Second Act Success Podcast
Season 1 -Episode #37 - Let’s Talk Career Transition with Gina Riley!
Guest: Gina Riley
Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate)

[00:00:00] [00:01:00]

Are you at a crossroads in your career or in life? Well, don't worry because life's next chapter is waiting. This is the Second Act Success Podcast. I am your host Shannon Russell.

[00:01:16] Shannon: I'm a television producer, turned boy mom, turned business owner, podcaster, and career coach. If you are looking to start a new career or begin a fresh chapter in life, then get ready to be inspired with stories of women who have done just that. We will share advice and offer steps you can take to help figure out what your true calling in life really is.

It is time to shine. So let's turn the page and get started.

Welcome to Second Act Success.

Hey friend, think you're ready to start a second act. I created a freebie that will help. It's my Second Act Blueprint with five questions that you should ask yourself [00:02:00] before you make this massive decision. To check it out, go to secondactsuccess.co and download the Second Act Blueprint today. Now it's onto the episode.

Gina Riley graduated with a communications degree and she got her masters in the unique field of whole systems design. She longed for an executive leadership role in human resources developing programs after achieving that goal, she took 15 years off to be a stay-at-home mom. Gina also survived breast cancer during these years and when it came time to going back to work, she wanted to make a change in her career. Gina decided to help others with their life transitions by becoming a coach and having her own consulting business. This is Gina Riley and her success story.

[00:02:45] Shannon Russell: Gina. Welcome to the podcast. How are you?

[00:02:48] Gina Riley: I am awesome today. Super excited to chat with you.

[00:02:51] Shannon Russell: Oh, I'm so glad that you're here. Let's talk about where you went to school and kind of where your career.

[00:02:58] Gina Riley: Yeah, the origin story,

[00:02:59] Shannon Russell: [00:03:00] Yes,

[00:03:01] Gina Riley: Went to school at Arizona State, um, originally from Arizona and kind of had the idea at the age of like 15, 16 for my career path, I knew I wanted to go into like some kind of personal development or training and development, but back at that time it wasn't very well defined out in the, in the universe. This is before some of our modern. Public speakers and personal development gurus were really huge, like Tony Robbins or someone like that. So I, I studied communication, which was the study of interpersonal intercultural organizational communication, cuz I thought that would be the, a good base to help other people communicate better in the future.

[00:03:43] Shannon Russell: I was a communications major, but more on the broadcast journalism side, so right there with you. But yeah, it could be used for so many things.

[00:03:52] Gina Riley: Absolutely.

[00:03:53] Shannon Russell: Your masters that you went on to get is really interesting to me. Can you tell us about your masters?

[00:03:58] Gina Riley: Whole Systems Design, [00:04:00] which, people can make it what they want to. I was a part of a cohort of 40 people and, there were all walks of life. There. There were teachers, there were HR leaders, engineers. And what I got out of it was an approach to consult. and a viewpoint on the world where we take into consideration whole systems, all the moving parts that makes make an organism or an organization come to life. that's the way that I think, and it made a lot of sense to me. And then I apply that now with what I do today with my career coaching

[00:04:39] Shannon Russell: So interesting. So when did you go for your masters? Was it right after undergrad?

[00:04:44] Gina Riley: It was not. It was not. I actually went into the workforce for about 10 years. I worked for Intel. Here in Oregon, I started off in staffing and did recruiting. And what I wanted to do was ultimately get into training and development develop programs. But [00:05:00] one of the segues was to be an HR business partner.

And at that time you had to have a master's degree to be a partner to one of the major division leaders. , et cetera. So I felt like I had to go back and get a master's and I got very lucky. I was able to work on it. At the same time, my husband was on assignment in England, so for that year and a half we lived in England, but I was able to commute to Seattle, work, on my degree, and by the time we were done, I came back and I landed that. for That HR business partnership with one of the, the top upcoming VPs at that time. So I got to, be a partner to a whole business unit and be their guide, when it came to hr.

