Five Women Who Courageously Changed Careers

© Courtesy/Amber Hawkins   With unique challenges as to how they found a new professional paths, these women all came to the same conclusion: If you want to change your life, don’t hesitate.

By Emily Zemler, Shondaland

At Shondaland, we’re all about courage. Whether it’s saving lives on the frontlines of wildfires or disease, or just peacing out from an uninspiring career or relationship, acts of courage can transform us. We’re taking a look at how being bold and brave leads us not only toward growth but ultimately toward greatness.

We're somewhat hardwired to think that, when embarking on a career path, it's a one-line trajectory, one in which we'll commit or get stuck in the same field from college until retirement. But, really, there’s no right way to have a career — and you don’t have to stick with the first job you pick.

It can take some courage, some sacrifice and a lot of hard work to change careers, especially after establishing yourself in a particular profession, but it’s always possible. There are dozens of examples of successful women who have swerved away from their original vocation, often going on to find much more fulfilling jobs later in life. The incomparable Ava Duvernay was, first, a journalist — who covered the OJ Simpson trial — and then a Hollywood publicist before she took $6,000, made her first film, a short called Saturday Night Life, and thereby launched a career that would see her Oscar-nominated and leading ARRAY, her company dedicated to the amplification of independent films by people of color and women filmmakers globally.

But what does it take to head down a new path? What do you need to know before handing in your notice and following your dream? We asked five women in varying careers how they managed to start over and what kind of dedication and skill that brave step took. Each woman shared a unique story with unique challenges, but they all came to the same conclusion: If you want to change your life, don’t hesitate.

Kim Schrier

U.S. Representative, Washington’s 8th District 

© Eric Connolly   Kim Schrier

Kim Schrier, a Democratic U.S. Representative in Congress elected to Washington’s 8th District in 2018, spent over 20 years working as a pediatrician after attending Stanford University School of Medicine. “I never would have contemplated changing careers,” Schrier admits. “I was very happy as a suburban pediatrician taking care of families. And then the 2016 election happened and that rocked my world in a multitude of ways.”

Schrier was concerned about how the Affordable Care Act would be impacted and how the new administration would affect children, minorities and immigrants. She began marching and rallying, but it wasn’t until a friend suggested she run for Congress that Schier realized she could personally change the state of politics in America.

“I am an introvert,” Schier notes. “I never seek the spotlight. My view on politics was that it was more like a spectator sport, never something I would be involved in. I had never met a member of Congress or any of politician.” But against the odds, Schrier won the seat, helping to flip the House, and started her term in 2019. Since joining Congress, Schier has established herself as a go-to person for matters regarding healthcare, women’s reproductive rights and children’s issues, bringing in her medical background to help establish laws and policies to benefit all citizens.

On taking the risk:

“I had a million times when I doubted myself. [But] I sat down with my husband and discussed whether we could lose a year of my salary to run a campaign, because that would be a big hit. I was worried I would lose 50 percent of my patients when I came out as a Democrat in a very purple area. And we just decided it was one of those moments when you need to step up and when it’s just incumbent on you to do it. Imposter syndrome affects women everywhere, so there were constant thoughts of ‘What am I doing?’ and ‘Can I do this job?’ and ‘I think we need the voice of a woman doctor in Congress, but I’m not totally sure.’ There was a constant self-checking along the way. The more the campaign proceeded, the more reinforcement I got externally that I was the right person for this job.”

On learning what you're capable of:

“Denny Heck, who’s a Congressman from Washington State, gave me a bit of advice, a little pep talk, when I was entering the race. He said, ‘Win or lose, you will like yourself better for having made the journey.’ And I think that’s a really important lesson. I will say that even if I had lost that election I’m now a better person, more confident, a better speaker, I give more definitive answers. I can take a strong stance, but I’m also able to say ‘I don’t know, let me look that up.’ And scared is okay place to be. Doubt is an okay place to be. It can be very healthy to have imposter syndrome – it makes sure you’re going to work harder to really do the best job.”

On reaching across the aisle:

“People, especially women, would say, ‘You’re too nice – you’ll get walked all over in Congress.’ And I think one of the great realizations has been that working in Congress is all about teamwork. It’s about working together and finding your allies on both sides of the aisle. People want to work with you if you are a nice person who is respectful. That notion that you have to be tough as nails and not cooperate is just plain wrong. We need more people who are collaborative.”

Retta

Actress

© NBC   Retta

While you likely know Retta from her starring role on Good Girls, which is currently in its third season on NBC, or as the hilarious Donna on Parks and Recreation, the actress and comedian got her start as a chemist as at pharmaceutical company. She grew up “as a math and science girl” and went pre-med at Duke, never considering acting as anything beyond something to do for fun. “When I graduated from college it was the first time I lived alone,” she remembers. “There was a lot of forced introspection and my TV was my roommate. The more I watched TV, the more I realized I wanted to do it.”

