12. On Your Second Half & Leaning into Growth with Stephanie Carter

Overview

I loved being in conversation with Stephanie Carter, founder of The Verse, a media platform designed and delivered by grown-ups, for grown-ups, built on real talk; action-ready, beyond-the-masses tips; and original ideas. In founding The Verse, Stephanie realized she was one in an army of grown-ups seeking reinvention, and she hopes that by sharing her setbacks and wins, she can help people to view their second half with optimism and excitement.

And this is what we delve into in this conversation. If you're wondering what's next for your second act, listen in. We cover everything from the importance of paying attention to the voice telling you that something new is on the horizon, getting started on figuring out what's next sooner than you think, getting help working with a coach, and leaning into a beginner's mindset. Stephanie knows what it's like to step away from being a master in one's discipline and she encourages us to embrace growth no matter your age and get comfortable with not being good as we learn new things.

And if you're earlier in your career, take Stephanie's advice to take more risk (this is becoming a theme on the podcast!) and if you're in your 30's and 40's look and plan ahead.

So much wisdom packed into this interview! Thank you for being on, Stephanie!

More about Our Guest

Stephanie Carter’s next verse is The Verse. The Verse is a media platform designed and delivered by grown-ups, for grown-ups, built on real talk; action-ready, beyond-the-masses tips; and original ideas. It’s a mashup of Stephanie's decades of leadership in business, public service, advocacy and the arts. She is a storyteller, ideas person, mentor, connector, relentless seeker of results and all around general badass.

Stephanie is not a friend of the status quo. In her previous life as a corporate titaness, she served as General Partner of the growth equity firm ABS Capital Partners, raising $1.6B for the firm’s funds in her 25-year tenure. Official resume stats aside, Stephanie also changed the firm for the better, establishing an investor relations function; evolving marketing, events and investment research; and serving as a go-to for managing partners’ gut checks. Sound advice is one of her superpowers.

As wife to former Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter, Stephanie didn’t just sit there and look pretty as a cabinet wife (obvi). She seized the opportunity to travel the world and make a difference for military families and veterans, earning the Distinguished Public Service Award from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2017. Sports fanatic is another of her many titles. As a minor public service with self interest, Stephanie once taught a Supreme Court justice how to use Twitter so she could covertly check up on the NFL draft.

Stephanie tirelessly seeks growth and evolution as their own ends. When it came time for her to explore a new direction for her second half, she realized she was one in an army of grown-ups seeking reinvention. She hopes by sharing her setbacks and wins, she can help people to view their second half with optimism and excitement.

Topics Covered

  • Hear Stephanie’s own journey to realizing there was something next for her after 20+ years in the Corporate world

  • The importance of paying attention to the voices calling to you at different points in your career

  • Stephanie’s counsel - get a coach to help you through this time to get outside your own head, have someone who can reflect you back to you, and have an accountability partner so you do the work that is necessary to chart a path forward

  • Do not wait until you stop working in the Corporate world to start to lay out your plans - as others have said on this podcast, pull this work forward

  • Get a handle on your personal brand! It’s a branding exercise to communicate what you have to offer. And especially for those with 25+ years of experience, blow up the resume! Tell your story in a more powerful way.

  • There needs to be more appreciation for the value of experience and the wisdom that comes with it

  • There's an opportunity to normalize different ways of managing careers, especially around incremental growth as opposed to always thinking we have to push for the next hill

  • The importance of embracing a beginner’s mindset - it begins with awareness and acknowledging you are not going to be great out of the gate when doing new things

  • Embrace the power of curiosity

  • Letting go of being so self-conscious about it, don’t worry about what others think, and be nice to yourself

  • The Verse is for people with a bit of experience and years behind them, providing a voice and addressing the needs of grown-ups

  • Think differently about this second stage of life and plan for it

  • What is success for Stephanie: Certainly doing well with her business, but also finding joy in what you are doing. Feeling happy when you wake up and when you go to bed

  • Advice for her 20 year old self - Take more risk! (starting to be a theme on the podcast!)

  • Straight talk and listen up - “There is no balance, so we should stop putting that out there as something to be achieved... You just need to attend to what is really pulling you and you need to be okay with that.”

  • When Stephanie’s husband became Secretary of Defense under President Obama, she needed to keep her world small, cut back and say no to some things so that she could have the space to support him in this significant role he was taking on

  • Final piece of advice - embrace not doing things well - “You’re never going to take some risk and try something if you're not okay with making some mistakes.”

Resources Mentioned

Thanks for Listening!

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12. On Your Second Half & Leaning into Growth with Stephanie Carter

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