[00:05:41] Shannon Russell: Wow. So was it everything that you thought or was it a little different once you got into the role

[00:05:46] Gina Riley: Oh gosh. In a role like that, there's fun parts of the job and then there's not fun parts of the job. The not fun parts are, when you have to deal with employee relations issues. You're consulting with your senior leader and they have an [00:06:00] employee that's either got misbehavior or, some kind of issue where you're coaching and guiding and being that, that person. And sometimes you have to terminate people. That is not fun. I prefer not to have to do that. And some of the stories that some of us HR people can tell, make your hair curl, like people really do that on the job. But the fun stuff was consulting and helping guide the leaders in their approaches with their teams team develop. And then they're just general organization development and there's a lot of gritty work to do at a company like Intel and many others. There's constant reorganizations. So that's where that whole system's lens comes in to really, be very helpful and effective when you're helping a leader who's mired down in their details with, like looking at bigger picture concepts in order to move people and their teams through change so that they don't lose them so people don't leave.

[00:06:52] Shannon Russell: Right. Cuz you often leave a job if your manager, your management is not working the way that you like [00:07:00] to.

[00:07:00] Gina Riley: Yes, the manager's one of the number one reasons people leave. I, I know I have, I'm sure , you probably have to.

[00:07:08] Shannon Russell: Yes, absolutely. so you were well versed in being able to deal with all of that, so that master really kind of served you well, it sounds

[00:07:17] Gina Riley: It really did. It does to this day. And sometimes the thing that some people forget, when they contemplate getting a degree is, is sometimes it's the network that you develop when you go and get those degrees. Whether that's at a, you know, highly regarded institution or not. I wasn't at Harvard or Stanford getting it. But I still created a network around me that was, supportive and helpful and, you know, people that you can go back to, to collaborate with in the future.

[00:07:44] Shannon Russell: Isn't that interesting? Since we've gotten into the world of the internet and all of that, you know, Cause I'm sure our parents went to school with people and then never saw them again because there was no way to connect. And we're so lucky to be able to connect with people on so many different platforms and [00:08:00] really utilize people in our classes during college or people that we meet at any job and know that we can take them with us throughout our transitions.

[00:08:08] Gina Riley: It's absolutely true. I actually am, I've got one of my clients,, just got out of an eight. He, I think it was an eight week executive program at Harvard. And he came out with 162 new connections all around the world, right? And so he can immediately, for his job search purposes, leverage new relationships to see if the, he can uncover opportunities in that, what we call the hidden job market. Which is not hidden jobs hiding in the corner. It's it's jobs that haven't really come to the market. , They're just discussing it in the boardroom. That's gonna be one of his tactics is leveraging that network

[00:08:45] Shannon Russell: that's a huge network to start with when just coming out of a program. Wow.

[00:08:49] Gina Riley: So cool.

[00:08:50] Shannon Russell: So you're running this, this department, at Intel and you're, you're in this job that you wanted, and tell me what happened next.

[00:08:58] Gina Riley: I finally [00:09:00] landed the job I was gunning for from age like 16 was in, in the training and development arm of this larger organization. I was so thrilled and I have the best manager. I'm so excited. That is where we have a turning point. I, I have baby number two and like you, I have two sons and my husband was working in Intel at the time and at a company like Intel with two type A personalities, , working those very, very long hours, we started to get into arguments about, you're gonna, can you go pick up the baby?

I have to meet with my vp. Well, I have to meet with my vp. And so it, it didn't make sense. I wasn't gonna be able to sustain that type A driver driver. now with two little life forms to to look after and still be a nice person. So we were, very lucky that we could afford for me to be home. And this is where things really changed for me. I stayed home for 15 years.

[00:09:58] Shannon Russell: That's a big decision. You have this [00:10:00] job that you've been working so hard for. tell me about making that decision.

[00:10:04] Gina Riley: I cannot say that I did that with excitement. I'm was excited to have my children, as, you know, a woman coming into my own , getting that degree that I absolutely had to have, they wouldn't, Move me into the jobs that I wanted until I had it and I finally got there. I'd barely been there. It was not easy, but I also knew I couldn't do both and still be an effective parent. Turns out you don't know what gifts you're gonna get with your children. You don't know if they're gonna be challenging people and for me, the choice. Not only clear, it became clearer over time when I was at home and I could see as my children change over time what they needed in me for them to become successful people.

[00:10:50] Shannon Russell: that's a really good point because you just think it's always as much as you are. Guiding them and it's all about them. it's just a hard transition to say, Okay, I'm [00:11:00] gonna take this time off in a big span, 15 years, that's their, their adolescence.

