Her Next Chapters

100. Imperfect Starts, Real Growth, and What’s Next

• Christina Kohl

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Christina celebrates 100 episodes of Her Next Chapters with a behind-the-scenes story that started in her closet — literally. From recording her first episode six times (and using paper towel rolls for soundproofing!) to finding her voice and confidence behind the mic, this milestone episode is both a celebration and an invitation.

Through laughter and reflection, Christina shares what 100 episodes have taught her about starting before you’re ready, taking imperfect action, and embracing every new chapter with courage. Whether you’re launching a dream, reentering the workforce, or simply figuring out what’s next, this episode will remind you that perfection isn’t required — only willingness.

For those ready to reset their careers, Christina also shares details about her new Career Reset Accelerator, a 6-week guided program starting October 15.

Learn more and sign up for the Career Reset Accelerator HERE

Grab the Free Strengths-First Resume Template - it's perfect for anyone in career transitions, whether with a long career gap, a career pivot, or just ready for a change.

  • Want to chat about your career goals? Schedule a free call HERE.
  • Send me an email ---> christina@hernextchapters.com
  • Connect with me on LinkedIn ---> www.linkedin.com/in/kohlchristina






Christina:

Hi and welcome to Her Next Chapters 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 AR 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 long conversations about our ever-changing roles with moms. We'll hear from women who restarted their careers and share tips job search after a career break. So if that's you, you're in the right place, friend. Let's get started. Hi friends, and welcome to her next chapters. This one is a little surreal to say out loud. This is episode 100. And when I think back to how it all started, I honestly have to laugh. I was so nervous about recording that first episode. You guys, I re-recorded it six times trying to get it just right. And the audio, it sounded like I was in a tunnel. So I moved into my closet. When that didn't work, I surrounded my microphone with paper towel rolls. Yes, actual paper towel rolls, in an effort to make it sound better. Well, I finally got a good enough version and I scheduled it to publish on November 1st, 2023. A date that I chose on purpose because it's written down it's 111, right? So November 11, 1, the first, 2, 3. So 111 23. It just felt like the right day and time. And honestly, it gave me a deadline because I had been dreaming and thinking about this for months. So I had that number in mind, and on Halloween the night before, I recorded and published, and then the next day, I was, the next morning, I was at Target and you know, doing a Target run. I'm sure you all can relate to doing that. So I was on a Target run and had my AirPods in. And what did I hear but my own voice coming through on my podcast? I had a total freakout moment. I came home, I re-recorded again and uploaded what you can hear today as episode one. So looking back now, that story is a perfect example of what I talk about so often. Just start. Don't wait for perfect. Don't wait for the fear to disappear. Just begin. If I had waited until I had a studio setup, professional sound, or the perfect voice intro, this podcast would still be sitting on my someday list. I don't record in the closet anymore. I don't re-record six times and I edit more lightly. And I trust that what people need to hear isn't perfection, it's connection. It's authentic, it's real. And because that's really what this has become for me, it's a space to connect, to reflect, and to help others navigate their own chapters in life and work. So my friend, if you are holding on to a dream, maybe it's writing or launching a business or returning to work or something entirely new, I hope the story of how this podcast got started reminds you that messy beginnings count too. Perfection is not the requirement. Taking imperfect action is. And as I celebrate this milestone, I am also living through one of my biggest life transitions in real time. The empty nest season. So I know becoming a mom like happens literally overnight. You're you're pregnant and then there's a baby and you're a mom. And that overnight changes your world, turns everything upside down. The empty nest for me is a much longer season, but it's still just as impactful. So for those of you who don't know, I'm the mom of three young adults. Two are still in college, and one is a recent grad. Two are at home preparing to launch soon, and one is living in this college town. And every few months, something shifts: a move out, a move back in, a graduation, a new job. It's a constant dance between independence and togetherness. And every time those familiar questions bubble up again. Maybe you can relate if you're in this season too. Questions like, who am I now? And what do I want to do with this next chapter? And how do I want to spend my time? What interests or passions have I set aside that I want to pick up again? Or maybe start something completely new? And that's the beauty and the challenge of midlife. It's not just about managing transitions, it's about really finding ourselves through them and starting our next chapters. And the reason that I named this podcast Her Next Chapters is because it's more than just job search, right? I am a career coach, I'm a job search strategist. That is what I help my clients with. But I recognized when I created this podcast that it's not just about our jobs and our careers, it's also about what's next in our lives. And there's a plural of next chapters because it's more than one. And we might be having a next chapter in our home life, right? We're transitioning into empty nest, or maybe our kids are younger, but it's still there are transitions the whole way through. And the next chapters of our careers, the same thing. It's it's multiple chapters of what's next. And the real question is, what do I want my next chapter to look like? And maybe that's something that you are resonating with too. If you're having a change in your life, whether you're moving across the country, you have a change in your relationship status, your kids are getting older, you're changing jobs, careers, whatever it is, it's a new chapter. And when we go through those types of changes, there's a lot of struggle at first. And this is what I've seen in both myself and my clients, and just getting that clarity. What is it that we want in our next chapter to look like? What do we, what do we want to return to? What do we want to move away from? And those are things that I work with my clients on and that I've worked on myself on during these last couple of years of doing this podcast and and doing this business. And I still ask