The Wake-Up Call You Can’t Ignore: Julie Ciardi on Redefining Success at 50. #EpisodeEight

What happens when the life you built—the roles, the title, the revenue—no longer feels like yours? In this episode of The Kate Kenney Show #Unfiltered, I sit down with Julie Ciardi: author, entrepreneur, mother, and former IBM VP, who walked away from everything that looked like success… to finally live in alignment. But this isn’t about “starting over.”
It’s about coming home—to self-trust, sovereignty, and a definition of leadership that’s rooted in presence, not performance.

We talk about:

• The belief that silently shaped every decision: “It’s all on me”
• What happens when success stops feeling like truth
• How to move beyond identity labels into embodiment and freedom
• Reinvention at midlife—and why 50 is just the beginning
• Why internal alignment is the ultimate growth strategy
  
  

Julie offers a radically honest perspective on letting go to become. If you're in the in-between—where the old no longer fits and the new isn’t fully formed—this conversation is for you. It’s not about who you were.
It’s about who you’re becoming. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:18 – Reflecting on Past Identities
01:07 – The Income Lifestyle Trap
04:10 – The Rocking Chair Exercise 06:06 – What Radical Action Actually Looks Like 09:45 – Family, Guilt, and Redefining “Responsibility” 16:20 – Fulfillment vs. Expectations 26:50 – The Breakdown That Became Breakthrough 28:37 – The Turning Point: Business + Identity 34:12 – Writing the Book & Reclaiming Her Voice 41:52 – Human Design + Navigating Leadership from Within 48:10 – Final Thoughts on Reinvention, Freedom & Power 🔗 RESOURCES:

Follow Julie on Instagram: @julieciardi Buy Julie’s Book “50 Not Finished”: https://a.co/d/5o03PoB Julie’s Podcast: 50 Not Finished Check out Ignite Coach School: igniteherbrand.com/coachschool Follow Kate on: Instagram → @thekatekenney
Facebook → Facebook Page
LinkedIn → Kate on LinkedIn