“[I was at] my gynecologist’s office,” says Kristin van Ogtrop, author (“Did I say that out loud? Midlife Indignities and How to Survive Them” (https://amzn.to/3effm1a), literary agent, and former Editor-in-Chief of Real Simple magazine. “My enthusiasm for daily life had diminished. I was having an annual exam and I said,’ I’m depressed or going through perimenopause or need a new job’. She said, ‘Maybe all three.’” Up until that point, van Ogtrop had been a high-flying editor in the magazine publishing world who had worked her way through some of the toniest jobs in the industry--beginning at Premiere, then to Vogue, Travel & Leisure, and then to running Real Simple for 13 years. “The reason I loved [Real Simple] was because it was the first time I’d worked for a magazine where I was the reader,” she says. “The demos were basically me: busy working mother[s]...who had great full lives and needed ways to run [them] smoother.” Since Van Ogtrop grew up with a mother who was a home economics major, she knew how to make a casserole and hem a skirt--valuable skills she imparted to her harried readers. What was not so fun: when Real Simple got caught up in corporate spin-offs and industry-driven down-sizings. “Time Inc. was a public company [and there] was great pressure,” Van Ogtrop says. “[‘For] creative people [like me] in the company…[it] felt like every day you died a little inside.” After she left, Van Ogtrop became a business Goldilocks, trying on various new careers, but struggling to find her path. “One benefit of reinventing in middle age,” she says, “is not to be embarrassed to be the dumbest person in the room. I know I’ve accomplished something...in my last life and in my mid-fifties I don’t care if I look like an idiot.” Tune in to see where she ended up and how she did it.
FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”
#168 From Nun to Fortune 500 Founder: How One Woman Overcame Her Fear of Reinvention (Ellen Snee)
#167: Reinventing After 50 to Recover Your Life’s Passion (Jennifer Lewis McKay)
#166: How to Reinvent Your Relationship to Your Children’s Education (Caitlin Meister)
#165: When Job Loss Leads to Understanding Your Own Story (Kate Eckman)
#164: Reinventing Your Sleep During Menopause: Solutions! (Hasti Nazem)
#163: Investing Your Life’s Savings in Your Career Reinvention (Janet Gurwitch)
#162 When a Pandemic Trashes Your Business (Paula Floyd)
#161 When a Literal Explosion Forces You to Rethink Your Professional Identity (Christine Bader)
#160 Science as a Platform for Reinvention (Ariel Garten)
#159: When Career Transformation Leads to Personal Reinvention (Kristine Deer)
#158 Reinventing When Life Makes You a Double Caregiver (Laurie James)
#157 Running Her Side Hustle on One Hour a Day (Nicole Malcolm-Manyara)
#156 Graduating from Smith College at Age 67 (Ann Dowsett Johnston)
#155 Growth is in the Struggle (Jennifer Pate)
#154 Don’t Think of it as a Reinvention, But as a Next Step (Marlene Wallach)
#153 Pay Attention to Your Intuition (Sandy Weiner)
#152 How a City Inspired a Reinvention (Debra Shriver)
#151 When Your Parents Expected a Doctor But You Do Everything Else (Catherine Balsam-Schwaber)
#150 What I’ve Learned from 150 Reinvention Interviews + Celebrating 100,000 Downloads
#149 From PR to Flight Attendant to Literary Publicist (Lynda Bouchard)
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Reaching your Goals
Insights@work
Business Dad
The Ken Coleman Show
The Cardone Zone