TransformingYourCareerTransformingYourself

One third of the aging have started their own businesses. Many of the forms those enterprises take is simple: being a solopreneur . That is, it's just them. No partners. No employees. The latter means not being responsible for a payroll. That opens the door to the adventure of more risk-taking. As a coach I have observed this: The leap into self-employment is not just to counteract the ageism in hiring for full-time, part-time and contract jobs. Age actually brings edges when you're a business owner. Of course, at the top of the list is experience. That puts the entrepreneur ahead on the learning curve.  Another is the loss of youthful self-absorption. Over the years, after weathering so much professionally and in life, there's a humanizing force. Yeah, we are all in this together. So there's more a natural vibe to be out there totally with clients and customers.  But, right now, the growing advantage in following the solopreneur path when 65 or older is this: Medica...

Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 48,441.56 USD ▼  -269.41 (-0.55%) today If we can pay our housing bills, still purchase fresh produce and aren't "car poor" (the latter refers to those outsized monthly payments on an auto loan) we're doing great. The secret to happiness in aging is this: Lower expectations. There are some things we can no longer do and experiences we might no longer afford to buy. But here we still are.  91 could be becoming the new 79. Success is a mental game. Failure comes from being done in by the “committee” in your head. Together, we reprogram your thinking. Then we change your story. And, unleash success. Intuitive Coaching. Special expertise with transitions, becoming a solopreneur and aging. Psychic/tarot readings, upon request. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova (Text 203-468-8579,  janegenova374@gmail.com ). Yes, test out the chemistry. Zero risk. Don’t give up before the miracle.

 For hiring, 2025 was a brutal year to search for a job. The Wall Street Journal reports that 2026 could be worse: "At a gathering of CEOs in Midtown Manhattan this month organized by the Yale School of Management, 66% of leaders surveyed said they planned to either fire workers or maintain the size of their existing teams next year. Only a third indicated they planned to hire." The WSJ adds that pullback from adding manpower could be temporary. But given shareholders' demand for cost-efficiency and the continual improvements in AI, chronic unemployment could become standard. However, there is a solution. An old-fashioned one. That's becoming a solopreneur, that is setting up your own business without partners or employees. The model dates back to ancient times.  The golden age of the solo business owner in America had been from the late 1800s to about the mid 1920s.  There had been a wave of immigrants, discrimination against them and few jobs. They drove pushcarts ...

  Dash the hopes of conservatives that Erika Kirk could convert Gen Z females to the role of dutiful wife and prolific child bearer. If this widow of Charlie Kirk survives the bashing after the unearthing of the 2012 music video "She's My Kind of Crazy" she could become the accidental template for how young women can achieve fame.  Media coverage of the response to the video as well as the 1.9k comments (so far) to just one article  all hammer this: Erika always has chased fame.  Now that she got it, at least for now, those with the same lust for extreme attention, could connect the dots and figure out how they too can follow the pattern.  But the fame-seekers might also have to add on the learning curve how to hold onto fame. Erika might not be able to.  After the denim jeans shorts, tattoo and oversized seductive smiling in the video she could be squeezed out of the conservative embrace. In addition, the viral meme is that no way is Erika behaving like T...

  The wealth-creation edge of the family office has become obvious to those not at the billionaire point. High-net individuals with "only hundreds of millions" are grabbing onto this advantage. So, no newsflash, the  amount of funds in family offices  has grown 67% in five years to $5.5 trillion. By 2030, that could reach $9 trillion." Also, no surprise, a growth-driven elite law firm such as  Paul, Weiss  has been in this space with a specialized practice for years. Essentially, as  Investopedia  defines it, the "family office's is:  " ... a  private wealth management advisory company that serves ultra-high-net-worth individuals ... [They] offer  a wider range of financial services than most wealth management shops. In addition to investment planning and management, many ... manage their clients' budgets, insurance, charitable giving, wealth transfer planning, tax services, and more." The "more," as  The Wall Street Journal  p...

Maybe it'll be youth again who re-shapes the world. Not the establishment big money.  In our lifetimes we Boomers could be bearing witness to another play-out of a counterculture. During the late 1960s and early 1970s in America the movement was influential. It reshaped politics, helped end a war, allowed experimentation with socialism, told females we were all beautiful no matter the body style and had university leaders surrendering some of their power dating back to 1636 with the founding of Harvard. Had there not been the severe mid-1970s recession the impacts might have been more extensive - and sustainable.  Bloomberg captures the wonderful current unrest among Gen Zers around the world and here at home.  It's producing results. There's the toppling of governments ranging from Nepal to Bulgaria and voting for socialism in New York City.  The Donald Trump phenomenon is peaking. All the President's Men and Women could wind up producing mea culpa memoirs explainin...