After four years as a chemist, Retta took the leap, first pursuing stand-up comedy in North Carolina and eventually relocating to Los Angeles. She began to get jobs on TV, including showcasing her comedy on The Jenny Jones Show and scoring a small part on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, but it was her role on Parks and Recreation, which she joined in 2009, that really solidified Retta as an actor to watch.

“I’m pretty methodical,” she says. “So I expect things to go a certain way if I plan it out. I always knew it was going to happen. Nobody has the perfect formula of how to do this Hollywood thing, but I had a plan. It didn’t happen overnight, but I felt good when people would ask me what I did and I could say ‘I’m an actor.’”

On not delaying your dreams:

“I was young, I didn’t have any kids, I didn’t have anything tying me to North Carolina. So I was like, ‘If you’re gonna be bold enough to do it, now’s the time. Don’t wait until you think something magical’s gonna happen in your head.’ I thought, ‘Just go.’ I called a friend and bought her a ticket to meet me in North Carolina and we drove cross country in like two days. I just went for it.”

On being methodical:

“Do all the research you can. Google is your friend. List the things you can do to move you closer to your goal. For me, it was doing stand-up. When I started stand-up, it was working to get into the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal. Then it was making connections and being friendly at the comedy clubs. When you make friends, you get booked more and then you get more visibility. I was able to find a system and a checklist for myself. And nothing makes me happier than checking something off a list.”

On always continuing your career development:

“It’s still a learning experience. I still feel like I’m learning how things work with how regards the filming aspect of it. Now I’m one of leads of a show, so I’m on set way more than I’ve been before. Just in terms of picking up lingo and seeing things in a way where you realize ‘If they try to edit this it won’t cut right’ and having forethought. I really want to produce. I have a goal of creating my own show. I’ve been able to pitch something. I pitched something before Good Girls that didn’t go and then I got Good Girls. I do want to eventually create my own show where I’m creator and executive producer.”

Andrea Nelson Meigs

Talent Agent, ICM Partners

© Courtesy of Andrea Nelson Meigs   Andrea Nelson Meigs

Originally, Andrea Nelson Meigs, a talent agent at ICM Partners, had her eyes on becoming an entertainment lawyer. Nelson Meigs — who grew up in LA and was a child actor in commercials for brands like Burger King — studied English and Spanish at Tufts and went on to study law at Duke. After graduating, she got a job in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. “I really thought law was what I wanted to do,” she says. “I was briefly assigned to the SID, which is the special investigations division, a pretty high-profile position looking at crimes committed by government officials.”

Nelson Meigs ultimately left the DA’s office after only six months and decided to pursue a career at an entertainment talent agency at the recommendation of a friend from law school. “I started at CAA in the mail room” she explains. “I had to bite my lip and check the ego at the door.” From the infamous mail room, she worked her way up and eventually became the second African-American talent agent in CAA’s history. Nelson Meigs transitioned to ICM 12 years ago and currently represents a broad range of clients for film and TV, including Beyoncé and Quvenzhané Wallis.

On following your instincts:

“Quite frankly, when I was deciding whether to leave the practice of law and take this more non-traditional route, it was a really tough decision. I had spent three years going to law school. I had an incredible amount of student loans. And I realized I had to start over again. Ultimately, I did decide that I had to look at the long term and say ‘I’ll probably be happier in the long run.’ I was older than everybody in the mail room. I had more work experience and more education. But I was able to make that transition and I did start all over again.”

On championing diversity:

“[At CAA], there wasn’t anybody there doing what I wanted to do except me. That was what gave me a lot of motivation. In the mail room, I would look at the lists of clients, which were posted on the wall, and I would look at all of those names and say, ‘Wow, there’s not a single agent here of color, but we have all of these clients.’ So I wanted to be that agent. Not to say that you have to be a person of color to represent people of color, but I thought having the background that I have, having the passion that I have and having the skill set that I have I would be better. Now, as an agent, I can advocate for my clients and that’s the reason why I switched gears. I wanted to create more roles and different perceptions of roles. I can say I’ve been able to do that and I’m really proud of that.”

On making strong decisions:

“There’s a lot of noise around you and a lot of people talking and you really need to just zero in. I’m one of those old school people where I get a yellow legal pad and I draw a line down the center and I put a ‘plus’ on one side and I put a ‘minus’ on the other side and I evaluate when I have these tough decisions. What is everything that would be positive about this and what is every single thing negative? And then I reflect on that. You have to put your blinders on and really do that.”

Auria Abraham

Chef/Owner, Auria's Malaysian Kitchen

© Courtesy of Auria Abraham   Auria Abraham

Auria Abraham, founder and owner of gourmet food shop Auria's Malaysian Kitchen, started taking music lessons at age four and her passion for music evolved quickly as she grew up, eventually leading her to study at Berklee College of Music. After graduation, Abraham got a job at Crushing Music, a jingle house in New York City, where she worked for 11 years. “It was a dream job, one at which I thrived and learned the ins and outs of creating music for advertising,” the chef says.

