Second Act Success Career Podcast
Season 1 - Bold Moves at 60: Michele Folan's Career Pivot and Health Coaching Mission | Ep #142
Episode - #142
Host: Shannon Russell
Guest: Michele Folan
Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate)

[00:00:00] Kelly and Jessica - Chasing Brighter Podcast: This episode is sponsored by the Chasing Brighter podcast. We are the hosts and sisters, Kelly and Jessica. Join us as we share our journeys of self discovery, whether you're looking to make a change, find more joy in every day, or simply enjoy a moment of connection. The Chasing Brighter podcast is here for you.

Find us wherever you get your podcasts. Now it's time for the second act success podcast. Here's your host, Shannon Russell.

[00:00:28] Michele Folan: don't be afraid to toot your horn in regard to your professional maturity, your life experience. there are women who have stayed home.

managed a home, raised kids, but they've also been chairman of this, president of this, all very great skills and experiences that, , you should be selling that because, you know, I would hire people like that because I know they're organized and they're dedicated.

They have great work ethic. So I, think [00:01:00] no matter where you are in your life, maybe you have stayed home all these years and you are transitioning back into the work world after kids maybe have left the home. Don't be afraid to toot your horn. Give yourself a pat on the back for all those experiences that you bring to the table because they're important.

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[00:01:49] Shannon Russell: Hey there. Welcome back to the podcast today on the show. I am chatting with Michele Folan. Michele just turned 60, and guess what she did. [00:02:00] She quit her corporate job. Yup. That's right.

Michele spent over 26 years in sales in the pharmaceutical industry, but then she pivoted and started working as a manager in the building products industry.

Over the pandemic, Michele really got into podcasts. She also started focusing more on her health and wellbeing. And so she launched a podcast and she got certified as a health and nutrition coach. Now she is doing her podcast and health coaching full time. Let's meet Michele folan host of the Michele.

Okay.

[00:02:35] Shannon Russell: Michele Folen. Welcome to Second Act Success. How are you doing?

[00:02:40] Michele Folan: Great to see you again, Shannon. How are you?

[00:02:42] Shannon Russell: So good. We had such a nice conversation when I guested on your podcast asking for a friend and we'll talk about that later too, but it's so nice to have you here to share your story with my audience.

[00:02:54] Michele Folan: There's been a lot of transitions career over the years, but certainly as you and I have discussed [00:03:00] more so recently.

[00:03:01] Shannon Russell: Yes. Okay. So let's get to it. Let's start with kind of where your career began many years ago.

[00:03:08] Michele Folan: Well, it began right after college. So I had worked in retail all through college.

So immediately just transitioned into retail as a manager. And I was in their executive development program. . I always wanted to be in outside sales. My dad was a doctor. He was really encouraging of me.

getting into the pharmaceutical industry. And this was, late 80s, the industry has changed a lot. But my dad was saying, you know, I really think you'd be good at this. I think you'd excel at it. I went full bore after getting in that industry where I stayed for gosh, 20 plus years. it started as pharma and then I moved into medical device. ,

had different roles, sales, training, and then eventually [00:04:00] management. just moved through different organizations through different types of jobs.

[00:04:04] Michele Folan: The industry started to change. became more and more difficult to actually see the customer because they were under a lot more pressure to see more patients every hour.

They were all becoming part of these big hospital groups. So access had really diminished at that point. My last few years in that arena, I was with a division of Johnson and Johnson, and I'm calling on mostly optometrists. I was managing a really great team of folks there. And, you know, sometimes We get a boss that you don't really mesh with and that I think kind of got me thinking, you know, maybe I want to try something else.

I kind of decided after, probably 26 plus years in [00:05:00] the industry, that it was time to make a move into something brand new.

[00:05:04] Michele Folan: I went into the building products industry as a manager. So my role was very similar in the type of management and leading a team,

Totally different industry. And I really kind of shook up my career a little bit, but it was a good experience. I was working for a company that was started here in Cincinnati for Micah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. People remember like the countertop material that , your grandmother may have had, or maybe even your mom.

so I was, working for that company and that was a great experience.until there was an acquisition restructuring and my position was eliminated. There were three directors of sales and , my region got gobbled up by the east and the west coast. I was in the central. So, you know, I was already looking though.

I felt kind of mentally prepared in some way for that, but you know, [00:06:00] that was a crazy time cause it was six weeks before COVID shut everything down.

[00:06:03] Shannon Russell: Oh man. So you're already adjusting to a new type of sales and then this happens and then COVID. Comes and now you're really not working. So, so what was going through your head? What did you think you would do next when the world opened back up?

[00:06:19] Michele Folan: I had no idea because it kind of gave me a clean slate and right before, my job was eliminated, I was interviewing

and it was what I thought was my dream job and ended up not getting it. So although I was really disappointed, I think being, , almost 55 years old at that time, it had a different meaning to me if that had happened to me 20 years before, I think I would have been way more devastated, but you know, just kind of like, okay, pick yourself up by your bootstraps , and keep moving forward.

[00:06:54] Michele Folan: I had to use this time as, Hey, you have an opportunity here to [00:07:00] really figure out what's important to you, what career really would you round out the rest of your career. having that time was such a gift. It gave me some breathing room, some time. I had been working pretty much since I was 18 years old and to have a breather, which I had never had, except for when I had kids and I took, eight, 10 weeks off.

That's all I'd ever had. And, at one point, I mean, I was praying a lot, walking a lot and praying a lot, but I was praying a lot. And I think once I kind of had to turn everything over to God,

[00:07:37] Shannon Russell: you

[00:07:37] video1019441104: know,

[00:07:39] Michele Folan: That's when I found some peace and said, you know what, you're gonna steer the ship here.

I am doing everything I can and we'll kind of just go with the flow. I always kept up my efforts , in regard to my search, but I was less panicked. I found peace, right? And this is when I [00:08:00] started walking a lot. And I started listening to podcasts.

And I found one in particular that I really identified with and I liked very much. It was called failing forward. Her name was Sarah Brown and she's still around, but she doesn't do her podcast anymore. And I said to myself one day. You know, I could do this. And I think what had been missing, Shannon, and you may understand this, I was missing a creative outlet in all the things that I was doing.

I had a theater background in high school and, you know, Oh, see, okay, now I did not know that about you, but you know, singing all the way through grade school and church choir. And I kind of missed having that little creative thing in my life. And I thought, Oh, that's, this could fill the void. Well, as things progressed, I got a job in November, December timeframe.

Of course, wanting to make [00:09:00] sure that I put 110 percent into my new role. I decided to put the podcast on the back burner for the time being. I was really fortunate though. I found. a position with a really cool company who had a really unique culture. , and just really felt this immediate connection with the hiring manager and the people with whom I interviewed and I thought, that's what I'm looking for.

I didn't compromise. for anyone that's interviewing right now. And you're kind of, teetering on taking a job. If you don't have a good connection and a really good feeling about, , at minimum, the person you'd be reporting to run, don't walk, run, don't compromise. Because there were lots of great opportunities during COVID when I was interviewing.

[00:10:00] And I was like, Oh my God, I could never work for this person. Such a great company, but oh yeah, no, not, not gonna happen. my career was going great. And at, you know, as I got more comfortable, I decided, you know, I think I'm going to go ahead and start the podcast. I was very transparent with my boss and I told him, and we just didn't talk about it.

So we figured that was just the best way. And I did tell him, and we really was my creative outlet, right? It wasn't,

[00:10:32] Shannon Russell: you were talking about what you were doing at work every day.

[00:10:35] Michele Folan: No, and I certainly wasn't making any money doing it. It wasn't even, I wasn't moonlighting or trying to, you know, bring in clients or anything like that.

It wasn't anything like that. the more and more the podcast started to develop and grow, I started thinking, all right, what's my next step here?

[00:10:55] Shannon Russell: In the podcast or in your career overall?

[00:10:58] Michele Folan: Well, I think, how can I [00:11:00] parlay this podcast into something? And kind of, it kind of coincided last year with me getting some coaching of my own in regard to my health.

You know, us midlife ladies, we kind of get stuck in this rut after menopause and even perimenopause where our bodies are changing. What we did before doesn't seem to work. I mean, I was a big cardio junkie. Cycle classes treadmill elliptical.

not working, not working for my body. And and how I was eating, what I probably wasn't getting enough calories, frankly, and wine was probably putting up all kinds of roadblocks to me being healthy and feeling good.

[00:11:48] video1019441104: Mm-Hmm. .

[00:11:48] Michele Folan: So I made some big changes last year, but in that I joined,

It's called Faster Way and it's very tailored to midlife women and kind of where we are in our [00:12:00] bodies at this time. It's all science-based. It's great. I had some very good results. I thought, why don't I become a coach, fitness and nutrition coach, because this is something that I've always been interested in.

I've got this health and wellness background doing this podcast that is. Midlife women, health and wellness, personal growth tips, and there's the marriage. so, on February 29th, I resigned from my job.

[00:12:32] Shannon Russell: This year. Just now. This

[00:12:34] Michele Folan: year. Yeah. This year. I had to think about it, Shannon. I'm a very, processed person, so I don't do anything spur of the moment.

I think things through. And I am now certified to be a coach through faster way. I am scared to death. I'll start taking clients to start my first round of training in May.

[00:12:58] Shannon Russell: congratulations. [00:13:00] Wow. Thank you. And so much to unpack because I want to dig in deeper to kind of where are these little bouts of courage came from? Your role was eliminated right before COVID, then you're trying to find work, but then you're also thinking, okay, well, God has this, he'll let me know when the right opportunity comes and then you start with the podcast and.

Had you really gotten into it before you got this new job opportunity?

[00:13:29] Michele Folan: so no, I was doing nothing. I started really nothing other than maybe the title . Okay. And I think I found some music that I liked, some intro music,

So when I say I put it on the back burner, I really put it on the back burner. But here's the thing about the courage piece. I don't know if it's so much courage , you're always kind of scared I have learned just do it scared. No matter what it is, getting a new job, starting a new hobby, whatever it may be, do it scared.[00:14:00]

So I think it's less about courage. It's more about confidence and having the confidence to not be afraid to fail.

And again, being, In my fifties, which I just turned 60, by the way, last week. I have a lot more confidence now than I ever have. I could not have done any of this. Even 10 years ago.

[00:14:24] Shannon Russell: I was thinking about that earlier when you mentioned that tip on interviewing and if you have the wrong feeling to a hiring manager or who will be your soon to be supervisor to run.

And I think when we're in our twenties and thirties, even That's not a thought that we allow ourselves to think because we're so needy and we want that job and we want that stability. And you just say, yes, of course I'll do it. I'm curious if you agree that as we get older and midlife hits that, that confidence sparks and we are able to [00:15:00] know what we want and what we don't.

And that kind of leads us on our way just as a little bit more to go towards what we do want.

[00:15:08] video1019441104: And,

[00:15:09] Michele Folan: and something else is kind of a side note to that, Shannon, is don't be afraid to toot your horn in regard to your professional maturity, your life experience. I will tell you, there are women who have stayed home.

You know, managed a home, raised kids, but they've also been chairman of this, president of this, all volunteer, but all very great skills and experiences that, , you should be selling that because, you know, I would hire people like that because I know they're organized and they're dedicated.

They have great work ethic. So I, think no matter where you are in your life, maybe you have stayed home [00:16:00] all these years and you are transitioning to, back into the work world after kids maybe have left the home. Don't be afraid to toot your horn. Give yourself a pat on the back for all those experiences that you bring to the table because they're important.

[00:16:16] Shannon Russell: Yes, and they add to your lifelong resume. They add to your career story. And I often tell clients too, that staying home is not a negative, having that gap in your resume, especially now, especially after the pandemic, if you can show what you did during that time.

If you volunteered, like you said, if you worked in different organizations, if you went back to school, that all adds on to your overall experience. So you're absolutely right. And I think we do get more confident at this age to look back and say that. Whereas I think when we're younger, We're just learning and we're just not as experienced and as confident.

So that's something that really, I think probably led to you saying, okay, I'll [00:17:00] put the podcast on the back burner. I'll take this job. That seems like a really great fit. But the whole time you're working, you're still thinking about that creative piece. Did the podcast and that creative outlet kind of seep more to the forefront as you went on.

[00:17:15] Michele Folan: Yeah, it absolutely did. Because I think doing the podcast gave me exposure to all of these different health and wellness professionals that I would not normally have maybe followed on Instagram , or obviously had the opportunity to sit down and have an interview with, right?

So yes, for sure. It opened up a huge door for me to, again, you know, you talk about second act success. I feel like I'm in my fourth act. Maybe fifth. I mean, don't even know at this point, but here's the key with all this, my good friend, Rochelle Condie. Now, she is also a podcaster. She has a podcast called unabashed [00:18:00] you.

she said to me. Michele, it's never too late, but late is coming. And said, Oh my God, you're right. And I told my boss when I resigned at the end of February, I said, if I don't do this now, I'll never do it. And I don't want to be 80 years old and have regrets. And I mean, if I fall flat on my face, then I will pick myself back up and I will go find a job somewhere, but that's not my plan.

You know, cause. Failure's not an option.

[00:18:34] Shannon Russell: Yes. Mentality. Yeah. I love

[00:18:37] Michele Folan: think too is the preparedness piece is that just getting my ducks in a row and ensuring that I've got the foundation ready to At least get a decent start out of the gate. But I have to have reasonable expectations.

Always. Yes.

[00:18:58] Shannon Russell: It's called asking for a [00:19:00] friend and you are serving midlife women, lifestyle, health, wellness, all of that. As you're running the podcast, you're working at this job that you like, what was the thing that kind of clicked in your head and you said, I could make this.

My full time next act. Was there a moment?

[00:19:19] Michele Folan: I think it was kind of a slow burn I don't think that I ever thought that the podcast would be something that I could retire on.

Let's put it that way. But I think once I, went through the health coaching piece, I thought, oh, this could be a platform for reaching more people. I'm very passionate about helping people. I've done a great deal of coaching over my last 15 plus years of managing people. And so everything just seems to kind of fit. And I don't know, if there's a higher power up there [00:20:00] directing traffic or if I've been very intentional, but it seems to be working.

And here's something interesting for my 60th birthday, my daughter, gave me a visit to a psychic

[00:20:14] video1019441104: wow.

[00:20:15] Shannon Russell: How was that?

[00:20:16] Michele Folan: It was really interesting. And this was just several days after I had resigned from my position. And I sat down with him and he's going, whoa, lots and lots of energy here. And I said, well, I just resigned from my job.

And I didn't tell him a lot about what I was going to do, what my plans were, but he did say, whatever you've got planned, he says, I know you're going to be successful. I needed to hear that. People can say what you want about psychics. He had me pretty well nailed. I mean, I was like, wow, this is, this is [00:21:00] impressive,

[00:21:00] Shannon Russell: nice to know that you're on the right track, because that took a lot of, that took courage just to go in and confidence to resign and to know that, okay, I'm going to help people now in a different way.

And, so let's talk about you getting up the courage, making that final decision to go and resign, because I think a lot of listeners, a lot of people can maybe have it all prepared, have it all planned out, but when it really comes down to it, you push it off and you push it off and you push it off. So what made you decide I'm going into my manager's office, my boss's office today, and I'm going to let him know.

[00:21:40] Michele Folan: I was on a work trip and I realized that. I said, I can't do this anymore. I just don't feel like my heart is in it. Like it should be. I want to be offering value and over and [00:22:00] beyond just those great relationships that I have with my team. I wasn't feeling passionate. about the role any longer.

so I called my boss, when I got to the airport.

[00:22:14] Shannon Russell: Really? Mm

[00:22:16] Michele Folan: hmm. I resigned when I was getting on the airplane.

And I told him, and I, really, love my boss. he's a great guy.

I just said, you know, like I told you. If I don't do this now, I'm never going to do it. And I thought I was going to throw up, honestly, that's how emotional and what a big decision that was.

I'm getting choked up right now. No, I feel

[00:22:39] Shannon Russell: it with you too, because I've been there

[00:22:41] Michele Folan: Yeah.

[00:22:41] Shannon Russell: And you know what? You probably knew you had to do it at that moment before you sat on that plane for two plus hours feeling that anxiety of knowing that you want to do it. So I'm proud of you for making that phone call then that's, that took a lot.

[00:22:58] Michele Folan: Well, again, [00:23:00] You got to do it when you're feeling it because it, is easy to put off. I could have put it off another month and another month. And what does that buy me? Nothing, right?

[00:23:12] Shannon Russell: and you had been planning the seeds. You've been planning this in your head and you knew the direction you wanted to go in.

So it was just a matter of you severing ties and knowing that, okay, I can't go back now. This is it.

[00:23:25] Michele Folan: Yeah.

[00:23:26] Shannon Russell: How did you feel on that plane ride?

[00:23:28] Michele Folan: relieved, but still very anxious. it was a little bit of both right. Relieved that I got the phone call out of the way, but anxious still about, Oh, my God.

What am I doing?

[00:23:42] Shannon Russell: And that's a piece that I think a lot of people are so worried about. It's what other people think and the whole idea of who am I, if I'm not this role, did you feel a lot of that kind of push from other people and they're worried [00:24:00] about you and are you okay?

And how did you make this decision? And did you face a lot of that?

[00:24:05] Michele Folan: Well, I'm sure the conversations behind my back,

[00:24:09] video1019441104: like

[00:24:10] Michele Folan: my sisters, my brother, they're all probably like, Oh my God, where's she, you know, because everybody just knows me as working mom, Michele, right? And I was a single mom for a lot of my time in the workforce.

I've been very independent. I've always been, you know, very much a breadwinner or, you know, equal to kind of breadwinner person. I think it's a paradigm shift for everybody to see me in a different kind of frame of mind. My kids have been Super supportive. I have two daughters who are in their twenties.

they're like, go for it, mom, because they wanted me to have more balance in my life. My husband, he's an entrepreneur. he knows that this is such a great opportunity for me. And [00:25:00] he has been really supportive. I mean, God bless him. I mean, his job is stressful enough running his own company.

And certainly having me with steady income all these years has been great for him, but he does understand that if I don't, spread my wings and try this new venture, then I'm, not going to be happy. , and, also too, whether you're in a situation where you're not truly fulfilled, or you've got some idea that you want to pursue, if you feel like something's really missing,

[00:25:35] video1019441104: you know,

[00:25:37] Michele Folan: you got to do a lot of self assessment, which is what you do with your clients, really kind of figure out what that is.

And, it's amazing once you feel like you've got some control, like that handle on that, it's a game changer,

[00:25:54] Shannon Russell: You're so right. And I feel like we could talk about this all day because You just want to go to other [00:26:00] women and women that are listening right now and your listeners and just say you can do it too.

And you don't have to do it in a way where it wreaks havoc and destroys everything in your life, but plan ahead like you did Michele and just, Plant the seeds of what am I interested in? What has helped me? And it seems like you really drew that thread that I love to talk about from you coaching, the sales reps on your team.

And now you're going to be coaching people through what you went through to get healthier and have this great. Healthy lifestyle in midlife and beyond and it really is a perfect marriage as you said and it really just ties it all together And you can sit there and say I'm confident in my decision of what I'm choosing to move forward to do

[00:26:46] Michele Folan: and also Defining the who right who am I trying to help?

[00:26:52] video1019441104: Yes

[00:26:52] Michele Folan: then, why me? how do I relate to your problem? And then how can I help you? if you're looking for a new career [00:27:00] or you want to do something else in life, try to really piece it out,, the who, the and what the solution is. cause I think you can do that in a lot of different ways

I'm looking at my own life. And thinking, okay, I'm 60. What do I want the next 20 to 30 years look like? Right. have a choice. Whether it's your health, your career, I know for me personally, I want to be healthy enough to play with my grandkids. I don't want to be in a nursing home, so I want to stay mobile.

I want to be able to get off the floor. If I fall, I want to be able to get off the floor unassisted. Those are all really important things for me. So, I know now, it's never too late. To lay a good foundation for my health and wellness It's not about fitting in the dress for the wedding in july It's really a much bigger [00:28:00] goal.

and I think a lot of women relate to that

[00:28:02] Shannon Russell: You

[00:28:03] Michele Folan: know, and so don't think about just the next year think about What a change in your life, whether it's a new job or a new hobby or whatever it is, because you and I talked about that when you were a guest on my podcast, not necessarily the career.

It's really anything. It could be leaving a relationship, but think about what that means to your life for the next 20, 30 years.

