Are you feeling guilty about taking a career pause? Do you wonder if you're too old or too late to make a major professional pivot? In this highly Inspirational episode of No Boxes: Just Verses, we go beyond the bios, beyond the titles with Shannon Watts—Founder of Moms Demand Action, Time's 100 Most Influential People, and author of Fired Up. Shannon shares her authentic story of leaving a successful corporate career and taking a deliberate five-year break to focus on family. You will learn why this pause was the Strategic preparation she needed to launch a grassroots movement that mobilized millions. If you want to tap into your collective power and find your purpose at any age, this conversation is your guide.

Known as the “summoner of women’s audacity,” Shannon Watts organizes and mobilizes women to create political, electoral and cultural change. She was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, a Forbes 50 over 50 Changemaker, a Glamour Woman of the Year, a WORTH Magazine Worth 100 and a 2025 Parents Next Gen Award winner. She’s the founder of Moms Demand Action, the largest grassroots group fighting gun violence in the U.S. During the 2024 election, she organized the largest Zoom gathering in history, mobilizing over 200,000 voters and raising over $11 million in support of the Kamala Harris campaign, and co-hosted the weekly Women Wednesdays for Harris calls with Indivisible. Her most recent book, Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, was an instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller and led to the creation of Firestarter University and Bonfire communities, online and in-person gatherings to help women tap into their political, professional and personal power.

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Key Takeaways:

• ADHD is Your Special Sauce: Shannon discusses her struggles with undiagnosed ADHD as a youth and how she eventually learned to turn her disorganization and intense focus into a core strength, making her uniquely effective in crisis communications.

• The Five-Year Pivot: Hear the authentic story of making a terrifying pivot at 35—leaving her marriage and corporate job—and realizing that the five-year career pause she took to focus on family was the exact, perfect preparation needed to launch a national movement.

• The Fire Formula: Discover her personal strategic framework for finding purpose: true fulfillment happens when your Values, Abilities, and Desires come into clear alignment (personal, professional, and political).

• The Power of Bonfire Communities: Shannon stresses that no one can live on fire alone. She discusses why intentional female friendship and supportive communities are the essential balm for burnout and a necessary resource for high-impact leaders.

• Activism at Any Age: Learn why your second act—after age 40, 50, or beyond—is your most powerful. Shannon encourages listeners to find their mission and reminds us that you have the skills right now to start creating change.

Shannon's journey is proof that the pause, the uncertainty, and the unrecognized opportunities in your current routine are actually building you for a massive second act. Stop undervaluing your non-traditional experiences.

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and review the podcast! 
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Theme Song: Pedal to the Medal by Martin Luther (Spotify | Apple Music) 

Your Second Act Starts Now: 5 Simple Steps to Find Your Purpose at Any Age

Why Your Toughest Struggle Is Your Biggest Strength

Have you ever looked at a successful leader and thought, "I could never do that"? Maybe you feel like your life has been too messy, or you took a long career break that set you back. The truth is, the most powerful people often use their deepest struggles and the unexpected pauses in their lives to launch their biggest missions.

This article is for you if you are ready to find your next purpose, whether you are 35 or 55. We're breaking down the journey of Shannon Watts, who went from struggling with a learning disability and an overwhelming corporate job to mobilizing millions as the founder of a national movement. You'll learn the simple steps she used to turn her biggest challenges into her "special sauce" and fire up her second act.

To use these steps, you have to be ready to be honest about three things: your values, your abilities, and your desires. This strategy is about putting those three parts of your life in the same line. If you are ready to stop feeling hopeless and start making change, you are ready for this.

Here's what you need to be successful:

• An Honest Look at Your Past: See your struggles (like disorganization or a career pause) as skills, not setbacks.

• Willingness to Pivot: Be ready to leave what is safe and comfortable for what is necessary and exciting.

• The Desire to Help: Know that your mission should be bigger than just yourself.

Step-by-Step Guide: The Fire Formula for Purpose

1. Turn Your Struggle into Your "Special Sauce"

When you are young, having a learning difference or feeling disorganized can make you feel bad, like you are lazy or stupid. The mistake is letting that feeling hold you back. For one leader, dealing with ADHD meant struggling in school, but it also gave her the ability to get hyper-focused on things she cared about. The new and better approach is to see your difference as a powerful skill. That intense focus is perfect for solving problems and working in a crisis. Your struggle is actually your unique tool that nobody else has.

