John Tarnoff’s ‘Mid-Career’ journey began after being laid off in his 50s, prompting a career pivot that led him to DreamWorks Animation, Carnegie Mellon University, and eventually to coaching. He earned a master’s degree in psychology to deepen his understanding of the challenges professionals face in mid-career transitions.
John is an executive and mid-career, transition coach, helping professionals land better, more meaningful jobs and overcome ageism in the workplace. As the founder of Mid-Career Lab and a LinkedIn Learning instructor with over 250,000 learners, John empowers professionals to rediscover purpose, rebuild confidence, and navigate career change with clarity. John’s work is a beacon for experienced professionals seeking to reinvent their careers and unlock their next chapter with strength and intention.

Ross and John talk about identity,  mindset, pace of change, focus,  success being hard to change, education evolving, self knowledge, life stages, generating value, supporting people, building the future,  career spans,  burnout,   prosperity,  universal designs, team bonding, trust,  comfort, blame, courage, discomfort, resilience and adaptability. The pair also discuss creating your own narrative, projecting, creating the future, pivoting, reconciling the past, baggage in our lives, being transparent, making friends,  self reflection, specialists over generalists, asking for advice,  keeping going, building a community, growth mindset, enlightenment, curiosity, success and personal trainers.

Timecodes:

• 00:26 Intro to John 
• 01:51 Age and adaptability
• 02:40 Identity transitions
• 04:23 The concept of value and identity 
• 07:22 Three career stages- Education, Work and Retiring
• 12:47 A portfolio of careers
• 14:10 Time usage and enjoying freedom
• 20:22 Fear vs Trust motivation
• 22:46 Changing state
• 25:17 Not knowing what you what to do
• 29:45  Resumes and holding things back
• 36:50 Helping with moments of pressure and big company cuts
• 40:28 Hopelessness
• 47:29 Mindset and help shifting career 
• 52:25 The last time John did something for the first time

Connect with John:

• LinkedIn
• Website

Connect with Ross:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Moonshot Innovation