The ultimate guide to pivot with purpose, reinvent your career, and produce your best life. The career that once inspired you no longer fits your life, and a nagging voice inside tells you there’s something more. When your mind, heart, and dreams no longer align with your current path, it’s time to start your second act.
Shannon Russell, a former TV producer turned entrepreneur and business coach, understands the fears and challenges of disrupting your carefully planned career and taking the leap into something more. Drawing on her personal experiences and the success stories of other women, she shares her proven three-step Second Act Strategy (reflect, research, realize) to guide you from where you are now to where you want to be.
Start Your Second Act
How to Change Careers, Launch a Business, & Create Your Best Life
By Shannon Russell
Praise for Start Your Second Act
"Start Your Second Act is an inspiring and actionable guide for any woman standing at a career crossroads. Russell masterfully blends personal reinvention with practical frameworks, offering a roadmap to help you assess where you are, rediscover what motivates you, and chart a path toward a fulfilling professional life. Whether prompted by motherhood, workplace challenges, or a deeper dissatisfaction, this book provides the clarity and confidence needed to take bold steps forward. A must-read for those ready to redefine success on their own terms."
—Gina Riley, Gina Riley Consulting
"Ever felt the pull to pivot—whether it's stepping out of a career that no longer fits or launching the business you've been dreaming of—Start Your Second Act is the guide you need. Shannon Russell delivers a powerhouse of wisdom, practical strategies, and the kind of motivation that makes you believe reinvention isn’t just possible—it’s within reach. This book is a must-read for any woman ready to take control of her next chapter with confidence!"
—Jan Ditchfield, Ethical Business Expert & Host of The Business of Good
"If you've outgrown your current career and you're ready to pursue the path that lights you up, look no further. Shannon Russell's Start Your Second Act: How to Change Careers, Launch a Business, and Create Your Best Life is the book you need right now. Shannon has walked the walk, making the shift from TV producer to career transition and business coach. Let Shannon's conversational and positive voice encourage you to follow your passion in a practical way. Brimming with wisdom and actionable advice, this book isn't just an inspirational guide but an easy-to-follow roadmap for anyone looking to pivot toward personal fulfillment in a new career."
—Liz Alterman, author of Sad Sacked.
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!
"Stuck in a career that no longer serves you? Start Your Second Act is a straightforward, step-by-step guide to creating a career and life you truly love! Shannon blends practical & tactical strategies with the mindset shifts needed to break free from the golden handcuffs that keep so many professionals stuck. The reflections at the end of each chapter help readers get the momentum going so that you can not only learn how to pivot careers, but put what you're learning to work! If you're ready for your second act, this book is your shortcut to a career you love!"
—Amy Traugh, author of The CEO Method
"With strategic vision and positive encouragement, Shannon Russell and her Second Act Strategy simplifies the overwhelming process of career change by helping you focus your efforts to create a unique, actionable road map to step confidently into your second act."
—Kristin A. Sherry, YouMap® Creator and Best-Selling Author of YouMap
“Second Act Success” is like having a wise, encouraging friend walk beside you as you navigate the thrilling (and sometimes terrifying) path of reinvention. Shannon Russell blends inspiring, relatable stories with practical, data-driven guidance to help women confidently leap into their second careers. Her warm tone makes you feel seen, while her strategic insights give you the clarity and tools to move forward. If you’ve ever thought, ‘Is this all there is?’ or ‘Could I really start over?’—this book is your resounding yes, you can. A must-read for any woman ready to thrive in her next chapter.”
— Heike Yates, Midlife Fitness Expert & Author of Pursue Your Spark.
"Exceptional, practical, effective, inspiring, and thoroughly 'reader/user' friendly in organization and presentation, "Start Your Second Act: How to Change Careers, Launch a Business, and Create Your Best Life" by Shannon Russell is an extraordinary DIY resource for anyone seeking to reestablish themselves personal and/or professionally, to live the kind of life and/or engage in the kind work that will fully engage and reward them. While this hardcover edition of "Start Your Second Act" from Pivot Press is highly recommended for community library Jobs/Careers and Entrepreneurship collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that it is also readily available in paperback, audiobook, and in a digital book format."
Download your FREE Second Act Journal
to help you as you read the book!
This journal is designed to help you get your ideas down onto paper as you read. Each page gives you prompts to think about your skills, passions, and your second act options.
Shannon is a Television Producer turned Entrepreneur and Business Coach helping women build businesses that light them up!
Shannon is also the Author of Start Your Second Act: How to Change Careers, Launch a Business, and Create Your Best Life. She also hosts the Top 2% Second Act Success Podcast.
Meet Shannon Russell
Shannon supports women who are unhappy in their 9-5, as they pivot towards a "second act" building a business being their own boss. She provides exit strategy guidance and helps her clients transition from employee to entrepreneur.
Making a change may not always easy, but it is possible when you have guidance and goals to live your best life!
