Resetting Is Not Retreating

In the wide spectrum of career redirections that I’ve illuminated with pivot stories, there’s a unique phase some find themselves in--one that is not retirement, not yet a complete redirection or reinvention. I call this phase the reset. The individuals navigating it--Resetters--are often exploring rather than committing, taking stock rather than charging ahead. It’s a period marked by reflection, recalibration, and an openness to discovering what’s next. For some, this reset is temporary. For others, it’s a potential new rhythm for living.

Resetters I've interviewed (seven out of sixty stories) are often leaving behind roles they’ve excelled in—executive leadership, senior research or strategy positions, or long corporate careers. The reasons vary: some transitions were voluntary, others triggered by job elimination (layoffs), and some were a mix of both. Interestingly, and I wish I had more data, most of the resetter stories are women. They bring depth to the emotional and relational aspects of transition. While the sixty stories I’ve done, with not all published, they are evenly split between men and women, yet resetters are mostly women.

The reset period is not a pause--it is an active, dynamic time. Learning, wellness, and reconnection are common threads across nearly every story.

Resetters are taking the opportunity to learn something new as a reorientation to what they hope lies ahead for them, for example, a new leadership role in a company getting into AI in a bigger way.

Getting healthier is a huge focus – something we should do all the time, but everyone I’ve talked with who is resetting is putting intentional focus on getting healthy.

And all, are reconnecting with friends, family, and new connections as they explore options during resetting. Some are using their freed up time to serve in their communities. 

So, will resetters stay unemployed, perhaps easing into retirement or is this time a bridge to what’s next? Most Resetters see this time as transitional—an intentional reorientation toward what’s next.

They offer some advice. 

First and foremost, financial independence is foundational. If this period of resetting takes longer than planned, you will need money to span the time – as I’ve written in Financial Considerations, up to 18 months. This reset period, if spent in cocooning, is easiest if you are free from financial concerns. If you see a reset time coming, prepare financially.

Speaking of cocooning, use this time to grow through learning. Tackle learning something you’ve always wanted to do. I’ve taken up water color painting and not to brag, am shocked at how much I enjoy it and have improved. But keep on learning what’s immense in your field – for most of us, it’s AI. But it could be writing or pickle ball. Explore selectively with some discernment about what makes you tick.

Figure out, if you haven’t already, who YOU are without your job. Separate your identity from your corporate role. Along with this, let go of your need for external validation. Give it to yourself. Recognize yourself. You are pretty spectacular. Just clean out your space, as I advocate as another foundation, and as you weed through what you want to keep and what you want to let go, realize that you’ve done amazing work and made amazing contributions. 

Tap your network. Build it. Reconnect with it. Get introductions to tangential people. Really you might do this all the time, but during a reset period this is mandatory. Do it face-to-face. Get those hugs. 

Resetting is a phase of power, not pause. It’s not a limbo stage. It’s a powerful, if sometimes uncertain, phase of self-authorship. Far from being idle, Resetters are actively reshaping their identities, restoring their health, reconnecting with purpose, and redefining what success means in midlife and beyond. They are exploring life on their own terms—with curiosity, discernment, and courage.

This isn't a retreat—it’s a reset. And if there's one lesson they collectively offer, it's this: slowing down is not giving up. It’s a chance to realign with what matters most, to design a life—whether of work, rest, reinvention, or redirection—that honors experience, values, and possibility.

Resetters are showing us that there is deep wisdom in the pause—and there will be greater power in what comes after.