Reading: How to Take Your First Steps Toward Reinvention

Hearing other women talk about their reinvention can be intimidating. You may be trying something new, or perhaps you have been working toward your next steps your entire career. Maybe your reinvention seeds are so small that you don’t even know what your first step should be. These two episodes of Reinvent Yourself with Lesley Jane Seymour will give you actionable steps that can motivate you now. 

#5 Jennefer Witter: Create Your Personal Brand
Jennefer Witter had a glamorous life as vice president of a large public relations firm, managing a worldwide staff of 30 employees who were focused on corporate technology. But in her early 40s a department downsize and the stress of her mother’s illness led her to become a solopreneur, and she created The Boreland Group, a boutique PR firm. Jennefer’s experience in PR made her an expert at branding, and her first step in reinvention was to turn those branding skills on herself. “No one knows how great you are until you tell them,” she says. 

#66 Carolee Friedlander: Do Your Homework
She’s so famous that she goes by a single name: Carolee. And you probably knew her jewelry company of the same name because the designs were available in over 700 retail stores nationwide. When she sold her business in 2001, she created Accesscircles.com, a high-end network for powerful women. Carolee suggests you do not jump into a reinvention without doing your homework. Research the market and the market leaders. Determine if there is a void to fill. Make a comprehensive list of your connections and network. Ask them for help, even though it is hard. “This is one of the biggest things that none of us want to do,” she says. “But people want to offer help, and share their wisdom. And some of the best advice you will get will come from strangers.”