Second Act Success Blog:
Business Tips, Career Advice, and Inspiration on Starting Over

If you’re ready to make 2026 the year you start a business, grow your business, or finally bring those long-held dreams to life, you’re in the right place, my friend. Because guess what? success doesn’t come from big goals alone. It comes from the tiny steps you take every single month to bring those goals […]

Play-based learning for businesses helps employees reconnect with creativity. In boardrooms and Zoom meetings around the world, teams are struggling with the same challenges: communication breakdowns, creative fatigue, and strategic misalignment. Employees are craving connection, purpose, and a little fun. Leaders are searching for new ways to inspire innovation and collaboration in a workplace that […]

You can absolutely build a successful business on your own… but you’ll grow faster and stronger when you work alongside other supportive women. Trust me, as a mom and a business coach, I know firsthand how lonely entrepreneurship can be when you’re trying to grow a business from your kitchen table, pitching clients during your […]

Have you ever considered opening a franchise business? If you’ve ever dreamed of being your own boss, but still want the structure, branding, and support of an established business…owning a franchise might be the perfect second act for you. As a former franchisee, I think of a franchise as a “business in a box.” When […]

If she can do it, you can do it – check out these real stories of start up success. Many of us have dreamed of leaving our jobs to pursue something that truly lights us up. All around the world, women are walking away from careers that no longer serve them to build businesses that […]

Turning Creativity into Cash Flow: How LEGO Serious Play Became a Powerful Tool for Team Building—And an Extra Revenue Stream in My Business. Have you ever sat through a meeting where only a handful of people spoke up, while everyone else stayed quiet? Or left a brainstorming session feeling like the best ideas never made […]

Your Step-by-Step Action Plan to Leave Your Job and Launch a Business. So, you’ve been daydreaming about telling your boss “Thanks, but I’m done here,” and trading your 9-5 for something far more exciting like being your own boss. You’re probably craving flexibility, freedom, and fulfillment like we all do, but let’s be real…you also […]

Stop waiting for permission. Amy Vogel published at 42, wrote five books, and now helps women turn their story into a client-winning book. Here’s her playbook. Want to write a book but don’t know where to start, or whether to self-publish vs. traditional? In this episode of Second Act Success, host Shannon Russell talks with Amy Vogel, who […]

Have you ever wondered if your business idea is really worth pursuing?  In this episode of the Second Act Success Career Podcast, host Shannon Russell, business coach and author of Start Your Second Act, breaks down exactly why validating your business idea is one of the most important steps you can take before launching. Listen on Apple | Spotify | Amazon […]