Women Over 40: Why Your Second Act Might Be Your Best One Yet

0:00At the UPS store, re-insure your small biz stand out with a variety of high-quality paper stock options, banners, posters for stores, and more. Most locations are independently owned. Product services pricing and hours of operation may vary. See center for details. The UPS store. Be unstoppable. Come into your local store today and get your print on. Hi, this is Alex Cantrowitz. I'm the host of Big Technology Podcast, a longtime reporter and an on-air contributor to CNBC. And if you're like me, you're trying to figure out how artificial intelligence is changing the business world and our lives. So each week on Big Technology, I bring on key actors from companies building AI tech and outsiders trying to influence it. Asking where this is all going. They come from places like Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, and plenty more. So if you want to be smart with your wallet, your career choices, and meetings with your colleagues and at dinner parties, listen to Big Technology Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Women Over 40, the podcast where we celebrate the courage it takes to reinvent your life. I'm your host and today we're diving into something truly transformative, pursuing you passions and creating a fulfilling second act after 40.

1:03Let me start with this. Nearly 1.8 million women aged 45 and older made career changes between 2019 and 2022. That's not a coincidence. That's a movement. Women are waking up to the reality that our most powerful years are still ahead of us. Consider Vera Wang. She spent 15 years as a fashion editor at Vogue before being passed over for editor-in-chief. At 40, instead of accepting defeat, she launched her first bridal collection. Today, Vera Wang is synonymous with luxury wedding downs and she continues thriving in her 70s. Her story shows us that sometimes rejection is just redirection towards something greater or take Julia Child. She didn't even begin studying at La Cordon Bleu until her 40s. Her groundbreaking cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was published when she was 49 years old. Not only was she the first chef of the move when she was already in the power of the second cop, was to the move of her daughter. Julia proved that passion doesn't have an expiration date. These aren't outliers. According to research from AARP,

2:0853% of women aged 40 to 65 report a strong interest in a career switch, primarily driven by the desire for meaningful work. That's more than half of us. More than half of us are ready for change. Real women are doing this right now. Lisa left a six figure corporate salary at 50 to become a whole-listed health coach. She trained, launched an online wellness business, and now runs retreats helping women navigate menopause with confidence. Sarah rediscovered painting when her children left home, and now she sells her artwork online and teaches painting classes specifically for midlife women. Emma at 55 finally wrote the story burning inside her, and self-published her first book, which became an unexpected success with readers across the world. Here's what I want listeners to understand. Reinvention at this stage isn't reckless. It's strategic. We have decades of experience, accumulated wisdom, and a clarity about what actually matters. We know ourselves better than we ever have. The practical path forward starts with honest self-assessment. Grab a journal

3:14and identify what you genuinely enjoy and what you excel at. Network intentionally. Your connections built over the years are invaluable. Invest in learning new skills through platforms like Coursera or LinkedIn Learning. Start small with freelancing or part-time work to test your interests without total commitment and embrace flexibility. Resilience isn't about never-facing obstacles. It's about understanding that every closed door might lead to a better one. The women who succeeded after 40 share one quality. They chose possibility over fear. They chose themselves. Your dreams are valid. Your timing is perfect. Your best chapters are still unwritten. Thank you so much for tuning in to Women Over 40. Please subscribe. A first exception of Women Over 40 is an all-overbreathing designed just for us. This has been a Quiet Police Production. For more, check out QuietPlease.ai. Hi, this is Alex Cantrowitz. I'm the host of Big Technology podcast, a long-time reporter and an on-air contributor to CNBC. And if you're like me, you're trying to

4:18figure out how artificial intelligence is changing the business world and our lives. So each week on Big Technology, I bring on key actors from companies building AI tech and outsiders trying to influence it, asking where this is all going. They come from places like Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, and plenty more. So if you want to be smart with your wallet, your career choices, and meetings with your colleagues and at dinner parties, listen to Big Technology podcast or ever you get your podcasts.