NEXT | Navigating Career Pivots & Reinvention in the Age of AI

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. 

It's so important to have others supporting you on your journey, but who are the best people to do that? In this episode, Erika talks about how we're each the average of the five people we spend the most time with. Those are your Unintentional Five - and probably some of the most important people in your life. It's also possible that you might benefit from some additional support on this journey. Who would you add to your Intentional Five? 

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

Want to explore a career change without burning down the house? In this episode of NEXT, Erika Parker Price shares 10 small steps you can take without burning down the house. Whether you’ve been laid off, feel burned out, or simply have a tiny idea you’re not ready to say out loud, these steps let you test the idea before you commit.

1. Follow people already doing it
2. Research jobs
3. Listen to a podcast
4. Read a book
5. Make a connection
6. Start writing
7. Go to an event
8. Take a class
9. Get your first client
10. Write your future

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

In this conversation, Erika reflects on insights shared by Nikki Belt regarding the journey from being a small business buyer to becoming a successful small business owner. The discussion emphasizes the importance of research and the availability of resources for aspiring entrepreneurs.

To reach Nikki, visit https://anchorandkeel.com

Mentioned in the show: https://www.bizbuysell.com/

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

After 12 years at Google and a 40-year career in sales, Liz Crook retired in July 2024. Nothing was wrong. She'd become bored with the job and, for the first time, started to think about retirement.

In this episode, Liz walks through how she figured out it was time to leave, what she discovered about herself in the process, and how she's now testing a completely different path—home organization—without betting everything on it.

In this conversation:

• Why boredom in a "perfect" job is actually important data
• How a year of coaching, values work, and self-reflection led her to home organizing (a thread she never saw coming)
• Why she got a $200 certification and used a friend's move as a test run instead of jumping in
• How she prepared emotionally (therapy, understanding the phases of transition) and financially (working with an advisor, building a buffer)
• What it feels like to not have a paycheck two months in
• How she's building community and structure in a new town at 61
• Why this matters whether you're retiring, pivoting, or just wondering what comes next

Resources mentioned:

• Four Phases of Retirement TED Talk by Dr. Riley Moynes: 
• Retirement Transformed by Mark & Jody Rollins

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

After 12 years at Google and a 40-year career in sales, Liz Crook retired in July 2024. Nothing was wrong. She'd become bored with the job and, for the first time, started to think about retirement.

In this episode, Liz walks through how she figured out it was time to leave, what she discovered about herself in the process, and how she's now testing a completely different path—home organization—without betting everything on it.

In this conversation:

• Why boredom in a "perfect" job is actually important data
• How a year of coaching, values work, and self-reflection led her to home organizing (a thread she never saw coming)
• Why she got a $200 certification and used a friend's move as a test run instead of jumping in
• How she prepared emotionally (therapy, understanding the phases of transition) and financially (working with an advisor, building a buffer)
• What it feels like to not have a paycheck two months in
• How she's building community and structure in a new town at 61
• Why this matters whether you're retiring, pivoting, or just wondering what comes next

Resources mentioned:

• Four Phases of Retirement TED Talk by Dr. Riley Moynes: 
• Retirement Transformed by Mark & Jody Rollins

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

In this episode of NEXT, Erika Parker Price sits down with career expert, writer, consultant, and speaker Jeremy Schifeling to talk about what it really means to build a meaningful career in a time of rapid change. Jeremy shares his unconventional path from teaching kindergarten to working at LinkedIn and Google, and eventually building his own career-focused business. Along the way, he explains why the old rules around job hopping no longer make sense, why small side projects can become life-changing opportunities, and why human skills are becoming more valuable than ever in an AI-shaped world. This conversation is packed with practical advice for anyone feeling stuck, curious, or ready for a change. Jeremy offers a simple framework for exploring what’s next, including how to use AI tools in a human-centered way, how to identify the overlap between your strengths and the world’s needs, and why doing the work is still the biggest differentiator.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why career paths no longer need to be linear
• How to start building something on the side without quitting your job
• Why “power skills” matter more than ever in the AI era
• How to use AI to uncover real human pain points
• A practical way to explore your next move using Ikigai
• Why high agency may be the most important skill of the future

Key takeaways:

• Small, consistent steps can lead to major career pivots over time.
• AI is powerful, but it works best when paired with empathy, storytelling, and human judgment.
• LinkedIn is not just an online resume — it’s part of your story and positioning.
• The best candidates and creators are the ones who do the work others won’t.
• Feeling stuck is often solved by creating options, not making a sudden leap.

“The work is the differentiator.”

“If you can dream it, you can build it.”

“We need people to build those skills and bring them into the workforce.”

“You are not a pawn in someone else’s game.”

About Jeremy Schifeling

Jeremy Schifeling is a writer, consultant, speaker, and career strategist who works with universities, students, and professionals around the world. His work focuses on helping people navigate career change, use AI thoughtfully, and build more human-centered careers.

