What happens when the life and career you built no longer fit the person you’ve become?

Richard Taliaferro talks with coach and strategist Meghan DeFord about career reinvention, identity, and what it means to rebuild a life around your values instead of other people’s expectations. After years in philanthropy and major fundraising leadership, Meghan found herself facing a divorce and a layoff within weeks of each other — and with that, a deeper reckoning around purpose, self-trust, and what came next.

That turning point led her into coaching, where she now helps women who have checked all the boxes, shown up for everyone else, and quietly pushed their own dreams to the bottom of the list. Her approach is grounded and strategic: not hustle culture, not empty inspiration, but real goals, real values, and real life.

Richard and Meghan talk about the emotional terrain of change — identity loss, self-judgment, people-pleasing, fear of visibility, and the myth that meaningful change requires blowing up everything you’ve built. They also explore the difference between coaching and therapy, the limits of AI as a substitute for human support, and why the best coaching doesn’t hand you a blueprint — it helps you hear yourself more clearly.

This is a conversation for anyone navigating a career pivot, questioning a successful-on-paper life, or trying to reconnect with what matters now.

You can reach out to Meghan at www.megdeford.com

Meg and I also host Scrambled Eggs, a podcast about the messy middle of careers; give it a listen and subscribe: https://open.spotify.com/show/2MubV1gNu4lNQymeBsxi8r?si=jlqQwYAASx2KNkfScJSwZw

#MeghanDeFord #CareerReinvention #CareerPivot #MidlifeCareerChange #ValuesBasedLiving #IdentityShift #WomensCoaching #CareerCoaching #SelfTrust #WomenAndWork #PurposeDrivenLife #PersonalGrowth #RichardTaliaferro

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I’m Richard Taliaferro. I’m a certified career coach, specializing in helping mid-stage professionals find the work that works for them. I'm sharing my thoughts on careers, and more, and how I can help you achieve your goals. Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when the biggest disruption to your career isn’t your job—but your body?

In this episode, I talk with Claire Sachs, a healthcare policy expert and patient advocate who has spent decades navigating the system from both sides—as a professional shaping healthcare policy and as a patient living with chronic illness.

Claire shares her story of growing up with life-threatening illness, managing multiple diagnoses, and building a career within the constraints of her health. We explore how chronic illness impacts not just your physical capacity, but your identity, your career choices, and your sense of control.

This conversation goes beyond healthcare. It’s about trust, self-advocacy, energy management, and what it means to rebuild your life when your body becomes part of the equation.

Special thanks to Debra Chandler of Kickfannie Media Group for the connection

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Key Takeaways:

•Your body is not separate from your career—it’s part of the system

•Stress isn’t just mental—it shows up physically, often before you notice

•You are allowed to question authority—including doctors and career paths

•Small, sustainable steps matter more than urgent, overwhelming change

•Trust—both in yourself and in others—is foundational when everything feels uncertain

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🔗 Connect with Claire Sachs:

•LinkedIn: Claire Sachs

•Blog: The Patient Advocates Chronicle

•Consulting: TPAC Consulting

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I’m Richard Taliaferro. I’m a certified career coach, specializing in helping mid-stage professionals find the work that works for them. I'm sharing my thoughts on careers, and more, and how I can help you achieve your goals. Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com

To get my weekly newsletter with more career tips and insights, click here: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com/emails

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#CareerTransition #ChronicIllness #CareerChange #HealthAndCareer #PatientAdvocacy #CareerCoaching #MidCareer #ProfessionalIdentity #MentalHealth #WorkplaceWellness #BurnoutRecovery #SelfAdvocacy #CareerClarity #LeadershipDevelopment #LifeTransitions

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when someone believes you’re ready for more—but you’re not sure you agree?

I unpack a tension that a lot of thoughtful, high-achieving professionals experience, but rarely name: the difference between being put on a pedestal and having your horizon extended.

