72. 2 Years Out: What I Thought, What Really Happened, and What I’ve Learned

Big life changes always come with their fair share of surprises, and my leap from corporate to full-time coaching was no exception. As I hit the two-year mark, I’m taking a look back at what I thought would happen, what actually happened, and everything I’ve learned along the way. Spoiler: it hasn’t been a straight path!

In this episode, I’m sharing the real, behind-the-scenes journey—navigating unexpected family crises, figuring out entrepreneurship, and realizing that success isn’t just about business wins but also about personal growth. We’ll talk about:

• The transferable skills from parenthood that help in any career shift.
• The power of community and support—because going it alone is overrated.
• Why you shouldn’t put off your dreams or wait for the “perfect time.”
• How to move forward without regrets, because what we don’t do is often what we regret most.

If you’re in a season of change—whether it’s career, life, or something in between—this one’s for you. Tune in for insights and encouragement.

If you find value in our discussions, please take a moment to subscribe, share, and leave a review to help others discover Her Next Chapters.  

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Transcript

Introduction and Milestones

Christina Kohl 0:04

Hi and welcome to Her Next Chapter's podcast . I'm your host , Christina Kohl . I'm a mom of three and soon to be an empty nester . I'm also a certified HR pro who restarted my career after being a stay-at-home mom for over a decade . I created this podcast to connect with moms who have an empty nest on the horizon and are wanting to redefine their identity outside of motherhood , which might include a job search . On this show , we'll have raw conversations about our ever-changing roles as moms . We'll hear from women who restarted their careers and share tips for a job search after a career break . So if that's you , you're in the right place . Friend , let's get started . Hi everyone , and welcome to this week's episode of Her Next Chapters .

Christina Kohl 0:53

I am recording this on March 3rd and it'll go live on March 5th , if you're listening in real time . And the reason that March 3rd is significant is that on March 3rd of 2023 , so it's 3-3-2-3 . I don't know if there's any symbolism or meaning in that date , but on March 3rd two years ago today was my last day working in my corporate job , which means it was the beginning of when I went all in on becoming a full-time career coach , and I just kind of wanted to take a minute or two just for myself to , one , recognize that milestone and two , to share some learnings with all of you . So my last day of corporate , it was an ending and a beginning , and there are so many times in our lives and that's why this podcast is called Her Next Chapters because as one chapter ends , that means another one is beginning . And so I just kind of wanted to , like , I don't know , ruminate on that for a little bit , but I want to share , too , what I thought was going to happen . When I walked out of corporate and jumped all in , jumped into the deep end of the pool to do coaching . What I thought was going to happen was all that energy and ambition and all those hours that I worked so hard for someone else . I thought I was just going to take all that and channel it into my business , but what actually happened was I needed to come up for air . I needed a little bit of a rest .

Christina Kohl 2:39

I had been telling my manager , who would become a friend I'd been telling her for a couple years I felt like I was running a marathon , as if it was a sprint . There were , from the very beginning of that role . There's a lot of things I loved about it . The intensity , though , was more than what is normal Through an acquisition , through a software implementation , through staff turnover just a lot of different , really , really big projects were happening that I jumped in the deep end there , and it just never really let up . It was running that marathon as if it was a sprint for two years , and I was exhausted . So I was so grateful that you know and if you've listened to the podcast for a while you've heard the story of my husband and I supporting each other . He was on a long sabbatical of about a year and a half while I was working , and then we traded . I got to take the sabbatical and jump into the coaching , and in my mind , I had a coaching business waiting for me . In reality , because I had been so focused , all my energy was going towards my job . None of it had been going to the coaching for a couple , three years maybe . So , as much as I thought , oh , I've got a business , I just need to pick it up and get going again . Truly , I was starting at zero and life had another thing in store for me . So , march 3rd 2023 , we bring you back there .

Christina Kohl 4:17

What was actually going on , versus me starting my business up was in our household . We am not going to name names , but we had three car accidents within a six-week period , starting the second week of January . So two cars were impacted , three accidents , four insurance companies . Both the cars wound up being a total loss which , as you can guess , there's a lot of conversations . We've got some rental cars going but nobody can drive the rental cars because they're not old enough as far as the kids . So we had that negotiating and figuring out the settlements and then purchasing new vehicles . So there was a good long stretch of time where there were two vehicles in the household of five drivers .

