Candace Thompson-Zachery: How Six Certifications and One Big Pivot Led a Dance Executive to Menopause Coaching at 40

Former Dance/NYC co-executive director Candace Thompson-Zachery shares her journey from 20 years in arts advocacy to launching a menopause and wellness coaching practice at age 40. This episode explores career transitions in midlife, building courage capital through curiosity, and why women's growth mindset peaks in their 40s. Candace discusses her path from founding Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE on a $20K budget to getting six certifications in two years, including menopause coach, wellness coach, and Clifton Strengths coach. Learn how she developed "yearning" for her work, why she views her gray hair as earned badges of honor, and practical strategies for pivoting careers without having all the answers first.

What You'll Learn

• Career pivot strategies for midlife including how to leverage 20+ years of experience in a new field
• Menopause and perimenopause support for women maintaining high performance during hormonal transitions
• Building courage capital at 40+ by developing yearning instead of waiting for readiness
• Overcoming perfectionism and the delayed tactics of collecting endless certifications
• Strengths-based leadership approaches for artists, creatives, and organizational leaders
• Network as insurance - how relationships built over decades become your safety net
• Growth mindset in midlife - why women's learning capacity peaks in their 40s
• Executive wellness strategies encompassing movement, nutrition, mindset, and hormonal health
• How to start before you're ready using beta testers and small experiments
• Reframing time after 40 - why five years feels manageable instead of daunting

Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction & Nutrafol sponsorship message

01:00 - Nomination from Charisma J

02:00 - Welcome & intro to Candace Thompson-Zachery

04:15 - 20 years in NYC's dance and arts ecosystem

05:30 - Evolution from dancer to arts advocate

06:45 - Founding her own dance collective on $20K

08:00 - Navigating doubt vs. curiosity in career evolution

10:15 - Motherhood as a catalyst for new confidence

11:30 - Reframing time and readiness at 40

13:30 - Career coaching and six certifications journey

14:15 - Becoming a menopause coach

15:00 - Community support during transitions

16:30 - Network as insurance and resource inventory

18:00 - Starting without all the data

19:15 - Developing "yearning" for the work

21:30 - Analysis paralysis vs. energizing vision

23:30 - Lowering the perfectionist voice through doing

24:30 - Hustle as insurance

25:30 - Beliefs about aging from first to second half of life

27:30 - Gray hair as earned authority

29:00 - Feeling groundedness and calm at 40

30:15 - Advantages of doing brave things as we age

31:45 - Diminished self-consciousness about others' perceptions

33:00 - When did you think you'd feel like an adult?

34:00 - "It's never too late" - reframing possibilities

35:30 - Finding the essence beneath the dream

36:30 - What yearning feels like in daily work

38:00 - Who inspires you: Sydney Mosley

39:00 - How to support Candace's work

40:30 - Executive wellness and menopause specialization

41:30 - Closing thoughts

Key Takeaways

On Career Pivots:

• You don't need all the data before making a change—you've never had all the data
• Start with a beta tester or willing friend before launching publicly
• Your network from decades of work becomes your insurance polic
• Hedge your bets: build the new thing while staying open to full-time work
• Five years of doing anything will make you...
  
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