From Career to Calling: Discovering New Paths in Midlife

Join host Emily Bron as she chats with the inspiring Stephanie Weiss. Discover how Stephanie transitioned from a career in chemistry to entrepreneurship while balancing her love for travel, fine wines, and the dream of an expat lifestyle in Panama and Italy. Tune in to learn about Stephanie’s journey of continuous self-reinvention and how she found her true calling as a coach. Perfect for anyone considering a midlife pivot or seeking inspiration for their next big adventure!

TIMESTAMPS:
01:19 Introduction to Age of Reinvention
01:47 Meet Stephanie Weiss
03:47 Stephanie’s Journey to Entrepreneurship
08:29 Discovering a Passion for Wine
09:58 Embracing Coaching and Leadership
16:00 Exploring Expatriate Life
21:29 Cultural Integration and Future Plans
33:31 Failing Forward: A Philosophy for Life

Click here to listen to Part II of the podcast episode

Click here to watch Part II of the interview

Emily Bron: Hello and warm welcome to another episode of Age of Reinvention. The podcast where we redefine what freedom, lifestyle, and purpose look like in our vibrant midlife years. I’m Emily Bron, your guide on this journey filled with rediscovery in boundless possibilities. Today’s episode showcases the remarkable Stephanie Weiss, a professional who has transitioned from structured career in chemistry to the stimulating world of entrepreneurship.

Stephanie, who calls the scenic vistas of San Diego home, embodies the spirit of renewal and reinvention. As she savors every moment with her cherished husband and their beloved pets. As a lover of fine wines, and connoisseur of unique travel experiences, Stephanie will share the secrets of curating a lifestyle that balances discipline with the freedom to explore and enjoy life’s luxuries.

Moreover, she’ll dive into how she embraced an expatriate’s life, how she’s preparing for it, finding new roots in places as enchanting as Panama and Italy. Whether you are rethinking your life trajectory, Or just thinking seeking inspiration as you embark in your midlife adventure, grab a comfortable spot and let’s discover how Stephanie Weiss has crafted a personal narrative of joy, passion, and purpose. Hello, Stephanie. I’m happy to be with you today.

Stephanie Weiss: I’m so happy to meet you again. It’s been so long since we’ve chatted. Thank you for remembering me.

Emily Bron: No, I remember you and I was excited actually to learn more about you. And I believe even more I will discover today now, but let’s start from short bio.

What I learned about you from your words. Stephanie grew up outside of St. Louis, Missouri, but has lived in San Diego, California. with her husband and two feline companions for the last 11 years. She and her husband are foodies, loving a variety of ethnic cuisines. Especially paired with perfect glass of wine.

Stephanie even has a WSET, which you will explain after level three certification in wine. Together with husband, they love international travel and are considering a future expat lifestyle with their sites currently set up on Panama or Italy. The Mediterranean weather and lifestyle in San Diego have definitely spoiled them. Stephanie never knew what she wanted to be when she grew up and still doesn’t. Probably you didn’t grow up yet. Her career journey took her from chemistry to computer programming, to business operations, to management, and now to entrepreneurship. Stephanie has always enjoyed the challenge, embraced change and welcomed self reinvention. Her motto is that failing forward is still forward progress. And I completely agree with you, Stephanie. There is no failing. There is moving forward and learning from mistake.

Stephanie Weiss: Absolutely. Absolutely.

Emily Bron: And again, it’s lovely for me to discuss with you these topics. And I hope it might spark some inspiration or provide information for other people, for listeners who would join to our conversation later.

Could you start, please start off by sharing what inspired you to start in midlife, your connection with Stephanie company and empowered leaders and your vision for these ventures.

Stephanie Weiss: Oh, absolutely. It fell into it. It’s, not those, one of those things that I ever thought I would find myself doing, I never thought I would go out and start my own company and being my own thing.

It just never crossed my mind. I was in the trap of corporate America. You go get a job, you get a nice salary, you keep working the eight to five and that’s your life on the bright side. I guess I was told by my previous company that I had two years before a restructure was going to dissolve the team that I led, which included my role.

And on the surface, that sounds amazing. Most people are like, wow, you had two years to do something new, right? Actually being in it, especially as someone who has a personality like me, where you thrive on accomplishment and achievement, you actually find that devastating. Because for two years, I knew I wasn’t Going to be able to make any more positive change.

And I had to watch my team slowly be ripped apart at the seams over two years, knowing my time was coming, but I didn’t have a date. I just knew it was coming. And my very first thought when my team and I were told the news was, okay I’m going to go get another job. That’s what I should do to take care of myself, my family.

And. I went out and started looking at job descriptions that were available online, but I found myself going, yeah, I could do that job, but I don’t think I want to. And then I look at the next one and read it and go, I could do that, but I don’t want to. And realizing the trend was, yeah, Stephanie, you’re burned out.

This experience, this point in my life, it was, I. Don’t want to do this anymore because the loyalty I thought I had built with the company was apparently not there in reciprocation. So I thought I have 2 years. I’ll reinvent myself again. I’ve done it in the past, but it was always. From chemistry to computer programming, to business, to operations and to management.

And I thought, oh, I’ll just find another industry. I’ll do something different. I did that thing I found on the internet where you ask your friends, your closest friends and family, these questions that are supposed to help you realize what you should do in life. What do I always talk about? Why do I always change the conversation to, or what lights me up?