[00:11:06] Gina Riley: I can definitely say I was, not at home dreaming about being a stay at home parent at any point in my lifetime. I was never thinking that, but I also didn't have a, a master plan. The only thing I had in my mind was like, I wanted to kind of be like these amazing personal development gurus and public speakers after I had kids that ideal changed, but what I found through those 15 years at home were different. For my, my desire to like sort of give and to, help move other systems along. So of course I was involved with my kids' schools., I found my way into different kinds of projects and programs, I was on. The, pto, the high school, helping with the auctions and things like that. helping with larger district-wide initiatives, putting my hat in the ring for that. So I was doing things but I wasn't necessarily scratching the itch of like true [00:12:00] program development and, really doing what I knew I could do.

[00:12:04] Shannon Russell: Mm-hmm. . Yeah. It's hard not to use those skills that you've nourished for so long. but at least you were out there doing it and you were doing everything you could while being there for your kids and being the mom that you ultimately wanted to be. And it's hard for so many of our listeners, I'm sure of having two. Both working, and the hours are long, especially pre covid. I mean, now I feel like there's more flexibility in the world, but same thing with me and my husband working. We were both television producers traveling, working late. I mean, there's just no such thing as a nine to five in that industry, I was the one who had to give it. Or wanted to give it up for the kids to be the mom that I wanted to be. It's really cool that up until that point you landed the job that you wanted and now you get to be home with your boys

[00:12:51] Gina Riley: It was hard work. And so for parents who have worked outside of the home and not had that much time with their kids day to day to day, [00:13:00] they don't know. They really don't know. It's a massive juggling act and to do it with any sense of grace and have your kids like you in some way, it's a lot of work.

[00:13:13] Shannon Russell: I'm curious as to what spurred you wanting to get back into the workforce.

[00:13:19] Gina Riley: I was diagnosed with breast cancer, when my, my, uh, oldest was about a sophomore in high school, my younger was about eighth grade. So that was a turning point. I was very fortunate and got through it,, in record time and then ]I guess as a part of my journey. , it was sort of a catalyst for me to go, Okay, now what, what is my second act?

[00:13:42] Shannon Russell: Oh, Gina, I'm so sorry to hear that. So fortunate that you recovered so quickly and you were ready to take on a second act you were ready to see what life had to offer you after this breast cancer and surviving. I'm sure you were full of energy and ready to just go out and live life. So you are [00:14:00] discovering that staying home with your kids is not your second act, and now you've got all this life left to live. You knew that there was something else you were meant to be doing.

[00:14:09] Gina Riley: I think I always knew that there would be something, but I did not plan it out. I was pretty much going with the flow and I actually didn't even think I would go back to work. I think my husband did,

Mm-hmm.

but, cause he's like, I don't want you to get to the end of your life and look back and have regrets. So he was concerned about that, because I was such a go-getter, early in the early part of my career.

[00:14:32] Shannon Russell: What got your wheels turning after that? Did you feel more like, Okay, I have a renewed sense of life, a renewed sense of self. Let's start thinking now. Let's start planning. What's next?

[00:14:43] Gina Riley: A lot of my journey is about amazing relationships and, and the network that I built up and one of my closest friends. Also an amazing entrepreneur started her own executive search firm. And so she had been asking me, can you come work for me and be a recruiter? And I'm [00:15:00] like, I don't really like recruiting that much. That's not my passion. I can do it. Um, but I love to develop programs and I love these other aspects of . HR, if you will. And so she lured me back, Oh, come and help me with my branding and my messaging. Come and help me with the interview skills training that I wanna deliver inside of my client companies to help train them to craft effective questions and to interview properly and select talent properly. So we, we did these things over time but ultimately, over the course of about five, seven years, she wanted me to develop a coaching program or a solution for executives who were in transition. So they would call her up and say, Hey, could we go to lunch? Can I show you my resume? Do you have any advice for me? And it's really hard for a small business owner to take four hours at a. And go and do that. Right? She loves doing it. , but she couldn't do it all the time. So she said, Gina, can you fix [00:16:00] this problem ? So I did. I, I spent a couple months,, designing and developing and then we tested and did a beta program under her company umbrella. And that's Talents Group. what I learned in that process, cuz I was reading. Listening to podcasts, which I love talking with people, making connections, and I really felt like this was a much bigger, program that could be developed. It wasn't just a resume, it wasn't just interview skills prep. And so I spent about 18 months to two years then fully flushing out the program that I have now, and I hired my own business coach to help me get there because I got really. I had been offline for 15 years. I mean, I had email, but I wasn't on Facebook. I didn't, I didn't know how to build a website, and so I put a significant investment of time and money into myself to take what I had built and then make it to where I could [00:17:00] commercialize it.

