Live Without an Expiration Date

You didn’t get the job. Or the promotion. Or the project. And something felt off. The interviewer kept asking about your “comfort with new technology.” Or they mentioned the team is “really energetic.” Or you just noticed that everyone in the room looked like they graduated sometime after the release of the iPhone. You suspect ageism. Maybe you’re right. Maybe you’re not. Either way, you’re stuck...

There’s a moment in almost every job interview for someone in the second half of their career when the question arrives. Sometimes it’s direct: “Walk me through the gap on your resume.” Sometimes it’s softer: “Tell me about your most recent transition.” However it’s phrased, what the interviewer is really asking is: What happened to you? And are you okay? Most people are not prepared for this conv...

You’ve been measuring success your whole career. The question nobody asked you — including you — is whether you chose the metrics. In this episode of Live Without an Expiration Date, Rich Jones takes on one of the most avoided conversations in the second half of a career: what success actually means once the ladder runs out of rungs. Not a motivational answer. Not a retirement-planning answer. A r...

There’s a conversation most experienced professionals never have. Not because no one would listen. Because most of us don’t know we’re allowed to have it. It’s not a performance review. It’s not a raise negotiation. It’s a direct, professional accounting of your value — what you bring, where it creates the most impact, and what the organization needs from you right now. In this episode, Rich Jones...

The Weight of the Box There’s a moment you don’t forget. You’re walking out of the building carrying a box — or a bag, or just your laptop and a coffee mug — and the life you had inside that building is now behind you. Everything ahead is unscripted. This episode starts there. Not with the pivot. Not with the opportunity to reframe. With the actual experience of what a layoff does to an experience...

You’ve heard the rumors. The calendar invites went to certain people — and not you. The reorg came down written in that careful corporate language designed to say everything and nothing. And now you’re waiting. This episode is about that specific experience. Not the layoff itself — the suspended state before it. Where you’re still showing up, still doing the work, still maintaining the game face,...

Episode Description: There’s a moment — and if you’ve been through it, you know exactly what I’m talking about — where you’re sitting somewhere quiet, coffee going cold, and you think: How did I get here? Not in a grateful way. In the disoriented, slightly terrified way that comes when everything you thought was settled isn’t anymore. That’s where this episode begins. In this episode of Live Witho...

Most organizations don’t have a model for the leader who leaves on purpose. They have plenty of language for the ones who get pushed out — the restructuring, the performance conversation that went sideways, the long goodbye nobody wanted to have. But the leader who looks at the situation clearly, decides the time is right, and walks out the door with intention? That story rarely gets told the way...

Here’s a podcast description — I’ll give you a few length/format options since these get used across different platforms: You told yourself it would get better. That the culture would shift, the leadership would change, or the role would evolve. So you stayed. And stayed. And somewhere in that staying, something started to cost you more than you realized. In this episode of Live Without an Expirat...

Not Quite Ready: Using Semi-Retirement as a Bridge When Full Retirement Isn’t the Answer Yet You’ve done the math. The number isn’t there yet. So you keep grinding — telling yourself you’ll figure it out later. But full retirement isn’t your only option. In this episode, Rich Jones breaks down semi-retirement as a deliberate bridge strategy — not a fallback, not a consolation prize, but a real, de...

You’re in meetings. You’re still getting invited to things. Nobody has said anything directly. But something has changed — and you can feel it. This episode is about that feeling, and more importantly, what to do with it. When organizations make decisions about people — to sideline them, restructure around them, or move them out — they rarely announce it. What they do instead is send signals. Quie...

Most career conversations at this stage default to two options: stay and grind it out, or start looking for something new. Both feel exhausting before you even begin. This episode makes the case for a third option — one that doesn’t get nearly enough airtime. Rediscovering what drew you to your work in the first place. And renegotiating how you show up inside the organization you’re already in. Th...