Because you’re too close to yourself to know these things. And I asked everybody and they were like, you love travel and food and wine. And I’m like, you’re right. What will I do to tie those things together? And I thought, I’m gonna go get some wine certification classes. Learn more about wine anyway, would be fun.

Try wine. Why not? And I went all the way through level 3 certification. It’s the WSET is Wine and Spirits Education Trust. It’s actually based out of London. It’s not the SOM. If you want to be a SOM, a sommelier, that’s a completely different set. This is more of the The business side of things, like either running a winery or supplying restaurants with wine, recommending wine for them to purchase and present in their restaurant, or even the people who go out and write the books about wine and terroir and all of those things.

So I did the certifications all the way through level three. It was hard, but I enjoyed it. There was one more level. Level four is the final level, but it’s three to four years. Worth of investment and time and money. And I thought, whoo, okay, if I’m going to do this, what would my end result be?

And I didn’t know. And so I actually started interviewing coaches to help me figure out what would these different alternatives in the wine industry look like? And it was more of. Helping me decide what I wanted to do with my life. And every coach that I was interviewing was like no. When we talk to you and you, and we ask you different questions about what you’re doing and what you like and in your career.

You are lighting up every time you talk about making an impact on a person. Every person you’ve mentored, every person you’ve coached, every time you’ve developed somebody, they said, normally I had two different people say, normally I tell you, hire me as if your coach. I don’t tell you. But it’s so obvious to us, you are a coach.

So you can do this fun thing on the side with wine if you want. But they said, Stephanie, I don’t know what you should coach, but you are a coach. You’re one of us. And I was like, Oh. And this light bulb like literally went off. Emily, I could feel it. It was just this Huh, you’re right. That’s what I love doing. Helping people.

Emily Bron: But for me, and maybe later in life you will come to it, you can provide wine related education. Because many people including me I can relate to some tasters and but it’s so big industry, as far as I know, with different, traditions and directions, that you can Obviously can coach on how to enjoy the wine, but let’s go back to it.

Stephanie Weiss: Yeah, absolutely. But what I, what gives me the passion and the excitement is seeing somebody develop and learn and grow personally. And as I dug into that more, I realized I was a pretty damn good manager. I was a really good leader and I can tell you a whole lot more about that. But I have made impacts on the teams that I’ve led.

And the companies that I’ve worked in that other people have come to me and asked me, like, how did you do that? Or how do you make that happen? And when I went back and talk to my team and told them about they, these coaches told me I should be a coach because we were on the same boat. We all were looking for jobs.

They’re doing something because we were, we, our time was ticking. And so we were freely openly talking about all of our options and what we were doing and how we could support each other. And they were all like. Yeah, you should, that’s what you should be doing. But they were the ones who said, can you go help those other leaders at the company who don’t do what you do?

Because you’re doing something differently and they don’t have a clue. Go make them better. And I’m like, Oh no, that’s an interesting perspective. No, people don’t just change because you tell them to change. Obviously they have to want to change. But I did have people coming to me asking me, how did you make your team better?

Because they saw the difference from when I came in and their predecessor had left the company. And I came in and within a year changes were happening. And I just thought that was how my team was. And they saw the difference from before I was there. To when I arrived, so I realized I was making this impact on the culture of my team, which then impacted the culture of the company because of the people that they worked with.

And it just kept evolving from there. And I thought, this is what I want to try to do. So my coaches helped me create an LLC and put together, Okay. What would a business look like doing this? And so I created connections with Stephanie because I didn’t know what it was going to evolve to actually do.

So I just named it something that could go a couple of different directions. But you mentioned empowered leaders and I picked that as a framework that I’m using to to describe what I want to do is empowering leaders of tomorrow newer leaders, frontline leaders. Just giving them the tools to be.

Successful, because I know most of your listeners probably have had jobs in their lives, and I bet on one hand, they can pick a couple of good bosses they’ve had, but they need their fingers and toes and many more to count how many bad leaders they’ve probably encountered. whether it was their own or someone that they interacted with from another team.

Emily Bron: And I think like on the personal level many of us getting to 50, like being in this age range grew up enough. I’m speaking about professionals and actually about people that we want to have our own business. And it’s not business only as a business, but our own things with our like understanding of what we can contribute, as you mentioned, with our personal touch, with our personality, with our life experience, getting all this kind of condensed.

And if you are person. Type of people like people with, personal touch, they actually going to be coaches. It’s I think what other coaches have seen in you. And yes. And listening to you and I believe some other changes that were happening in the mindset and still growing.

In you like your journey off self reinvention and embracing anticipating the change shaped your decision to consider actually expat lifestyle. How you get for this way of thinking?

Stephanie Weiss: That was another thing that never actually crossed my mind, growing up, you just, You think you will always stay around where family was raised and where you were taught. And then you start realizing there’s a big wide world out there. And my family, my parents, I’ve asked them both, like, where would your dream destination be?

And, my mom’s like Yosemite and my dad’s like Florida, it was like, they didn’t branch out any further than that. So it was, I wanted more. And. When we moved out here to California, it was because my husband’s job moved us out here. And it was this brave new world, totally different than the Midwest growing up in the middle, literal middle of the country of the United States, Missouri, landlocked, and there’s a river, but it’s not the same as being this close to the ocean and seeing.

