I remember the first time my twin sister, Caroline, told me me she was studying Reiki, a Japanese form of energy healing. It was about 11 years ago, and we had just turned 50. I wasn’t sure what to think about her news. Reiki was a huge departure from her longtime career as a finance executive for a property management company. (Side note: She got her start working for Craig Hall in the 1980s, when his company was based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.)
Caroline took a lot of grief about her new pursuit from friends and family. But she persevered. She went on to learn from renowned practitioners and became one of a small number of masters who studied at the birthplace of Reiki, Mount Kurama, Japan. Today, she teaches and does healing sessions in her backyard garden or sunroom through her single proprietorship. She also is about a month away from releasing the first title in her children’s book series called Magic at Moon Lake.
I am so incredibly proud of Caroline for having the fortitude to make her dream a reality. She’s not alone. In the last few years, I’ve talked with countless individuals who decided to do a restart. Many are women whose children left the nest or people who were spurred to find a higher purpose after the pandemic.
We share the stories of two C-Suiters who made big changes in the June/July issue of D CEO. Former model and fashion industry executive Jessica Jesse launched her own jewelry company at the age of 50. She was moved to do so after her son experienced a health crisis and has made well-being a core of the enterprise. Her BuDhaGirl is now a $20 million company that’s kicking off a global expansion.
Go-getter and former investment and private banker Charmaine Tang made a big career change last year to drive the U.S. expansion of Swiss tech company Orca AG. She had an immediate impact; in just six months, Tang grew her realm into Orca’s largest market.
All three of these amazing women have proven that it’s never too late to start over. If you’re not already living your dream, what’s next for you?
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