How to Build a Fulfilling Career with Lori Lawrence

In this episode of Career Coaching Secrets, our guest is Lori Lawrence, a seasoned career coach and leader who shares powerful insights on career growth, leadership development, and navigating professional transitions with confidence. Lori breaks down practical strategies for building clarity in your career path, making intentional moves, and positioning yourself for long-term success in today’s competitive job market. Whether you’re an aspiring leader, career switcher, or professional looking to level up, this conversation is packed with actionable advice and real-world experience.

You can find her on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorilawrence/
https://www.nextchaptercareercoaching.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

You know, I would authentically come to, you know, to folks or they would come to me, you know, just through some of organic some of the organic work that I'm doing on LinkedIn. And I would begin, you know, they would come to me, I'm too old. I can't do this anymore. I just don't understand what's going on. Why is this so different than it was just a few years back? And just taking time and watching them, once I share the methodology and we begin working together, not only on their day-to-day in the job search, but also their mindset, I really begin to start seeing that confidence and the clarity and the understanding of, oh, welcome to career coaching secrets, the podcast where we talk with successful career coaches on how they built their success and the hard lessons they learned along the way.

Davis Nguyen 0:48

My name is Davis Wynne, and I'm the founder of Purple Circle, where we help career coaches scale their business to$100,000 years,$100,000 months, and even$100,000 weeks. Before Purple Circle, I've grown several seven and eight-figure career coaching businesses myself and have been a consultant at two career coaching businesses that are doing over$100 million each. Whether you're an established coach or building your practice for the first time, you'll discover the secrets to elevating your coaching business.

Pedro 1:12

Welcome to Career Coaching Secrets Podcast. I'm Pedro, and today's guest is Lori Lawrence, a career coach who helps experienced professionals over 45 stop feeling invisible and regain control of their careers. She works with a high performance who have delivered results for decades, but are being overlooked by a job market that no longer plays by the old rules. Through her next chapter career coaching framework, Lori turns frustrating, lonely job searches into focused, strategic campaigns that lead to real offers. Her work is driven by lived experience and a deep commitment to helping seasoned professionals stand out, get paid what they're worth, and move into roles that reflect their true value. Welcome to the show, Lori.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Thank you so much, Pedrick. I appreciate you having me. Um and um I'm just excited about being here. Thank you.

Pedro 2:15

Oh, great to have you, Lori. I'm also excited. And you know, I like to rewind a bit. So every coach has that moment where they look at their life and say, yeah, I guess this is what I'm doing now. Right. So when was that for you?

SPEAKER_01 2:30

Well, it's interesting, Pedro. My path to coaching really took a turn. It became both from a professional perspective as well as very personal. So for me personally, I've spent well over 25 years in corporate roles. And I've been through several hard transitions, career transitions throughout multiple decades. I've experienced some layoffs. So I've done all of those things from a professional standpoint. And I've had a couple of those layoffs after 50. So I know, I know how disoriented all of that can be. But for me, the real catalyst came a couple of years back when my younger brother, who at the time um was 61 years old, had spent a good majority of his career, about 20 last of his last 20 years, with a big, big tech company. And he was very happy and very successful. And then bam, he was laid off very unexpectedly. And he himself was not prepared. He was no resources, no LinkedIn, no new resume. Um, the company gave him a little bit of an outsourcing tool, but nothing that really prepared him for the challenge of this market and how unbelievably competitive it was. Well, that particular experience changed my life because my brother was in a dark place and he made the decision to leave this world well before his time. And so, with that, um, I have made it my mission to make sure that there are no experienced professionals ever, ever feeling alone or not understanding how to navigate this type of transition in their life.

Pedro 4:21

Yeah, if there is any power for mission or drive, I believe this gotta be one of the top ones, right? And I'm sorry to hear about your brother. Um, and also the way it steers you into coaching, right? It's it's such an unbelievably hard loss, but at the same time driving you forward to help other people so don't they don't get to go through with the same experience you did, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:48

Absolutely, it is it is truly a daily mission. Um, yes, it's a business, but it is truly backed and embodied and framed by the mission that I have to honor him.

