The Transformer Type - Creating What Doesn't Exist

In the landscape of career redirections, few stand out as boldly as the Transformers—individuals who not only pivot away from established paths but actively create something entirely new within their industries. Unlike Passion Pivoters, who follow a personal calling, or Resetters, who pause to reflect, Transformers deliberately take on the work of reimagining systems, markets, and models of work. They step away from comfortable or prestigious roles to build structures that did not exist before, grounded in their own vision of what should be.

Transformers through agency make an active choice

This cohort of ten stories reflects an extraordinary range: 

• Reshaping corporate governance (Ben Waber)

• Building global platforms for HR tech (Marc Coleman)

• Blending finance and psychology into AI-driven HR solutions (Fanni Kadocsa)

• Reframing change management through neuroscience (Michael Lopez)

• Using AI to solve thorny performance challenges (Mike Pino)

• Redefining hospitality as mentorship and community (Reena Miglani)

• Pioneering the “Marina Model” of entrepreneurial advisory (Marilyn Hendricks)

• Transforming caregiving through business ownership (Lysa Schulte)

• Building thought leadership into a global futurist movement (Andrew Spence)

• Crafting collaborative growth models rooted in trust (Sue VanKlink and Lisa Hartley).

Though their industries differ, the thread tying them together is agency—a refusal to accept inertia, a willingness to take risks, and a belief that change must begin with bold experimentation.

What They Pivoted From

Most Transformers began their careers in established, respected corporate roles that conferred credibility, stability, and brought financial security. Yet those very roles also revealed the limits of the status quo.

• Corporate and Consulting Giants: Several were at the top of global firms. Mike Pino was a partner at PwC, while Andrew Spence had spent decades leading major HR reorganizations around the world. Both reached pinnacles of credibility, only to find that the work had become formulaic or misaligned with purpose.

  
  

• HR Tech and Sales Leadership: Many came through the HR technology ecosystem. Marc Coleman had built a reputation as a world-class conference organizer before deciding that traditional models were stale. Lysa Schulte worked in sales for HR companies like Phenom and BetterUp, but burnout made her question whether selling solutions truly aligned with her values.

  
  

• Finance and Analytics: Fanni Kadocsa moved from PwC, Xerox, and Microsoft in senior finance roles, eventually becoming a CFO for Microsoft in Hungary. Yet despite her success, she found herself restless during maternity leave and pulled toward psychology, coaching, and eventually AI in HR.

  
  

• Executive Leadership and Entrepreneurship: Ben Waber, founder of Humanyze, discovered the limits of selling dashboards to companies unwilling to address cultural dysfunction. He concluded that data alone wasn’t enough to fix management.

  
  

• Corporate Sales and Operations: Reena Miglani thrived in enterprise software sales at Oracle, leading global teams, before layoffs and toxicity convinced her to leave corporate life.

  
  

• Professional Services and Advisory: Marilyn Hendricks spent three decades in HR, software, and consulting, only to realize she no longer wanted to surrender her voice to someone else’s agenda.

  
  

These departures were rarely impulsive. They came from years of observation, frustration, or burnout, paired with readiness: financial security, support networks, and often life transitions (illness, caregiving, or global crises like COVID-19) that created urgency for change.

The Transformation Process

Transformers do not pivot lightly. They treat transformation as both a process and a philosophy, blending pragmatism with idealism.

1. Catalysts of Dissatisfaction Some described a breaking point.

   • “Selling dashboards and doing consulting to help them do the right thing was no longer the best use of my time,” said Ben Waber.

   • Andrew Spence reflected: “Clients would say they wanted to transform HR, but what they meant was implementing Workday/SuccessFactors. It wasn’t enough.”

     
     

2. Periods of Cocooning and Reflection 

   Reena Miglani after Oracle layoffs, embraced cocooning - her concept of stepping away from the grind, reconnecting with family, and realigning with personal values before  committing to hospitality. Others, like Lysa Schulte, used coaching and caregiving experiences to clarify a new path.

