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Do you know there’s something more for you, but you’re afraid to take the leap?
Maybe you're successful on paper, but you've outgrown your career. Maybe you're thinking about starting a business, changing careers after 40 or 50, reinventing yourself in midlife, or finally pursuing the dream you've been putting off.
In this episode of Secrets of Powerful Women, I sit down with Susan Gatti, founder and CEO of Disruptive Spark, a trusted advisor who has worked with leaders and organizations ranging from local businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Susan knows firsthand what it means to walk away from security and start again.
Susan began her career as a teacher, but eventually realized that although staying was safe, there was something more for her. She left a tenured position without another job waiting for her, moved into corporate leadership, eventually reached Ann Taylor, and later took another leap to build her own consulting business.
And when her superintendent told her leaving teaching was one of the worst decisions she could make?
Her response inside was essentially: Watch me.
We talk about why so many women reach midlife and suddenly question what they want next, the difference between making the “logical” choice and the choice that's aligned with your values, and how to recognize the internal barriers keeping you stuck.
Susan also challenges the hustle harder mentality that so many successful women have relied on for decades. She explains why the habits that helped you succeed earlier in your career may eventually contribute to burnout, and why reaching your next level may require more space, strategy and self-leadership, not simply working harder.
We also dive into confidence, self-doubt, perfectionism, career pivots, women and burnout, advocating for yourself, starting over, AI in the workplace, leadership, and overcoming the inner glass ceiling.
One of Susan's most powerful messages for women considering a change:
“The best decisions I ever made were not the most logical. They were the most aligned to me.”
If you're a woman in your 40s, 50s or beyond wondering “Is this really all I want?”, this conversation may be the push you need to start thinking differently about your next chapter.
Watch Secrets of Powerful Women on YouTube, or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
**Secrets of Powerful Women is the award-winning podcast hosted by Jill Conway — media personality, former TV News reporter and women's empowerment advocate. Each episode features candid conversations with extraordinary women across every industry, sharing the real stories behind their success, resilience, and reinvention. Made for women who are ready to own their power and write their next chapter. New episodes every week — subscribe so you never miss one, you get notified when we there's a new show.
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