Pedro 5:00

Yeah, okay. And just since you mentioned the business side, I would like to understand, you know, when did it shift from I'm helping people, just like what my brother went through, right? To I'm building a real business around this.

SPEAKER_01 5:16

Well, when when you know, when clients begin to start really themselves experiencing that shift, when I, you know, I would authentically come to you know to folks or they would come to me, you know, just through some of organic, some of the organic work that I'm doing on LinkedIn, and I would begin, you know, they would come to me, I'm too old, I can't do this anymore, I just don't understand what's going on. Why is this so different than it was just a few years back? And just taking time and watching them, once I share the methodology and we begin working together, not only on their day-to-day in the job search, but also their mindset. Um, I really begin to start seeing that confidence and the clarity and the understanding of, oh, I got this, I understand now, and moving them into reaching that success. That is for me when I really realize this is a business that can be sustained because you're working with people, you're not just, you know, giving them content, but you're real working holistically around this particular life transition that incorporates so much of their their life, their finances, their life, their personal, their own personal objectives. Um, because again, even though you're in the latter stages of your career, most of the the fo all of the folks that I work with, they got lots of gas left in the tank. They have no intent to retire anytime in the near future, and they still want to be seen. So for me, that's kind of where it's shifted into really understanding that I need to have a strong framework and methodology that everyone that that chooses to work, work that methodology, this is when it became a business for me.

Pedro 7:12

Okay. And after you got rolling, right? Um you saw those folks that got a lot of a lot to offer still, right? So who are the pap the people that kept showing up? You know, the ones you realized, okay, this is my tribe.

SPEAKER_01 7:26

So the ones, and it was interesting, very early on in the business. I had someone reach out to me. Um, I was just working one-on-one with with, you know, kind of what I call my VIP clients. And I had an individual reach out to me that was very distraught and very lonely. And she made it very clear, I want to talk to you on the phone. So we moved from messaging and email onto the phone. Just hearing her voice and realizing she was so isolated that this was something she'd been doing for quite a while on her own. I realized how important community and how important a structured, facilitated community is for so many people. So, my my tribe, if you will, are those that are looking to be successful in a job search, but not to do this in isolation. They want to be a part of a group. They want to be sitting amongst other professionals in a virtual setting, but come very consistently on a twice-weekly basis to check in, to get encouragement, to ask questions, not only to me, but these are other very senior level professionals that have been in various corporations across the nation. So now you're checking in with people and really sharing this big, big mind share that goes well beyond just me. And so that's where I realize the people that are a little afraid to step out and they've they've long since you know left that whole, I'm embarrassed, I got laid off six months ago and can't find a job. They've left that all behind. They're willing to try something new, even if maybe they haven't been successful with other coaching programs or or outsourcing programs, but they're willing to come in and talk to other professionals, and then I can facilitate some of those discussions. Does that make sense? I mean, that's no, yeah.

Pedro 9:24

Please go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

No, the the community is really those folks that are looking for that space and not just, hey, I need a coach, I need one person, but I need I need a tribe, I need someplace where I can come, be safe, vent, complain, and moan, and say, I cannot believe I've been ghosted another time. It it but this is their safety. Because what I find is that job seekers, their family will tell them something, their spouses will tell them something, but they really don't understand. They just think, well, go find a job. That's not like that anymore. And so that's why this community is so incredibly important.

Pedro 10:06

It's interesting because when I asked you about the tribe, in a way, it sounds like uh are people looking for their own tribe too? Because when we're laid off, and that happened to me as well. Um, if you're a decent employee and human being, the first thing you do is look at look at yourself, right? Like, what did I do wrong? Yeah, and sometimes there's nothing we did wrong, it's just circumstances, different scenarios. But anyhow, it's important to understand that it's not just you, right? We have other people that are amazing at their jobs and they're being laid off, right? And when you look at right beside you, someone that's been through the same stuff you're doing, you're going through, and you're like, you know what? Maybe it's not me, maybe it's just I need to adapt, right? Obviously, and that's your coaching practice, and your coaching transformation helps them to reach that point, but it's also about the community, like you just said. So it's about the tribe. So yeah, that makes perfect sense.

