Second Act: Lives Beyond the Job Title
Claim This Podcastby Gayathri Geetha
Podcast Overview
<p><b>Second Act: Lives Beyond the Job Title</b></p><p>Sometimes the next level isn’t higher — it’s wider.</p><p>What if the life you worked so hard to build isn’t the final form of who you’re meant to become?</p><p>You can earn the title. Lead the team. Hit the milestone.<br />And still feel a quiet pull toward something more — not instead of your success, but beyond it.</p><p>Second Act is a podcast for high-performing, mid-career professionals who are expanding their identity without abandoning what they’ve built.</p><p>Each episode traces the real arc of a second act: the internal shift, the first imperfect move, the tradeoffs and constraints, the craft behind the work, and the tools or teams that made growth possible. We end with grounded insights for those ready to widen their own path.</p><p>This isn’t about quitting.<br />It’s about range.</p><p>If you’ve ever thought, “Is this it?” — this conversation is for you.</p>
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Publishing Since
2/23/2026
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Recent Episodes
July 15, 2026
Tech Exec to Wellness Founder: Building The Healing Habit from Scratch
<p>After 15 years in tech, Mel Hoeppner thought she knew what success looked like.</p><p>Then chronic illness forced her to step away from the career she'd spent years building.</p><p>What followed wasn't just a career pivot—it was the beginning of <b>The Healing Habit</b>, a wellness brand born from her own healing journey.</p><p></p><p>In this episode of <b>Second Act</b>, Mel shares the deeply personal story behind her transition from tech executive to founder, and the practical lessons she learned while building a consumer brand from scratch.</p><p></p><p>From experimenting with ingredients in her own kitchen to finding manufacturers, validating demand, building an audience through storytelling, landing wholesale customers, and even using AI as a personal founder coach, Mel offers an honest look at what it really takes to build a business with purpose.</p><p></p><p>Whether you're launching a startup, navigating a career transition, or redefining success on your own terms, this conversation is packed with practical insights and a reminder that your next chapter doesn't have to look like your last.</p><h3>In this episode</h3><p>• Recognizing when burnout is something more serious<br />• Making the difficult decision to leave a successful tech career<br />• The story behind building <b>The Healing Habit</b> from scratch<br />• Finding manufacturers and validating a consumer product idea<br />• Growing a brand through storytelling and social media<br />• Landing wholesale customers without a big budget<br />• Using AI as a founder's accountability coach<br />• Overcoming analysis paralysis and building in public<br />• Redefining success beyond job titles and income</p><hr /><h3>About Mel</h3><p><b>The Healing Habit</b><br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://thehealinghabit.com/" target="_blank">https://thehealinghabit.com/</a></p><p><b>Instagram</b><br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/thehealinghabit.co/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/thehealinghabit.co/</a></p><p><b>LinkedIn</b><br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mel-hoeppner-76930624" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/mel-hoeppner-76930624</a></p><hr /><h3>Timestamps</h3><p><b>00:00</b> From Tech Executive to Health Crisis<br /><b>03:32</b> The Diagnosis That Changed Everything<br /><b>07:41</b> Choosing Health Over Career<br /><b>09:57</b> Learning to Slow Down<br /><b>12:09</b> Finding Clarity Through Stillness<br /><b>13:18</b> The Book That Changed Everything (<i>Anti-Cancer</i>)<br /><b>14:49</b> From Kitchen Experiment to Business Idea<br /><b>16:35</b> Building a Consumer Brand from Scratch<br /><b>19:48</b> Validating Demand Through Storytelling<br /><b>22:22</b> Why Social Proof Matters<br /><b>23:05</b> Cold Outreach & Landing the First Customers<br /><b>24:36</b> Life as a Solopreneur<br /><b>26:00</b> The Tech Stack Behind a One-Person Business<br /><b>26:51</b> Using AI as a Founder Coach<br /><b>29:15</b> Overcoming Analysis Paralysis<br /><b>31:18</b> Redefining Success<br /><b>32:27</b> Milestones, Community & Support<br /><b>37:44</b> More About The Healing Habit</p>
June 15, 2026
Tech Leader, Investor, School Board Trustee: Inside Alex Levich’s Portfolio Life
<p>What does it actually look like to build a life beyond your job title?</p><p>In this episode of Second Act: Lives Beyond the Job Title, Gayathri Geetha speaks with Alexandra Levich, a tech product leader who has led major platforms at Google, Meta, and Tinder, while also building a real estate investment path and serving as an elected trustee for the Mountain View Los Altos School District.</p><p>Alex shares how her identity expanded beyond work, why motherhood made her a better leader, how she thinks about real estate investing through a product management lens, and what it takes to balance tech leadership, investing, public service, family, and personal growth.</p><p>This conversation is for anyone who has a strong career but is wondering: What else could my life include?</p><p>We talk about:<br />• Building a portfolio life without walking away from your career<br />• Why second acts do not have to mean starting over<br />• How real estate investing works at a practical level<br />• What tech teaches, and does not teach, about investing<br />• Running for school board and entering public service<br />• Managing multiple commitments through systems, teams, and support<br />• How to start exploring your next path in the next 30 days</p><p>The biggest takeaway: you do not have to burn everything down to build something new. You can create parallel paths, expand your identity, and design a life that is wider than one title.