The Power of the Pivot: Bold Decisions Transform Your Leadership in Life & Work

Change is never easy, but for women ready to disrupt the status quo, it’s the key to unlocking boundless growth and transformation. Whether you're a senior executive seeking more meaningful work, an entrepreneur reimagining your business, or someone at a crossroads of remastering your life and work after 40, 50, 60, and beyond, leadership, especially self-leadership, is the bridge between where you are and where you want to go.

This blog explores the role of leadership in personal and professional transformation, the power of disruption as a growth catalyst, and the inspiring journeys of “Closet Changemakers” who are rewriting the rules for themselves—and others—one bold decision at a time. The term "Closet Changemaker" was coined by the Executive Encore guest, Dr. Taryn Fletcher. See links below.

It’s time to pivot to work that matters. It's time for the impact of "Closet Changemakers" to be recognized, valued, and amplified.

Why Personal Leadership is the Foundation of Transformation

Leadership isn’t a title you hold or a job description bound by responsibilities. Self-leadership (personal leadership) is the mindset and courage to lead yourself through discomfort and uncertainty toward opportunity and purpose.

Women are often tasked with navigating complex intersections between their personal and professional identities and are not often formally recognized as leaders. Leadership in this context means more than managing others—it means remastering how you live and work.

• Visionary Leadership: What meaningful impact do you want to create in your life and work?
• Courage in Action: How will you embrace opportunities that challenge or intimidate you?
• Authenticity: How can you define success on your own terms without compromising your values or aspirations?

TIP: Acknowledging and Aligning Personal Values as Women Leaders:

Take the time to pause and map out your values. Values do change and evolve to align with a new reality. When was the last time you re-evaluated your values? It might be time to re-evaluate your values¹. Once your values are clear, align them with your professional goals to serve as a compass when making decisions in the face of risk or uncertainty. For decades, women have faced the challenges and risks of pursuing career success, often at the expense of their personal values. Throughout their professional journeys, they have repeatedly encountered situations where their values were compromised, overlooked, or diminished in favour of aligning with organizational priorities. It’s time to say “enough” and inspire younger generations of women to break free from following in our footsteps in this regard.

Understanding Disruption as a Growth Catalyst

Remastering life and work that involves career pivots and life reinventions often begins with a source of disruption. This could be an external event, like an industry shift, or an internal nudge, gut-check, and realization that it's time for a change.

The decision to leave corporate life around traditional retirement age or the unexpected offer of a severance package will significantly impact a woman's life. For so many women, this time, this crossroad, and this phase of life may have come suddenly and unexpectedly. They are often not prepared emotionally. However, what feels like chaos in the moment is often the precursor to growth.

Disruption forces us to ask critical questions:

• What must I leave behind to make room for something better?
• Who am I outside of my current role, title, and responsibilities?
• What new challenges could ignite transformation and self-discovery?

When embraced rather than feared, disruption pushes boundaries and unlocks potential. It's the spark that compels us to reconsider what really matters, both personally and professionally.

Real-Life Case Study:

When Sairan Aqrawi, a seasoned tech executive and trailblazer, decided to step away from her high-level corporate role, she faced an unexpected challenge: a loss of identity. Having broken barriers in the tech industry, her career had long defined her. Through coaching and leadership development, Sairan gained clarity on her next chapter. She discovered her true passion—empowering the next generation of young women in STEM and helping them thrive in their careers.

When Sairan appeared on the Executive Encore video podcast in late 2024, she was balancing high-profile tech projects as a contractor while building a thriving coaching business. She focuses on empowering underrepresented groups in tech and helping women bridge the gap between technical expertise and leadership skills, preparing them for success in their own executive encore. By embracing disruption and rewriting her own narrative, Sairan isn’t just reshaping her future, she is inspiring and enabling others to do the same^2,3.

Meet the "Closet Changemakers"

There’s a quiet yet powerful revolution happening, spearheaded by women who are reshaping their lives and communities without fanfare. These women, the “Closet Changemakers”, are reclaiming spaces, shifting paradigms, and rebuilding systems while leading with intention and integrity.

Closet Changemakers may not always grab headlines, but their impact is profound and far-reaching.

• A single mother juggling work, pursuing an MBA, and driving inclusive hiring practices within her company.
• Senior women executives mentor other women and actively advocate for their career advancement.
• Trailblazing women like Sairen draw upon their expertise, wisdom, and experience to inspire and empower the next generation of women in STEM and other fields that were once dominated by men.
• Female entrepreneurs intentionally create workplace cultures that prioritize work-life balance and harmony for all. They tell me they aspire to lead differently, and they're doing precisely that.