SPEAKER_01 11:02

Okay, and it's interesting. A lot of folks, especially in the later stages of their career, they immediately just like you said, I've been laid off. Oh, it's because of my age. Well, I know ageism is real, but I also debunk it very quickly. I just say, nope, nope, it is something you can absolutely overcome by staying relevant, by staying current, by understanding um what our current world and environment must have, especially with folks that bring decades of experience. Um, and so that's that's when I I just don't allow if you're going to work or be a part of the community that I help to facilitate, or that uh it's a group cohort. Also, I have two pieces. I just don't allow some of those excuses or reasons, or I just don't, I just say you can overcome that. I mean, I the last time I was laid off, I was in my early 60s and regained a new position shortly after by following the methodology for myself. And so for it's just very important to not allow any of the things that may be affecting your situation to get in your own way, and that's where I really see community, you know, bringing about that strength.

Pedro 12:25

Right. Yeah, that makes sense. Okay, I mean that's the coaching side, right? Now let's talk about the part nobody escapes marketing, right? So, how do people usually find you, Lori?

SPEAKER_01 12:38

So they're gonna find me via LinkedIn. I post on a daily basis as well as provide uh a really nice detailed newsletter every Saturday. And then most recently, a lot of the clients that come to me have been coming to me via referrals. And so uh I do, you know, I do have emails that I send out and provide, and I have, you know, some information that is provided at no cost. Um, I also allow folks to come and try uh what our community experience, but really I live I live within the LinkedIn world.

Pedro 13:18

All right, let's talk business for a second. So people find you right through referral, through LinkedIn, like you said, or they did a trial or something like that. So they resonate with your work and eventually they want to know what working with you actually looks like. That's correct. Everyone builds their coaching business a bit differently, Laurie. So when someone actually becomes a client, what does that experience look like right now?

SPEAKER_01 13:44

So becoming a client, there's really three different ways. You can enter in through a one-on-one VIP experience. Um, and so one of the I'm gonna say guarantees that I am providing my clients is that you will land successfully in a new role within 90 days. Currently, right now in the United States, we are seeing most job seekers have to suffer through this for around 27 weeks. And so, but it it is really not, you know, without a plan. And so for me, that VIP experience brings everything very tight, very accountable. Um, there's a methodology, and so that that number one place is that VIP 90 day, but not everyone needs that. Every then most people say, Oh, great, I would love to work with you, but can I also work with others? And so that's where I also can offer a group experience, a small collective cohort that we meet for four weeks very intensively. Again, there's work involved for both programs. Um, and then finally, anyone that says, you know, I just I really don't have the financial means right now for either a group or VIP. And so bringing them into a lower investment of a community at least gives them some of the support, and then they can begin to start listening to, which then a lot of times we'll move them back into either a group or maybe even a smaller scale VIP program. And so again, just connecting with folks and then bringing them in. Community is usually the first, first kind of, if you will, stairs, you know, if you want to work with me in some capacity, let's start here. Um, and then if you if you feel like that you need more, then moving into a group or a group or a VIP experience might make sense.

Pedro 15:38

I mean, your work seems pretty hands-on. We're talking about one-on-ones, group experience, the LinkedIn post, right? So, how do you think about capacity? So don't stretch yourself too thin.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

Yeah, so I am just now in the process of kind of tearing apart my methodologies, if you will, into tiny courses or tiny modules with a little mini lessons that someone could take in and do something like this on their own. Again, at a lower cost or a lower investment. Again, when you work with job seekers, the first thing that you have to be cognizant, these are folks that are truly unemployed and in many cases have been unemployed for a very long time. So their severance is gone. They have well dipped into their uh their savings or their 401ks or something. So they're very cognizant of how they are expending and investing. So I want to be able to provide for them a way to get to me if you can, if you, if you will, but maybe through um some very small kind of tiny or evergreen courses that are that that can provide something outside of what they've been trying to do on their own.

