Leadership Powered by Common Sense Mid-Career Crisis or Mid-Career Opportunity? | Ep 479
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Apr 9, 2026 John Tarnoff, a career coach and former entertainment executive, helps mid-career professionals reinvent themselves. He discusses shaping a professional North Star, reframing setbacks and past wounds, and using journaling and networking to prototype your pitch. Conversations cover following usefulness, identifying your zone of genius, and turning volatility into opportunity.
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Define A Professional North Star
- People often wrap identity around job title and perks, making separation from a company devastating.
- Defining a professional North Star (who you are and what you deliver) lets you carry value forward through transitions.
Reconcile Past Failures Before Job Hunting
- Reconcile your past before inventing your future by being able to speak about failures as learning experiences.
- Prepare to answer interview questions about past job exits with self-reflection, humor, and evidence of growth.
Perp Walk Led To Forgiveness And Healing
- John recounts taking a rushed job while needing income, then being escorted out after six months and hiding the role on his resume.
- He later journaled, forgave himself and the boss, and used the reconciliation to stop being paranoid in interviews.