   
   

3. Experimentation and Iteration Few leapt straight into polished models.

   • Marilyn Hendricks experimented with partnerships before landing on her “Marina Model.”

   • Sue Van Klink and Lisa Hartley tested working together informally before committing to SVK & Associates.

     
     

4. Resilience Through Setbacks Setbacks happened:

   • Mike Pino had his advisory network disrupted by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

   • Marc Coleman had to reinvent Unleash as a media company when COVID wiped out live events.

     
     

     Resilience became a hallmark—setbacks were reframed as openings to build differently.

     
     

5. Learning as a Core Practice Continuous and continual learning shaped their journeys.

   • Fanni Kadocsa built expertise in psychology and AI while caring for her mother who had cancer.

   • Ben Waber listens to academic lectures during long runs to stay abreast of corporate law and organizational behavior.

   • Andrew Spence insists that “everyone should have a lifelong learning budget.”

     
     

The process is not linear. As Michael Lopez put it: “There’s a formula for change, but change is not formulaic.”

Current Directions and Industry Transformations

What makes Transformers distinctive is not just leaving old roles but building new paradigms that reshape industries.

Corporate Governance Reimagined – Ben Waber

Ben moved beyond people analytics into corporate governance, arguing that the real lever for change is executive compensation tied to ethical and effective management. He now consults with private equity and teaches at MIT and Ritsumeikan University. His bold claim: “If you tie executive compensation to specific changes in organizational function, you can simultaneously improve working conditions and profitability.”

Platforms as Marketplaces for Change – Marc Coleman

Marc transformed HR events into Unleash, a global platform mixing economists, Josh Bersin, and a Buddhist monk on the same stage. Forced by COVID to pivot again, he turned Unleash into a media company, proving resilience and vision. For him, events were never just events: they were marketplaces for jobs, partnerships, and innovation.

AI-Driven HR with Empathy – Fanni Kadocsa

Fanni blends her CFO background with psychology and AI, co-founding a company that augments HR teams’ AI journeys. She calls herself an “augmentor” and focuses on risk assessment, AI adoption roadmaps, and upskilling. Inspired by her grandmother, a pioneering architect, she believes “revolutionary DNA runs in the family.”

The Science of Change – Michael Lopez

Michael reframes change management with neuroscience, writing Change: Six Science-Backed Strategies to Transform Your Brain, Body, and Behavior. He emphasizes stress as fuel, repetition as mastery, and environment as accelerator. “Traditional change management doesn’t work,” he says. “It assumes everyone is the same, but change is deeply personal and non-linear.”

Solving Wicked Problems with AI – Mike Pino

Mike left PwC for Problem Solutions, a boutique firm tackling performance and learning challenges with AI. He distinguishes continual learning (reflection and wisdom) from machine “continuous learning.” “We live forward but make sense of our lives looking backward,” he notes, embracing ambiguity as the crucible of wisdom.

Hospitality as Human Connection – Reena Miglani

After Oracle, Reena embraced her husband’s restaurant ventures, opening Amara and relaunching Michelin-starred Rasa 2.0. She reframes restaurants as “hospitality-first experiences” where employees create moments of connection. Her next frontier is mentorship in hospitality, ensuring young professionals see it not as “just a job” but as a career path.

The Marina Model of Advisory – Marilyn Hendricks

Marilyn rejected another corporate leadership role to found WorkTech Advisory, structured as a “marina” where clients dock temporarily to access strategy, networks, and growth. “This is my boat. I’m not handing over the helm,” she insists. She emphasizes infrastructure—accounting, assistants, marketing tools—because “you’re not just freelancing—you’re running a business.”

Caregiving as Enterprise – Lysa Schulte

Lysa founded Koda Caregivers, a Southern California agency that pairs seniors with caregivers for not just physical but emotional support. Her pivot came from caregiving for her mother and mother-in-law. “I didn’t want to sell solutions anymore—I wanted to be the solution.” Her work reframes entrepreneurship as care, dignity, and vitality.

