What Is Your Next Act - Part 2 of 3

Staying with the theme of "Next Act", this is the second installment on the topic.

Last week I kicked off the idea of the “Next Act” in our career. It's certainly not an original thought, but it is one that we might be putting off. The concept being that once you retire (or are nearing retirement) there is a void that’s created in your routine. As much as we think we can fill that void with activities (i.e., golf, fishing, knitting, reading, crossword puzzles, television/movies, grandchildren, volunteering, and on and on) there are many among us that have forged new careers, embarked on new hobbies or developed new routines. The circumstances vary. Here are the three scenarios I've outlined:

1.??????You worked your entire career and reached retirement age (or retired early), and you want to do something else.

2.??????Your career ended prematurely, and you needed to do something else.

3.??????You took a hobby or interest, and through circumstance were able to, or are working on developing it into a sustainable business model.

Each week I’m profiling someone from my network that has a unique story. This week I’m addressing point #2.

Example?#2 – What happens when circumstance accelerates your need to do something else?

Meet? Mara Van Fleet linkedin.com/in/mara-van-fleet-18511913

Career – Art Director/Book Product Developer at Reader's Digest

Her Next Act: Children’s Book Author/Illustrator, Co-Owner of Dragonfly Design

Websites

• authors.simonandschuster.com/Mara-Van-Fleet/44087471?
• books.simonandschuster.com/Three-Little-Mermaids/Mara-Van-Fleet/9781442412866/graphic_excerpt?

Mara and I were classmates in high school. When you've known someone for a long time there are certain things that stand out. The main one for me was her love of music (she was a fan of Cheap Trick before anyone in our small world in upstate NY even knew who they were!). Once we left high school, and we all shot off in different directions it wasn't until I saw her at a high school reunion a number of years back that I learned of where she had been working. I had no idea of her talent as an illustrator and I was only casually aware of what she was up to. When I started thinking about writing our “Next Act” I knew that she was writing children’s books, but my timeline was off. I reconnected with her by phone a few weeks back and she helped set me straight on the timeline of her exit from the "corporate" world.

Here’s a recollection a few of Mara's thoughts (apologies in advance Mara if I'm off on anything).

“I had wanted to write children’s books for some time. I was fortunate. I had all the contacts and had published a few books while I was at Reader's Digest. When the recession hit in 2008/09 I was laid off. Since I was at the top of my field there weren’t many positions available at my level and this was really the push I needed to pursue what I’ve always wanted to do."

Mara and her husband Matt (also a children’s book author) work as quite the team. They have the ability with their combined skills of acting as a packager where they can do the design, prepare the file and deliver a book that’s ready to go to print.

This was a case where the circumstance (layoff) accelerated something that seemed destined. I couldn't be happier for Mara because she seems to be in the very place she should be.

Next week - for the final installment of this three part series I'm going to introduce you to a friend that has taken her gift for poetry and writing and is helping others by providing a unique product & service.

Have a great weekend!

Dave

About Dave Shultis

I am a senior level marketing and product management professional with experience in the life science/med device space. My focus is on a return to a leadership (formal or informal) role where coaching and mentoring a team or working with a cross-functional team is a component of the position. This could be in the form of a role as a marketing director, a group product director or as an individual contributor in a senior product management capacity.

When not in pursuit of my next opportunity you can find me biking in and around New Jersey (I'm on Strava) or trying to get my 15k steps in per day (I'm on Fitbit).