In 2008, everything changed. After the financial crisis and the birth of her daughter, Abraham decided to pivot, encouraged by her husband to pursue a new career in food. She began as an outdoor food vendor at events around New York, and ultimately launched Auria's Malaysian Kitchen, which celebrates Malaysian food and flavors.

“Being a chef is humbling, especially when sharing a little-known cuisine in a place where most folks haven’t heard of Malaysian food,” she notes of when she first started selling her dishes in 2012. “When I first began, I was telling another business owner that I had just met about my company. She said, ‘What is Malaysian food? And do I care?’ While that was shocking to hear at first, I realized there was a deep lesson in it for me. No one knew what Malaysian food was, no one cared. It was my job to make them want to know.”

On facing challenges:

“The biggest challenge was in accepting that it was time to leave my first career behind. It's not easy when your career is so tied up in who you are, and feels like the only thing you know. The only thing you care about. It felt like closing the door on a part of myself. It was a scary time yet also felt like something that had to happen for me to be able to find passion in something new. Once I dealt with the emotional aspect of switching careers, the next challenge was to figure out what ‘Do food’ meant. I hadn’t an ounce of experience in the food business. The learning curve was steep, and I woke up every day knowing that I didn't know a thing about what I was doing. I had to accept that I no longer had experience in my field. It was time to be humble and ask questions every step of the way.”

On learning as you go:

“As for running my own business, I think the most important thing I learned is that a company ebbs and flows, and that I need to honor my business by giving it the time to grow. Impatience will kill your passion for pushing forward faster than anything else. I also learned to keep my eye on my business — my focus is what's going on in my day-to-day. I pay a little attention to what others are doing, but my focus is right here, in front of me.”

On embracing a career change:

“It's the scariest thing you'll ever do, but if you have even the slightest shred of dissatisfaction with your career right now, it's a step you must take. The unknown has the potential to bring so much into your life that you can't even imagine. Yes, there are tons of challenges and sometimes, at the beginning, that's all you can see. But there are innumerable rewards which will come to light as you move beyond your comfort zone.” 

Beth Gerstein

Co-Founder/CEO, Brilliant Earth

© Courtesy of Beth Gerstein   Beth Gerstein

After earning a degree in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering from Duke and a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT, Beth Gerstein, co-founder and CEO of ethically-sourced luxury jewelry company Brilliant Earth, worked as a satellite communications engineer. Her career plans shifted when she went for her MBA at Stanford, where she met Eric Grossberg, her co-founder at Brilliant Earth.

“Launching satellites into space was exciting and rewarding,” she notes. “The role was analytically driven and involved a great deal of project management, problem solving, and teamwork, all important skills that I have utilized extensively throughout my career.” She adds, “However, this experience also helped me realize that I wanted to transition from a technical role to a business role with a broader level of decision making.”

The idea for Brilliant Earth came to Gerstein in 2005, when she and her husband were searching for an engagement ring. “We realized firsthand how difficult it was to find a diamond that represented our values,” she says. “Though it was an unfamiliar industry, I recognized an opportunity to solve a unique business obstacle and leverage my past work experience to engineer a new approach.”

On transitioning your skill set:

“While working as an engineer, I learned the power of using data to support strong decision-making. From day one at Brilliant Earth, I’ve utilized data to make well-informed decisions, while always keeping the company’s mission and values at the forefront when evaluating options. As an engineer, I also learned through frequent collaboration with team members that multiple perspectives and expertise are needed to solve highly complex problems. This instilled in me the knowledge that solving business problems isn’t a one-person job, but the responsibility of each team member.”

On valuing early success:

“It’s been such an exciting journey to start and grow a company. One of the first pivotal moments happened very early on when we realized how much Brilliant Earth’s mission resonated with customers. When we first launched the company, we took a very scrappy approach — we just put up a splash page to talk about who we were and what we were about. Right out of the gate, we had a $20,000 sale and we realized immediately that our message would resonate with people, and that we could be influential in the marketplace to play a role in transforming the jewelry industry.”

On following your own path:

“When Eric and I seriously began talking about creating a revolutionary new company, we were repeatedly given one piece of advice: don’t do it. We met with several people both in and outside the jewelry industry to pick their brains before launching a company. Consistently, people told us there wasn’t a market for what we wanted to sell. Essentially, they said people don’t care where their diamonds come from, and responsible sourcing was a non-issue. Thankfully, we were so passionate and believed in our idea that we did not take the advice and instead founded Brilliant Earth. My advice is that you have more options than you think, and that failure is okay… These days, it’s relatively easy to pivot your skills and experience to a new career.” 

See more at: Shondaland