Workforce Futurism – Andrew Spence

Andrew built the Work3 on Substack (30,000+ subscribers) with Matteo Cellini, exploring blockchain, credentials, and the future of skills. He co-authored the first industry paper on blockchain in HR with Don Tapscott. “The best part was finding my people,” he says, underscoring community as central to transformation. His humanist goal: “I want to take stones off people’s backs.”

Collaborative Growth Models – Sue Van Klink and Lisa Hartley

Sue and Lisa co-founded SVK & Associates, offering strategic advisory, executive coaching, and fractional leadership built around a “revenue flywheel.” Their foundation is trust: “If Sue says jump, I say, ‘Which cliff?’” Lisa quips. Their model rejects burnout, emphasizing joy, flow, and collaboration as engines of sustainable business.

Variations by Gender

Women Transformers

Women often build transformations rooted in care, collaboration, and community. Fanni blends her finance and psychology expertise with AI to reshape HR practices, a direction influenced by her experience caring for her mother. Reena redefines restaurants as community hubs. Marilyn builds advisory networks that prioritize trust. Lysa centers caregiving. Sue and Lisa craft a partnership based on friendship and joy. Their focus is connection as transformation.

Men Transformers

Men’s transformations tend to emphasize systems, scale, and intellectual rigor. Ben restructures governance through compensation. Marc creates global platforms. Michael reframes change with neuroscience. Mike designs AI solutions for wicked problems. Andrew builds futurist communities. Their focus is innovation as transformation.

Variations by Age Cohort

40s – Building Boldly 

Transformers in their 40s take risks earlier, building scalable solutions with long horizons. Ben, Marc, and Fanni are reshaping governance, events, and AI in HR. Mike stays grounded in his core values rather than roles or titles, shaping new ventures around reflection, authenticity, and solving meaningful problems. Their energy is expansive—focused on building industries that will outlast them.

50s – Reframing with Purpose 

The 50s cohort brings depth of expertise and urgency for impact. Michael redefines change management, Lysa reinvents caregiving, Andrew reframes work itself. Reena also integrates personal values into new ventures. They move from roles that no longer fulfill into purpose-driven ventures.

60s – Clarifying Legacy 

The 60s cohort prizes agency, clarity, and collaboration. Marilyn insists on steering her own boat. Sue and Lisa co-create a trust-based consulting model. They emphasize sustainability and giving back—what will endure beyond their own careers.

Advice

The advice from Transformers is both pragmatic and inspiring. To be a transformer or to even just pivot:

• Fight inertia - Ben Waber – “The things that are important to change are hard. You need to fight inertia and acknowledge that you may not always reach your goal.”

• Do your research - Marc Coleman – “Thorough market research is crucial. Understand the landscape and validate your vision.”

• Integrate skills and passions - Fanni Kadocsa – Blend what you know with what you value.

• Bet on yourself - Michael Lopez –  “Even if it doesn’t work out, you’ll never regret betting on yourself.”

• Find straight-talkers - Mike Pino – “The most valuable thing you can have is a small group of people who will talk straight to you.”

• Think long-term - Reena Miglani – Focus on energy and optimism.

• Build infrastructure - Marilyn Hendricks – “You’re not just freelancing—you’re running a business.”

• Protect your health - Lysa Schulte – “There will be bad months, but you can’t let it take a toll on your health.”

• Find your people - Andrew Spence – “You meet allies by writing.”

• Build around trust - Sue Van Klink and Lisa Hartley – “If Sue says jump, I say, ‘Which cliff?’”

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Closing Synthesis

Transformers remind us that career pivots are not always about small adjustments or following passions. Sometimes they are about creating the structures that don’t yet exist. They reveal the courage to stop waiting for change and instead to build it themselves.

Women in this group transform industries by embedding care, trust, and collaboration into new models. Men reimagine systems, governance, and frameworks at scale. Age shapes approach: 40s build boldly, 50s reframe with purpose, and 60s clarify legacies while embracing collaboration.

Their collective message is clear: to redirect successfully, don’t just pivot into what already exists. Invent the future you want to see.