There’s it looks like nothing out there and just a different environment Mediterranean that no winters, no snow, and I don’t miss that at all. Some people do. Everybody’s got their own different what they’re looking for. And so we loved this, but we also love our variety of food, especially here in San Diego.

They have a very wonderful little Italy area. And we have amazing Italian food. You can go just about anywhere and get amazing Italian food here. And of course, we’ve always loved our, we had the hill in St. Louis. So they had a little bit of that. The San Diego is on a different level. And so we went and we actually for our ninth wedding anniversary, when we’re still in Missouri, we went to Italy.

It was a big hurrah before we thought we were going to start our family and do all that. So it was going to be our last, go out, do something big. So we went to Europe, which we’d never done and fell in love just with the architecture, with the people, with the mix of old and new and the way it just was seamless.

And then the different perspectives on Eating and enjoying and music and walking, instead of driving everywhere, the walkability of these places and the welcoming of the people when you would just walk into a shop or a restaurant, and they were just so willing to come up to you and talk and chat and try to communicate with you with what little words you might know in their language and what may be few words.

Some of them new and ours. A lot of hand gestures, which was great, but it was something that kept drawing us. Like we want to go back, we want to go back. And we’ve since then gone to Spain, we’ve gone to France we’ve done England. We’ve done, oh gosh then we went started going to Costa Rica and our sites are set on all these different countries.

We went to Morocco just. So much fun to travel three years ago. Right now. I’m getting all my memories on Facebook popping up. We were in Greece and We are travel and the last probably five years have turned to where will we potentially want to retire? And let’s go check out new areas and discover that.

So Greece was actually on the list of let’s, I’ve learned, I’ve read a lot about it and we went to sure the touristy areas, we went to Athens and Olympia and all of those wonderful places. And then we also went to Kalamata and a little town outside of Nafplio. And we stayed there for several days trying to decide.

Would this be an area we would want to live in long term and what do we like about it? What do we not like about it? So we could learn from that. And we did the same thing. We went to Costa Rica. We rented a little house and stayed out in the countryside and went to local groceries and restaurants and said, okay, what do we like about this lifestyle?

What do we not like about this lifestyle and learning about ourselves and what we want? Because. My husband and I have different views on things, of course. So I’m like, what do you like? What do you not like? And what are you looking for? And now that we’re here and experiencing it, does it feel like what the vibe you’re going after?

And so we keep doing that with our trips now. They’re not just to go and experience new things. They’re to go and experience would this be. The lifestyle we might want to try.

Emily Bron: It’s exactly what I mean, but lifestyle tours and what I was trying to promote earlier, so to have intention of understand local life and kind of match yourself and your feeling with with environment, but it’s still, it’s first step actually in relocation journey, but it’s still kind of vacation.

You need to start from the first step. And I don’t know, by the way, when you envision your expat life will materialize, will start. What is the timeline for you in this?

Stephanie Weiss: For me, it would be tomorrow. I would love to go now. And I keep prepping my husband for.

There’s some things in your career that you could do remotely, right? Like maybe and yeah we’ve had those conversations of, is that 10 years from now? Is that five years from now and why? Why do we keep thinking that’s the time frame? Is it because we still have that idea of a certain age that you’re supposed to retire?

You’re supposed to, I say in quotes, because you can, there is no real, it’s just what we have put in our heads and what everybody does, they, which what’s real and what’s reality and what’s not. And then five years, because maybe we just need some time to still find that perfect place. And we need to spend more time in other places to decide if that’s the right thing.

Or just because maybe we need to get some finances in place to say, okay, this is good. We haven’t settled on exactly when that is yet. I’m keep moving the date up and he’s still he’s still in corporate America. And so he’s slowly trying to unravel the mindset that you get stuck in of, he’s always said, I want to go move.

I want to live in another country, but what that looks like, I’ve envisioned much more than he has at this point. And he still is, he’s still doing all that. And. Exploring, but what I started doing is asking him what about that lifestyle? Did you like? And why can’t we do some of that now here and slowing down on the weekends and those days off instead of the normal got to do the things on the chore list.

And realizing, you know what? That can wait. I can take on some of that later. But, we live in San Diego and we rarely get out to the beach. We’ve instituted a, at least once on the weekend, we go out and we’re at least near the water. It’s a 20 minute drive, but that’s not anything compared to living in Missouri.

So I go and I put my feet in the water and just walk along the shoreline and it’s freezing cold water here in the Pacific, but I do it because I’m like. This. I like this time to decompress, to not think about my to do list and focus on what’s really important to us. And we’ve both, my husband is the chef at home.

He’s the cook, not me. I’m learning, but I’m his prep cook and I pair the wine.

Emily Bron: Maybe you need to open a restaurant someday with, all your knowledge and understanding of. Lifestyle.

Stephanie Weiss: And that’s a dream he’s had of, moving to somewhere else and doing a little like pop up, maybe just a couple of days, not the, what on TV shows like the bear where you’re it’s.

So my gosh, stressed out in the kitchen, yelling at everybody, things like that. It’s, that’s not the kind of show he wants to be. But if you have the little pop up at home that, or in a little area that you do once a month or once a weekend or something and let people come and enjoy food together, because what we enjoy about food the most is the involvement in it, the bringing of people together, the sharing of good, natural, organic, lovely.

Nourishing food, not the humdrum rush of fast food or just another ticket off your list. You ate like you were supposed to that day. He loves doing the what new ethnicity should we have? Our cookbooks are all over the board. Our latest one is an Arab cookbook that we’re absolutely loving the flavors.