[00:17:00] Shannon Russell: I love that you decided to bet on yourself and really invest in yourself because it's hard and expensive, but you're right, I always love the, the term of cut a check to go faster, And by doing that, you're gonna move ahead that much faster. Otherwise you might have been struggling for 24 months, 36 months to kind of get it together.

[00:17:21] Gina Riley: I was so incredibly stuck and I felt it like in all of my body, like I was so tense and I was so upset. because I had something that I felt was really valid and really different for in the market, and I didn't know how to like move the needle and, and have that evolve into something that was really a viable thing to showcase and it was a significant investment. I had to go to my husband and say, I've done my research, I've done my homework. I've been following this coach for, a. and I am, I'm gonna put it all on, all my chips into that bucket. And he was like, Are you sure? I'm like, It's not even a [00:18:00] negotiation. I'm telling you what I'm going to do,

[00:18:02] Shannon Russell: Right, right. You were ready. So this business coach was the best decision you made kind of at that point.

[00:18:10] Gina Riley: The best, the best.

[00:18:12] Shannon Russell: What kind of things did the coach help you with to get it off the,

[00:18:17] Gina Riley: so what she has is a complete soup to nuts model that starts with your branding, so it's everything from the website development Different sales channel options. How do you build in referral partners? All these micro parts, How do you use social, How do you use LinkedIn? What are the best practices? It has been such a game changer. And then now I've been able to focus on what I love to do, which is doing the coaching. I still have to, you know, continue to build relationships. I have to be present on LinkedIn. That's my main playground cuz that's where I feel like most leaders and executives are gonna hang out. That's where I that's where I showcase my thought leadership and, [00:19:00] provide content that help people, even if they're not gonna hire me.

[00:19:03] Shannon Russell: so tell us about your business.

[00:19:05] Gina Riley: I developed a model called, Career Velocity. The foundation of what I believe to be true for all of us when it comes to clearly communicating our messages is to really understand who we are, understanding our strengths so that we really get to the point, we can articulate our unique value proposition. That's what it's all about when it comes to career transition, but it also is really important for just influencing our relationship. with other people, Right? And you, you know, this too, being crisp with messaging coming from communication and broadcasting and journalism.

So I, I start with a tool called the You Map. And it's a career profile that,, won an innovator award in 2020. And it has, the top five strengths from strengths finder, your top values, your motivated and demotivated. and your personality. So what I'm doing on the front end of my process is I'm taking that and I'm [00:20:00] extracting all the language that's unique to that person and what matters to them. I'm helping them build the story and then they're practicing that. I do very intensive interview prep. I work with outside resume writing partners as a part of my program to write professional resumes and I work with them on LinkedIn profiles, ultimately networking and job search strategies and helping them build a thought leadership plan so that they don't feel stuck in the future.

[00:20:26] Shannon Russell: Right. Everyone's always stuck in the future kind of looking ahead and so to have you to kind of zone them in on what they should be focusing on now so that they can get to that future step has gotta be so helpful for them.

[00:20:36] Gina Riley: I'll even have like a thought leadership component. We'll talk about the topics that they, they are known, liked, and trusted for so that they can continue to dribble out some form of content. Doesn't have to be a TED Talk. It can be just sharing articles on LinkedIn and making comments. I think the worst thing that people can do is they finally transition and they, they're like so relieved. and then they just let it all go and they [00:21:00] go back to their old habits of like being buried in the organization and not really thinking that I'm a brand and I can showcase my brand in coexistence with my company and elevate my company at the same time.

That's what it's all about.