myself, what I want this next season to look like, not just professionally, but personally. The other thing that I hear again and again with my clients and with people that I have coffee chats with is confidence. Going through these types of changes, you know, who am I now? You know, especially careers, like I took a career break. Can I really do the work? Am I is anyone gonna hire me? Do I really know my stuff? And I know for me, every time I try something new, that little voice still whispers, who are you to do this? Right. But I hope that by listening to my 100th episode, that I'm giving you like an example of showing up even when you don't have confidence. You know what the antidote to lack of confidence is? Action, taking action, feeling the fear and doing doing it anyway. And same thing with motivation. If you don't have motivation, what do you need to do? You need to take small steps, right? Do something, and that will build into something else that you do next, right? So action creates more action. And that's what this podcast is. And then finally, accountability. Um, it's hard when when no one is expecting you to make a change. And this podcast for me has been a vehicle of accountability because up until a couple weeks ago, it's been every single week. And that means I have to get it together. I put out my newsletter that supports it. What am I going to talk about if I don't already have it recorded? So there's external accountability. And you know, the podcast is that's starting to go every two weeks, but that's still accountability. It's public facing. And I know for myself that I need that structure and support, just like the women that I coach. So in coaching, a coaching relationship, it is accountability. It's built in accountability because there's someone checking in. How are you doing? Are you making progress? I know when I went back to work back in 2016 and I finally hired a coach to help me, that was the biggest benefit I got was the accountability. We met every couple of weeks and just me knowing, okay, I'm meeting with my coach tomorrow. So I did all the work like the night before. But that but it got it done and it moved the needle and it helped me learn the job. And that's what I help my clients with now as a career coach, when I become a coach that I wish I had back then. Because what I bring to coaching that I don't know of anyone else who has this experience, where I myself had a career gap of 13 years and came back to my career and my profession, and I have a background in human resources, so I know the inside track of the hiring process, right? I've I've posted jobs, I've screened resumes, I've coached hiring managers, I've created interviews, I've helped in the selection process, I've done the salary negotiations, all of that, and I bring all of that to my coaching. And that's on top of someone who had a very long career break who also restarted my career. So, kind of all of that together is the unique aspect of it, of what I offer. And it is just such a joy. And I'm really, really thankful for each of you that listen to this podcast, that tune in. And my goal is always to provide value and to let you know you're not alone, to let you know that your next chapter is is something that you get to write. You have the power and the ability to create what you want in your life next. And again, whether it's careers or just identity and moving through different phases of life, um, that's why I didn't have this podcast be focused on just careers, because it's a season of life that I'm in. And so I kind of talk about all of it. Um, so anyway, I just really appreciate you being here and listening. And yes, as I step into the next hundred episodes, I'm so excited about where this is going. Um, that I have some incredible guests lined up who are living examples of tuning in, pivoting, and changing direction. Women who are embracing the next chapter mindset in real and inspiring ways. So those are coming. And then in the meantime, for those of you who are in a season of figuring out what's next professionally, I've created something special. I talked to so many women who are ready to make a career change, whether they have been out of the workforce taking care of their parents, raising kids, maybe some medical challenges, or they're currently working, but they just are ready for a big change. And they're not quite ready to invest in a one-on-one coaching. Um, so that's what I do. I do one-on-one coaching. It's a four-month program, and I get it. It's an investment, and not everyone is ready for that. So I've created this for the woman, and maybe it's you, who wants support, who wants a roadmap, but doesn't necessarily need or want full, you know, one-on-one coaching, but you just need like, give me the blueprint. I just need to know what to do, and I'll and I'll run with it. And so this is called the Career Reset Accelerator. It's a six-week guided program, and it's like an abridged version of my one-on-one coaching. It is for anyone who is ready for a refresh. So whether you're coming back from a break, you're pivoting mid-career, or you're just ready to stop spinning and want to move forward and land a job that you love. Inside the accelerator, we work on clarity, confidence, and action. The same foundation I've been talking about today. And more specifically, it's going to be obviously the clarity about what to do with your work life. Um, we're talking about resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profile, interview preparation, things like that are all inside the career reset accelerator. It starts on October 15th. So if you're listening in real time, that's just a week away. And I'm doing a beta group. So it's going to be a small group. The price is going to be like half of what it's normally going to be. If that sounds exactly like what you need right now, message me on LinkedIn or send me an email. It's Christina at her nextchapters.com or click the link in the show notes. I would love to see you in the beta group starting on October 15th. And as we wrap up episode 100, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for listening, for sharing, for being part of this community. Whether you've been here since the paper towel rule days or just recently, I'm so grateful you're here. This podcast started as a leap of faith, one messy recording at a time. And it's become a space I truly love showing up for. Here's to Imperfect Starts, here's to the courage to begin before you're ready, and here's to the next 100 episodes and all the next chapters still to come. That's it for this week's episode. I will talk to you next time. Thank you so much for listening today. I hope this episode can help you. And if you haven't already, connect with me on LinkedIn and say hello. Thank you for listening. Until next time, remember that your story is uniquely your own, and your next chapters are ready to begin.