Christina Kohl 5:10

And this is what I started my sabbatical , my change leaving corporate put me right into the role of being Uber for the whole household and car broker . And then one of us had um , one of the family members had a new well , I was undiagnosed medical condition . That was pretty scary , to be honest . I won't go into details , but multiple emergency room visits , multiple specialists to navigate all of that . So that was the reality of what my first few months were like when I left corporate , and someone I was talking to earlier today was like , you know , a lot of people would have seen that as a sign that you made the wrong choice , that you you know the business wasn't the right thing For me . That never entered my mind . I was filled with gratitude that I had the flexibility and the time and the resource to be able to manage and navigate all of that . So that's how things started . So obviously , I didn't jump right into coaching immediately because I had to take care of my family first , and that's what I did , and I do that with so much gratitude . So things I did accomplish in 2023 , aside from the purchase of three cars so the two replacement cars , and also my youngest he became an Eagle Scout . We told him that we would get him a car when that happened . So I did all the research on that and found him a great deal on a car as well . Also in 2023 , I started networking , went to some conferences , joined a mastermind .

Christina Kohl 6:48

I started this podcast . I didn't wait for it to be perfect . If you go back and listen to that first episode , it was not perfect . I'm sure I would cringe if I heard it now , but I asked for permission out loud , asked for permission from all of you listening that it's okay for this not to be perfect . And then you guys , this is . I'm about to drop episode 72 and I haven't skipped a week , other than I took off last Christmas time took a whole week off , but otherwise every single week I've been showing up and I have learned so much in this past year and it's important to look back on that and that's for you as well , whether you are working out of the home or in the home . Take stock .

Christina Kohl 7:32

And just because it's not January 1st anymore doesn't mean we can't look at things in other milestones . For me , this milestone is oh my gosh , two years ago I left a six-figure salary to pursue my dream . I want to make sure that if you have a dream , I want to make sure that you take the time to pursue that dream . And it may not be quitting a job , it might be getting a job , it might be starting a business , it might be a hobby or maybe it's a relationship or a forgiveness that needs to happen . But so many times we hear over and over in life that regrets typically come from things we didn't do rather than things we did do . And I knew for me , without a doubt , I knew into my bones that if I didn't pursue this coaching full-time that I would regret it . I already was regretting it , so that is why I jumped in both feet in the deep end and I don't regret it at all that , having tried it and doing it and I'm succeeding at it .

Christina Kohl 8:47

And , of course , your definition of success it's no one else's definition . It's what is success to you and for me , it's the clients that I've helped , the people that I've reached , how much growth I've seen in myself and you guys . When I have a call with a coaching client virtually every single call and it's funny I use the word virtually because they are virtual calls , but every call I wind up getting I'm just more virtually because they are virtual calls , but every call I wind up getting I'm just more in touch with myself and my body . I get these tingles that go down my arms and that when something significant that we're talking about either feedback they're giving or something that we've uncovered and I love it that is what I've learned about myself is how much I love coaching and I'm so grateful to be able to do it and I am still learning and growing .

Christina Kohl 9:38

Some things that I've learned about myself in entrepreneurship that I wasn't really expecting is how much I like to be part of a team . That's probably what I miss the most from being in a corporate role is I'm in a bubble , I work by myself and I really do miss being part of a team and recognize how much I have a need for being part of community . And so , for me , I've done that in a couple of different mastermind groups that I'm in , where there are other solopreneurs who are growing their businesses , who are kind of at the same stage that I'm at , and that has been really helpful for me . So , for you , if you have a dream , whether it's , like I said , going back to work , pursuing a new hobby , or maybe you want to be an entrepreneur that is one of my biggest learnings is plugging into a community , so you don't have to do it alone , whether that's with a coach or with a group , but you don't have to do this stuff alone . That's with a coach or with a group , but you don't have to do this stuff alone .

Christina Kohl 10:36

The other thing that I've learned about myself is without structure , I can kind of wander and get distracted . So that is one thing that this podcast does for me is every week , every Wednesday at 5 AM , this podcast is live . Perfect or not , most likely not , and that's the whole point . I'm showing up as my whole imperfect self . But that consistency is what has really helped provide structure around my week and around my outreach and that's been really fun to see for me personally , to see the growth . Hopefully , if you've been listening for a while , you've seen some growth in me too in that area .

Christina Kohl 11:20

And the other thing I've learned about myself aside from the fact that how much I love coaching but my intuition is strong . My time as a parent has really fine-tuned this intuition that I've always kind of had . But as far as coaching , it has been my training ground . I don't realize it until now that I'm using it , but how much I've used it with my kids , that I'm not just prescribing and being controlling and telling them what to do , but being a guide and being supportive . Those are all things that I use within my coaching and I am sure you as well , if you're listening

Reflections on Life Changes and Challenges

Christina Kohl 12:00

and you're a parent . There are skills If you take the time to think about it . And maybe , if you're into journaling , take a few minutes and journal like what skills have I learned or developed as a parent ? Because I guarantee there is a lot when you take the time to think about it and to appreciate all that you have brought to your role as a mom .