[00:21:15] Shannon Russell: Especially today and Gina that is so brilliant that we are a brand. Whether we are entrepreneurs like you and I or we are a part of a, of a company of 500, I don't think a lot of people think of it that way.

[00:21:28] Gina Riley: You are a hundred percent right. Each person has their own unique story to tell with their own unique professional and life experiences. One of my favorite quotes is by, um, Kristin Sherry, who is the author of You Map actually, and it may have come from someone else. I give her credit cause that's where I heard it. Um, it's hard to read the label when you're inside the jar

[00:21:49] Shannon Russell: wow.

[00:21:50] Gina Riley: When you are trying to put together your story and without that reflective mirror outside of yourself, which I feel like I got with my own [00:22:00] business coach, right? Here's all your awesome sauce. Here's how you could say that better, and here's the unique ways that you can tie all your strengths together to explain how you show up in the world. So powerful. People don't necessarily cry when I'm reading their synthesis to them, but they will get emotional. Like, they'll take in their breath and go, That's me. That's, that's, Yeah,

[00:22:23] Shannon Russell: they're not used to seeing what other people see them as. Basically what you're doing is, showing them what you see in them and having them be able to portray that and bring that vision, that appearance to the world as they look for their next career.

[00:22:39] Gina Riley: and what's even better is it's all their own words. Like when I do a debrief, I'm typing raw notes and I'm recording it and whatnot. I'm sure you've taken assessments and you read it and you're like, Yeah, that sounds like me. But this is different. This is like them telling me, Oh, this is how I move people forward with this strength and I'm using their words and when they hear it [00:23:00] back, they're like, Oh my gosh, that's totally me.

A lot of times people are in a specific niche and they're, they're making that next transition to either a similar or next level up. So if it's an HR leader, it's, they're not usually transitioning to something really way out of whack with that or an IT leader. or a chief financial officer, they're in their lanes of expertise, but what gets really interesting is when you have someone who's like, Yeah, I've been a non-profit leader my entire career, 25, 28 years, and I really wanna go into for-profit, maximizing my upside as my kids go into college so I can help, make more money and pay for that. That is different. So now we're aligning not just transferable skills, but there's storytelling to where a for profit company can hear, Oh, you led that big non-profit. I can see how that's similar to managing a business. So that's where it gets really interesting. So I've had [00:24:00] some people want to go from non-profit to for profit and vice versa.

[00:24:05] Shannon Russell: That is interesting. So then it's really up to you to kind of decipher that and see what will kind of open the eyes of the recruiter or the the hiring manager to see how valuable this client can be.

[00:24:18] Gina Riley: Absolutely.

[00:24:19] Shannon Russell: Are you working mostly with career execs then?

[00:24:22] Gina Riley: Most of my clients are at the executive level. I've had a handful that have been otherwise and it's sort of just who finds me and feels like my program is speaking to them and they're ready for that investment. Some of the people already have a job. They have a job and they're getting ready. Those are, those are people who are more comfortable going through the process cuz they don't feel d. they don't feel worried. Is anyone gonna want me? I've also worked with executives who have been given the six month package from their company and, and they're like, Here, here you go. Here's the standard package we give every. And then they, they hire [00:25:00] me and they're already now six to eight months down the line. And now they're angry, they're disenfranchised. Um, there's a lot of emotions happening there.

[00:25:11] Shannon Russell: Absolutely. If some of our listeners are kind of in the boat of thinking about leaving to start their next act, should they be looking and doing this self analysis or joining programs like yours while they're working, would you recommend that over waiting until the moment is kind of forced upon?

[00:25:30] Gina Riley: Each person should be in control of their career as best they can. You can't control that. A company is gonna have a divestiture or they're gonna acquire company and orgs are gonna change and there's two of everybody and somebody let's go.

And it's you. There's things you cannot control. What can you control? One, you can control whether or not you have a plan in the first place for your career. That can be fluid. Mine, Mine was fluid. , do you have a support system? Do you have a couple of mentors that you can lean [00:26:00] on? Those people can be changed out too. As you grow your career, do you have a personal board of directors or you know, people that, are sitting on your board who have different areas of functional expertise that can help inform you of your career? Making a plan, building a support system. And then the third thing I would say is plan to build in some sort of education or training for yourself. What are you doing to keep your skills, current, Not just current, but cutting edge.

you're gonna get confidence from that.

[00:26:33] Shannon Russell: people are just get so complacent in what they're doing that they let all of that go until, you know, the pandemic hits and companies are letting people go left and right. And we've all kind of woken up to the fact that no job is from college graduation to retirement anymore.

It really.

[00:26:50] Gina Riley: Oh, No, that's absolutely true, and I do work with a lot of people who have been at their companies or a couple of companies, but that's been like a 20 to [00:27:00] 25 year block, sometimes all at one company. That means their network. Imagine the world's largest companies. I have a couple in my backyard here in Portland. It would seem like the network is huge, but it's huge within one company, within one in. That's not a pervasive network. If you need a job because you can't tap back into that network.

[00:27:22] Shannon Russell: Yep.

[00:27:23] Gina Riley: Those people all are intertwined with each other and then you feel stuck and all of a sudden you feel really badly about yourself because you're like, Oh, dang, I didn't expand and meet other people and, and inform my decision making for my career. Right? And there's so many ways to do this. You know, you're in a, you're in a company, you can ask, Hey, can I go attend, you know, a conference once or twice a year? May I get a certification? Could I get this training? Can I, you know, may I lead this initiative? What are these things that you can do to [00:28:00] expand

[00:28:01] Shannon Russell: and really as much as some people might not like social media, you kind of have to be on to play the game, at least on LinkedIn and kind of keeping those connections. I come from the entertainment industry where everything is freelance, so from the second I. Graduated college and got my first TV job. It was all about, okay, this job is three months and then I have to find my next one. So I got really good at networking and making friends because I had to know people to get my next paycheck after that project. So years later. Some of my best friends are, are people that I worked with right out of college at my first job, and we all still help each other and I think, yes, this was an industry. Made for networking, but other industries aren't and they need to be. So what you're saying is so brilliant about attending conferences. Nowadays you can attend conferences and take programs through the computer and not go anywhere. there kind of is no excuse to not [00:29:00] form your network and do that in your, in your free time.

[00:29:03] Gina Riley: Absolutely. And there's other different ways to make connections with other leaders. That are not in your company. I'm working with a chief operating officer right now, and he is a really great writer, good researcher. I'm like, Well, why don't you come up with a couple of questions that you have about a certain topic and then go network with other thought leaders. and create a white paper together. Now you're expanding your reach into other people, other companies further out. And when you call them to be a part of that, you're not saying, Hey, I'm looking for a job. You're saying, Hey, I'm creating something. Do you wanna be a part of it? It elevates your brand. Elevates that person's brand. And as you collaborate and put it out into the ecosystem, you have concentric circles that they're gonna promote it. Now your name is on, so.

[00:29:52] Shannon Russell: And your name is just top of mind to so many more people now. such good advice.

[00:29:57] Gina Riley: Thank you,

[00:29:59] Shannon Russell: I love it. I'm like [00:30:00] taking it in. So

[00:30:01] Gina Riley: got more

[00:30:03] Shannon Russell: How could my listeners, if they're interested in working with you, how can they be a part of your.

[00:30:09] Gina Riley: the first thing that I love to recommend is I, recorded a half hour webinar that is totally free on my homepage. There's a green button, click for the free work and art. The first 15 minutes explains why do you need a career transition plan? And I give you a lot of juice behind that so you feel compelled to maybe make one. The second 15 minutes is here, here is an outline for a plan. and it comes with a workbook. So that's the first step, is go in and see what you feel like might be missing in your strategy. And then once people take a look and listen to that they can tell that they wanna maybe talk with me and have a strategy call. They're like, Oh, okay. I can see where this is going.

[00:30:49] Shannon Russell: Yeah. your background from the second you left college and got your masters and all the work you did with Intel, it's all kind of led up to this, even the way you manage your [00:31:00] household and raising your kids. It's all led you to what you've created now with your business

[00:31:05] Gina Riley: a hundred percent building this program has been completely from the inside out, it is a representation of my philosophy of taking a holistic approach to fill in the blank dot, dot, dot. For me, it's career transitions and really at the core goes back to my degree communicating effect. my success is when people make that transition that they were trying to. , right? So I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get 'em there.

[00:31:34] Shannon: Alright. It's time for our Five Fast Qs of the Week. Here we go!

[00:31:39] Shannon Russell: Name one thing that these different chapters in your life have taught you.

[00:31:43] Gina Riley: Everyone is unique and has their own story. You have yours and I have mine, and it's all valid. . It's all valid and true. And so I would say lean into your story and don't be afraid to showcase [00:32:00] that because that is how people connect with you. And that's how I feel like people have connected with me.

[00:32:05] Shannon Russell: would you recommend taking a leap into a big life change to your best friend?

[00:32:09] Gina Riley: I would say yes, and I would put a caveat with support. I, I believe in having a.

[00:32:15] Shannon Russell: What is the one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is trying to start a second act or a career transition?

[00:32:22] Gina Riley: I'm starting with research, read, listen to podcasts, hold informational conversation. Gather information about the jobs you're interested in or whatever that thing is that you want to go do to inform your decision making process. and build a hypothesis about what it would take to get there and take a look at perceived skill gaps. All of us are like, Well, I could do that job. , if they just need to talk to me. It's on you to communicate the right messaging so they get it. So you've gotta close the gap. Second thing beyond research is allocate time [00:33:00] and make a plan. You can dream all day long, but It's up to you to make it a reality. No one's gonna make you follow your dream, right? And then play the long game. don't expect overnight success and celebrate small wins. For me, getting my You Map certification was like, okay, I got a tool in my toolkit. It's gonna add credibility to what I do, and it made me much more confident in what I do. Little things along the way that you need to pat yourself on the back and say, I did something to make progress.

[00:33:29] Shannon Russell: Great advice. What does the next chapter look like for you, Gina?

[00:33:34] Gina Riley: with my program, Career Velocity, um, there are a lot of moving parts. I'm constantly fiddling with it, upgrading it. It's not fully flushed out. So all of my people get, most of me one on one because they're. not there yet. I need to get it on paper, if you will. And that's okay. It'll come. So that's one thing. And then the second thing is I would love to see taking Career Velocity and transitioning that [00:34:00] into a book so that people can, can read like, okay, I see the moving parts. I see more of the details. And bringing in some other thought partners in my ecosystem who have helped. Through this journey to bring in their information, elevate their brands as well. So I would love to do that. I don't know when or how,

[00:34:19] Shannon Russell: How can our audience connect with. ,

[00:34:21] Gina Riley: Ginarileyconsulting.com. And then my playground is really LinkedIn and I'm just Gina Riley. And what I Suggest when people are connecting with anybody on LinkedIn, send a personalized connection request. So if you're on your phone, you have to take great care to click the right button to have that popup, to add that personalized connection request. So in this case, if someone wants to connect, it's like, Hey Gina, I heard you on the podcast. But especially for career transitions, you don't want people to just, you. Kinda, Okay. That person's connecting with me. I don't get it. Tell 'em why. Hey, you're working at an awesome company. I [00:35:00] just wanna follow your work and see, you know, what's coming up the pike. Or if it's a recruiter, Hey, I wanna stay on your radar with the jobs that you post. So if you connect with me, that'll give me a way to do it.

[00:35:10] Shannon Russell: something so simple.

[00:35:12] Gina Riley: so simple. It does not have to be hard and it's super flattering when you you mention a podcast like, I, I heard you on Second Act, Success and

[00:35:21] Shannon Russell: absolutely. Well thank you so much, Gina. This was really helpful. I loved hearing your story and I'm so proud of everything that you've accomplished. This is wonderful, and I wish you the best of luck.

[00:35:32] Gina Riley: Thank you. It was so much fun.

[00:35:34] Shannon Russell: Oh, I just loved my conversation with Gina so much. She is such a go-getter and she is continuing to help others with her work and her coaching today. If you wanna connect with Gina, go to ginarileyconsulting.com. I will talk to you next time my friend.

[00:35:52] Shannon:

Thank you for joining us. I hope you found some gems of inspiration and some takeaways to help you on your path to Second Act Success.[00:36:00] To view show notes from this episode, visit secondactsuccess.co. Before you go, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast. So you don't miss a single episode. Reviews only take a few moments and they really do mean so much. Thank you again for listening. I am Shannon Russell, and this is Second Act Success.