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

In this episode, Erika explores a question many people quietly ask themselves: why does someone else’s job sometimes look so appealing? Using the familiar “I want to be a barista” fantasy as a metaphor, she breaks down what’s really happening when we romanticize a different path. Erika shares insights from client conversations, Reddit threads, and a real-life conversation with a former barista to uncover four key reasons people are drawn to certain jobs: the environment, the meaning behind the work, the feeling of competence, and the financial/security piece. Along the way, she connects these themes to the concept of ikigai — the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for. Rather than treating these fantasies as signs that you should quit your job and become a barista, Erika reframes them as clues. They can reveal what you’re missing in your current life and point you toward what deserves more attention, research, and reflection.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why people are drawn to “other” jobs that seem simpler or more satisfying
• How the barista fantasy connects to deeper needs and values
• The four themes behind job envy: environment, meaning, skill, and money
• How ikigai can help you understand what you’re really seeking
• Why romanticizing another job can be a useful lesson, not necessarily a career directive

Key takeaways:

• If you keep wishing you had a different job, pay attention to what exactly appeals to you.
• The thing you admire may not be the job itself, but one of the elements inside it.
• Your envy can become a guide for what to explore next.
• Momentum comes from noticing the clues and moving toward them, even if you later decide it’s not the right path.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Ikigai
• Client reflections on career change
• Reddit discussions about leaving corporate work
• The “third place” idea and the value of community spaces

Closing thought:

The job you’re romanticizing may not be your destination — but it can be a powerful teacher on the way there.

Call to action:

If you’re interested in exploring ikigai more deeply, join Erika’s waitlist at erikaparkerprice.com/findyournext.

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

Today we're diving into how to tell when it's actually time to leave a job you could keep.

Leaving on your own terms is it's own kind of hard. There's no severance, no clean story, no external event to point at — just a growing sense that this isn't it anymore, and no obvious moment to act on it.

This episode is about that gap: how to know when the feeling is real, and what to do before you hand in anything.

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

Connie Kwan on story habits, identity, and building a new writing routine

Erika Parker Price interviews Connie Kwan, a builder and storyteller whose career spans product leadership, AI-powered prototyping, teaching storytelling, and now writing a book called STORYHabits. This conversation is both an origin story and a practical coaching session, as Connie walks Erika through her STORY framework for changing habits through identity and motivation.We discuss how habits shape career transitions, why identity is the missing piece in habit change, and how to make a goal small enough to actually stick. The episode also explores how AI is changing engineering team habits, code review, and norms faster than most organizations can adapt.

Key topics

• Connie Kwan’s path from corporate product leader to portfolio career as a builder and storyteller
• The origin of Story Habits
  • Connie’s thinking on habit change was shaped by her work at a smoking cessation company.
  • That experience gave her a scientific lens on motivation, behavior change, and what helps habits actually stick.
  • She later connected that with her storytelling work and realized identity and story were missing from the habit-change conversation.
•  Why identity matters more than streaks in habit building
• Workshop: Erika’s writing habit
• The S T O R Y framework
  • S - Set the right goal
  • T - Ten values
  • O - Overlay the habit onto a value
  • R - Run the test
  • Y - Evaluate whether the story worked or needs revision
  • Connie uses Erika’s own values to find an anchor that supports the writing habit.
• How to think about confidence and motivation
  • The goal should feel 90 percent achievable.
  • Connie emphasizes keeping both confidence and motivation above roughly 90 percent throughout the process.
  • Small wins matter because they create the loop that makes the habit repeatable.
• How AI is changing team habits

Timestamps

00:00 - Introducing Connie Kwan and the purpose of the episode
 01:46 - Why Connie fits both sides of the show’s mission
 05:14 - Connie introduces herself as a builder and storyteller
 06:23 - From smoking cessation to the origins of Story Habits
08:00 - Why identity is the missing piece in habit change
10:57 - How habits can rewrite your life one step at a time
13:16 - Inherited habits, hacked habits, and chosen habits
16:43 - Choosing Erika’s writing habit to workshop live
18:08 - S T O R Y begins with setting a realistic goal
20:50 - Defining values as anchors for habit change
22:27 - How connection becomes the strongest writing anchor
24:50 - Using courage as a possible motivation, then ruling it out
27:04 - Why creativity is central to Erika’s identity as a writer
30:10 - Future-focused fiction and the pressure to “get it right”
33:07 - Purpose as a deeper reason to write the book
34:42 - What Erika does instead of writing and why
36:25 - Moving from story work to logistics and calendar design
39:21 - The “because” that gets Erika to the desk
41:23 - Reviewing the S T O R Y framework and running the test
43:28 - Small goals for career change and skill building
48:41 - How team habits are changing in an AI-driven workplace
53:49 - Why teams need to rebuild norms around AI use
57:51 - Where to find Connie and what’s next for the follow-up
58:19 - Connie’s closing thought: rewrite your story to rewrite your habits

“Rewrite your story to rewrite your habits.”

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

Kelly Tibbitts is an educator, a pastor, a coach, and a podcaster. When it comes to self-awareness, she's done all the work - Enneagram, StrengthsFinder, Human Design, Pat Lancioni's Six Types of Working Genius - and even coaches on many of the disciplines. 

That's why she was so surprised to discover that all that self-awareness didn't translate to her resume. She'd spent years accepting lesser titles and lower salary, as she'd been raised to believe that "women get paid in praise." 

A little bit of coaching and a resume re-write was all it took for her to step into her full capability - and land her next role as an Executive Director. 

For more information on Kelly, check out her website or podcast, Live a Vibrant Life. 

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn