Do you have to quit your job before you can start your second act? Absolutely not!
One of the biggest misconceptions about making a career change is that you need to make one dramatic leap. Quit the job. Change careers. Start the business. Become a completely different person.
Real-life career transition rarely works that way. Sometimes your second act career begins quietly.
It starts when you open the Notes app on your lunch break and write down an idea. It begins when you start researching a business after your kids go to bed. Maybe it’s launching a podcast, starting a blog, taking a class, testing a side hustle, or simply admitting to yourself: I think I want something more.
That is exactly what my guest Jesikah Wells has done. Jesikah is building a fulfilling second act while still working full-time, raising her family, and allowing herself to explore where her ideas may lead.
Her story is an important reminder for any woman considering a career change, midlife career transition, or starting a business. You don’t have to have the entire journey figured out before you take your first step.
Listen to episode #267 of the Second Act Success Podcast about this topic below…
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Your Career Transition Doesn’t Have to Happen All at Once
Jesikah didn’t map out one perfectly planned career path. Her career began in the legal department at Wells Fargo. When an opportunity arose to move into wealth investment management, she decided to take a chance on it. That move led to about eight years in the financial field and helped Jesikah discover an interest in finances and financial literacy that she hadn’t necessarily planned on pursuing.
Later, she made another career transition into project management, where she now works with nonprofit organizations to streamline their processes. Why nonprofits? Because Jesikah knew she wanted experience in that world for where she ultimately sees herself going.
I love this approach to a mid-career transition because it isn’t about blowing up your life in pursuit of something new. It’s strategic.
What experience would help you get closer to where you ultimately want to go?
What skill could you learn in your current job?
What opportunity could you raise your hand for?
What experience are you missing that could help you eventually start a business?
Your current job doesn’t necessarily have to be an obstacle to your second act. It can become part of the plan.
How to Build Your Second Act While Working Full-Time with Jesikah Wells | #267
Starting a Business While Working Full-Time
While Jesikah works full-time, she has also built Broken to Beautiful, a faith-based platform that includes her podcast and blog. And she isn’t finished.
Jesikah describes Broken to Beautiful as the beginning of her second act. It’s phase one, with more still to come. This is such an important distinction for women who are interested in entrepreneurship but aren’t ready to leave their jobs. Starting a business does not have to begin with a resignation letter. You can build while you work.
In fact, as a business coach for women, I often encourage women to explore how they can begin testing a business idea before leaving the security of their paycheck. Small steps count.
Depending on your circumstances, you might begin by:
- Researching your business idea
- Identifying your ideal customer
- Creating a simple service
- Taking on your first client
- Building a website
- Growing an email list
- Starting a podcast or blog
- Developing your personal brand
- Building your professional network
- Testing your idea as a side hustle
What If You Don’t Have Time to Start Something New?
This is one of the biggest concerns I hear from women considering starting a business. “I don’t have time.”
And I get it. You have work, kids, dinner, laundry, appointments, activities. The never-ending mental list of things that somehow need to magically get done.
Jesikah’s approach is refreshingly simple. When an idea comes to her, she captures it. Sometimes that means writing something in her phone during her lunch break. Instead of waiting until she has hours of uninterrupted creative time, she uses the little pockets of time she already has.
This can be incredibly powerful when you’re beginning a career transition. You don’t necessarily need three hours every day to begin creating your second act. Maybe you have 20 minutes to research an idea, write one paragraph, or send one email. Those small actions compound.
Your Second Act Isn’t Just About Your Career
There’s another part of Jesikah’s story that I think is especially important. Her second act isn’t solely about entrepreneurship or career advancement. It’s about fulfillment.
During our conversation, Jesikah talked about asking herself: “What is Jesikah doing to fulfill herself?” That question stopped me because so many women forget to ask it.
We become employees, wives, partners, mothers, caregivers, volunteers, chauffeurs, cooks, household managers and everything else the day requires. Somewhere in the middle of fulfilling everyone else’s needs, we can lose sight of ourselves.
A second act can begin with asking: What do I want now?
Not what should I want. Not what does my boss want from me. Not what does everyone else need from me.
What do I want? That question can be the beginning of a powerful career reinvention.
Work Life Balance Includes Making Room for You
Jesikah and I also talked about something so many working mothers experience. Mom guilt. There can be guilt about working too much. Guilt about resting. Guilt about pursuing a business. Guilt about reading a book instead of folding laundry.
But work life balance shouldn’t mean successfully completing everything on your list while leaving yourself completely depleted.
Jesikah has intentionally started creating small routines that allow her to decompress. Sometimes it’s as simple as a cup of tea, calming music, and quiet time before bed. Those moments matter.
If you’re building a small business, pursuing a midlife career transition, or considering leaving corporate, taking care of yourself isn’t separate from the work. You need energy to build what’s next.
What Does Your Second Act Career Look Like?
One thing I’ve learned as a career transition coach and business coach is that there is no single definition of a successful second act. For one woman, it might mean leaving corporate and becoming a full-time female entrepreneur. For another, it might mean building a small business alongside her career.
It could mean consulting, freelancing, writing, podcasting, changing industries, finding a more flexible career, or simply creating more space for something that makes you feel like yourself again.
The best second act careers aren’t determined by a list on Google. They’re determined by what fits your skills, values, goals, financial needs, family, and the life you want to create.
You Are Allowed to Want Something for Yourself
This may be one of my favorite takeaways from my conversation with Jesikah. Wanting something for yourself doesn’t mean you love your family any less.
Being a present mom and being ambitious aren’t mutually exclusive. You can care deeply about your children and still have a business idea. You can love your family and want a career change. You can be grateful for your job and still wonder if something else would fulfill you more. You can be a working mother and a female entrepreneur. There is room for all of it.
What Could Your Second Act Career Look Like?
If you’re considering a career change, take a moment to look at your experience differently. Instead of focusing on what you want to leave behind, ask yourself: What am I taking with me?
Your years of experience are not baggage. They are an advantage. Your corporate career may have taught you how to lead, communicate, negotiate, organize, manage budgets, solve problems, work with clients, market ideas, or navigate difficult situations. Those skills can follow you into entrepreneurship. They can follow you into consulting. They can follow you into a flexible career. They can follow you into whatever second act career you decide to build.
Your next chapter does not have to look anything like your first. But that doesn’t mean your first chapter was wasted. It helped prepare you for this one.
Your Second Act Can Begin Today
If you’ve been thinking about a career change but telling yourself the timing isn’t right, consider changing the question.
Instead of asking: “When can I completely change my life?”
Ask: “What is one thing I can do today to begin creating the life I want?”
Open the Notes app.
Write down the idea.
Research the business.
Start the blog.
Take the class.
Make the connection.
Have the conversation.
Your midlife career transition doesn’t need to begin with a giant leap. Sometimes it begins with one small decision to stop ignoring the voice telling you there might be something more.
Listen to my full conversation with Jesikah Wells on the Second Act Success Podcast for more about career transition, working motherhood, starting something on the side, overcoming fear and imposter syndrome, and finding fulfillment in your next chapter.
And if you’re ready to explore starting a business or creating your own second act career, book a free Second Act Strategy Call with me. We can look at your experience, your ideas, and the life you want to build, then begin mapping out what your next step could look like.
You don’t have to figure out your entire second act today. Just begin writing the first scene.
👉 Book your free strategy call with me at https://secondactsuccess.co/strategy
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Connect with Jesikah Wells:
https://www.instagram.com/broken2beautifulpodcast/
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