Pedro 16:58

I mean, that's a solid look in how you approach pricing, especially the part where they can at some level uh of can of way to connect with you so they can at least get something right of impact and move forward. I like that. You're trying to, you know, um make it possible. And and I get it. People they're like they're they're unemployed, they're there's their saving accounts are getting hit. So they're like, should I spend money right now or not? You know, so that's perfect. That makes perfect sense. Now I'm curious about where you're taking all this, you know, looking ahead. Where do you see the business going, Laurie? Are you thinking about scaling, hiring, or is there a next step you're excited about?

SPEAKER_01 17:42

Yeah, I am definitely scaling, but I I want to scale without losing my depth that I have begun to create in the first 24 months of of being in business. So I do want to expand um, you know, my group programs and my community to have support through Evergreen courses that will allow me to reach many more people that are, you know, that I want to have the information available for them. Um I am looking to bring on both a marketing, um, a digital marketer and a social media manager so that they can help again scale some of the marketing that I'm doing on LinkedIn, perhaps into other platforms. And then also going more video. I I don't, I'm not ready yet, nor do I really want to at this point um create a podcast. I'm not sure that fits the folks that I am working with. However, I do believe that um video modality is very important to show relevance, especially when you are looking at the tenured professional. So I'm starting a series called Hire This Pro, which are just short little video segments, much like what you and I are doing here on a podcast, but shrink this down to three to four minutes of you know, an elevator pitch or a or a video resume for an individual so that recruiters and hiring managers and others can see someone, hear them, understand their presence that really doesn't pop on paper, if you will, or in a profile. Um, so I'm wanting to do some creative work and my clients are very receptive. They want to, they want to do all that they can to be seen and to be heard and understood. So those are some of the ways that I'm looking to scale without losing depth or without burning out as well.

Pedro 19:39

Okay. And of course, whenever we're aiming toward the next chapter, there's always something we're refining in the present, right? Like what are you currently trying to improve or tighten up in your business right now?

SPEAKER_01 19:51

Um, most most of that is just um really for me, delegating to I'm I'm going to be. Learning how to delegate some of the administrative tasks and the marketing so that I can truly live in my founder's world, in my coaching world, so that I can maintain a high level of connection with folks through discovery calls and clarity calls, um, being able to true have some really good conversations so I can move them into one of the programs that's applicable for their situation. And then obviously coaching and creating the content that I need to be able to support the program that I'm creating here, but then be able to provide that for those that need those programs at all investment levels.

Pedro 20:43

Okay, yeah, that makes sense. You know, I want to switch gears for a second and do something a bit more fun. Not that this was not fun, it's just a little bit different. Okay. If you're down for it, you gotta quit.

SPEAKER_01 20:54

Completely, yes.

Pedro 20:55

Okay, well, we'll look the uh look at this through the lens of business investments, like things like coaching, team, marketing, masterminds, you name it. Okay, it's pretty simple. I'll give you four prompts and you tell me the first thing that comes to mind. If there's a story behind it, even better. Okay, okay. That's okay. So, what's the first business investment you remember making? Remembering this is about the coaching space, okay?

SPEAKER_01 21:21

Um, I made it into a coach like a certain uh an ICF program. I thought um the very first thing that I wanted to do was invest in some very structured coaching. So I invested in a recognized ICF program. That was the very first investment that I did.

Pedro 21:44

Cool. Okay. What's the most recent one you made?

SPEAKER_01 21:48

So most recently I invested with an individual that is um working with solopreneurs, um, helping them create some automation in their tech stack, um, which absolutely has happened, which has uh blown up my leads. But now I need to manage those leads appropriately. So again, it's just learning all of the various different pieces as a solopreneur, as a coach, as a career coach in a very specific niche, what fits in my world and what doesn't. Um, and then because I I don't and I I look at coaching a lot of what appeals to me. So when I'm looking at folks that work with other coaches, if you're too salesy or too big and everything's on recording and I never get to touch you, I never get to see you, I never get to speak with you, that does not appeal to me at all. Um, I want to be able to have some, and so the coaching, the coaches that I work with or I've worked with are those that provide exactly what I provide: time together, um, community, group coaching, group understanding of how to build a business. And so that is where I've spent the most of my finances as well as time with is you know, various different types of coaches that have brought an aspect to my business as I'm developing this myself.

