Q: What will you be speaking about at DisruptHR?
I’m sharing a perspective on the ends of careers and how retirement is changing rapidly. It’s no longer about handing in your badge and heading for a life on the golf course. Instead, people are excited about using their skills in meaningful ways in a second act or encore career.
Q: Tell us about yourself.
A: I am a former Fortune 500 leader turned entrepreneur who has mastered the art of the Rewire. After a career that spanned industries and geographies, I made a major pivot at an early age— driven by the loss of my sister and my passion for meaningful change.
My journey is a story of reflection and healing, uncovering a calling to guide others through life’s transitions—which I do with a blend of storytelling, art, and purpose coaching.
By cofounding Compass Rewire, my journey came full circle. I’m now creating the tools, resources, and support network that would have made my own Rewire less lonely and sharing them with other women.
When I’m not working, you might find me training in Krav Maga, writing my first book, tinkering with no-code automation, or gardening at my cabin ‘up north’ in Minnesota.
Many professionals experience a moment of clarity where they are inspired to use their time and energy in a more purposeful way. We call this a REWIRE.
Q: Why are you passionate about your topic?
A: I love this topic for two reasons. First, I’m on my own second. I left a successful corporate career to pursue a path where I built the life I wanted and found ways to fit work into that life.
And second—this way of thinking opens up possibilities for people throughout their careers. When we view a career journey as a multi-act process instead of a singular climb, people can explore, take risks, and experiment more freely.
Q: What general business advice do you have for readers out there?
A: It’s an exciting time to be growing a career or building a business.
One of my top pieces of advice for professionals or entrepreneurs is to claim your space in the world of thought leadership. Being known for something outside your primary occupation is an asset whether pursuing a future role or connecting with a target client.
New tools and platforms make it easier than ever to connect with people, share your message, and tell your story. It’s a practice that takes time to ramp up, so the earlier you start the better.
Q: Do you have any book or podcast recommendations?
A: The book I gift most often is “The Power of TED* (*The Engagement Dynamic)” by David Emerald. Many expect it to be about getting on the TEDx stage, but instead, it showcases how to take control of your mindset.
Q: Can you share a specific experience that has significantly shaped your career?
A: I chose to study for my master’s degree in Spain—not because there weren’t good schools in the U.S., but because I wanted to explore a new culture.
The experience of working with classmates from every corner of the globe, with varied backgrounds and beliefs taught me how to operate as a leader.
A few of the soft skills that I honed in this environment were:
- Listening and asking thoughtful questions when someone’s perspective differed from mine.
- Generating creativity and innovation by mixing disciplines and viewpoints.
- Checking my biases and being willing to change my mind.
Only by immersing in this environment was I forced to take stock of my assumptions, patterns, and approaches—lessons I brought forward into every team and leadership role.
Q: How do you stay motivated and inspired in your professional journey?
A: Careers are long—and early on I discovered (through hands-on learning, unfortunately) that burning myself out made me less equipped to continue on the journey. Now I try (with more success, but far from perfection) to listen to my mind and body’s signals and prioritize rest time.
That means—checking in when I feel a sense of being overwhelmed creeping in, not feeling guilty for stepping away, and having boundaries between work and ‘not-work’ time.
Beyond that, when the work is impactful—like what I do to help people along their rewire journeys, it is easy to stay motivated. Every day, I get a chance to see the difference I make in real people’s lives and that is the best driver in the world!
Q: What do you think are the key traits of successful leaders today?
A: Today, and in the future, leadership will be about change. Business and technology are evolving fast—tapping into what’s coming and pivoting quickly will set professionals apart.
For individuals, this means learning and adopting new skills and ways of working. For leaders, I’ll add on being able to pivot a team’s direction and make tough judgment calls about prioritization.
These traits include:
- The ability to listen
- The speed to adapt
- Openness to new ideas
- Empathy
Q: How do you handle setbacks and challenges in your career?
A: Early in my career, I tended to take things personally like a project delay, an appraisal that wasn’t glowing, or an opportunity that went to someone else.
I saw each as a reflection of me, instead of what it really was: just a decision or external situation.
Now, when I hit a roadblock or setback I do two things.
First, I remind myself that it’s not about me.
Second, I bring other people in. Talking about setbacks and normalizing when things don’t go perfectly helps maintain a realistic framing of the situation and move forward.
Q: What advice would you give to young professionals looking to make an impact in their field?
A: Meet a lot of people. Try a lot of things. Give yourself permission to experiment. The more you can learn about what you like, how you work best, and what types of problems you want to solve early on—the more fulfilling your work will be long term.
I’m a proud generalist—which I didn’t discover until I had been in the professional world for a while. Every couple of years, I would make a zig or a zag in my career and try something new. I thought there was something wrong with me for progressing upward along a single path.
Later, I realized that having a diverse skill set and broad network was a superpower, not a defect.
Q: How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?
A: For me, balance involves a lot of scheduling, but not in a negative way. I determine what is non-negotiable and schedule those items first. The weekly martial arts training, a trip I want to take with friends, lunchtime away from my desk. These all go into my calendar.
The second piece is managing my availability. I concentrate my meetings on specific days—when I hand out a calendar scheduling link, it only offers those set times. The rest of my week is protected and I’m making deliberate choices about what I want to include.
Q: What are some emerging trends or technologies that excite you the most?
A: As an entrepreneur, I love the proliferation of tools that make me ‘just dangerous enough.’
I know just enough to build a website that looks nice. I have access to tools that allow me to run automated processes without knowing how to code. I can write and publish a workbook in days. I taught myself how to create animations last week.
All these things that used to take years of study and specialized skills are now at our fingertips, and they make it easier and faster to build products and experiment. I can only imagine how the speed of evolution will increase in the coming years and put even more options ‘in our pockets.’
Q: How do you approach personal and professional growth?
A: Personal and professional growth are intertwined for me, and I take a similar approach to both. I start by thinking about the big picture and envisioning what life I want to be living in five years (or even further out). I push myself to dream big and set an audacious goal for where I’m heading.
After I have the vision, I work back to two years out, and then to the current year—narrowing down the plan to what will be most impactful in moving me toward the future vision. I keep myself accountable by reviewing the goals regularly and breaking them down into quarterly and monthly priorities.
Q: Can you share an example of a project or initiative that you’re particularly proud of?
A: Back in my corporate days, I had a once-in-a-career opportunity to build a team that focused on culture during a time of immense change. At the time, organizations were coming together, the group was transitioning to an agile framework, and people were nervous. I built a cross-functional team tasked with understanding associate and leader needs during this time and accelerating the transformation.
This was a unique space to experiment in corporate culture, tap into practices that had worked for other companies, and upskill an entire population. The team created a change management approach by listening deeply to associates and harnessing bottom-up advocates (along with the traditional top-down methods). Our organization became a talent destination and was recognized for being one of the most advanced groups when it came to adopting these new ways of working!
Q: What qualities do you believe are essential for fostering a positive workplace culture?
A: Workplace culture is about the little moments that comprise what it feels like to go to work every day. Instead of focusing on once-a-quarter fun days or employee t-shirts, culture can be as simple as having a human check-in to start a meeting, taking a moment to hear someone’s story, or reacting with empathy. These small gestures build up over time into a culture where people feel secure and can be their authentic selves.
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Facebook | @compassrewire
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