If there’s one thing I’ve learned after close to 40 years in broadcast TV news, with a few career pivots along the way, it’s that changing direction doesn’t mean starting over. Careers aren’t straight lines; they’re winding paths filled with opportunities to reinvent yourself while carrying your experience with you.
Over the years, I’ve been a TV writer, reporter, and producer. I’ve also been a Journalism professor, a high school English teacher, an author, publisher and entrepreneur. I’ve been certified as an energy healer and Reiki practitioner. Today, I am gainfully employed with Challenger, Gray and Christmas as a job search coach. Some of the roles I’ve had were driven by passion. Others, by practicality. Along the way, more than once, I returned to television news because it paid the most. But every turn added something valuable: skills, insight, perspective, experience and though I didn’t feel it at the time: resilience.
The above photo is a graduation photo from an Intermediate Integrated Energy Therapy class I committed to while working full time. The class taught me new techniques to use energy but more importantly it gave me confidence to strike out on my own journey sharing intuitive sessions. (Thank you Jill Kempner.)
If you’re thinking about pivoting careers, you don’t have to toss out everything you’ve built. Here’s how to make a meaningful shift without starting from scratch.
1. Reframe Your Story
You’re not “leaving” your old career—you’re evolving. Think of your experience as raw material that can be reshaped. What skills have been your constants? For me, communication, curiosity, and storytelling followed me everywhere I went. Teaching and coaching both grew out of those same roots.
Identify your throughline, what I mean is, the skill or value that connects your experiences. Make it the headline of your career story.
2. Inventory Your Transferable Skills
Every job gives you tools you can carry forward. Writing under pressure in a newsroom translates beautifully to clear, persuasive communication in coaching or consulting. Leading a classroom builds public speaking and mentoring strengths.
List your top five skills that show up again and again, regardless of your role. That’s your foundation for a new direction.
3. Test Before You Leap
This is so important for your financial security! Before making a full pivot, explore. Take a course. Volunteer. Shadow someone. Start a side project. When I taught or coached part-time while still in TV, it gave me insight into what might come next—without cutting ties to what was steady and familiar.
Think of this as career prototyping: small experiments to see what fits before making a full commitment.
4. Leverage Your Network
People often think changing careers means rebuilding a whole new network. Not true. Start with who you know. Colleagues, classmates, or contacts from previous jobs may already have connections in your target field. Tell your story clearly: you’re not abandoning your past, you’re expanding it.
Ask for introductions, informational interviews, and honest feedback. Most people are happy to help someone who’s taking a courageous step forward. I’m taking a pause here to acknowledge: it’s not easy. But if it’s what you want, it’s worth pushing yourself to make those calls.
5. Be Practical, Not Perfectionist
There’s no shame in making financially grounded decisions. Sometimes, like me, you might step back into a previous role because it’s what makes sense at the moment. That’s not failure—it’s flexibility.
The goal isn’t a perfect, linear path. It’s a sustainable career that grows as you do.
6. Invest in Yourself Wisely
You may not need another degree. Sometimes, a short certification, workshop, or mentorship program gives you just enough credibility to bridge the gap. Choose what strengthens your skills and confidence, not just your résumé.
Final Thoughts
A career pivot isn’t about throwing away your past, it’s about expanding on it with purpose. Each chapter of your professional life has prepared you for what’s next, even if it didn’t feel that way at the time. And believe me, sometimes it doesn’t feel anywhere near that!
If you’re standing at a crossroads, remember: you’ve already done hard things. You’ve learned, adapted, and thrived before. You can do it again—this time, with all that wisdom behind you.
Need help with your career pivot, telling your story, or getting clarity? I’m here to help you take the next step Book a session with me, I’m happy to support you!