It's 8:15 PM ET. Futures are up a little.   The buzz doesn't include any wildness when the market reopens Friday. On Reddit and other professional anonymous networks those gens after us Boomers have lots to complain about. And fear. We don't have much (with the exception of health problems), do we? That is, if we socked something away along the way. If we had been smart and relocated from HCOL (high cost of living) areas to LCOL (low cost of living) ones we are set to hold out against longevity. The 90s are possible. Success is a mental game. Failure comes from being done in by the “committee” in your head. Together, we reprogram your thinking. Then we change your story. Intuitive Coaching. Special expertise with transitions, reskilling and aging. Psychic/tarot readings, upon request. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova (Text 203-468-8579,  janegenova374@gmail.com ). Yes, test out the chemistry. Zero risk. Don’t give up before the miracle.  

  Intern.  Often that role in traditional sectors such as public relations, fashion and retail means low status, grunt work and even maybe no compensation. And now that the Epstein Files put Bill Clinton back on the hot seat, there can be recycled those old Intern Jokes. But now the new field of AI is changing so much of that. Players ranging from OpenAI to Meta are creating powerful branding, real work and nosebleed compensation for interns. They go by titles such as "resident," "researcher" and "fellow." For example, at OpenAI in the six-month program, residents, as they are called there, have it made. The opportunity: " ... mentorship, contribute to ongoing research, and may be considered for full-time roles after the program ...  $18,300 a month. At Meta, there are several kinds of internships running 12 to 24 weeks, paying monthly from $7,650 to $12,000. The amount depends on tasks and location.  Here is how to apply at Meta. In a world of knowl...

" US stocks set more records on Wednesday, as Wall Street rode into the Christmas holiday on a high note." - CNBC   Success is a mental game. Failure comes from being done in by the “committee” in your head. Together, we reprogram your thinking. Then we change your story. Intuitive Coaching. Special expertise with transitions, reskilling and aging. Psychic/tarot readings, upon request. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova (Text 203-468-8579,  janegenova374@gmail.com ). Yes, test out the chemistry. Zero risk. Don’t give up before the miracle.  

"Writers are a dime a dozen." If those in content-creation, even the marketing communications side , haven't heard that they probably know that's what those dishing out assignments are thinking. That's based on how they're treated and what they're being paid. I held on until about four years ago. Then no longer could I nurture the magical thinking of return to the good old days. Yes, at one time my particular kind of talent was in demand. We could bill a buck and a quarter a word. One year I received a bonus of $4k on a contract job.  To my amazement, I took the needed action. I exited content-creation. But there was an emotional lag. I call it "soul ache."  Executive coach Henry Cloud refers to the process as "Necessary Endings."  Probably more don't do one of those necessary endings and hang on to compete on Upwork for two-cents a word assignments because they can't envision entering that force field of so much upheaval in fee...

The Wall Street Journal features Asad Ayaz, recently appointed Disney chief brand officer, as the force field to conjure back up the pixie dust . For Disney, things have been going downhill for a while but intensified since 2022. The Google Snippet provides a summary: " Disney's noticeable downward stock trajectory  and business challenges intensified around early 2022, driven by streaming losses, high content costs, declining linear TV, slowing park demand post-pandemic, and investor concerns over profitability and asset management" Media coverage of Bob Iger's supposed sharp-elbowed ways also darkened that branding of the happiest place on earth. In addition, when Iger clawed his way back for a second time as CEO he was stuck in old-media time. It took him too long to get it that the landscape has changed. Most of the 126 comments to the WSJ article are not bullish on a Disney comeback. Here is just one and it hits directly at the current key Americana issue of aff...

No disaster seems in the cards. Right now (9 PM ET) Dow Jones futures are essentially flat. Down about 25 points. We Boomers who invested are blessed. We have a reserve. Even for those of you who might not be able to land work that brings in income you're not going to wind up homeless. Warm shelter this unusually cold window may be as good as it gets.  When I asked a wise client how she had achieved her attitude of gratitude she told me: I lowered the bar on expectations. Success is a mental game. Failure comes from being done in by the “committee” in your head. Together, we reprogram your thinking. Then we change your story. Intuitive Coaching. Special expertise with transitions, reskilling and aging. Psychic/tarot readings, upon request. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova (Text 203-468-8579,  janegenova374@gmail.com ). Yes, test out the chemistry. Zero risk. Don’t give up before the miracle.  

  It was much like a smallish community like Lexington, Nebraska in which a plant shut down. Without work, middle-aged Fern decides to pull up the remaining roots she has (her husband had already died) and take off for another shot at life. It was in a run-down van. That vehicle hasn't been retrofitted for residential use but Fern makes do. That's the plot line of hit film "Nomadland." The desperation it captures could also be the dominant story for those in Lexington who will no longer be employed by Tyson Foods. The meatpacker is shutting down the plant, leaving 3,2000 without a paycheck from working. The Wall Street Journal tells the business side of Tyson's decision. The operation is simply no longer profitable. The human side of what will happen in this town of 11,000 could generate Fern-like resilience.  On the road, for example, the fictional Fern encounters the real-life Bob Wells. After suffering his own dark episodes of financial ruin from divorce and th...