Getting laid off is one of the most disorienting experiences a professional can go through — and not just financially. The loss of structure, identity, community, and purpose that comes with a job loss hits in ways that most people aren't prepared for and that the professional world rarely makes space to discuss honestly. In this episode, Rich Jones walks through the emotional, psychological, and...

Most career advice assumes you're either fully employed and content, or fully unemployed and searching. It doesn't spend much time in the middle — where you're still doing the job, still showing up, but quietly knowing it's time to move. This episode is about that stretch. Not tactics. The harder stuff: the ethics and psychology of a job search conducted from inside a job. What you're obligated to...

There’s a voice that shows up at a certain point in a career — quiet, persistent, and hard to argue with. It doesn’t say you’ve failed. It just suggests that maybe you’re done. That the best of what you had to offer already happened, and what comes next is a kind of managed decline. This episode is about that voice. Where it comes from, what it’s actually afraid of, and why most of the ways we try...

You’ve earned your depth. The question is whether the world can actually see it. In the second half of a career, something subtle but costly can happen: the gap between who you’ve become and how you’re being perceived quietly widens. Your thinking has sharpened. Your judgment has deepened. But if your external presence — how you carry yourself, how you communicate, how you show up online and in ro...

As professionals move through different stages of their careers, many spend years focusing on what they do—titles, responsibilities, promotions, and achievements. But over time, a deeper question begins to surface: Why am I doing this work in the first place? In this episode of Living Without an Expiration Date , Rich Jones explores why discovering your “why” is essential when evaluating your care...

In this episode of Living Without an Expiration Date , Rich Jones explores the deeper truth that a job or position is something you hold, not something you are. Through reflection and real-world perspective, he talks about the emotional impact of career disruption and how professionals can begin separating their self-worth from the titles they once carried. This conversation is about reclaiming pe...

In this episode of Living Without an Expiration Date , Rich Jones explores a quiet but common moment in many mid-career professionals’ lives: the realization that the role, influence, or opportunity you once expected may no longer be part of the path ahead. Rather than reacting out of frustration or fear, Rich walks through the three crossroads many professionals face in these moments— stay for se...

In this episode of Living Without an Expiration Date , Rich Jones explores one of the most complex career decisions professionals face: Do you hold on to what you’ve built, quietly test the market, or make a bold pivot? This thoughtful, practical conversation walks through the emotional, financial, and identity-driven factors behind each choice. Rich offers frameworks to assess alignment, distingu...

In this episode of Living Without an Expiration Date , Rich Jones explores what success really means in the second half of your career. When titles, compensation, and status no longer carry the same weight, what rises in their place? This values-based conversation invites listeners to reconsider ambition through the lens of meaning, autonomy, and impact. If you’re sensing a shift in your prioritie...

In this episode of Living Without an Expiration Date , Rich Jones addresses the quiet erosion of confidence that often follows a professional setback. This isn’t about hype or forced positivity—it’s about rebuilding real confidence after rejection, silence, or unexpected change. Rich shares practical ways to steady yourself, create small daily wins, and separate your worth from outcomes. If you’re...

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. In this episode of Living Without an Expiration Date , Rich Jones explores the uncomfortable but necessary season between endings and beginnings—the space where your old identity no longer fits, and the next version of you hasn’t fully formed. This conversation is about patience, self-trust, and resisting the pressure...

In this episode of Living Without an Expiration Date , Rich Jones speaks with Jake Engel about a pivotal career transition shaped by instinct, contrast, and clarity. Jake shares what he learned from leaving a role he liked for one he thought he’d love—only to discover the importance of culture, self-trust, and listening to your gut when navigating professional change. This is a public episode. If...

In this episode of Living Without an Expiration Date , Rich Jones explores one of the most personal challenges of career disruption—how to talk about it with the people who care about you most. From well-meaning advice to awkward questions and uncomfortable silence, this conversation looks at how to share your story without feeling like you have to justify, defend, or explain your worth. Rich offe...