The Power Transformation Podcast

77. Rediscovering Professional Happiness in Mid-Career Shifts with John Neral

• Alethea Felton • Season 2 • Episode 77

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On this episode of The Power Transformation Podcast, I am thrilled to introduce you to John Neral, an outstanding executive and career transition coach, host of The Mid-Career GPS Podcast, best-selling author, and someone I am honored to call my friend and mentor. John's journey from math teacher to thriving entrepreneur is a testament to the power of redefining your professional path.

Join us as John:

  • Dives into the heart of mid-career transitions, discussing the influence of personal relationships on career decisions and the resilience needed to pursue new directions;
  • Shares invaluable tactics to break free from career stagnation, including building a standout personal brand, making a memorable impression through networking, and fostering growth in your mid-career journey; and 
  • Spotlights his podcast which provides a weekly dose of inspiration and advice for professionals navigating pivotal transitions. 

John's wealth of experiences brings hope and tangible strategies for those seeking joy and fulfillment in their work life, so don't miss this opportunity to learn from John's extraordinary journey and uncover the tools to catapult your career to new heights.

Connect with John:


Episode 77's Affirmation:
There is a benefit and an opportunity in every experience I have.

  • Thanks for being a part of The Power Transformation Podcast community! I'd love to hear your feedback, and if you're interested in being a potential guest, click here to connect with me.


  • New episodes are released every Wednesday, so follow to not miss an episode.



Alethea Felton:

I don't quite have the words to describe this person who I am interviewing today on this episode of the Power Transformation podcast. John Neral is truly a friend, but also he is such a man with a wealth of knowledge, specifically when it comes to careers and transformation. John has been a significant influence in my life and I am honored, frankly, to have him as a guest on this episode. Stay tuned, for you certainly don't want to miss John's journey, as well as understand the huge, huge difference he has made in my life. Have you ever faced a challenge that seemed hopeless? Yet you think that you have the power to change your life for the better, no matter the obstacles you face? Well, if so, then you're in the right place. I'm your host, alethea Felton, and welcome to the Power Transformation Podcast, where we explore the incredible true stories of people who have overcome adversity and created meaningful lives. So prepare to be inspired, equipped and empowered, for the time is now to create your power transformation. Hey y'all, oh, my goodness, welcome back for another episode. I am so excited today for this guest. Oh, oh, oh, my goodness. All right, I'm not going to ramble because there is so much in store for you today when it comes to this guest, john Merrill, I want to jump right into his interview, but first I want to thank you. If you are new to the Power Transformation podcast, I welcome you, follow, subscribe, give it a five-star rating, write a review and share it. And for you all who have been with me since day one or close enough to it, thank you as well. We're going to keep this power transformation movement going. Yes, this is a movement, y'all and the guest today, john, definitely knows how to spark movements into people, for how he goes about helping them in their lives.

Alethea Felton:

So let's jump into this interview, but first let's go ahead and say our affirmation. I'll say it once and then you repeat it there is a benefit and an opportunity in every experience I have. Oh, my goodness, you all. Today I am like a kid on the first day of school because the guest that I have this day is so incredible. I wish you could see how much I'm smiling. I have John Neral, and he has all of these fancy titles and whatnot, but the main title that I view him as friend, mentor, loyal support for many, many years, and he will let you know exactly who he is, but what John is? Honestly, all jokes aside, and I'm not even joking about when I said that, but John is an executive and career transition coach. He's also a podcast host himself of the Mid-Career GPS podcast and so much more that we will get into. John, welcome to the Power Transformation podcast.

John Neral:

Alethea, my dear friend, I am so honored to share this space and this microphone with you today. We are going to have a great time, my friend.

Alethea Felton:

We are, you all, and also I'm just going to put this up front the reason you are listening to the Power Transformation podcast is because of John Neral. John is the one that I've talked to about in the past, where he is the one that even sparked the idea for me to start a podcast. How? Because John was my business coach for several years and he helped me get to this point of where I am in life right now. And I don't want you to think, just because I use past tense, something bad happened. No, nothing like that.

Alethea Felton:

I'm in search right now of another business coach to take me yet to the next level, but it's because of John's love and his insight of me where I am at this space, and he's still one of my mentors and one of the people that I trust wholeheartedly. But, john, to get this podcast started, first of all, I thank you, but I always ask a random question. This is my random question for you, john. John, we know that you're this executive and career coach and there are other things about you that they will learn soon.