Their stories remind us that leadership and change can start small—one choice, one voice, one decision at a time. In our Executive Encore programs, blogs, and video podcasts, we validate their choices and amplify their voices.

Actionable Strategies to Elevate Your Self Leadership

If you’re ready to pivot to work that matters, here are strategies to elevate your leadership potential in meaningful ways:

1. Own Your Narrative: Understand who you are and what you bring to the table. Craft a story of your unique strengths and aspirations. It's your story!
2. Surround Yourself With the Right People: Build a support network of allies, mentors, and coaches who invest in your growth.
3. Leverage Your Community: Women thrive in collaborative environments. Engage with networks, masterminds, mentorship groups, and peer advisory boards to stay inspired and share wisdom.
4. Set Intentional Goals: Rather than setting generic career objectives that often serve only the corporation and result in career burnout, focus on goals that align with your values and long-term vision. Rather than trying to twist your values to align with corporate goals, honour yourself and take action that supports your best self. This, of course, takes courage. You will find that courage by developing your self-trust.
5. Step into Fear: Fear is often an indicator that growth is nearby. Acknowledge the fear and take one step anyway. Again, you will find courage by developing your self-trust.
6. Celebrate Small Wins and Embrace Life’s Detours: Transformation is rarely a straight path. Take time to recognize every milestone, no matter how small, as you work toward the bigger picture. Detours and crossroads hold their own significance; embrace them. For many of us in the executive encore phase, life and career have taken us to places we never anticipated. Our journeys have been neither linear nor traditional, but it’s in this unpredictability that growth and discovery truly thrive.

Life and Work in Harmony

Many women often face the misconception that work and life are fundamentally in conflict, creating tension and diminishing self-regard. For women who lead through uncertainty and pivot with trust in their capability and capacity, achieving a harmonious balance between life and work fosters a profound sense of fulfillment and long-term sustainability, often surpassing expectations.

This journey in achieving life and work harmony is truly a testament to being "woman-made."

Think of this harmony as a dynamic balance between your personal well-being and your professional ambitions. The core concept is that harmony is dynamic, not static. It evolves with poise and equanimity, especially in difficult situations. When anchored in what matters most to you, harmony and growth become mutually enriching.

• Time for Reflection: Carve out moments to reflect on what gives you meaning. For some, it's big-picture work; for others, it’s fostering relationships, giving back, or having a strong voice for advocacy.
• Prioritize Self-Care: You cannot lead anyone, especially yourself, if you're running on empty physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. Explore and embrace routines or rituals that effectively restore your energy, inner peace, and balance.
• Keep Evolving: A pivot is rarely a one-time event. Think back to the rapid series of pivots during the COVID era, which reminds us that it’s perfectly okay to adapt and pivot multiple times. Growth is an ongoing journey, not a destination.

A Support System Is Vital

Every leader needs a strong support system, from mentorship to peer accountability groups. These networks provide not only guidance but also glimpses of possibilities you may not yet see in yourself or opportunities that can be open to you.

When women come together to lift one another, the results are extraordinary. Throughout history, women have united to drive societal change and foster growth within their communities, nations, and the globe.

Final Thoughts and Next Steps

Every career pivot, every disruption, and every quiet story of leadership ignites change far beyond the individual. By remastering your life and work while elevating your personal and professional leadership, whether in private or on a global stage, you not only elevate yourself but also inspire and empower the women who will walk the path you have paved.

Now it’s time to take action. The world needs more female leaders redefining what’s possible.

Are you ready to make your pivot? Start your leadership transformation today by connecting with our resources, workshops, or one-on-one coaching sessions.

• Visit my website here to learn more about coaching programs for the phase of life you are in or about to enter. You can also check out current programs here and choose your path.
• Visit Dr. Taryn Fletcher's website to learn more about the Closet Changemaker and The Pivot Plan, Your 5 Steps to Bravely Become Who You Say You Are.
• Watch or listen to my video podcast with Dr. Taryn: The Power of the Pivot: Bold Decisions Transform Your Leadership in Life & Work

Together, let's elevate what it means to lead authentically and boldly. Let's begin with the impact of our wisdom.

References: Related Blogs, Video Podcasts

1. Read the Encore Blog post: Set a New Direction: Re-evaluate Your Values and Update Your Identity to Re-ignite Your Mojo, Patricia Muir

2. Read the Encore Blog post: Women in Tech: Empowering the Next Generation in Your Executive Encore, Patricia Muir

3.  Watch/listen to the Executive Encore video podcast with Sairan Aqrawi: Women In Tech: Bridging Leadership, Mentorship, & Communication for Executive Encore Success - Empowering Women in Tech: Transitioning from Corporate by Bridging Leadership, Mentorship, and Communication for Executive Encore Success