And so we find these markets around here from the different. Groups, ethnic groups that have their own herbs, their own seasoning mixes, and we’re learning the difference, the foods and the colors and the spices and the aromas. And it’s just, it’s in one of those escapes that we have because we spend a whole evening cooking and we put a music on a Spotify playlist of that region.

We’ve just. Pull it up and find something, whether it’s Spanish guitar while we’re making tapas or some Italian music going in the background or French piano jazz it’s just so much fun to have the music, the wine and making of the food. And then, eating it in 15, 20 minutes, but still enjoying the process of making it and trying to slow down while we eat.

Emily Bron: No, it’s very enchanting actually story. And looks like you might not move anywhere because you brought the best of experiences, music and food, and you have all ingredients or you can find it’s And with all this enchantment with Mediterranean lifestyle that you have in San Diego and excellent climate you still look to Panama or Italy?

By the way, why Panama? There is no wineries over there as far as I know. Look, Italy I understand, but what Panama, how it can, how it got to the list of your destinations?

Stephanie Weiss: Panama got on the list because we loved Costa Rica, the infrastructure that we’re looking for wasn’t there for what we have it on our requirements list of what we need for living.

My husband had a heart attack several years ago, and we almost lost him and. I need to make sure there’s good medical care that we can get to very quickly if needed. As we grow older, there’s different needs our bodies have. Hopefully as we learn to de stress better, that won’t be as needed, but it’s still something that we are keeping in mind.

And when we were in, Costa Rica, we’ve done the North and we’ve done the South and the North is where you’ve got more of the major cities and the capital North central. And that lifestyle though, that, that would, that didn’t call to us. Like it didn’t speak to us. Our souls were not embracing there.

We loved the South, but. The infrastructure we wanted wasn’t a part of that, but just across the border is Panama, and there is a town called Boquete that It is still close enough to the water, but it’s elevated enough that the temperature is not as humid and not as summer. And they call it eternal spring there.

And so that area is intriguing me right now. Also, Central America is closer to our families, and as our parents age, we want to make sure that we’re able to be around when they need us, or, just if something happens. Where going to Europe, the struggle is how quickly could I get back home if I needed to.

That’s where Panama still falls into that Equation, but Europe is still where our heart and soul is keep calling us. So this December, we’re actually going to the boot heel of Italy because we’ve not been to that area. We’ve been to, here’s one of the feline friends. We’ve been to almost everywhere else in Italy.

And so next is going out to the Puglia region and experiencing that in December to see what winter looks like in Italy. But yeah the idea of San Diego, having everything we love is true, but the cost of living will not sustain us. We can’t afford to live here well, especially as we retire. It’s also.

Growing so much, I hope it doesn’t, but one day I feel like it’s going to be like L. A. and too much traffic and too many people. We can’t afford to live where we want to live here. We have to live so far inland to be able to get that cost of living, but it’s also still going up here and it’s going up very quickly.

So we’re looking to places that. We’ll have the slower pace of life away from the American society version of how life should be. And It’s something that will help us to slow down and stay on that slower pace of life, which in the smaller towns in Italy where I can walk to the market and walk to shops and restaurants and still be near amazing people and food, that’s where I think my heart is still calling me.

Emily Bron: I can only add a couple of observations. Speaking about Costa Rica, they have amazing hospitals and facilities, but in San Jose and around, and they’re building it, and they’re building it, and things are changing quickly. Speaking about Bukete, Which is known expert area in Panama, I fully understand your point and whether it’s really excellent and you’re close to the one shore and you’re close to the other shore and you’re in the mountain.

That’s why there are a lot of experts living in this area and it’s developing quickly as well. Speaking about Italy and the charm of Italy and food and all this, but you should consider that people are not speaking English so good, specifically in this area. Things might change because, a lot of things are moving and I am following the trends.

It’s part of my interest. But the big part of all of this, it’s actually immigration rules. To each country, which are different and which are changing sometimes as we speak. So operations should consider like the plan, taking in account all this component. How long does it take you this, official voyage, lending and feeling that you have access to all the amenities, what money it can, require, how quickly it can be.

So there is many, you’re absolutely correct in your kind of first steps, you need to feel it, but you’re changing, places are changing. With experience, and I believe with some I don’t know, coaching, but advice to take all this together in every situation is different. For every family, speaking about health situation, where’s the hospitals that you might need, and there is a new amenity which was built or to be built, and political changes which is happening as well.

In every place. So it’s a separate topic but I would like and I’m welcoming, I would like to help you in this regards when you will be ready. But very important in this mindset development, I would say, and preparation. It’s a cultural integration and you do, by the way, excellent work in advance, preparing yourself, because even to, to use to the new food, to new music, sometimes when you get absolutely I remember my immigration, like new in the place and all taste this, taste, temperature, all is so different. It’s bombarding you with, amount of unknown things that you need to adjust to.

So you prepare to, to some of them. And moving abroad often means adapting. To new culture and way of life, which you are working on. How does your failing forward motto, which actually emphasize learning from mistakes and using them as a stepping stone to success, apply to your approach toward potential cultural challenges and integration and language is very important.

Stephanie Weiss: Big time. Yeah, we’ve been trying to learn Italian, and the downfalls I’ve always had with it is that one of us was learning and one of us didn’t have time to, and so you don’t have anybody to talk to in it. So now we’re doing better about, Trying to talk to each other a little bit here and there and integrate the Italian language into our world and trying it out, especially when we go to the Italian restaurants and trying to see if they understood us or not.

When we go yeah, there’s a lot about trying to learn the language, but slowly, not. Not quickly textbook style like we learned Spanish in high school and in college and still don’t remember a lot of it because it was just enough to learn the test, take the test and pass and then we never used it and so we lost it.

But that was when we lived in Missouri. And no one spoke Spanish. Now that we’re in California, I’m like, now we would have been able to use it. There’s so many people who speak Spanish out here, Mexican Spanish or Spain Spanish, they’re a little different, but just to have kept any of that knowledge and that language up, and so doing it together to learn the Italian is it’s fun and, to keep it fun is makes it stick. So that’s the journey we’re on right now, but just in general, failing forward. Just what that means to me is not being afraid to try yes, there is a huge possibility that I will say the wrong words, or I will choose the wrong place to live or whatever that might be.

But starting small with the stepping stones and trying is more important than not ever taking that first step to learning more about the potential and the opportunities that life could present to you and what that could mean to your life overall. Just. General health, happiness, what breaks your, brings you joy and makes your heart sing.

And what for, I’ve read many articles of couples who have said, I was worried that when we retired, we’d get divorced because we have nothing in common. And now we’re spending too much time together. People have learned that what keeps a happy relationship is having your own thing to do and having a common bond.

And so what is that for you? It looks different for everybody, but we’re trying to make sure that we’ve been married for. 30 going on 30 years, and it was like, okay we are doing well, but yeah, we have our ups and downs. So what do we want our lives to look like? Because there’s parts of how we’re living now with the society that we live in and the structures Put in place because we thought that was how it was supposed to be that we’re not happy with the stress that comes with that. And so learn from those mistakes and move forward. Like I said, we’ve lived in California 11 years, and I think we would go to the beach once a year, once a summer. That’s not cool.

Why would we do that? So new rules and. Intentional downtime, not just doom scrolling on the couch next to each other, because that is not fulfilling anybody’s soul or relationship, but going out and walking the beach or cooking that food and turning on that music and, escaping The normal daily stresses of life together, doing something we enjoy, that’s what’s keeping us together and keeping us joyful.

Now, of course, even in the kitchen, things go wrong. Something gets burnt and we throw in the towel and go get pizza. But, Those are the things that we do while we’re learning to try to make new cuisines or new recipes and discovering new wines where we’re like, that is not the way I thought that was going to taste.

We won’t buy that one again.

Emily Bron: Stephanie, I’m listening to you and thinking that you might be a relationship coach.

Stephanie Weiss: Oh dear. That’s a lot of stress, but I love the way you think.

Emily Bron: No, because after some time experiencing and having, this kind of preparation actually and walking along the beach and cuisine and learning language and maybe even different languages, trying to cover, several areas of possibilities.

You never know, what life will bring you, what kind of ideas when you have this experience and even and with your approach of learning from mistakes and making, best of it. It’s a very good recipe, but I know and I feel that the community work and even your work community itself plays significant role in sitting abroad.

And you understand that as we grow, we are more picky and finding friends, like it’s a normal process and and settling with new environment. How do you envision with your experience, building a new home and community in your expat destination? And as a particular strategies or aspects of your personality, you plan to leverage because it’s very important and I know it is multi immigrant to find not only to find the place, but to find at least small social circle at the beginning for support and comfort and actually to get the joy rather. How you envision it?

Stephanie Weiss: Yeah it’s funny because when we went to the different cities in Greece, and we had the idea in mind of, is this somewhere we would want to live? We would discover that one area was too big. It just felt too overwhelming. It felt too busy and city like that we were like, nope, that’s not it.

And then another area was very remote and beautiful, but. It felt still like it wasn’t a community to us. It was a place to pass through. And so that was like, okay, that was a downfall there, but I bet there was somewhere maybe on the outskirts where the community might have been, where people actually felt together, but we just didn’t find it.

So our vision is. I’m big on change. As you can tell through my career, I’m always embraced change. I love change. I love doing something and the challenge of growing and doing. But I’ve also learned to slow down and enjoy life along the way. My husband is an introvert and hates change. Change is a fear of his.

He’s been in the same industry his entire career. And that’s amazing to me that he can do that. And he still loves it and embraces it. But at the same time, being an introvert. Too many people too large of a groups overwhelm him and I like the idea of a small little network of people. I don’t, we don’t have the meals where we have everybody come over.

We have a couple of friends at a time, come over and we’ll share food with them. We like the smaller group settings. In that combination of the two of us and our interests, it’s definitely the the smaller towns that we are interested in, but being close enough to the larger town when we need those amenities, when we need the international airport and the hospital, those things, but we want to live on the outskirts of those areas where there’s a smaller community where, you know, having the home near town, maybe not in the mid center of it, But on the outskirts of the town I envision being able to walk in and see neighbors, not.

The remote lifestyle my husband always dreamed about when we were first married was living in the middle of the woods where you saw nobody except when you had to go out to get, something from the store. That was his dream life back then. But it’s not the dream anymore. That has changed. Then he wanted to live in the big city.