John Neral:

But, John, if you could have had any other career in the world, what would it have been? And why 11 o'clock news and told the weather, and I got things right about 50% of the time, maybe a little bit more. But I wanted to have a career in television. Wow. And I remember when I was younger somebody said to me yeah, you just don't really have the look for TV. Oh, and I thought, okay, and I chose a different path. I kind of let that get into my head. I had also taken a look at the TV industry and realized how difficult it was to kind of break through in that regard. So I'm very happy and blessed with where my career has taken me. But to this day I still follow a lot of local meteorologists and just marvel at their background in mathematics and science and their TV personalities. I follow a bunch of them on social media and I just have great affection for their work.

Alethea Felton:

Wow, john. Now listen, all of my years knowing you, that is actually something that I didn't know. In terms of meteorology. I've known other things, but that is a really fun fact about you. And whoever said you didn't have that? Look for TV, sir. Have they seen certain people on TV and you're a very handsome guy and I'm like what in the world were they thinking so wow? But I'm glad that you didn't go that route, because I wouldn't have gotten to know you and your effect and your influence from so many other people. Oh, my goodness, you have helped transform lives. And that leads me to this next question, john. If you were talking to a total stranger about yourself, say that you knew John Narrell. Who would you say John Narrell is?

John Neral:

John Narrell is someone who helps mid-career professionals who feel stuck, undervalued and underutilized and helps them show up to find a job they love or love the job they have. He's empathetic and direct. He's caring and compassionate, but also knows how to help people be accountable and hold space for them to do so. It's somebody who is courageous and fearful at times, all in the same breath of his own career path and journey, and looks back on what he's done and what he's proud of, and what he realized might have been a little misstep along the way but at the same time is very grateful that got him to where he is. He is the totality of his experiences.

Alethea Felton:

Ooh, the totality of his experiences. That's a really great quote, and I thank you for describing you in that manner, because you, of course, know yourself better than anyone. And for you to say that you're this mid-career transition coach, that's something that I'm sure just didn't happen overnight, in the way that you help people, the way that you empower them. But, john, prior to all of this, what led you down this path? So let's start off. How did your career begin and where did it take you?

John Neral:

Well, I got my bachelor's degree in psychology from Loyola University in Maryland. I thought I was going to hang up the shingle and all that kind of stuff. That didn't happen. I ended up teaching for two years in a private all-girls Catholic high school in Maryland and enjoyed it. But as you know and I'm sure a lot of people who are listening don't I have this huge passion for the sport of bowling and it was the one sport my dad taught me when I was five years old. I still actively compete on the Professional Bowlers Association regional tour and it's something I absolutely love.

John Neral:

But at the time, alethea, I thought I wanted to have a career in the bowling industry. So I took a job working in a bowling center in Baltimore, maryland. I worked there for five weeks. A friend of mine who I had known through bowling offered me this job in his center and one of the things he said to me that I will never forget it is one of the most transformative moments in my career.

John Neral:

He said John, if you find that you don't want to do this job anymore, you don't like it, do the right thing and give me two weeks notice so I can find a replacement. Wow, he gave me an out when I started. I lasted three weeks before I went to him and I said I'm giving you my notice and part of the reason was his wife would come into the bowling center after her workday and she was a sixth grade teacher and Diane and I would trade stories about my time that I had in the classroom and her time she was having in the classroom and I missed teaching so much that I moved back home. I went and got my master's degree in teaching and a minor in mathematics and from there I found myself teaching in a district in Northern New Jersey for 14 years.

John Neral:

Wow From 1996 to 2010. Funny enough, alethea in a district next to the Real Housewives. That's a completely different podcast episode, but if you follow the show and you like, remember the popularity when it first started. I was in the town right next door to that. How exciting is that, oh, it was girl, it was a hot mess. It was a hot mess.

Alethea Felton:

Oh my gosh.

John Neral:

Yeah, but anyway, so I loved my time there. What did?

Alethea Felton:

you, john. I don't mean to cut you off, but dealing with sixth graders right Middle school kids, I know just as you know, but let the audience know. What did you love most about that job?

John Neral:

Oh, they're hormonal, Like I love that part, because here was the thing I was really good at pivoting based on their energy. So there were days when my sixth, seventh and eighth graders would come into the room and they wanted to be treated like kids. And there were other days they came in and they wanted to be treated like kids. And there were other days they came in and they wanted to be treated like adults. And so when I was able to gauge their energy and figure where they were at, I mean, obviously, as teachers we have our class rules and we have our organizational structure and everything, but it's what allowed me to build those professional relationships with my students, that when they walked into my room, they knew it was a safe space, they knew what they were going to expect. And year after year, as my brand and my reputation built and progressed, I was very fortunate that my classroom was the one where a lot of students wanted to be in and I was very grateful for that.

