#191 Reaching the Pinnacle of Corporate Success and Walking Away (Traci Schubert Barrett)

"For some of us, we need to fall back into what we're doing," says Traci Schubert Barrett. "And for some of us, we need to leave." As a founding team member for HGTV, Schubert Barrett had reached the proverbial top of the corporate mountain and had everything she could want — success, a happy marriage, a family, even financial freedom. Yet she found herself wondering, “Is there more?” Despite being able to walk the C-suite of one of America's largest TV networks, she chose to leave and pursue the answer to that question. In this intimate conversation with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour, Schubert Barrett discusses how she discovered her “more” and found true, sustainable fulfillment. Listen in for her insights on how to navigate your own journey of career reinvention, even if you're not sure where to begin.

 

JOIN TRACI SCHUBERT BARRETT FOR A COVEYCLASS

We’ve gone through all the predetermined mile markers set before us, checked all the boxes, and now society tells us we have only one mile marker left to pass - retirement. Or do we? We are living in an age that has begun to redefine retirement along with how and when we work. What does this mean for us at midlife and how can we reimagine the second half of our life in a way that matches who we are today? And what about those pressing questions that arise at this stage of our life: Who am I really? What do I want? Is there more out there for me? Wrestling with these questions is natural, especially in this post-pandemic world. Having the answers is not. Traci Schubert Barrett, entrepreneur, podcast host, and author of the new book What If There's More: Finding Significance Beyond Success, will give us a framework to redefine success on our own terms, decide what we want from the second half of life, and challenge us to embrace a life that is significant to ourselves and those around us.

 

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Bio

Former HGTV executive Traci Schubert Barrett has been there. As a founding team member of the cable television network, Traci achieved what most would define as the pinnacle of success—office in downtown Chicago, traveling all over the country for work, rubbing elbows with HGTV talent—but, the longer she held that position, the more dissatisfied she felt with her life. She began to wonder, “What if there’s more?” So, she took the risk of her life, walked away from her comfortable corporate job, and devoted time to finding significance in her life beyond professional success.

 

Now, as a woman in midlife, Traci has found her purpose. As an executive coach, podcast host, and author, Traci helps other women who are asking themselves “what if there’s more?” navigate the second half of their lives.

 

Time Stamps

[8:06] Creating HGTV

[13:18] Leaving her executive position to look for fulfillment

[24:26] How to cope with fear of the unknown and fear of losing your identity

[28:56] What she chose to do after discovering her "more"

[34:31] Schubert Barrett's advice for getting out of the "golden handcuffs" when you think you can do more