commonly overlooked strategy: gathering references at the beginning of your job search — not the end.

Most people wait until a final interview or job offer to think about references. But what if your references became part of your job search support team from the start?

Christina shares:
→ why references are about more than checking a box for employers
→ how reconnecting with former colleagues can activate your network
→ why relationship-building matters more than simply applying online
→ how to approach former managers, peers, and direct reports
→ tips for creating a professional reference list document
→ a personal story about asking for references after a 13-year career break

This episode is especially helpful for women navigating career transitions, returning to work, or rebuilding professional confidence in midlife.

If you’ve been relying only on online applications, this conversation will help you think differently about networking, visibility, and human connection during your job search.

Christina also shares a free Reference List Template you can use during your job search. To get a copy, email Christina at [email protected].

Free Resource

Grab the Strengths-First Resume Template - ideal for career transitions, whether you’re returning after a break, navigating a layoff, pivoting roles, or ready for a change.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Work with Me

Want an HR expert’s eyes on your resume?
Book a 30-minute Resume Review with Christina - live on Zoom, recorded, and focused on one goal: getting you interviews. 

Want to talk through your career goals and explore next steps?
Schedule a career consultation to see how I can support you. 

Email me directly at [email protected]

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kohlchristina

Are your job applications disappearing into a black hole? You're not alone — and it's not your resume. It's the system. In this episode, host (and career coach) Christina Kohl breaks down why the standard "apply online and wait" approach is failing midlife women in today's job market, and exactly what to do instead.

Whether you're pivoting careers, stepping into a new industry, or returning to work after time away, this episode gives you a practical, step-by-step playbook to stand out before a human even opens your file.

You'll learn:

• Why AI-powered Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are filtering out strong candidates — and how cover letters often disappear entirely
• The single most powerful move you can make before submitting any application (hint: it's 13x more effective than applying through a job board)
• What employee referral programs are, how they work, and why timing is everything
• Why mailing a physical resume and cover letter is getting people interviews right now
• How to drop off your application in person — and what to say when you get there

Free Resource

Grab the Strengths-First Resume Template - ideal for career transitions, whether you’re returning after a break, navigating a layoff, pivoting roles, or ready for a change.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Work with Me

Want an HR expert’s eyes on your resume?
Book a 30-minute Resume Review with Christina - live on Zoom, recorded, and focused on one goal: getting you interviews. 

Want to talk through your career goals and explore next steps?
Schedule a career consultation to see how I can support you. 

Email me directly at [email protected]

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kohlchristina

If your job search feels scattered, frustrating, or like you're spinning your wheels… this episode is for you.

In this second episode of the Job Search Series, we’re stepping back to something even more foundational than your resume or interviews: clarity.

Because if you don’t know where you’re going, everything else—your resume, your applications, your networking, and how you show up in interviews—will feel unfocused and ineffective.

In this episode, I’m walking you through:

•  Why lack of clarity is the real reason your job search isn’t working 
•  What “career clarity” actually means (hint: it’s not one perfect job title) 
•  How to identify what you want more of—and less of—in your next role 
•  The 3 simple steps to start finding your direction 
•  How to use informational interviews and strategic volunteering to test new paths 
•  Why your resume should reflect where you’re going—not just where you’ve been 

If you’re a mid-career woman ready for a career change but unsure what your next step should be, this episode will help you move from feeling stuck to taking aligned action.

🎧 This episode is part of a multi-part Job Search Series designed to help you land the right role—not just any role.

Strategic volunteering leads mentioned on the episode:
Catchafire.org
Volunteer Match (Idealist)

Free Resource

Grab the Strengths-First Resume Template - ideal for career transitions, whether you’re returning after a break, navigating a layoff, pivoting roles, or ready for a change.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Work with Me

Want an HR expert’s eyes on your resume?
Book a 30-minute Resume Review with Christina - live on Zoom, recorded, and focused on one goal: getting you interviews. 

Want to talk through your career goals and explore next steps?
Schedule a career consultation to see how I can support you. 

Email me directly at [email protected]

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kohlchristina

If you’ve been applying for jobs and not getting interviews, it’s not random - and it doesn’t mean you’re not qualified.

In this episode of Her Next Chapters, we kick off a practical job search series for women who are ready for something new - whether you’re returning to work or feeling stuck in a role that no longer fits.

We start with the resume problem that quietly holds people back: bullets that read like a job description instead of showing real impact. You’ll hear clear before-and-after examples and learn how to add scope, results, and simple metrics - even if you don’t have exact numbers.

Then we shift to strategy. Your resume is not your full career history - it’s a marketing document for the job you want next. That means choosing a direction, using the employer’s language, and pulling keywords directly from the job posting so your resume stands out to both ATS systems and hiring managers.

We also talk about why applying online alone gives you the least control in your job search, and how small, intentional networking steps - including outreach on LinkedIn - can create momentum, conversations, and real opportunities.

If you’re ready to stop second-guessing your resume and start positioning yourself for your next chapter, this episode will give you a clear place to start.

Subscribe, follow along with the series, and share this with a friend who’s ready for a change.

Ready to take the next step?

• Download the free Strengths-First Resume Template to get a clear, confident starting point
• Want personalized feedback? Book a Resume Review and get direct, actionable guidance on what’s working and what’s not

Free Resource

Grab the Strengths-First Resume Template - ideal for career transitions, whether you’re returning after a break, navigating a layoff, pivoting roles, or ready for a change.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Work with Me

Want an HR expert’s eyes on your resume?
Book a 30-minute Resume Review with Christina - live on Zoom, recorded, and focused on one goal: getting you interviews. 

Want to talk through your career goals and explore next steps?
Schedule a career consultation to see how I can support you. 

Email me directly at [email protected]

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kohlchristina

Ever find yourself waiting to feel motivated before you start?

You’re not alone. And it might be the exact reason you’re stuck.

In this episode, I’m sharing a real-life moment from this week when I caught myself putting something off… and what I did instead. (Spoiler: motivation never showed up.)

We’re flipping the script on the idea that motivation has to come first, and instead focusing on what actually works: taking small, simple actions that build momentum.

Whether you’re navigating a job search, trying to get back into a routine, or tackling something that feels overwhelming, this episode will help you stop waiting and start moving forward.

Inside the episode, I talk about:

•  why waiting for motivation keeps you stuck 
•  how procrastination shows up in everyday life (and how to catch it) 
•  simple ways to take action when you don’t feel ready 
•  why small steps create real momentum 
•  practical examples from job search, productivity, and daily life 

If you’ve been putting something off, this is your nudge.

Free Resource

Grab the Strengths-First Resume Template - ideal for career transitions, whether you’re returning after a break, navigating a layoff, pivoting roles, or ready for a change.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Work with Me

Want an HR expert’s eyes on your resume?
Book a 30-minute Resume Review with Christina - live on Zoom, recorded, and focused on one goal: getting you interviews. 

Want to talk through your career goals and explore next steps?
Schedule a career consultation to see how I can support you. 

Email me directly at [email protected]

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kohlchristina