Christina Kohl 12:22

This podcast is meant for women , so I believe I'm speaking to women , but the expertise , the experience , the knowledge and confidence that you have gained in your role as a parent , that is powerful , that is meaningful , and you have the ability to use those skills in all kinds of ways . As your kids get older , those skills evolve and if you reach the age where my kids are , where they're all young adults some are still living here , but they're young adults and they're making their own choices , I am in a more of a consultant type of role as a parent , versus a I don't know controlling type of role when they're younger . And that's what I do as a coach . I consult right , so I guide , I offer suggestions , I offer accountability if it's asked for , and I offer my experience and expertise . But ultimately it's the clients who do the work who decide , just like it is for my kids . So anyway , there's a lot there that I just thought about transferable skills , because I know we talk about that a lot in the job search .

Christina Kohl 13:35

The other thing I have learned so much about marketing and tech and sales and I have so much more to learn , and I tend to want to do everything myself . One , because I don't want to spend a lot of money for something that I feel like I should be able to do . But what I've come to learn is that sometimes it makes a lot of sense to pay for help . You get further , faster and instead of spinning my wheels , working in a silo , trying to figure it out , raising my hand and asking for help , even if I'm paying for it , it works . It is so powerful and that's been something actually it's feedback my husband has given to me several times over the years that I'm not good about asking for help . I just have this sense that I should be able to do it . I should be able to figure that out , I should be able to manage all this .

Christina Kohl 14:26

And the reality is none of us are experts at everything . We were made to be part of community . That's how humans are built . We're not meant to do everything . We're made to be part of community . That's how humans are built . We're not meant to do everything . We're meant to be part of community . So reach out for help when you need it . It makes sense , right , and I've also learned that I'm resilient and resourceful , so this is not for the faint of heart , this entrepreneurship .

Christina Kohl 14:54

There's a lot of ups and downs and I'm sure I know that's the true in jobs as well . It's definitely a different experience than I expected , but again , one that I have no regrets , and I'm really looking forward to growing even more and helping even more people , because I have I've made a difference in people's lives . I've helped people get jobs , I've helped them get higher pay , helped them change the trajectory of their life , and that is so , so rewarding . I love the flexibility of my job and I love , love , love supporting other women . So those are the things that I am celebrating on this two-year anniversary of me taking the leap , walking away from my job and jumping into this idea of coaching that I had started years ago and living it out .

Christina Kohl 15:54

Is everything perfect ? Nope , but are things good ? Yes , absolutely , and I encourage you if you have a dream you've been holding onto , that you've been waiting for the right time . The right time never really comes Like , oh , one day I'll do that . Well , one day is today . Let's change that to be day one , and that's my encouragement to you is to figure out what it is you've been dreaming about , but putting off for the right circumstances . And I'm not telling you I'll go quit your job tomorrow , put in your notice . But I am wanting to encourage you to not have regrets .

Christina Kohl 16:38

There's something I think it was Gretchen Rubin who said it . She's the author of the Happiness Project , as well as several other books , and she has a podcast . Anyway , gretchen Rubin said something to this effect that when you have a choice to make , choose the bigger life . Okay , because what I don't want for you or me is to wake up in a few years going gee , I wish I would have , and now I can't , whether it's for health or whatever other reason might be going on . You know , that's the fact . We are all getting older . None of us are promised a certain number of days . Our time here is limited .

Christina Kohl 17:18

What I'm offering up in this podcast to you is live without regrets . I don't regret leaving my corporate job . What I miss are the friendships of coworkers , and so I'm replacing that in other ways . And one of the things I'm going to be looking at and you've noticed if you've been listening for a while I'm having a lot more guests on the podcast because I've been expanding my network and meeting a lot more people , and so I'm sharing that with all of you . So I hope you've enjoyed that , and I'm going to be trying to do more in-person events . So if you live in Colorado , in the Denver metro area , stay tuned . I have some ideas , but nothing ready to announce yet , because I do miss being in person with people . That is something that I'm looking forward to in 2025 , as I begin my gosh . Tomorrow will be the first day of year three of not being in a corporate role anymore .

Christina Kohl 18:15

Anyway , thank you all for being on this journey with me , and it would mean so much to me if you were to share this episode with a friend who you think might find the content here on Her Next Chapter is valuable . Share it with them , rate and review the show , because that is how people find us . We are amazingly it blows my mind . We've been listened to in over 20 countries and over 200 cities around the world , and I just I'm going to keep going . I'm loving doing this and am so excited to talk to you each week .

Christina Kohl 18:49

All right , well , thank you so much for listening in , and that's it for this week . I will talk to you next time . Much for listening in , and that's it for this week . I will talk to you next time . Thank you so much for listening today . I hope this episode hit home for you and , if you haven't already , be sure to connect with me on LinkedIn and say hello so I can personally thank you for listening . Until next time , remember , your story is uniquely your own and your next chapters are ready to begin .