If you’ve ever been told you’re “leadership material”… encouraged to step up before you felt ready… or quietly wondered whether you’re being seen clearly or idealized, this conversation is for you.

Here’s what I want you to know: The discomfort you feel isn’t necessarily self-doubt. It might be something more precise—and more useful yo you and your career.

We’ll explore:

• Why being idealized at work can quietly distort relationships

• The hidden risk of “pedestal thinking” in leadership development

• How to tell the difference between projection vs. genuine belief

• What it actually looks like to “borrow belief” in a grounded way

• A simple practice for staying human while stepping into more responsibility

Leadership doesn’t require you to become untouchable. It asks you to stay reachable.

Ask yourself this:

Is this person elevating you… or extending your horizon?

If you’re navigating a career transition or rethinking what leadership looks like in this next chapter, this episode will meet you there.

#CareerTransition #LeadershipDevelopment #ImposterSyndrome #CareerGrowth #MidCareer #ProfessionalDevelopment #LeadershipMindset #CareerClarity #PersonalGrowth #FutureOfWork #CareerCoaching #NextChapter

I’m Richard Taliaferro. I’m a certified career coach, specializing in helping mid-stage professionals find the work that works for them. I'm sharing my thoughts on careers, and more, and how I can help you achieve your goals. Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com

To get my weekly newsletter with more career tips and insights, click here: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com/emails

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does reinvention look like when life forces you to pivot? In this episode, Richard Taliaferro talks with Rick Steeby—a former soldier, police detective, IT professional, contractor, and now published author—about building a new chapter later in life.

Rick shares how growing up in Alaska shaped his adventurous spirit, how a dyslexia diagnosis changed the way he understood himself, and why he kept writing through 13 manuscripts before finally landing a publishing deal for his novel Gold Miner’s Daughter. This is a conversation about resilience, career change, persistence, and what it means to keep becoming.

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s too late to start again, this episode is for you.

See more about Rick at https://ricksteebyauthor.com

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I’m Richard Taliaferro. I’m a certified career coach, specializing in helping mid-stage professionals find the work that works for them. I'm sharing my thoughts on careers, and more, and how I can help you achieve your goals. Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com

To get my weekly newsletter with more career tips and insights, click here: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com/emails

#CareerReinvention #SecondAct #NeverTooLate #Resilience #Perseverance #AuthorJourney #PublishedAuthor #LifeTransition #Storytelling #PersonalGrowth

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to become a 13-time world boxing champion after starting at age 29?

In this powerful conversation, World Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Tori Nelson shares how she built a championship career while raising two children and working multiple jobs — including driving a school bus, working in a cafeteria, and pulling shifts at IHOP.

This episode explores women’s boxing, discipline, faith, mental toughness, and what it really takes to reinvent yourself later in life.

We talk about:

• Starting boxing at 29 and being told she was “washed up”
• Fighting the #1 ranked competitor in her first professional bout
• Building championship discipline while balancing motherhood and work
• Training with men and developing a world champion mindset
• Navigating athlete retirement and life after sports
• Why identity matters more than titles
• How to handle career transitions without losing yourself

Tori Nelson’s story is more than a boxing success story. It’s about resilience, reinvention, purpose, and remembering who you were before the accolades.

If you’re facing a career change, stepping into a second act, or questioning what comes next, this episode will remind you: your title is a chapter — not your identity.

I’m Richard Taliaferro. I’m a certified career coach, specializing in helping mid-stage professionals find the work that works for them. I'm sharing my thoughts on careers, and more, and how I can help you achieve your goals. Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com

To get my weekly newsletter with more career tips and insights, click here: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com/emails

#ToriNelson #WomensBoxing #BoxingChampion #WorldChampion #AthleteMindset #MentalToughness #Resilience #NeverTooLate #CareerTransition #Reinvention

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Dawn Kasey Lovelace brings a unique perspective to executive coaching—she's worked in the music industry for over 25 years, developing recording artists, TV projects, and films with well-known producers and filmmakers. Now she coaches creative leaders and Fortune 1000 executives on bringing their whole selves to their work.