Alethea Felton:

Thank you for that detailed description, and the reason why I asked that is because, as we'll learn later on, is that sometimes I think the most compassionate, caring teachers can sometimes make the best coaches, and how, although you aren't working directly with children anymore, you still have some of that same style that you use even in your own practice. So you worked in this middle school for quite some time, and then what happened after that?

John Neral:

Well, a couple of things happened. So one I was teaching a lesson one day on how to multiply and divide fractions and it was a good lesson. The kids got it Not the most engaging material, but it was a good lesson. And I'm doing the lesson and this voice creeps into my head, aletheia, and it says John, you cannot do this the rest of your life. You need to get out. You cannot do this the rest of your life, you need to get out.

John Neral:

And it was at that point that I initially shrugged it off. I was working in a great district, had a great salary guide, I was making really good money, I was getting three months off a year and I was elevating into various leadership roles within the district. And so I brushed it off. And the next day I come in and start teaching my lesson and the voice in my head goes I told you you can't do this the rest of your life. And when you hear that voice, enough, I started exploring what that would look like. Enough, I started exploring what that would look like.

John Neral:

What I learned at that time was that I really enjoyed my professional development work with teachers. I was in a department coordinator role. I was doing consulting outside of school. I was leading various professional development workshops that I had created on my own, and my passion started shifting towards I want to help more teachers, because if I help more teachers be better teachers, my impact on helping students is going to be even greater. So I started looking for department chair positions, because they were not available in the K-8 district where I worked at the time, and what I found was that I was getting to the final round interviews but I wasn't getting selected. And I wasn't getting selected because, like so many job seekers out there understand and know is that sometimes those positions go to internal candidates.

Alethea Felton:

Uh-huh, exactly.

John Neral:

Right, yeah. So this was over the course of about three years where I was looking for that new job. But then on the other side, alethea, I was lonely, I was single, I was looking for somebody to share my life with, life with, and I had gone on vacation and I met my now husband and the interesting part of that was that he is a third-generation librarian. He is a federal librarian and when we met he was living in Washington DC and I was living in northern New Jersey. He was living in Washington DC and I was living in Northern New Jersey, and so for an entire year we traveled back and forth on 95 on the weekends to spend time with each other Right so when people say like, oh, you should never move for love, you should never move for a relationship.

John Neral:

I get that, but I did it.

Alethea Felton:

And.

John Neral:

I'm I'm very grateful that 15 years later, in seven years of marriage, we are we are thriving and surviving and still having a great time eventually landed the job in central office as a professional development specialist. That ultimately led me to you. We got to work together in 2010. And I remember going to your middle school and spending time with you over there and loving every minute of it and look here we are 14 years later, still having a great time.

Alethea Felton:

Yes, we are. Yeah, yeah, yes, and and thank you, john, for actually mentioning that yes, you all heard, heard it correctly John is one of my former supervisors and he was only my supervisor for one year. However, in that year, john has been the most how can I word it? His style of leadership is that he was a coach, he's a coach's coach, and so John really made me think about everything I was doing. He got me to that level of deep inquiry because at the time, I was an instructional coach. So I was a coach, but working with teachers, and so, john, I really valued that for that.

Alethea Felton:

And no, we never knew where our lives would end up. So that is the absolutely incredible part. And just to kind of backtrack some yes, you're right, love, distant and afar, can work. My parents, my mom after she graduated college, and my mom's a Jersey girl, as you know. But after she graduated college, she moved to Washington DC. My dad was in Southern Virginia and they actually had a courtship, long distance like that, and so it worked for them and they've been married now going on 47. It does. So, john, with all of these experiences you had working in the school system, things of that nature you went through a lot of career transitions, a lot of different career transitions, which now puts you in this space and place of coaching, a mid-career professional. John, when we use the word mid-career professional, who are you talking about? What does that look like?

John Neral:

According to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, this is where I'm going to get real formal and researchy for a minute.

John Neral:

According to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, a mid-career professional is someone who has 10 years of professional experience and is typically defined 10 years of work experience after they've graduated. So it could be either high school for someone who didn't go to college or 10 years after they received their bachelor's degree. So we're talking basically yeah, we're talking like late 20s, early 30s, but what we're seeing more and more on the research is that people are extending their work lives, be it for either financial or social and connection type reasons. We see people working longer and later into their 60s. So typically the people I work with hold titles between manager and senior director and they typically range in age between 35 and 50.