When we moved to San Diego, he wanted to live downtown right in the middle of it all. And I was like, Nope, not happening . So we found that happy medium as we grew and changed and evolved and the people we are today and learning that now we know what kind of lifestyle we want, the little bit slower paced, but we enjoy those intimate moments with good friends.

And so that’s the community we want to be finding and building into. So whether it is a, an established community or an expat growing community, either one of those would be open to us. I lean more towards the culture of the area. So wanting to be in a place that maybe isn’t all expats, because I want to embrace the culture of the existing communities and want to go to those markets and enjoy their food and share in a meal together with, at most six people, whether it’s in someone’s kitchen and.

Everyone’s cooking pasta together and throwing sauce around and drinking glasses of wine or outside under the trees, under the stars, just enjoying good conversation and maybe a nice dessert. I don’t know. So it’s got to be some food, right?

Emily Bron: But food historically actually united people, like the big table, it’s tradition in every culture, it’s for unity, it’s for family, it’s for exchange of ideas, cultural, specifics, it’s what make us people.

Stephanie Weiss: Exactly, it’s, I need the connection because I have learned that especially through the pandemic, as many of us did, that the loss of human connection Became a big issue and it highlighted those people who don’t have that connection. And the answer was never going to be returned to the office kind of thing.

That’s not the definition of connection. I can be, I went through depression and anxiety and through that diagnosis, I was able to realize that I was in, Areas where I was in a room full of 300 people and I felt alone. I felt so lonely in my depression that it didn’t matter that there were 300 people in the same ballroom as I was when we were in our dance competition days.

And I still felt all alone. And that to me is the pinnacle definition of depression and anxiety of you’re still alone, even though everybody’s around you, you don’t feel connected to them. So being in proximity to people is not the answer. To me, it’s that real human connection. So these big cities where people are rushing past each other and don’t even know each other’s names.

That’s not what my vision of long term living is. It’s walking into the grocery store or the restaurant and knowing everybody’s name and be like, Hey, how are you? How are you? Oh, how’s the family? Not just the, Oh, what’s the weather like, or the sports on TV, but real connection to human people, knowing them and what motivates them, sharing a book, sharing a story a moment on, by the water or over food.

To me, that’s true connection and that’s what I’m looking for.

Emily Bron: Absolutely agree with you. I’m looking in similar directions, speaking about connection, because it’s actually what people and what make us younger. I would say we continue to grow. We have this vest for life. And obviously it takes time to, even when you relocate from state to state to find your circle.

I have just one idea for you. Maybe if you might persuade like couple your current friends in like in your today’s life to get with you and start together, two couples, it’s already a circle which work together on the first time helping each other and attracting different personalities because each of you is different.

person as well. So yes, there’s a lot of things and we can speak about it endlessly. And I’m just foreseeing that you will change some of your, things on the list of preparation list for, future expat life as life is going on. You still have, I believe it’s still couple of years. I will invite you in a couple of years, to, to check how you look at things at the time.

But as we’re wrapping up for those people who inspired by your story, who considering similar change in life and who may wish to follow learn about your ventures. What advice do you have for embracing change and pursuing fulfilling life? Being it’s expert life or life for, time being of changes because it’s a preparation.

So what is your advice for somebody who now considering a reinvention or in the process of it?

Stephanie Weiss: I would say don’t expect it to happen overnight because it’s hard and it takes time and a change, even if you’re someone like me who likes change, it’s not immediate. And that’s good. You have to go through the process, but do you, do your research, find it, find yourself along that journey.

Because even when I changed careers, There was a reason for the change. It was always for me either the next achievement or accomplishment or the next challenge that I wanted to embrace and overcome. Or in some cases it was because I saw a way that I could help the people who were in the roles that I was in, that the next move would help me make life better for them or the company or in general, the organization.

But. Even in lifestyle changes as we’re aging and we’re wanting to go into retirement and then leave corporate behind, a side hustle is not a bad thing because you still feel like you’re doing something and contributing. Nobody is, that’s not the answer for everybody. But in that process, in that journey, what I’ve found, especially now not being in the corporate world for a while, is that stop treating it like a corporate job.

Stop doing the, trying to do the 8 to 5, get, have breakfast, open the laptop, sit there until noon, take break, have lunch, work again, and then close the laptop at 5. That’s not how it works, and it’s not how it should work. Find what works for you. If You need to take a break and get yourself reset mentally.

I found in the middle of the day, I needed to go take a shower and just restart the day because things weren’t going the way I needed them to. And I was stressed out and realizing. I don’t have a boss looking over my shoulder, telling me I’m supposed to be sitting there at that computer. I can step away.

That’s supposed to be the beauty of solopreneurship. And. It’s okay to do that. So if I take a break and then come back refreshed and revitalized, and if that’s at seven o’clock at night, that’s okay. If that’s not till tomorrow, that’s okay. But I need to find myself in this journey. If I want to have this envisioned lifestyle.

So I told myself, what would a perfect day, week, month look like? What would I have done in my life? In retirement to say that was beautiful. And I, that’s when I started realizing we don’t go to the beach. Why don’t we go to the beach? We live here and we have access to it. So new rule, we’re going to the beach.

I decided I wanted to. get something more creativity in my life. And so I went out and bought some painting supplies and I’m not good at it yet, but I’m going to throw paint on a canvas and see what happens. And I didn’t like it. So I’m painting all over it again. And that’s okay because there’s all kinds of things you could do, but I’m just using it as an outlet right now.