In our conversation, Dawn shined a different kind of light on leadership: creativity isn't something you do—it's who you are. And that changes so much about how you lead.

Maybe you're thinking leadership in entertainment is different from corporate leadership. But whether you're leading a film crew or managing a sales team, the principles are still the same. Dawn helped me understand that great leaders foster innovation by creating space for everyone's creativity to contribute.

Think about it: most of us have suppressed our creativity somewhere along the way. We've learned to follow templates, mimic other people's leadership styles, and hide what makes us unique. But Dawn shares something powerful: the moment you remember your creativity, you're right back there. It's not lost.

We dive deep into how stillness and mindfulness practices (even just 5-10 minutes) create space for authentic leadership decisions, why bringing your core values to work matters, and how to design your own personal brand of leadership. Dawn also shares her coaching philosophy: seeing clients as whole, perfect, and complete exactly as they are.

Key Takeaways:

• Creativity is a way of being, not just a skill set
• Leadership principles work across all industries—Hollywood to corporate
• Simple stillness practices unlock better decision-making
• Your authentic leadership style should reflect your core values
• Great leaders leave room for diverse ideas and innovation

You can reach Dawn at dawnkaseylovelace.com

#Creativity #Leadership #ExecutiveCoaching #Authenticity #CareerGrowth #Mindfulness #PersonalBrand #Innovation

I’m Richard Taliaferro. I’m a certified career coach, specializing in helping mid-stage professionals find the work that works for them. I'm sharing my thoughts on careers, and more, and how I can help you achieve your goals. Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com

To get my weekly newsletter with more career tips and insights, click here: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com/emails

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who are you arguing with when you write that email? Prepare that presentation? Share your ideas at work?

Here's the thing—and I'm still working on this myself—most of us are unconsciously defending ourselves to an audience that doesn't exist. Ghost skeptics. Imaginary critics. The voice that says "that won't work here."

I call them ghost audiences, and they're quietly undermining your career confidence and professional impact.

In this episode, I share what I've learned about these invisible critics (including my own newsroom voice that demands I prove every point). You'll discover why that defensive tone creeps into your communication, what skepticism really signals, and how to stop negotiating with people who aren't even there.

What You'll Learn:

• The ghost audience audit that reveals who you're really writing for
• Why softening your conviction actually hurts your message
• How to speak directly to people who need your perspective
• The simple two-version exercise that changes everything

When you stop defending your work to ghosts, your actual audience can finally receive it. And that's where real career growth happens.

Let me know in the comments—who's your ghost audience?

#CareerClarity #ProfessionalCommunication #OvercomingFear #WorkplaceSuccess #CareerCoaching #AuthenticLeadership #ProfessionalGrowth

I’m Richard Taliaferro. I’m a certified career coach, specializing in helping mid-stage professionals find the work that works for them. I'm sharing my thoughts on careers, and more, and how I can help you achieve your goals. Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Think about the professionals who've made the biggest impact on your career. I'd bet they weren't trying to build a legacy—they were just showing up fully, caring deeply, and doing work that mattered to them.

Here's what I want you to know: You're capable of the same impact. You already are having it.

But most of us don't see it. We think legacy is something distant—a retirement speech, a plaque on the wall, some grand culmination of our career. What if I told you that's not what legacy is at all?

Your legacy is the junior colleague using your advice right now with someone else. It's the process you improved that's still saving people time. It's the difficult decision you made with integrity that shaped how someone else thinks about their own choices. These ripples are happening whether you're paying attention or not.

The question isn't whether you're building a legacy. You are. The question is: Are you doing it intentionally?

In this episode, I'll share the Professional Security System—a framework for understanding how your skills, relationships, reputation, and resources create lasting impact. You'll learn why midlife professionals have a unique advantage when it comes to wiser ambition, and how to make career decisions based on the legacy you want to create, not just the next rung on the ladder.

