It is exactly one week to my book launch. I’m relieved, excited, nervous … and grateful.

This book was born at a particular moment I did not invite.

I was stopped at a traffic light in November. It was snowing. I faced a wintry trip to give a keynote for a client I loved. I’d been thinking about my career, my life. I was still full of energy and zest to continue learning and using my talents. But even though I loved the client and content, I also found myself dreading the travel. Airport delays. And most of all – being in a conference ballroom for days with no windows.

The voice at the traffic light said, “I think you are done with this, Sue. I think it might be done with you. And you’re not quite ready to hear this yet.”

When we face the wilderness of a career reaching a natural conclusion (read: not because we’ve bombed; not because of failure, but because it’s the right time), it can feel paralyzing. The fear of “what now?”. The potential loss of identity. The unknown.

But what gifts those things are.

This book was birthed at that traffic light. Because I heard another quiet voice: Curiosity. “What are other women doing at this stage? Where are the models? What’s possible?”

100 interviews later my questions were answered -and are shared in these pages.