What we can learn from Julia Child about career second acts

People are staying in the workforce longer, allowing them to have second, third and even fourth acts. Julia Child, the famed television cook, didn’t start her second act until she was in her 50s. The team bringing her to life in Julia for HBO Max says her willingness to learn, take chances and make mistakes made her such a success.

Before entire channels dedicated to cooking shows sprung up on television, one larger-than-life woman was regularly welcomed into people’s homes across the U.S. to teach them how to cook. Her name was Julia Child.

Julia Child was an ever-present person in my life for as long as I can remember. If reruns of her shows were not playing on the local public television station, she was hosting cooking demonstrations on Good Morning America or other talk shows. She defined food in America for generations.

Even though she passed away nearly two decades ago in August 2004, she continues to captivate with her life’s story. First, she was portrayed by Meryl Streep in 2009’s Julie & Julia. Her life was the subject of an incredible 2021 documentary called Julia. Now, she’s being brought back to the small screen for HBO Max’s Julia, which chronicles her start in television.

Why am I telling you all of this in a newsletter about job searches and careers? Well, Julia Child’s story is not just about an amazing person and cook. Her story is also about someone who found a second act (and a few more) in her career.

You see, before Julia Child was a household name, she worked in the government. She was born to an upper-middle-class family in Southern California. After college and after the U.S. was pulled into World War II, Julia joined the Office of Strategic Services, which is often thought of as the predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency. She met her future husband, Paul Child, while stationed in present-day Sri Lanka.?

Paul’s work for the State Department eventually took them to France, where Julia fell in love with food. She enrolled in Cordon Bleu, which is a famous French cooking school, and began collaborating on a book that would become Mastering the Art of French Cooking. After moving near Boston, Julia’s career in television began at the age of 50 when she appeared on a local public television station to promote her book.?

I recently chatted with part of the team bringing Julia Child’s story to life for HBO Max to hear what we can all learn from her career and professional journey. I spoke with Chris Keyser, who is the showrunner and executive producer, and Daniel Goldfarb, who is the creator. The following interview was edited for length and clarity.

Q: What did you think of Julia and what did you find surprising about her story?

Chris: I grew up in the 60s. So I watched that show with my parents in a family that didn't really cook. We ate the way America ate before Julia Child… We all responded to Julia about the way she approached life, the way she approached her show, the kind of joy, a lack of self-consciousness and a freedom to make mistakes to experiment that drew us in. I didn't understand it at that point, but she was part of my life from the very beginning…

I also have to say that I really do love stories about second acts in life. You hear a lot about men.... But there's something about this woman who made herself again with Paul Child’s help. Paul was the one who introduced her to food and that kind of living even though she was the one who came from money. That partnership and that kind of positive attitude toward making of yourself anything without regard to what age you are when you begin, I think it's extraordinarily moving.

Q: What qualities did Julia Child have that made her second act so successful?

Daniel: She had an incredible work ethic. When you think of that cookbook… that they worked on it for, I think, somewhere between 10 and 20 years. They made the same recipes over and over and over again until they got them right. She was not frivolous. She was delightful. She was sensual. She loved food. She was a flirt. She loved literature and she loved the arts. But she also knew how to roll up her sleeves and work really, really hard. I can't even imagine doing 26 episodes a year, every year, for 15 years. It's incredible what she did on The French Chef.

Q: What lesson can we take from Julia Child in regards to second acts?

Daniel: She was an incredible team player. She always said that Julia Child was her and Paul. Paul was sort of the invisible half of Julia Child. She also always included her team at WGBH [the television station in Boston]. She really managed to make everyone feel special, everyone feel heard and everyone feel important. She really seems to have had no real sense of ego — that she was doing it for all the right reasons. She wasn't doing it for fame. She wasn't doing it for money. She really just wanted to teach people how to eat and how to cook. And if they could figure that out, it would move their lives in a way that could surprise and delight them.

Chris: I think that's exactly, that's exactly right. She became so famous that we're still making television shows about her 60-some years later, but fame wasn't her goal… She's actually surrounded by people whom created second acts for themselves — some at the same age and some at different ages, all of whom we should all wish to be that remarkable the second time around.

Q: What do you want people to take away from the series?

Daniel: There's something very aspirational in terms of how she lived her life. She wasn't afraid to roll up her sleeves and do that work. She also made herself open to feeling things: to joy, to new experiences, to travel, to adventure, to risk, to sensuality. She allowed herself to really seize every moment. She really was someone who lived an incredibly full life. She did it because she put herself in the hot seat. She was willing to sort of take risks, and make mistakes and maybe fall on her face. And even if she fell on her face, there's a way to laugh about it… I just think she was constantly trying to learn and grow. It's incredible that she was always constantly moving forward and discovering and allowing herself to be open to new experiences.

(This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

What are your thoughts on career second or third acts? Join the conversation.

This week on Get Hired with Andrew Seaman, I'm joined by Deepak Chopra, who is a bestselling author and the founder of The Chopra Foundation. We talked about his latest book, which is called Abundance: The Inner Path to Wealth. Our conversation centered on feeling fulfilled while weathering the ups and downs of our careers. Be sure to subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts so you don't miss an episode. Also, rate and review the show to help other people find the episodes. Listen to the whole episode by clicking here. You can also read the transcript by clicking here.

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I’ll be joined by Maya Grossman, who is a career coach and the author of Invaluable, on the next episode of #GetHired Live! We’ll be talking about being the CEO of your own career and taking control of your professional path. We’ll also be answering your job search and career questions. You can RSVP to that chat by clicking the image below or by clicking here.

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By Gianna Prudente, associate news editor for job searches and careers:

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