Key Takeaways:

• Why legacy is about daily impact, not distant achievements
• The four components of intentional legacy-building
• How wiser ambition transforms career decision-making
• Practical ways to strengthen your professional impact starting today

What's one way you hope your work leaves a mark? Listen to this episode and let me know—your answer might inspire someone else wrestling with this same question.

I’m Richard Taliaferro. I’m a certified career coach, specializing in helping mid-stage professionals find the work that works for them. I'm sharing my thoughts on careers, and more, and how I can help you achieve your goals. Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com

To get my weekly newsletter with more career tips and insights, click here: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com/emails

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You've been following the rules, making safe choices, and building what looks like a stable career. So why does something feel so off? Here's the uncomfortable truth: the safety you've been optimizing for doesn't exist anymore—and playing it safe might be the riskiest career move you can make.

In this episode, I share why the old career playbook of stability, pensions, and predictable career ladders no longer works for Gen X professionals. You're already living with risk whether you acknowledge it or not. The only question is whether you'll take risks intentionally or let them happen to you.

I'm afraid the reality is harsh: avoiding risk doesn't avoid pain. It just trades acute discomfort for chronic suffering. The conversations you don't have build into toxic situations. The skills you don't develop become obsolescence. The change you don't make becomes a crisis.

But here's what this means for you: you have more control than you think. Choosing when and how to take calculated risks puts you in the driver's seat. I share my own journey of building a coaching business without a safety net—the excitement, the fear, and why staying comfortable would cost me more than any risk I could take.

What You'll Learn:

• Why traditional career safety is an illusion in today's workplace
• The real cost of avoiding calculated risks in your career
• How to distinguish between measured risk and recklessness
• Four practical ways to start taking intentional risks this quarter
• How to use "responsibility" as fuel instead of as an excuse for fear

Ready to write a story you actually chose? Listen now and discover why risk is the rent you pay for freedom.

#CareerRisk #GenXCareers #CareerChange #ProfessionalGrowth #CareerDevelopment #MidlifeCareerChange #CareerAutonomy #CalculatedRisk #CareerTransition #LeadershipDevelopment #CareerCoaching

I’m Richard Taliaferro. I’m a certified career coach, specializing in helping mid-stage professionals find the work that works for them. I'm sharing my thoughts on careers, and more, and how I can help you achieve your goals. Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com

To get my weekly newsletter with more career tips and insights, click here: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com/emails

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you're sensing something's off at work right now, you're not overthinking it. You're reading the room correctly—and that awareness is your most valuable asset heading into Q4 layoff season.

In this essential episode, career coach Richard Taliaferro draws on 26 years of newsroom experience to reveal the predictable patterns behind fourth-quarter workforce reductions. He explains why companies consistently make cuts before year-end and, more importantly, shares the exact framework you need to protect yourself.

You'll discover the five critical moves that separate reactive employees from strategic professionals:

Key Takeaways:

• Why "kill lists" (yes, that's what some companies call them) follow the same Q4 timeline across industries
• The three-hour preparation framework that transforms anxiety into confidence
• How to calculate your financial runway before you need it
• The psychology of preparedness and why it matters more than you think
• Why maintaining your network consistently beats desperate post-layoff outreach

Richard addresses the harsh realities of corporate contradictions with diplomatic firmness while providing practical, actionable steps you can take tonight. This isn't about living in fear—it's about refusing to be caught off-guard.

Whether the layoff happens to you or not, the confidence that comes from preparation changes everything. You'll sleep better, negotiate better, and make decisions from strategy rather than fear.

I’m Richard Taliaferro. I’m a certified career coach, specializing in helping mid-stage professionals find the work that works for them. I'm sharing my thoughts on careers, and more, and how I can help you achieve your goals. Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com

To get my weekly newsletter with more career tips and insights, click here: https://www.richardtaliaferro.com/emails

#CareerCoaching #LayoffPreparation #ProfessionalDevelopment #CareerStrategy #JobSecurity #WorkplaceStrategy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.