 At 8 PM ET Dow futures are down about 9 points. But, overall, expert watches assess the market as still healthy. UPDATE: Not bad. Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 48,338.30 USD ▼  -24.38 (-0.05%) today December 23, 9:42 AM EST  ·  Market Open Success is a mental game. Failure comes from being done in by the “committee” in your head. Together, we reprogram your thinking. Then we change your story. Intuitive Coaching. Special expertise with transitions, reskilling and aging. Psychic/tarot readings, upon request. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova (Text 203-468-8579,  janegenova374@gmail.com ). Yes, test out the chemistry. Zero risk. Don’t give up before the miracle.  

  Dow Futures (at 3:30 AM ET) are up 83 points.  Thanks to the bull market, so far I have enough in investments to be financially secure (not exactly financially comfortable, though) for 11 more years. That's even though I've made lots of bad decisions during my long life.   In coaching, I bring that optimism: A life can be course-corrected. UPDATE: Dow Jones Industrial Average INDEXDJX: .DJI 48,325.35 +190.46  (0.40%) today Thrown off your game, maybe the first time since you started working? You made all the right moves and then the world moved in another direction. Intuitive Coaching. Special expertise with transitions, reskilling and aging. Psychic/tarot readings, upon request. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova (Text 203-4 68-8579,  janegenova374@gmail.com ). Yes, test out the chemistry. Zero risk.  

  The legacy of former two-term US President Bill Clinton seemed finished. That is, after the latest dump of material from the Epstein files. The New York Times reports:  " ... the Justice Department’s  avalanche-like release on Friday  of more than 13,000 files related to Mr. Epstein served as a powerful reminder of Mr. Clinton’s long-scrutinized ties to the disgraced financier as well as some of the former president’s less statesmanlike traits — his womanizing, reckless judgment and impulsivity." Meanwhile, both political power brokers and the public demand more transparency in what's in those files associated with the current two-term US President Donald Trump. His legacy could be also irreversibly damaged. It's not unthinkable that the first line of his obituary in influential media such as The Economist could refer directly to Epstein links. This development generated by the Epstein Obsession  could change presidential politics. For 2028 both Dems and the G...

Jeffrey Epstein Everything has mutated into an obsession . For those eager to keep up-to-date on what has now been released, including today, The Wall Street Journal has done a profound service. Here are the two key links.  This one from the WSJ guides you categorically and comprehensively to what's currently out there.   In case much of what has been out there is old hat to you, the WSJ provides a link to what is new today. Since there was only a partial release of what we hadn't previously had access to, more will come. But already the document dump has probably deposited reputational coal in the stockings of some high-profile players. Photos can be especially damaging. As an intuitive coach/tarot reader I warn clients not only about what company they keep but also where they keep it. Thrown off your game, maybe the first time since you started working? You made all the right moves and then the world moved in another direction. Intuitive Coaching. Special expertise with tran...

 The late Jeffrey Epstein was a collector of people. That represented a separate category in what he was up to. They didn't have to represent a means to increase Epstein's wealth. Instead, they were given access if they had unique expertise and reach. Then they could be placed as one of those marquee names in his files. Genius in linguistics and well-connected in politics Noam Chomsky  was selected for the collection. The relationship essentially was intellectual.   The reality of Chomsky's name popping up in the recent release of the Epstein files - yes, there  was a major dump today - enhances his reputation. Not hurt it as it had, for example, source of wealth for Epstein: Apollo co-founder Leon Black. That reputational blow had been so severe that his long-term law firm Paul, Weiss made it public in a 2022 BusinessInsider interview that it no longer represented Black. Unlike Black, it could have added to your brand equity if the world discovered in today's p...

  Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 48,163.04 USD ▲  +211.19 (+0.44%) today

  Larry Summers Les Wexner Leon Black  Now the odds are that they and a number of others closely associated with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein will never fully escape reputational tainting. What has happened is this: The interest in Epstein has crossed the line from entertainment to total obsession. Otherwise, The New York Times, focused on attracting and keeping eyeballs, wouldn't have dared publish today a very long-form very detailed chronicle of Epstein's rise to enormous wealth, power and influence.  Here is that amazing NYT analysis. In it appear the names of the above three. And, going forward it's predictable every article about them and their obituary will note that Epstein linkage. Meanwhile any progress they had made in clawing their way back to positive brand equity probably will now go poof.  For a bit, Black, for example, was enjoying jaw-jawing with media such as Puck, giving snippets of what Epstein was like. They were eating it up. But it's li...

  Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 48,599.54 USD ▲  +141.49 (+0.29%) today December 15, 9:45 AM EST  ·  Market Open