And I realized I have to stop for myself. I’m an overachiever and that’s not a good thing. So I’m learning to say, you know what? That’s not what I envisioned. I can start it over again. And so I’m going back to the canvas and I’m actually, I had textured paint all over and I’m standing it all off, which was actually a nice stress reliever, by the way.

Standing it all off and starting over because. Why not? No one said I had to throw it away, buy a blank new canvas, and start over again. I’m reinventing the canvas, and it might turn into something completely different because I’m doing that. And there are no boundaries in rules. It’s, I’m not selling it.

I’m not, not putting it up, may never put it up on a wall, but it’s my outlet to try something completely different out of my comfort zone. I am never been in an artist. But it was something that just intrigued me. Let’s try it and have an outlet to try something different that I know I don’t know how to do well.

Because that opens up things in my soul, in my heart. It gives me some extra new stress sometimes, but it’s a, it was okay to mess up. It was totally a permission to myself to not be the best at something, to not overachieve at something, to fail forward, to learn and why not? It’s not a lot of money, some people draw, some people write and never let their poetry see the light of day, but if it was joyful for you in the moment, and you reached into your soul and found some new piece that you wanted to shine, whether it was just for yourself or for a loved one.

Do it, go for it. One says there’s rules we have to break all these constructs of rules that we’ve put in place of what life has to look like, of what work has to look like, of where you live has to look like it, there’s nothing wrong with trying and exploring and being in the moment to see if that’s where your heart lights up.

Emily Bron: Excellent. Thank you very much. And the last question, which I believe part of your coaching training for people who are considering midlife career change or pivot to the business, being in situation like you or by their choice or by choice of the company, what’s the transition? What’s the advice you would give for this kind of transition?

Stephanie Weiss: Whether it’s going to a new career or trying entrepreneurship it’s again, It’s a journey, and there’s a lot of stress there that you can put on yourself. I have definitely had moments of questioning my decisions of what should I do? Family who sometimes support you and then say are you going to get a job now?

Going back to everybody has their own opinions and views on how the world should look and how everybody should live. But Be true to yourself. In the journey of solopreneurship, what lights me up is coaching and helping other people. What does not light me up is sales and marketing, but I have to do that.

Unfortunately, that’s something as a solopreneur, you have to realize there’s more to it than the thing that drove you to wanting to do it. And. I’ll go back to what so many people will tell you on online and a famous Simon Sinek quote is know your why pick your why are you doing this money is not a good enough answer that’s not going to drive you and keep you motivated and stay on the path.

So what is your why is it personal time freedom is it creativity is it. Supporting your family differently, being there for them at different times what is your why for whatever it is you’ve chosen to do and remind yourself of what that why is at the beginning of this year, there’s a trend that’s going around.

It has been for a while of instead of a new year’s resolution of choosing a word. And having that is your goal for the year or your decision that you’re going to focus on that word and mine is strong and intentional and I put it on my phone. So I would remember every time I look because I look at this thing way too many times a day.

And so I put it as my background on my phone. So every time I light up my phone, it says strong and intentional because those are the 2 words. I couldn’t pick just 1. So everything I’m doing and changing this year, I’m doing it for a reason. That reason may look weird and strange to people outside of me, but intentionally trying to fail at art.

I am, I’m trying to be strong. So I’m making sure that I’m both mentally and physically staying strong. So whether it’s going for my walks in the morning, going for those walks on the beach on the weekend, mentally. And physically strong is what I need to be for myself and for my business. And anybody who’s trying to go through a career change.

Obviously in the U S right now, the labor market is really bad. Everybody has so many layoffs. You hear about it constantly. So many people have reached out to me looking for help to find a job. It’s not a good place to be in right now in the job market. There’s certain industries doing fine, but a good majority of them are not.

And so it’s scary. But it’s always scary. And so again, if you remember or figure out what your why is, and stay aligned with your why, then you can try to ignore the noise around you. You will have moments you want to give up. I definitely have them. And then you’ll have moments of, no, this is why I’m doing this.

And that’s what’s important.

Emily Bron: Thank you very much, Stephanie. Thanks for your words of wisdom. And today I was speaking with Stephanie Weiss.

That is a wrap on today’s conversation with the ever vivacious Stephanie Weiss. Right here on age of reinvention. Stephanie, it was an absolute joy to explore your world.

One where reinvention is not just possible, but passionately pursued in the golden years of midlife. To our dear listeners, thank you for joining us in this invigorating dialogue. We trust that Stephanie’s thoughts, ideas, adventures, and transformative ethos have sparked your imagination. and even ignited a desire to chase after a new horizon of your own.

Before you step back into your routine, remember to hit the subscribe button on your favorite podcast app to stay updated with our ongoing dialogue with daring individuals who dare to make midlife their finest hour. And if today’s episode stirred something within you, don’t keep it to yourself. Share this inspiration with someone you know who might be standing at the crossroads of change, looking for that nudge to leap forward.

Until the next time, I’m Emily Bron, bidding you goodbye and encouraging you to embrace the opportunities midlife lays at your feet. Here’s to your age of reinvention. May it bring you freedom, lifestyle, and purpose like never before. Stay tuned for our next episode where we will be joined by another inspiring individual who has redefined the midlife years.

Cheers!