Conclusion: What Makes You Different Makes You Strong

• Stop seeing your learning differences or disorganization as flaws.

• Know that intense focus is a powerful skill for crisis communications.

• Use your differences to give you a unique way of looking at big problems.

• Your "special sauce" is what prepares you for your biggest missions later.

2. Find the Feminist Seed and See the Inequity

It is easy to assume everyone has the same rights and freedoms, especially if your parents raised you to believe you could do anything. But one leader realized early on that society and institutions do not hold women and men to the same standard. The problem is that ignoring this inequity makes you feel frustrated. The new approach is to listen to that frustration and use it. Realize that your personal anger about unfairness is the seed of your activism. This deep understanding of inequity becomes the core value that drives your entire career and mission.

Conclusion: Listen to Your Anger

• Do not ignore moments when you see unfairness or inequity.

• Know that this feeling is often the seed of your future activism.

• Realize that your personal values must include fighting for equal rights and safety for everyone.

• This through line of purpose will guide your entire life.

3. Use Your Career Pause as Perfect Preparation

When you leave a job or take a break (like five years to focus on family), you might feel like your career is broken. The common mistake is letting that career pause create self-doubt and fear. But for one leader, leaving an overwhelming corporate job was necessary. The new approach is to see that break as a time for crucial skill building. She spent five years talking to other moms and building community—which turned out to be the exact preparation she needed to launch a movement that mobilized mothers. The pause wasn't a setback; it was the perfect time to build empathy and understanding.

Conclusion: The Pause Was Necessary

• A long career break is not a failure; it is essential time for growth.

• Use the pause to focus on what you missed (like time with your children or passions).

• Know that the skills you learn by focusing on your community during the pause become your biggest professional assets.

• Stop undervaluing your life experiences in the middle of your journey.

4. Align the "Fire Formula"

You can try to force yourself into a job, but success comes when three things line up: your values, your abilities, and your desires. The problem is that most people only focus on one or two of these things at a time. The new approach is to consciously line up all three. For one leader, this moment happened at 41: her value was protecting her community; her ability was crisis communication; and her desire was to work with an army of women. When you line up these three parts, you get the Fire Formula, which moves you from frustration to incredible impact.

Conclusion: Line Up for Impact

• Your greatest success happens when your values, abilities, and desires meet.

• Use your abilities (like communication or organization) to act on your values.

• This alignment is what turns a simple desire into a powerful, effective mission.

• Know that this formula is what helps you finally figure out who you are and what you want.

5. Build Your Bonfire: You Can't Be "On Fire" Alone

When you find your purpose, it’s easy to work nonstop until you are burned out. The common mistake is thinking you can do it all by yourself, especially if you are an introvert or an only child. The new and better approach is to rely on collective power. You need a Bonfire Community of women around you. These strong, intentional female friendships are the necessary support system that gives you energy and helps you heal from the heavy work. You cannot live "on fire" without a supportive community there to share the light.

Conclusion: Share the Light

• Know that you need a supportive community to prevent burnout.

• Female friendship is a powerful resource and a key part of your leadership.

• Look for people who share your values and desire to make a difference.

• Remember that your mission works because you are tapping into collective power.

Your Next Steps: Go Find Your Spark

The big idea from this incredible journey is that it is never too late to pivot. You already have the skills you need, even if they are hidden in your past struggles or your unexpected breaks. Stop waiting for the perfect time and start making change now.

Here is your list of steps to implement these ideas successfully:

1. Write Your Three: Write down your biggest Value (what you want to protect), your best Ability (what you are good at), and your deepest Desire (what you want to do).

2. Find Your Bonfire: Identify three supportive friends or colleagues and commit to meeting with them once a month.

3. Use Your Pause: Look at your most difficult career break or struggle and write down the skill you gained from it (e.g., patience, crisis management).

4. Take Action Locally: Think about where you can apply your three aligned points to create change in your local community today.