Discover how women over 40 are leading systemic change and tackling audacious goals. In this episode, 42-year-old Kiersten Barnet, Executive Director of the NYC Jobs CEO Council, shares how she's coordinating Fortune 100 CEOs to hire 100,000 low-income New Yorkers—and they're already more than halfway there.

If you've ever wondered "is it too late to take on something impossibly big?" this conversation proves the answer is absolutely not. Kiersten reveals her practical strategies for breaking down overwhelming problems, asking better questions, and building the kind of authentic leadership that creates space for everyone behind you. From her annual "letter from the future" practice to her philosophy of "strategic neglect," she offers a masterclass in midlife ambition that's both grounded in research and beautifully human.

What You'll Learn

Career Change & Midlife Reinvention:

• How to pivot from corporate (15 years at Bloomberg) to mission-driven leadership after 40
• Why women's growth mindset peaks in their 40s and how to leverage it
• How to take on audacious goals without having all the answers first
• Why your "not knowing what you want to be" might actually be your superpower
• Strategic career pivots for women over 40 seeking meaningful work

• How to lead major initiatives while raising small children in your 40s
• Work-life integration strategies that actually work (not the mythical "balance")
• Why scheduling self-care and date nights matters more than superhuman productivity
• Strategic neglect: giving yourself permission to let go of the "shoulds"
• Managing stress and overwhelm during perimenopause while leading high-stakes projects

• The annual future-letter practice that turns goals into concrete action plans
• "Eat the frog first": why tackling the hardest thing in the morning changes everything
• How to ask the right questions of the right people when facing big problems
• Data collection vs. speculation: making better decisions by knowing your "customer"
• Why problems don't age well and how to build courage through immediate actio
• Breaking down impossible goals into digestible, actionable steps

• How authenticity (not fitting a mold) makes you memorable and effective
• Why talking about your children and challenges publicly creates systemic change
• The evolution from "women couldn't make it work" to "this is the new norm"
• How to measure success when you're in the second half of your life
• Building courage capital through facing impossible-seeming challenges
• Midlife confidence building for women leaders

• How to coordinate massive coalitions (like Fortune 100 CEOs) toward common goals
• Why breaking down big problems into digestible pieces is the only way forward
• The importance of hiring and skilling local talent for economic mobility
• How private sector leadership can drive public sector change
• Why transferable skills from hourly work matter more than ever in the AI era

Key Timestamps

[00:00] Introduction to Kiersten Barnet and the NYC Jobs CEO Council's audacious goal

[02:45] "I don't think I knew any of the jobs I've had existed until basically just before I had them"

[04:15] How priorities shift in your 40s: from straight paths to what's right for right now

[06:00] Measuring success in the second half of life

[07:00] Why growth mindset peaks in your 40s

[08:00] The importance of questions and curiosity in leadership

[10:00] Breaking down systemic change: the 100,000 hiring goal explained

[11:15] The annual future-letter practice that transforms goal-setting

[14:00] "Is this what I want or what I'm supposed to want?"

[15:15] Strategic neglect: the art of not cooking dinner without guilt

[16:15] Why we blame work when stress often comes from elsewhere

[17:00] "Eat the frog first": tackling the hardest thing in the morning

[19:00] "Problems don't age well" - Jamie Dimon's advice on accountability

[20:00] The hardest part of coordinating Fortune 100 CEOs

[22:30] "This is mine to lose": holding yourself accountable without paralysis

[24:00] Knowing your customer: data collection over speculation

[27:15] How to ask for help from people whose time is extremely valuable

[29:00] The Google Career Certificates story: asking the right questions of the right people

[31:00] Why business has to see the value proposition (it's not charity)

[33:15] Living by the calendar: how structure creates work-life integration

[36:00] The kimono approach: wrapping all aspects of yourself into leadership

[37:30] Who inspires Kiersten: Dusty Jenkins

[38:45] Letting go of fitting the mold of what a leader "should" look like

[40:00] Helena Morrissey: CEO with 9 children who taught Kiersten about authentic leadership

[42:30] Why women talking about challenges publicly creates systemic change

[43:15] The secret code calendars: from hiding to openly prioritizing kids

[45:15] How to support the mission: hiring local talent, any size business

[48:00] Why hourly work experience makes candidates MORE competitive, not less

[50:00] Lived experience in the age of AI: leaning into what differentiates you

Guest Bio

Kiersten Barnet is the Executive Director of the NYC Jobs CEO Council, where she leads a coalition of Fortune 100 CEOs from companies including JP Morgan, IBM, Google, and Citigroup who have committed to hiring 100,000 low-income New Yorkers into family-sustaining jobs by 2030. Prior to this role, Kiersten spent 15 years at Bloomberg, where she led gender equality initiatives and helped shape how major companies globally report on social sustainability. She co-founded the US 30% Club, a group of influential CEOs including Warren Buffett and Larry Fink working to advance women in leadership, and sits on several nonprofit and advisory boards.

At 42, Kiersten brings two decades of experience in behavior change, workforce development, and systemic change to her mission of transforming NYC's hiring ecosystem. She is a mother of two and a passionate advocate for authentic, integrated leadership that makes space for the whole person.

Connect with Kiersten:

• LinkedIn
• NYC Jobs CEO Council

Host Bio

Aransas Savas is a veteran Wellbeing and Leadership Coach with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of behavioral research, coaching, and experience strategy. She has partnered with companies like Weight Watchers, Best Buy, Truist, and US Bank to apply behavior change science to customer journeys and has coached thousands of individuals and groups on wellbeing and leadership.

Aransas hosts The Uplifters Podcast, a 2023 Gold Signal Award winner, where she spotlights women over 40 who are doing big, brave things in the world—proving that midlife is when many women truly hit their stride. Based in Brooklyn, she's a 20-time marathoner, mother of two, and founder of LiveUp Daily.

Connect with Aransas:

• Website: theuplifterspodcast.com
• Instagram: @aransas_savas
• LinkedIn: Aransas Savas
• Newsletter: Subscribe at theuplifterspodcast.com
• TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast
• YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast
• Facebook: Aransas Savas

Keywords

#WomenOver40 #MidlifeMindset #CareerChange #PersonalGrowth #WomenEmpowerment #MidlifeLeadership #SystemicChange #WomenInLeadership #SecondActCareers #WorkforceDevelopment #StrategicPlanning #AuthenticLeadership #GrowthMindset #CareerPivot #WomenOver40Success #MidlifeReinvention #LeadershipAfter40 #ExecutiveLeadership #BehaviorChange #SocialImpact #EconomicMobility #NYCJobs #BloombergAlumni #FortuneHundredLeadership #CourageCapital #Perimenopause #Menopause #MenopauseCareerChange #PerimenopauseLeadership

Mentioned in This Episode:

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The Uplifters Podcast is produced by LiveUp Coaching & Consulting LLC. New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to ensure you never miss a story of courage, transformation, and midlife possibility.