[00:28:33] Shannon Russell: and how it can add to your life, right? People think, Ooh, I'm in my sixties. I should be thinking about retirement. But Michele, you are not the person who's going to sit there and watch TV all day.

Most of us want to have our days fulfilled with something that we love. And that's going to bring us joy. for that next act. And I love that you've found that and you'll be able to help other women get healthier so that they can live their life with [00:29:00] their grandkids in all the ways that you just mentioned.

[00:29:02] Shannon Russell: So tell me a little bit about your coaching and what you learned through your certification and really what the next like six months to a year of this new business that you're creating really is going to be.

[00:29:14] Michele Folan: This is a great question. Because I purposely did not plan anything.

no podcast recording, nothing in April. I was speaking to a future guest on the podcast and she said, sometimes we have to create a moat around our lives. she said, If you need time, like a month, she said, make sure you take that time and don't plan Don't overload yourself because you know, we're all very good at that, putting too much on our calendars.

Yeah. but what this coaching entails is they have a really great app. And the first six weeks of the program are basically teaching you how to eat. Because like I mentioned before, we all probably deprive [00:30:00] ourselves of the right amount of calories that we should be eating.

And it's macro based. It really hits the nail on the head for midlife women. there's planned exercises every day, like half hour, good, quick workouts that are intense on lifting. Weights, a lot of resistance and weight training, because of course, that's what we need because we're losing muscle year over year and we've really got to work on that eating more protein, but also getting fats and carbs, this is not a no carb.

Lifestyle, and it is a lifestyle. That's what try to convey to everybody. This is not a diet. This is not some fad. This really, there's a lot of science based to this and my first round of coaching will be May 6th. So I'm super excited, nervous, but I feel really ready to take on clients at this point. And, It's going to be great.

[00:30:57] Shannon Russell: What you've done is really [00:31:00] remarkable and very admirable. I think you're showing exactly what. well thought out second acts, can be, and gosh, I'm so excited follow you and see where everything's going and on your podcast too, you can really drive a lot of that back to your coaching.

It all really is intertwined.

[00:31:19] Michele Folan: What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is right there, just ready to resign and start their second act?

[00:31:26] Michele Folan: Don't wait. if you're feeling the urge to do it, do it. We have a tendency to put things off because they're uncomfortable. But now that I have resigned , and I don't have that sense of dread any longer because I realized that

I'm doing a lot of things that are making me feel really good about my decision, but yeah, think too, the more people you tell, About your ideas, your people close to your friends, your family.

[00:31:58] Michele Folan: I often equate [00:32:00] that to throwing a ball up over the wall because you can't go get it and throw the ball up over the wall. Tell people what you're thinking, run it by your closest friends. Have a group of advisors that will listen to you and tell you whether or not you're crazy. Cause I know sometimes we need that affirmation.

But talk it out with others. You may find that you're not so crazy.

[00:32:30] Shannon Russell: You just gave me chills. I'd never heard that analogy before of throwing the ball over the wall. I love that

That is so true because you can't take it back You're so right. And once you put it out there, you also want to have that confidence of not necessarily caring What the reaction is, right? you want to be confident enough to know that you can say that.

And if someone says, absolutely not, that's a horrible idea. You're not going to just curl up in a ball. You're going to say, okay, thank you for , that opinion. And I'm going to keep moving forward.

[00:32:59] Michele Folan: Right. [00:33:00] Absolutely.

[00:33:01] Shannon Russell: Michele, how can everyone get in touch with you, your podcast, all of it?

[00:33:05] Michele Folan: Well, I'm on Facebook and Instagram, so it's Michele on Instagram, it's @askingforafriend_pod.

And then the podcast is on all the different podcast platforms. and I'm even on YouTube now, which no video, I can't. I just can't do the video, but you can get my audio. And then look for, mid April or so I'll start pushing the health coaching out there.

I'd love to work with women who really want to change up their health and wellness for this pandemic. Next chapter of life.

[00:33:42] video1019441104: I

[00:33:44] Shannon Russell: wish you the best. This has been so nice. I'm going to link to everything in the show notes. And when our episode is out, I'll link to that as well. Thank you so much, Michele.

Thank

[00:33:54] Michele Folan: you so much. Thanks for having me today.

[00:34:00]