This summer is kinda special. I will be celebrating 10 years of career coaching. What started as an experiment turned into a real business and a fresh start after I shut down my tech startup. I’ve met some wonderful people, worked with great clients, and enjoyed the journey.
This will also be the summer I turn 60. Yikes! Just writing those words feels crazy. It sounds so old! Luckily, I don’t feel old, thanks to investing so much in my health and fitness. It also helped to step away from the stress of my old corporate job when I left in 2010 to take control of my destiny.
Stress ages you. I’ve even lost friends and colleagues all too soon, and I blame the stress of that lifestyle for contributing to the issues that took them away so young.
I’ve talked about the cycles of life before, and how I’ve noticed a repeating 10-year cycle in my life of change and reinvention. I guess that partly explains what I’m announcing this week.
⬆️ I discuss everything in more detail in the audio for this episode, so scroll up, hit play, and check it out.
Taking a coaching break
At almost 60 years of age, and after a decade of coaching, I’m giving myself the gift of stepping away (a bit). I think the time has come.
My life and my needs have evolved.
I’ve become a different person.
The industry has shifted.
The world has changed.
So, I’m taking a break from accepting new career coaching clients (perhaps forever). Of course, I’m still working with a few clients on retainer, and other engagements are in progress and will need to wind down over the rest of the year.
Also, if we’re friends, or we’ve enjoyed working together before, I may make an exception here or there. But that’s about it.
Instead, I am shifting my focus to my new Exit Blueprint business coaching and Gen X life coaching. I will also offer a few courses, workshops, and retreats throughout the year (I miss working with folks in the real world). So, even though I won’t offer new one-on-one career coaching, I will have courses and workshops:
The Invincible Goals System (success strategies and planning to achieve your goals)
The Invincible Job Quest (job searching, interviews, and negotiations)
The Exit Blueprint (business design, planning, and testing self-employment)
This change will free up my time for all the side quests I’ve put on hold for years (e.g., finishing my book, writing fiction, making music again, painting, etc.). Of course, I’ll still be working out every day, hiking as much as possible, traveling the world, and visiting my children often. Life is too short!
Newsletter and podcast
So, what happens with this newsletter and podcast? That’s a great question.
I’ve written almost 700 articles to share my advice on the job search, interviews, getting promoted, dealing with bosses and coworkers, and generally making yourself so valuable and known that you get to call the shots in your career. My podcast episodes date back over six and a half years. I know many people aren’t even aware of half of what I’ve written and shared in my podcast.
So, I’ll resurface more of my evergreen advice and freshen up details to make sure they are relevant for today’s working world. If something ignites my passion (or anger 🤣) about a recent event or topic, I’m sure I won't be able to resist writing about it. But I don’t think I need to write any more articles about how to interview, using AI for this or that, or how to bypass all the BS that is keeping people from finding better jobs.
I’ve shared the secrets to all of that so many times. I know some people listened and landed great gigs. Others ignored it, kept trying the same old approach, and wondered why it's not working.
Literally yesterday, I saw someone post…
“Hey, I don’t think the traditional job search and application process works anymore! I’ve been struggling to get any interviews for almost 2 years. Now, I’m bypassing recruiting and automated systems to connect with people directly and get my resume into the hands of hiring managers. It’s working!”
🙄 Sigh… It makes me so weary. Seriously. You just realized that? Even though I’ve been beating that drum for 10 years?!? And I know you’ve seen my articles that I post every week for those 10 years.
Okay…
I guess you can lead a horse to water, but… Yeah, I’m done leading horses to water and watching them not drink—over and over again. Either you get it, or you don’t.
I want to have more fun with the podcast. I want to invite more entertaining guests and have enjoyable conversations with people who have wisdom to share and stories from their amazing careers and lives. I’ll be dipping into my network that I’ve grown for over 30 years and reconnecting with some fun and familiar faces.
So, I guess that’s that!
60 years of life (soon).
20+ years in my tech career.
Another 10 years of career coaching.
It's time for a new adventure!
I’m excited about focusing on business coaching and life coaching. I’m really, really tired of American corporations and the games they play. I had to live it during my own career. After that, I had to hear horror stories and try to help people navigate their careers. So, now I’d rather help good people live more amazing lives through self-employment, early semi-retirement, and chasing more adventures before time runs out.
Thank you for being a reader and a listener! I will still be writing articles and recording podcast episodes. That won’t change. And I still have the community for the few people who enjoy the support and encouragement of like-minded peers.
A big thanks to those of you who became clients! And for those of you I never got a chance to work with, sorry. I guess it won’t happen now.
But maybe I’ll see you in one of my courses, workshops, or retreats. Or, you may be one of those few brave souls who decide to take the same leap I did, escape the 9-5 world, and create your own path. If so, check out my Exit Blueprint business coaching.
Larry Cornett, Ph.D., is a career coach who spent 20+ years in Silicon Valley at Apple, IBM, Yahoo, eBay, and several startups as a designer, leader, and product and design executive. Whether you're fighting for a promotion, navigating a layoff, or planning your exit to independence, he combines executive experience with psychological insight to help ambitious professionals reclaim their power and build an Invincible Career.
Would you like to help support my newsletter and podcast, but don’t want to commit to a monthly fee? Check out my ☕️ Buy Me a Coffee. I’m self-employed, and coaching and writing are how I provide for my family. Thanks for your help!
