Life After Corporate: What My First Year of Chapter 3 Taught Me

Your third chapter doesn't have to be perfect—it just has to be yours.

I've always used January for reflection.

But this year, this first January of my Chapter 3, hits differently.

It marks the end of my first full year outside of corporate life and the beginning of something deeply personal, imperfect, and surprisingly powerful.

If you've followed my journey, you know I spent nearly three decades building and scaling businesses, leading strategy, launching products, and mentoring talent. I loved most of it. I gave it everything, often to my own detriment. And like so many women who've risen in male-dominated industries, I became expert at adapting, powering through, and doing "what it takes."

But something shifted.

And this past year taught me more about energy, impact, and identity than any title or C-suite role ever could.

A Quick Reminder: What Is Chapter 3?

I talk a lot about "Chapter 3," so let's ground it:

Chapter 1: The Learning Years. Your early career. You're learning, proving yourself, testing the waters, figuring out what you're good at.

Chapter 2: The Earning Years. The bulk of your professional life. You're climbing, achieving, leading, building wealth and reputation.

Chapter 3: The Returning Years. What comes next. Not quite retirement, but not the traditional grind either. It's a reinvention based on your energy, your purpose, and your design. It's about returning value in ways that matter to you.

You don't have to leave corporate to start shaping Chapter 3, but you do need to pause and ask: What kind of life do I want now, and how can work support that, not consume it?

Here's what I learned in my first year of living that question.

Lesson 1: Professional Conditioning Runs Deeper Than You Think

About halfway through the year, I had one of those stop-you-in-your-tracks realizations.

It was 7:00pm. Again.

I was rushing to get dinner on the table. Again.

And I thought: Wait. I've been home all day. I had complete control of my schedule. Why is this still happening?

The answer was uncomfortable but clear: I was still running a corporate schedule because I didn't know how to do anything else.

Meetings stacked back-to-back. Calls until 6:00. A calendar that looked "full" because full felt productive. Even though no one was watching. Even though no one cared when I worked.

I'd left corporate, but corporate hadn't left me.

For decades, I'd been wired for more. There was always another problem to solve, another skill to master, another initiative to improve. I was never satisfied. That drive served me well in Chapter 2, but it also meant I didn't know how to stop. Even in the freedom of Chapter 3, I was still performing productivity for an invisible audience.

That dinner realization forced me to ask: What am I proving? And to whom?

The answer was no one. Just old muscle memory.

So I did something I'd never done before: I time-blocked my calendar like my life depended on it.

I treated 5:00pm as a hard stop to get dinner started. I scheduled pickleball twice a week like it was a board meeting. I blocked time for projects I cared about and protected those blocks the way I used to protect executive presentations.

Was I perfect at it? No. Did I sometimes slide back into old habits? Absolutely.

But it started something important: the process of giving myself permission to live differently. To design my days around energy, not obligation.

That's what Chapter 3 is really about. Not just leaving something behind, but learning how to build something new. And unlearning decades of conditioning takes longer than you think.

Lesson 2: Space Creates Energy

In Q1 of 2024, I did more than I'd done in any quarter I can remember, but for once, it didn't feel like depletion.

I mentored former employees through job transitions. I sat with friends facing divorce, illness, trauma. I gave my time fully and without resentment because I wasn't burning out in back-to-back boardrooms.

I joined 2nd Careers as President. I continued my work with the Center for Accelerating Financial Equity. I supported local founders and sat on innovation councils. I even launched Find My Chapter 3, an AI-driven concept to help others design this same transition.

I took time to travel. I got a puppy. I dove deep into learning about AI and started experimenting with AI tools in ways I'd been curious about but never had space to explore.

And here's the truth: I didn't realize how much energy I was spending just surviving the structure of my old work life until I was out of it.

The work I'm doing now isn't easier. But it's fueled by something different. It's aligned. And that makes all the difference.

Lesson 3: Reinventing Outside Corporate Is Messy

No one tells you how disorienting it is to rebuild your infrastructure from scratch.

In a company, everything's done for you. Calendar systems, email, video platforms, IT support. Suddenly, I was the tech team. I was figuring out invoicing, scheduling tools, website backends, CRM systems.

It took months to find a rhythm. I was late to calls. I fumbled through software. I felt like a beginner in areas I used to delegate without thinking.

But those stumbles taught me something important: building from scratch makes you more intentional.

Every system, every tool, every habit, I chose it for me, not for compliance. Not because it was "how things are done."

That's freedom. It's also chaos at first. Be warned.

Lesson 4: Staying Relevant Means Staying Curious

Leaving corporate triggered an unexpected fear: What if I become irrelevant?

That fear still shows up sometimes. It surfaces when I see former peers at conferences or read about industry shifts I'm no longer "in the room" for.

But here's what I've learned: staying relevant isn't about staying in the same room. It's about staying curious, engaged, and connected in new ways.

So I leaned in.

I use AI daily to keep up with news and trends. I've built custom GPTs to curate content, surface insights, and help me stay sharp on topics that matter. AI became my research assistant, my learning accelerator, my way of processing more without burning out.

I became more active on LinkedIn. Not just posting, but genuinely connecting with people and thought leaders I didn't have time to engage with before. I'm having real conversations. Building relationships that matter. Sharing what I'm learning in real time.

I'm still investing in my own development. I'm taking classes, attending conferences, and pursuing learning that feels expansive rather than obligatory. I joined peer groups. I seek out people who challenge my thinking.

I'm experimenting constantly. Whether it's new AI tools, new business models, or new ways of working, I'm testing, iterating, learning. That's the advantage of Chapter 3. You have the freedom to experiment without the pressure of getting it perfect.

Here's the thing: I'm not obsolete. I'm just no longer optimized for someone else's definition of value.

And honestly? That's a trade I'm proud to make.

Relevance in Chapter 3 isn't about clinging to the old game. It's about designing a new one that lets you show up as your best, most alive self.

Lesson 5: Success Feels Different Now

In Chapter 2, I measured success by company performance, revenue growth, industry recognition, titles.

I always mentored people. I championed their growth and their success. But that time felt like a small fraction of my energy. I didn't have the bandwidth to give it the deep thought or sustained action it deserved.

In Chapter 3, success looks like something else entirely.

Now, I have the space to invest deeply in the people I mentor. I can see the women I work with step into their next roles with confidence. I can watch a founder light up when an idea finally clicks. I can give the kind of thoughtful, sustained support that actually changes trajectories.

I've reclaimed parts of myself, my creativity, my emotional intelligence, my time, that I'd set aside for years.

Success now means: Did I leave someone better than I found them?

That's the kind of impact that lingers longer than any quarterly earnings call.

If You're Thinking About Chapter 3...

Start now. While you're still in Chapter 2.

Don't wait for burnout or breakdown to force clarity. Start experimenting. Start paying attention to what energizes you and what drains you.

Figure out what you love, what you're good at, and what can fund your future.

It won't be linear. It won't be clean. You'll still catch yourself running a corporate schedule even when no one's watching.

But I can promise you this: it's worth it.

Want to Design Your Chapter 3?

If you're ready to start planning or need support in figuring out what's next, I'd love to hear from you.

You don't have to leap tomorrow. But you can start quietly shaping the future you actually want.

I made the leap, messy parts included. Now I help others leap smarter.

Let's build your Chapter 3 together.