Pedro 23:20

Yeah, and fundamentally we're talking about values here, right? Yes, yes, it they need to be aligned. That makes sense. It's not about logistics, it's more about this is the way I do things, and we should at least have some sort of level that we're talking the same, you know, language, right?

SPEAKER_01 23:36

Right, right, right.

Pedro 23:38

Okay. So third one, what's the best financial business business investment you have made and why?

SPEAKER_01 23:47

It was definitely the last, um, the last one that I made um uh working with a solopreneur coach that guaranteed um a monthly um you know revenue of 15,000. So following that particular process, I definitely have gotten there. Um and a little a lot of it was just using some of the automation and the AI piece to it, not much, just enough, um, that has taken care of some of the um the pain of of leads. And now I'm able to very quickly identify those folks who may um want my services and then begin to have those conversations. Now for me, the next piece is making the you know, scaling into being able to have those type those amounts, if you will, of conversations to move them into um one of my programs.

Pedro 24:46

Nice. It's like I like the fact that you practice what you preach, right? You're talking about people investing in themselves. It's only fair that you do the same, right?

SPEAKER_01 24:55

Absolutely. And I have been over the last 24 months. I have definitely been investing in myself and in my business.

Pedro 25:02

Okay, last one. What's one investment you wish you could get your money back on?

SPEAKER_01 25:09

Oh yeah. Um early, early, early on, I fell for one of the get rich quick, um create a create a subscription course and make millions of dollars in a year. And I invested a good amount of money in that and very quickly realized number one, I wasn't ready for that. That's not where I where I should have invested first. I was following um the dollars, the shiny object, if you will, instead of really understanding there is a process to this, and there is no such thing as setting up a course and then seeing$80,000 in your bank account in a month. I I just I just don't think that that I think I'm just a little too old school. I think you need to work some hard, you know, you need to work hard. Um, you also have to develop and understand a process that you align with, like you said, your values align with that makes sense for you. Um, so that you are practicing what you are providing for others. Um, and I again I'm I'm just I want to avoid while I'm going to provide a little of it, I want to provide provide avoid the whole get everything that you need through a 48 module online, you know, recorded series. I don't think that works for my clientele. I don't think that's going to work.

Pedro 26:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 26:41

So can't that's what I invested poorly in, was just that. You know, it's this 48 modules all recorded. Um, and you know, at the end of it, you make$80,000 a month.

Pedro 26:54

No, no, I don't okay. Yeah, uh, I love the fact that you highlighted uh that it doesn't work for you. It could eventually have work for other people in different industries, but I like that the fact that you know a coach is such a personal type of work, it's hard to resonate with someone through a video, right? So I believe in your situation that makes perfect sense. Um, okay. And looking at those, how has your approach to investing in the business changed over the years? If it has.

SPEAKER_01 27:28

Um, I'm still, you know, I I I really take um a little bit of an assessment on where my where where my gaps are. So in my own world. So when understanding other platforms, I I'm not sure I even completely 100% understand everything that LinkedIn has to offer. So I'm really exploring um looking at video. I've never done much with video. I'm not ever going to become a TikToker or do I've had a lot of people, oh, you need to get on TikTok, you need to do this. I'm not sure that's where my client lives. Um, I again I am very niche in the sense of I am working with folks that are are up in age, that they are um they are tenured in a profession, um, in an industry. And so I want to reach them where they're comfortable. And I know video is comfortable for a lot of folks, so I'm exploring some avenues or beginning to explore some avenues on YouTube or making short videos and getting more comfortable um on video because I'm very comfortable writing and I'm very comfortable in person teaching or virtually teaching live, but video is something that um I'm going to stretch myself into this next year.