</p><p></p><p>Chapters:<br />00:00 The real challenge of a portfolio life<br />00:48 Meet Alexandra Levich (Alex)<br />01:47 Identity expansion beyond the job title<br />04:25 Real estate investing as a second path<br />06:37 What tech doesn’t teach you about investing<br />07:50 How to evaluate a real estate deal<br />10:27 Product thinking and real estate<br />13:14 Getting started as a new real estate investor<br />14:16 Why Alex ran for school board<br />19:26 What school board work actually looks like<br />21:30 Managing multiple commitments<br />23:29 Systems, teams, and support<br />24:30 What a portfolio life actually gives you<br />26:01 Alex’s five-year plan<br />27:02 Advice for exploring your next path<br />28:32 Closing thoughts<br />28:49 Outro</p><p><br />Tags: #Career • #Wealth • #Purpose</p><p></p><p>Music Credits:</p><ul><li>Track 1 ID: YDW7UIT055Q5FPQB</li><li>Track 2 ID: 3VDCV70HXRPMR6FI</li><li>Source: Royalty-free media library provided by <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://Riverside.fm" target="_blank">Riverside.fm</a></li><li>License: Content used in accordance with platform end-user terms for creators. [<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://riverside.com/tools/add-music-to-video" target="_blank">1</a>,<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://riverside.com/free-podcast-music" target="_blank"> 2</a>]</li></ul>
May 26, 2026
She Left the C-Suite With No Backup Plan | Bosky Mukherjee on Burnout, Power & Reinvention
<p>For nearly two decades, Bosky Mukherjee played the career game the way many high achievers are taught to: work hard, climb the ladder, and never leave without a backup plan.</p><p>She rose to the C-suite, became a company president, and built a reputation as the person who could always push through. But behind the success, her body was telling a very different story.</p><p>In this episode of <b>Second Act</b>, Bosky shares the moment she realized staying had become riskier than leaving, how a heartbreaking question from her young son changed everything, and why she finally walked away from corporate life with no next job lined up.</p><p>We talk about burnout, identity, women in leadership, the glass ceiling, sponsors vs. mentors, commercial fluency, and how Bosky built her second act as the founder of PM Dojo and She Trail Blazes.</p><p>This conversation is for anyone who has ever wondered:<br /></p><p><b>What if the life I worked so hard to build is no longer the life I’m meant to live?</b></p><h3><b>In this episode, we discuss:</b></h3><ul><li>The health scare that forced Bosky to stop and reassess her life</li><li>Why high-achieving women often become “workhorses”</li><li>The difference between work ethic and unhealthy proving</li><li>Why women hit the glass ceiling</li><li>Why mentors are not enough — and why sponsors matter</li><li>What commercial fluency means for senior leaders</li><li>How Bosky built a business without waiting for the perfect idea</li><li>Why paid pilots matter more than praise</li><li>How to start building optionality before you need it</li></ul><p>If this episode resonates with you, subscribe to <b>Second Act</b> for more conversations about identity, reinvention, ambition, and life beyond the job title.</p><h2><b>Chapters</b></h2><p>00:00 Can I leave?</p><p>00:38 Meet Bosky Mukherjee: From C-Suite to Second Act</p><p>01:09 When Staying Became Riskier Than Leaving</p><p>04:16 The Turning Point: Health and Family</p><p>04:41 The Workhorse Identity and the Cost of Proving Yourself</p><p>09:57 Bosky’s Mission to Help Women Break the Glass Ceiling</p><p>12:26 Why Women Hit the Glass Ceiling</p><p>16:15 Mindset, Strategy, and Letting the Right Balls Drop</p><p>18:36 Why Work Harder Stops Working: Sponsors, Influence, and Commercial Fluency</p><p>26:27 After the Health Scare: Choosing the Next Move</p><p>29:44 Building a Real Business: Paid Pilots, Storytelling, and Scrappiness</p><p>44:03 Advice for Anyone Considering Their Second Act</p><p>50:45 Future Aspirations and Personal Growth</p><p></p><h2><b>About Bosky Mukherjee</b></h2><p>Bosky Mukherjee is a founder, product executive, advisor, and coach helping women leaders and founders build influence, revenue, and optionality in a changing world of work.</p><p>She is the founder of <b>PM Dojo</b> and <b>She Trailblazes</b>, where she leads programs like <b>Leadership Edge</b> for senior women leaders and <b>Founders Edge</b> for women building revenue-generating businesses. Her work blends commercial fluency, storytelling, product strategy, and lived experience as a former C-suite leader, working mom, and immigrant.</p><p>Through her work, Bosky helps women break the glass ceiling — whether that means rising into bigger leadership roles or building a business of their own.</p><p></p><p>Links:<br />She Trailblazes:<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.shetrailblazes.com/" target="_blank">https://www.shetrailblazes.com/</a><br />LinkedIn:<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bosky/" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/bosky/</a></p><p></p><p>Tags: Second Act podcast, women in leadership, career reinvention, C-suite burnout, women founders, leaving corporate, commercial fluency, Bosky Mukherjee</p>
7 total episodes available
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- What is Second Act: Lives Beyond the Job Title?
<p><b>Second Act: Lives Beyond the Job Title</b></p><p>Sometimes the next level isn’t higher — it’s wider.</p><p>What if the life you worked so hard to build isn’t the final form of who you’re meant to become?</p><p>You can earn the title. Lead the team. Hit the milestone.<br />And still feel a quiet pull toward something more — not instead of your success, but beyond it.</p><p>Second Act is a podcast for high-performing, mid-career professionals who are expanding their identity without abandoning what they’ve built.</p><p>Each episode traces the real arc of a second act: the internal shift, the first imperfect move, the tradeoffs and constraints, the craft behind the work, and the tools or teams that made growth possible. We end with grounded insights for those ready to widen their own path.</p><p>This isn’t about quitting.<br />It’s about range.</p><p>If you’ve ever thought, “Is this it?” — this conversation is for you.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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