Alethea Felton:

Oh, so it is more in a sense of that executive level leadership, although you can work with those younger ones as well who might not be in the leadership role.

John Neral:

Yeah, so just to clarify, thinking more or less like mid -career and mid-level, so I have a couple executive coaching clients that I work with, but primarily the people I work with are those who I often describe them Alethea, as they feel stuck and they define stuck in that they work in an organization where there's nowhere for them to move up and it's either because something has happened and they're not going to be able to move up or no one's retiring or leaving to open a place for them on the org chart. Additionally, my clients also feel stuck when we first start meeting and working together because they know they need to leverage their talents and expertise to go outside of their organization, but they're overwhelmed by all of the things they think they should be doing to make their career transition while at the same time working a full-time job, usually taking care of their young children and raising their family and, for some, also taking care of their aging parents.

Alethea Felton:

Okay, so I can pull a couple of questions out of there and I'm going to, but I want to ask you this that's a clear explanation of who you work with, but how did you just decide one day this is what you wanted to do and to really take that leap of faith into full-time entrepreneurship? Did you just wake up and say, hey, I want to help mid-career professionals? Or did you have other events happen where it said this really needs to work, I need to help people in this area? How did you get there?

John Neral:

My last quote unquote corporate job, if you will. Before I opened my business full time was working as a training and staffing director for an educational nonprofit. I had been there five years great organization. But during the second reorg I didn't land particularly well. They had narrowed my scope and at the time I had gone through coach certification training. I was doing coaching inside the organization. They didn't want me to do that. They wanted me to focus more specifically on onboarding, which is an absolutely important task, but it wasn't what I wanted to do.

John Neral:

So I remember walking down the hall one day to my vice president, who I directly reported to, and I looked at her and I said I need to have a conversation with you and I'm going to ask you a question. And when I ask you the question, I trust you enough to give me an honest answer. And however you answer it, I know it's coming from a good place. And the first thing I'm going to say to you is thank you. May I ask the question? And she said, sure, Now she's sitting at her desk and she's taking care of some stuff or whatever.

John Neral:

And I said I've been thinking about the recent reorganization and the way I look at it is that I'm not getting fired. Today, I said, while my performance is good in everything, I don't feel like I'm valued and utilized accordingly, and so what that means is is that I can stay here and do the work that I'm assigned to do. I'm never getting promoted, I'm not getting a bonus, I'm probably barely getting a cost of living raise, and if I'm happy and content doing that, that's fine, but if I want to do something else, this probably isn't the best place for me. How accurate am I that question, Alethea? Because when we ask questions from a place of greater intention, where I'm going to get the information I need, versus the information I want we all want to hear we're doing great work and everything I needed to know if my thoughts were confirmed.

John Neral:

Alethea, she looks at me, she slams her pen down on the table and she goes they don't get you. They don't understand all the things you do. They don't understand all the coaching and the work that you do with everybody. They only want you to focus on this. That's their decision. And then there was this pause and I was like let me see if she's going to say something else. Yeah, because you're going to put it out there.

John Neral:

She looks at me and she goes you're very smart, and I honored my intention and I said thank you. And then I looked at her and I said and this ain't just a pretty face, because you know me, I tend to diffuse some tension.

Alethea Felton:

Yes, you do.

John Neral:

So I left that meeting with greater clarity about where my career path was headed All of the instructional coaching I had done in my education career, the professional development work, the coaching I had done within this particular organization and my desire to get my coaching certification. When I announced I was leaving about four weeks after that conversation, one of the things I said to my vice president was I am leaving because I have an opportunity to help more people outside of this organization than I can inside of it.

John Neral:

Here was the mistake, or let's say the detour, that I made in starting my business. I thought I could help everybody. I would help anybody that was unhappy in their career. Well, 25-year-olds normally don't have money to pay for coaching. Late 50s early 60-year-olds they're in their legacy position. They're just looking to retire. They're not going to invest in coaching, so the wall started closing in a little bit to go. Okay, who are the people I want to help?

John Neral:

And when I thought about how I navigated my career transition to DC public schools back in 2010 and started that a few years earlier, laying the foundation for all of that, what I often remember was that at mid-career we think we should have everything figured out. And if we just take a step back and give ourselves some grace and recognize that not everything needs to be formulated in a spreadsheet and schedules and time lined out, things change, circumstances happen. If I could help people navigate that part of their career journey with greater grace and intentionality, I get to do some of my best work and that's what I get to do today.

Alethea Felton:

Wow, how do you help a client who literally just feels that they're going to always stay stuck in where they are. They can't move up? I'll give a personal example and she won't mind me actually putting it out there. My sister spent years trying to get a promotion, interviewing, doing this, doing that. Doors seemed to be closing on her every which way and she was really discouraged for several years from taking different certification courses to even having a consultation with you, to doing different things to make herself more marketable and not really nailing what she wanted or desired. And thankfully I'm not even sure if I told you, but she did finally recently get that promotion, yes, started her new job and is loving it. But but, john, how do you give those mid-career professionals who feel absolutely stuck? How do you go about giving them a glimmer of hope? You can't promise them anything. But what do you do to help empower them? Because you have a pretty great track record and your reputation speaks for itself. But how do you do that in such a competitive and, quite frankly, difficult job market?

John Neral:

Yeah, thank you so much for that. So the idea behind building a mid-career GPS is that I'm going to guide you to where you're going to go, Just like when we get in the car and we bring up our favorite navigation app that's going to avoid the detours and the traffic jams and all those kinds of things. That's what I'm there to help my clients do. There are four parts to building a mid-career GPS. First off is all the preparation. So it's getting them having career clarity, understanding what their strengths are, where they're most valuable. It's about helping them strategically position themselves in the marketplace, knowing what jobs to look for, knowing the kinds of companies that are best suited for them, where they can go and do their best work, and ensuring that things like their resume and their LinkedIn are branded and formatted accordingly and structured accordingly that, when they do apply for jobs online if they do it's going to help clear any kind of AI technology that's going to screen them initially, so they can get their materials in front of a human being.

John Neral:

The third part is about promoting who they are and what they do. This is where we build a networking and an interview strategy that allows them to showcase their five biggest and most significant achievements from a place of value and service. So we all have these great and interesting stories, but if you can ask yourself so what and who cares, and you can answer those questions clearly, you get to a much better story. Hiring managers out there hear a lot of underwhelming stories that never make candidates stand out. Right now more than ever in this marketplace, you have to be talking about why the results you've created in the past are going to help them moving forward. You can't do that unless you truly know your value, your worth, your evidence and know how to tell that story.

John Neral:

And the last part about building your GPS is about how you show up and so when we build all those four things. That's what then gives them that pathway or that beacon to bridging the gap between where they are and where they want to get.

Alethea Felton:

What do you mean by show up? I get that, but for a person who may be unfamiliar, what does showing up look like? Does it look like taking all of what you just said in those first three steps and presenting yourself physically as the total package? What does showing up for yourself look like?

John Neral:

Yeah. So showing up matters and how we show up is very individual to our core values and belief systems. So when I coach my clients on showing up, we look at six particular strategies. It's how they set ground rules. That's the S have intentional conversations, get the information you need versus the information you want own where you are, welcome new opportunities. And that means getting out of your own way. When somebody says, talk to this person or apply for this job, you have to be open to welcome those opportunities.

John Neral:

The U stands for using your genius. Hey, we're all great at something. Double down on that. That is your superpower, that's your genius. The P is protect and promote your brand. As Jeff Bezos says, your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room. If you don't know what your brand is, it's very difficult for you to show up at work day in and day out when you think you're navigating in one way way when everybody else might be seeing you differently. So those six strategies are how I define showing up to norm those coaching conversations with my clients about what it means for them, especially for those clients of mine who are in leadership roles to really help them lead their teams more impactfully and effectively lead their teams more impactfully and effectively.

Alethea Felton:

So, in terms of even you saying that you're helping individuals, to you know, navigate their mid-career GPS, do you also tend to find yourself working with or speaking with larger groups about something very, very similar and if so, how do you do that?

John Neral:

groups about something very, very similar and, if so, how do you do that?

John Neral:

I've done that specifically with employee resource groups, be it sponsored by an HR division of the company.

John Neral:

I've spoken to LGBTQ plus and pride ERGs around what showing up means as well ERGs around what showing up means as well. We have big conversations around that. Also, I've worked with some startups and some smaller companies, where I've worked with a sales team, for example, and helping them understand what it means for them to show up for each other and to show up for their clients as well, so that when we go through this professional development workshop, their expectations, their goals and their norms are now deeply anchored in those six principles that their conversations are much better after because of it. And then they tie those to those results right. So, for example, with a sales team that I've worked with, when they're not able to get their enrollment or close a sale, let's say, oftentimes the director of that group can go back and be like excuse me, did you have those intentional conversations? Did you set ground rules with the facility before you went in? They use those show up six strategies as a way to anchor their workplace behavior and productivity.

Alethea Felton:

And the underlying theme that I'm getting from all of this, and correct me if I'm wrong, but although you're taking people through these strategic steps, it really sounds self-empowering and as if, along the way, you're also helping to build their confidence, where you're showing them like, hey, you may be in this position as a mid-career transitioner or somebody in your mid-career life where, as you're taking them through this coaching process, john, is it true to say that they're also experiencing their own type of power transformation, so to speak? And do you have an example of maybe a client or a group that kind of sticks out as to how they started versus how they ended up after working with you?

John Neral:

Yep. So not only is it about their self-confidence in their transformation. The transformation also happens around their self-worth. A lot of people experience workplace trauma and oftentimes we will hear that people don't leave jobs because of bad organizations. They leave because of bad bosses. There's usually somebody who has created a toxic work environment that they're like I just got to get the hell out of here, and so that can create some workplace trauma that we'll often have to coach through as well. But a lot of times and, letha, you've heard me say this so much right Is that I help people find a job they love, or love the job they have. One of the client success stories I want to share with you is about helping them love the job they have.

Alethea Felton:

Wow.

John Neral:

So I was working with a client shortly after I started my business full-time about seven years ago and I am honored to say this person is still a client of mine. We still meet once a month. Yeah, we just talked earlier as well. But um worked for a but works for a Fortune 50 company, outstanding project manager and leader, and they were really considering a career pivot and one of the things that happened in our coaching relationship is that one day I asked them and I said what's your professional brand at work? And this is what they said I think it's good, I think I'm well respected and I'm recognized for the work I do. I think people appreciate me. And I said do you think or do you know? And there was this pause and they said I'm not so sure I know.

John Neral:

We did an exercise that I call a professional branding audit and I asked them to identify some people that they closely work with first and foremost, whom they trust, to have an intentional conversation about what their professional brand is. We worked through a series of questions that were directly important to them in getting the information they needed, because this person wanted to get promoted and they weren't getting promoted and I said next session, come back and report to me what you found. And I said next session come back and report to me what you found. So they come back for the next session and they say to me, yeah, I heard stuff I wasn't expecting.

Alethea Felton:

Oh.

John Neral:

I said good, what'd you learn? And they said everybody confirmed that in the last reorg I pivoted in a way that wasn't helping my career growth and that if I wanted to advance my career I needed to do some internal networking and positioning myself differently to get that advancement. Now, for those people who are listening that work in corporate structures, you probably think a lot of times like, okay, if I stay in my lane, that's great. How do I step out of it? We coached on what stepping out of their lane was going to look like, especially to have some of this FaceTime and networking type conversations, and so it was like where do you want to work? What do you want to do? Where do you see yourself adding the most value? How do you want to lead? And all of those started become clearer to the point where they ended up networking with their boss's boss.

Alethea Felton:

Ooh, watch out what.

John Neral:

You talk about not only confidence, but you talk about I'm worthy enough to be in the room.

Alethea Felton:

Wow.

John Neral:

I'm worthy enough to have that conversation. I am. And when they got that meeting invite and I said you were welcomed, you were welcomed to that conversation. And then it was another conversation and another one, to the point where two years ago they moved into a senior director role oh, they are. And it came with all the things, right, so it came with the title and everything else. It came with the title and everything else that comes with the title and then some.

Alethea Felton:

But I am so proud of her and her work and that is because she recognized that her transformation was understanding that she was worthy enough to be in the room oh my god at and she could serve at that level, and I don't know her, but hopefully she will listen to this and I'm going to tell her directly girl, I'm proud of you and that is so wonderful.

Alethea Felton:

Oh yes, that's so inspirational, oh my gosh. So ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, because our time is short and this is a question that I had already had where I was going to ask you this. This leads directly into asking this John, if somebody's listening right now and they know that they want to make a change, but they're either comfortable, loyal, something's blocking them from really stepping out, although they know deep, deep down inside they need to either explore options or find a way to make it work where they are, what would you say to them in terms of getting outside of their own head and just taking a leap of faith in trying something different and making a pivot in whatever way that looks like for them?

John Neral:

And what I appreciate about that question so much is that you start painting about what is one action step you are willing to take that will increase your clarity, motivation and intention of figuring out what your next career is going to be. If you are looking to stay within the same industry but you want to level up, where is that opportunity? Who's doing that work? Who can you get connected to? If you are thinking about transferring skills and transforming your career into a completely different industry, how do you make that pivot? Who's done that before you? What can you learn from them? Build your toolkit, one step at a time that, in stages, will give you greater information, greater career clarity and drive you to figuring out that next step that will ultimately get you to where you want to be. Enlist the help of support. It could be a mentor, a sponsor, a critical friend, trusted friend, coach, whomever that may be.

John Neral:

You do not have to do this alone. That's one of the reasons why we get to do the work we do right. You don't have to do this alone. That's one of the reasons why we get to do the work we do right. You don't have to do this alone, but get support and then, lastly, find a way to be accountable. If we think a transformation is going to take us a year, that's how long your brain will give you to take it. You can change a thought in five minutes. If you think your transformation can happen in the next five minutes, make it so and start building that framework to get you there.

Alethea Felton:

John, how has the work you're doing to help so many others? How has it changed your life?

John Neral:

I don't think I've ever been asked that question before, so thank you for that.

John Neral:

I'm going to be 55 in a few weeks. I never thought I would have this much fun and impact at this stage in my career than ever. It's changed my life in so many ways because this is my legacy position. This is the position that I will and want to be most known for because of the depth, the breadth and scope of my reach, that I get to help every day, whether it's posting something on LinkedIn or it's my podcast or it's the clients I get to work with. It's changed my life in so many ways because, as you and I have often talked, this whole entrepreneurial journey is hard.

John Neral:

Sure is right like there are days we are floating on cloud nine and there are other days, for I'm like how did that gum get on the bottom of a damn shoe?

Alethea Felton:

it's so exciting, though it is right.

John Neral:

It is um but but to have an opportunity to do this kind of work right now I I am beyond grateful and blessed to go ahead and do it.

Alethea Felton:

Oh, that's beautiful. And on top of that, you're a podcast host, with a podcast called the Mid-Career GPS. What's that about, and how can people tune in?

John Neral:

Yeah, it's a twice weekly podcast, so Tuesday is a shorty episode with a particular career transition or leadership tip. Shorty episode with a particular career transition or leadership tip. Thursdays are guest interviews where I highlight someone who either is an expert in the field or has an incredible career story that they want to share to help motivate my listeners. You can find it wherever you get your podcast. It's called the Mid-Career GPS Podcast and grateful for anyone who wants to come on over and listen.

Alethea Felton:

Exactly, and I have listened to some episodes and I'm telling you it's an entire catalog of just multiple topics. Everybody will find something that's for them in there, whether you are a mid-career person or not. It is so filled with just. It's a treasure trove, literally. And you mentioned LinkedIn a lot, John. So what are you doing on LinkedIn? What are you promoting, what are you sharing? Tell us about that.

John Neral:

So my content that I create on LinkedIn is specifically geared toward that mid-career professional who doesn't want to settle. They're stuck in some way. They want to get out of it. So it's a strategy around their career clarity, how they network, how they interview, how they lead, and it's all about helping get them to the next level. So I post several times during the week. Additionally, I will host events and promote them, like webinars and things like that that you'll see me promoting there as well. And then if you go to my profile right in my featured section, in there is a link to join my free mid-career GPS newsletter and that is a twice weekly newsletter to help mid-career professionals get fed, just like the podcast is, but to help them get fed as they figure out whatever their next career steps are. So if you want to connect with me on LinkedIn, please let me know when you send me a connection request that you heard me on the Power Transformation podcast, so I know where the connection's coming from and be honored to connect there as well.

Alethea Felton:

Yes, indeed, and y'all. He's a coach. And let me ask you first are you open now to accepting possible new clients?

John Neral:

possible new clients? Absolutely. I am always looking forward to having conversations with people who are interested in leveling up their career and how I can help them as their coach, and so easiest way to do that is you can message me direct, message me on LinkedIn, or you can email me at john at johnnerrellcom, and we'll find a way to set up a conversation.

Alethea Felton:

Exactly, and also he has a website, johnnarrellcom, and I will have that in the show notes as well. And as we come to a close, john, is there anything else that's on your heart or anything that you wanted to say to the audience prior to me giving my closing thoughts?

John Neral:

So you said something earlier that I never forget whenever we text, email or talk, and that is who would have thought that in 2010, when I stood up in front of a room of 21 instructional coaches you being one of them that we'd be here today? You never know where a connection may lead you or take you. The only thing you can do is show up authentically and genuinely to build those relationships and and nurture those relationships, in whatever capacity and wherever somebody is in their career. Right now, what I want to offer them is that you are a hundred percent responsible for your career. I'm not saying to go up there and do anything rash and walk into the office and be like deuces I'm out but you can make a change. Your career transformation can happen and it's possible. There have been hundreds of millions of people who have done it before you millions probably.

John Neral:

You are not alone. You are not alone in this journey. So figure out what exactly is you need and figure out who, if anybody, may be able to help you with that transformation.

Alethea Felton:

Wow, that was perfectly said. And I will just say in closing, especially for anybody who's strongly considering reaching out to John, having a discovery call, and if y'all are a good fit, then of course next steps could take place. But as a former client, I just want to give briefly some backstory is, yes, he was my supervisor and we happened to just keep in touch, didn't think twice about it, started keeping in touch here and there and when I learned that he left even his corporate role to start full-time entrepreneurship and coaching, it was really, really interesting. Now this is no disrespect to anybody, but part of my story is I had another business coach prior to John and I dare not say anything disparaging about anybody, but let's just say that person wasn't a good fit, wasn't getting anywhere, et cetera. So I remember clear as day what I consider God. Some people might not be leaving God, which is okay, but I remember clearly being prompted to say call John and ask him to coach you. I was very hesitant at first because we know as coaches that sometimes it can be a conflict of interest depending on the boundaries you set. Because, although he was a former supervisor, we had started developing a friendship and I didn't want our personal life being conflicted. So I called John out of the blue after a few weeks, battled it and then, as soon as I explained everything to him, he instantly said yes. And what I want to share is that you know, while his focus is primarily the mid-career coaching executive coaching he did show me the ropes on at least how to build up the confidence that I needed and the systems in place to start off with a successful business. And I'm gonna tell you a beautiful thing about this man's character.

Alethea Felton:

I said at the beginning he's my former business coach I wanted to share, as his last thought, the reason why is because back in December, john said to me something that was so profound and showed his heart. Where John said to me something that was so profound and showed his heart, where he said to me where I am going, talking about me, where I am going, and where he knows I am shifting, transitioning, et cetera, but also building. It's not that he's not capable, but he said that I need someone who is able to meet me at the capacity where I am. So what that simply means is he knows my heart, he knows my goals, he knows where I'm going. And he was not selfish and he was not just trying to take my money or just hoard it for himself where he loves me enough.

Alethea Felton:

Where he said you need somebody who's going to be able to now take you to that next level. I haven't found that person yet, but John said the first quarter of 2024, this is what you need to be doing, and I'm doing that and the things I'm doing now are leading toward even greater. And then he literally gave me a game plan for 2024 in terms of the steps I should be making and I have followed that and everything's working out. So, while I'm not yet I don't have yet a new technical business coach what I can say is that this man I credit you, john, so much for where I am today and even with the podcast and giving me the confidence to go about starting this and I sat on the idea for a good year before I even launched. I sure did.

Alethea Felton:

I sat on the idea for a year, but what I say that audience is to share is that you need a coach in your life or just people in your circle, and we're still going to always be in touch. We always say that we will be sipping champagne on my yacht and we will end up doing that. But my whole point is that good people, good hearted, genuine people still exist. They don't have to look like you, they don't have to come from the exact same background as you. There are still people in this world with great intentions. John Nero is one of them and, john, I hope and pray nothing but continued success. It was an honor having you today and thank you for just being you. I love you.

John Neral:

I love you too, alethea. I am so proud of you, you the person, you the businesswoman person, you the businesswoman, the entrepreneur, the child of God, all those wonderful, wonderful things. You are a bright light in this much needed world right now, and I am honored to be a part of your journey and I look forward every day to continuing to celebrate you.

Alethea Felton:

So thank you day to continuing to celebrate you. So thank you, thank you, john. I'm not going to get emotional y'all, but, as I said, without John, y'all wouldn't even be listening to this podcast. He is the mastermind behind the Power Transformation podcast and I thank him for just believing so much in me over the years out of a pure heart and being authentic with me, and I am so grateful for him and y'all. I'm serious, if there is something that you need support with in your life right now when it comes to a career change or transition, contact John. His information is in the show notes and also you may email me directly. If you want his information. You may email me at coach at aletheafeltoncom. If you need John's links or anything like that.

Alethea Felton:

Let's go ahead and close out with our affirmation and I will see you again next week, wednesday or whenever you are listening to this, but new episodes are released every Wednesday. But let's go ahead and close out with our affirmation. I'll say it once and you repeat it there is a benefit and an opportunity in every experience. I have Spotify or wherever you usually listen, and remember to rate and review. I also invite you to connect with me on social media at Alethea Felton. That's at A-L-E-T-H-E-A-F-E-L-T-O-N. Until next time, remember to be good to yourself and to others.

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