Pedro 28:51

I really like the the the way you think about it. You're thinking about your ICP, right? I'm thinking about you're thinking about um do my clientele resonate with video? So this is the right mentality. Instead of we see a lot of coaches just putting content out there, right? And hoping for the best. So I really like that. Really, really strategically thinking at the end of the day. So I commend you on that. I mean, and if someone listening wants to connect with you or follow your work, Lori, where can people find you and connect with you?

SPEAKER_01 29:23

Well, they absolutely can find me and connect me on LinkedIn, um, Lori Lawrence and Next Chapter Career Coaching, and then also on my website, um, which I'm in the process of um really having it become work for me a little bit more than it's just been kind of a static piece, if you will, as a part of my business, but that is um nextchaptercareer coaching.com.

Pedro 29:51

Okay, you know, there were a few things you shared today that really stuck with me. I would say turning that hardship, you know, by losing your brother, um, and owning it in a way that we see a lot of coaches talking about, but not really real, not really experiencing it, you know. Uh like you need to own it. So you own it in a in a way that gracefully that you are able to impact other people so you don't they don't have to go through the same, you know, uh hardship you went through. So I commend you that. That is so powerful. And also I want to highlight the fact that you mentioned, you know, that your clientele, usually they're they want to be a part of a group, but not just that, they're avoiding isolation, right? I think that's just a key word because uh whenever you you lose your job, you feel so isolated, it's like what's wrong with me, you know, and all of that. If and if you get stuck there, oh this things only get worse. So that word really really, you know, uh sparked my interest. And uh at the end of the day, that the mention you made about ageism, you know, I was watching uh cheaper by the dozen this past weekend with my kids and my wife, and we're looking at too and Steve Martin, right? And we're we're looking at watching the video, and my wife is like, Oh, is he still around? What's what's up with him? So I googled him like today, and it's funny you mentioned that he's 80 and still active, he's still acting, and I'm like, Wow! And I told my wife, he's still in the game. Imagine that. You sometimes we feel people that are on 45, 50, and they they're thinking, Oh, I don't have anything more to you know offer. That's just not true, right? Absolutely not.

SPEAKER_01 31:40

Yeah, my oldest client, Pedro, is 81. Um, she found me through networking, through a a group, um, and had made the decision after she had lost her husband, and then she had done several years of doing just volunteer work, that she really wanted to go back into work. It was very meaningful, meaningful for her. And she didn't just want to just sit and waste away. She was very active. Um, and so yeah, she just kind of turned all of her many, many decades as a CPA into fractional work. And here she is at 81 years old, still serving, still working, um, and collecting, you know, collecting a financially what she says, I really don't need, but I'm here to because I really want to work. I want to be a part of something. And so that knocks the whole age I'm on 55 and too old when there are folks out there, like you mentioned, Steve Martin and so many others that are well past a defined retirement age. And I think nowadays there really isn't a true retirement age anymore. I think um purpose, you know, purposeful living is something that that keeps you healthy and alive. And so that's a little about what I also um try to bring to folks that are, like you said, feeling very isolated and depressed and you know, unhappy because of where their career has gone after a layoff when it's really in next chapter. It's like, no, let's get excited about this. Um, now you can define how you want to write that next chapter in your world and in your life and for your career.

Pedro 33:20

Hmm. Yeah, that's so true. Lori, I appreciate what you do. I appreciate you being here and sharing so openly today. It was great having you on.

SPEAKER_01 33:30

Thank you so much. I show I so enjoyed it. And uh thank you again so much for having me.

Davis Nguyen 33:37

That's it for this episode of Career Coaching Secrets. If you enjoyed this conversation, you can subscribe to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you're listening to this episode to catch future episodes. This conversation was brought to you by Purple Circle, where we help career coaches scale their business to seven and eight figures without burning out. To learn more about Purple Circle, our community, and how we can help you grow your business, visit joinpurplecircle.com.