Stephanie Weiss

Driving innovation, collaboration & retention from the ground up for small to mid-size Tech & Healthcare companies through EMPOWERED training & coaching for impact & lasting change | Human-Centric with a Growth Mindset

Stephanie Weiss is a leadership coach with over two decades of experience coaching and mentoring new and emerging leaders, as well as those navigating the evolving leadership landscape. Since 2000, she has worked across various industries, leveraging her own experience as a manager to guide others. Throughout her career, Stephanie found herself regularly offering advice and tips to coworkers, and through developing leaders on her team and mentoring new leaders, she discovered her passion for leadership development. Today, she focuses on empowering individuals to thrive as leaders in dynamic environments.

Embracing Reinvention: The Inspiring Journey of Stephanie Weiss

Welcome to another episode of the “Age of Reinvention” podcast, where we redefine freedom, lifestyle, and purpose in our vibrant midlife years. In today’s episode, Emily Bron, our passionate guide through the landscape of rediscovery and boundless possibilities, introduces us to the incredible Stephanie Weiss. Stephanie’s story is one of remarkable transformation from a structured career in chemistry to the dynamic world of entrepreneurship, all while savoring the picturesque charm of San Diego.

A Journey of Renewal and Discovery

Stephanie Weiss epitomizes the spirit of renewal and reinvention. With a background rooted in the sciences, Stephanie boldly pivoted towards entrepreneurship, redefining her career and personal life. Hailing from the scenic vistas of San Diego, she finds joy in the simplest pleasures, whether spending cherished moments with her husband and feline companions or exploring her passion for fine wines and unique travel experiences. Stephanie’s tale encourages us to embrace change and discover a lifestyle that balances discipline with the freedom to explore life’s luxuries.

Crafting a Life of Adventure and Purpose

Stephanie has embraced an expatriate lifestyle with incredible enthusiasm, with dreams of planting roots in enchanting locales such as Panama and Italy. Her journey underscores the importance of creating a personal narrative filled with joy, passion, and purpose as we navigate midlife. Stephanie’s story resonates deeply, inspiring anyone contemplating their next move or seeking motivation on their midlife adventure.

The Inspiration Behind Change

Stephanie reveals a story of corporate disillusionment and self-discovery when prompted about the inspiration behind her midlife transformation and entrepreneurial journey. After leading a team in a corporate environment and realizing that loyalty was not reciprocated, Stephanie was burned out and seeking a meaningful change. She explored various job descriptions only to discover that none truly excited her. Through conversations with loved ones and a profound reflection on her passions—travel, food, and wine—Stephanie decided to pursue new ventures. Stephanie invested in her education, attaining the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 3 certification, and interviewed coaches to help define her career’s next chapter. Their insights aligned with her strengths and passions, leading her to discover a newfound love for coaching and mentoring. Not content with finding a job, Stephanie sought a path that would significantly impact individuals and organizations.

Embracing Global Lifestyle and Cultural Richness

Stephanie’s love for global travel has significantly shaped her vision for the future. From the diverse cultural experiences in Italy to the natural beauty of Costa Rica, she has continuously explored and evaluated potential new homes for her and her husband. Each journey is an opportunity to test the feasibility of a slower, more affluent lifestyle abroad, whether in Europe or closer to home in Central America.

Despite the allure of Italy and its Mediterranean charm, Panama has emerged as a strong contender due to its climate, cost of living, and excellent healthcare infrastructure—a crucial factor given her husband’s medical history. Stephanie’s detailed approach includes absorbing local culture, learning languages, and preparing for possible relocation.

Challenging the Norms and Cultivating Joyful Living

Stephanie advocates for intentional living and breaking free from rigid societal norms. Stephanie demonstrates that joy and fulfillment come through mindful living and embracing simplicity, whether it’s her ritual of weekend beach walks or cooking exotic meals with her husband to a region-specific soundtrack.

Moreover, her “failing forward” concept is about embracing change and learning from mistakes rather than fearing them. Stephanie’s persistence in her new ventures and personal growth underscores the importance of continual adaptation and resilience, especially in midlife.

Building a Community Abroad

An essential aspect of Stephanie’s envisioned expat life is fostering a genuine community connection. Stephanie and her husband seek intimate, meaningful relationships over superficial interactions, valuing small-town charm where everyone knows each other’s names and shares their lives. This vision extends to their cooking sessions and social gatherings, focusing on personal bonding and shared experiences rather than mass interactions.

Advice for Embracing Change and Pursuing Fulfillment

Stephanie advises those inspired by her journey to be patient and persistent. She emphasizes the importance of self-reflection, understanding one’s motivations, and taking gradual steps. Setting personal rules for relaxation and creativity, such as her painting ventures, is vital for maintaining balance and joy.

Her guidance for midlife career pivots highlights the importance of understanding one’s “why,” staying true to personal motivations, and not being afraid to step outside one’s comfort zone—Stephanie champions self-awareness and intentional living as the bedrock of successful and fulfilling life transitions.

Conclusion

Stephanie Weiss’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of reinvention in midlife. Her experiences and wisdom offer profound insights for those ready to embrace change and pursue new horizons with passion and purpose. As we journey through midlife, let Stephanie’s story inspire us to find our paths to joy, connection, and fulfillment. Remember to stay tuned for more invigorating dialogues with individuals who redefine midlife as their finest hour. Share this inspiration with someone standing at the crossroads of change, and together, let’s embrace the opportunities that midlife offers. Cheers to your age of reinvention!