Job Search, Promotion, and Career Clarity: The Mid-Career GPS Podcast
Get Clarity. Get Promoted. Get Hired.
Are you feeling stuck, undervalued, or underutilized in your current role?
Wondering how to position yourself for a promotion, raise, or leadership opportunity?
Are you trying to figure out what’s next for your career, but not sure where to start?
You're not alone, and you're in the right place.
Hosted by executive and career transition coach John Neral, The Mid-Career GPS Podcast is your go-to resource to help you confidently navigate your job search, career advancement, and workplace challenges. Whether you want to find a new job, get promoted, or simply feel more fulfilled at work, this show will help you build the clarity and strategy you need to take your next step.
Each episode features actionable advice, insightful interviews, and real-world strategies to help mid-career professionals, typically managers to senior directors, design a career they love or love the career they have.
You’ve built a solid career. Now it’s time to build Your Mid-Career GPS to figure out what's next and how to get there.
New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe today and let's start figuring out whatever is next for you and your career, together.
Episodes
352 episodes
347: You Think You’re in the Right Job. You Might Be Wrong
“The right job feels like home” is a comforting idea, but at mid-career it can quietly keep you stuck.In this episode, I challenge the belief that clarity, excitement, and relief mean you’ve found the right role. Those feeling...
346: Feeling Stuck in Your Mid-Career? Stop Overthinking Career Decisions and Use This Smarter Strategy
If you are feeling stuck in your mid-career or struggling to decide whether to stay in your current job or make a career change, this episode will challenge how you think about career decisions.I see this all the time with mid...
345: Mid-Career Pivot Without Regret: How to Let Go of Sunk Costs and Build a Career You Love with Lisa Kaplin
If you are a mid-career professional who feels stuck, burned out, or questioning whether your career still fits, this episode will help you rethink what forward progress actually looks like. I sit down with executive leadership coach and psycho...
344: Why Your Career Strategy Isn't Working Anymore
If you are a mid-career professional doing everything right but still feeling stuck, this episode will challenge how you think about effort, visibility, and advancement in today’s job market.I see this pattern all the time. Yo...
343: Surviving vs. Thriving: Where You’re Settling in Your Career and Life
I celebrated my 57th birthday with a tradition that never changes, a Carvel ice cream cake. That moment took me back to something simple and familiar, but it also sparked a deeper reflection I hear from so many mid-career professionals right no...
342: You Cannot Negotiate Your Worth but You Can Negotiate Your Value with Candyce Hunt
You are not underpaid because your worth is low. You are underpaid because of what you agreed to.That distinction matters more than you think.In this episode, I sit down with leadership strategist, TEDx speaker, and career coach C...
341: How You SHOW UP Is the New Mid-Career Strategy
The mid-career job market can challenge your confidence in ways you did not expect. You make it to final interviews but do not get the offer. You hear “we will be in touch” and then nothing. You start to question whether it is safer to stay whe...
340: Change Career Direction Without Starting Over
If you have ever caught yourself thinking, “I don’t want to start over, but I can’t stay where I am,” you are not alone. Many high-performing professionals reach a point in mid-career where their success on paper no longer matches how their wor...
339: When Success Feels Empty at Mid-Career: Close the Gap Between Achievement and Fulfillment
If your career looks impressive on paper but feels hollow in real life, you are not broken. You are evolving.In this episode, I speak directly to mid-career professionals who are successful, respected, and accomplished, yet qu...
338: Why You're Not Being Promoted | Strategies to Increase Your Mid-Career Visibility
If you are doing great work but still not getting promoted, you are not alone. At mid-career, strong performance becomes the baseline. Promotions go to the professionals who signal leadership readiness, shape outcomes, and are visible to decisi...
337: When Leadership Holds You Back
Have you ever felt stuck working for a boss who will not advocate for you, invest in your development, or support your growth? Many mid-career professionals do strong work while feeling invisible, overlooked, and unsure how to move ...
336: Subtract to Succeed with Nell 3D (Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey)
Are you working harder than ever yet feeling less visible, less fulfilled, and more burned out in your career?In this episode, I sit down with leadership strategist and Forbes senior contributor Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey, Ne...
335: Mid-Career and Unsure What’s Next? Start With This One Move
Feeling stuck in your career while the job market feels crowded and unpredictable? You are not alone. Many mid-career professionals are navigating confusing signals right now. Job boards are flooded, promotion paths feel ...
334: Stop Saying “I’m Passionate” in Interviews and Start Showing Your Value
One word keeps showing up in interviews with mid-career professionals, and it may be holding you back more than you realize. That word is passion.In this episode, I break down why employers already assume you care about your w...
333: Give Yourself Permission To Have the Career You Want with Mitch Matthews
Feeling successful on paper but disconnected from your work at mid-career? You are not alone. In this episode, I sit down with Mitch Matthews, success coach and host of the Dream Think Do podcast, to unpack ...
332: Settling for “Fine” at Mid-Career: Why Silence Is Costing You Influence, Pay, and Opportunity
“Fine” sounds harmless, but at mid-career it is often a warning light.In this episode, I unpack why quiet professionalism can be misread as low ambition and how being seen as reliable can quietly turn into being perceived as r...
331: Job Titles Are Outcomes, Not Destinations. How to Build Career Clarity That Gets You Hired
If you feel stuck in your job search even though you are doing all the right things with your resume and LinkedIn, you are not alone. I see this pattern every day with mid-career professionals who are smart, capable, and experienced but still n...
330: How I Turned Feeling Stuck Into A Career I Love
Career Momentum and Getting "Unstuck" Starts With How You SHOW UPCareer momentum does not come from doing more. It comes from showing up with clarity, intention, and confidence, especially at mid-career. In this opening episode of...
329: Mid-Career in 2026: How to Rebuild Stability, Visibility, and Confidence
The ground shifted for mid-career professionals in 2025, and many are still feeling the impact. Rolling layoffs became routine, job titles lost their signaling power, and working harder no longer translated into advancement. For professionals i...
328: Ask This Question To Reduce Holiday Drama & Honor Your Boundaries
Do holiday conversations, workplace tension, or family dynamics leave you emotionally drained and unsure how to respond? At mid-career, the pressure to stay composed, supportive, and “professional” can feel exhausting, especially when stress is...
327: Not Unhappy to Quit, But Not Loving Your Job Either
Many mid-career professionals sense something is off but struggle to articulate it. Feeling “fine” at work can be one of the most misleading signals in your career, especially in a volatile job market. In this episode of ...
326: Why People-First Cultures Win in 2026 with Kat Ortiz
In this episode, John is joined by industrial-organizational psychologist Kat Ortiz to break down how evidence-based practices can transform workplace culture, leadership effectiveness, and employee experience in ways that genuinely support per...
325: Dealing with a Difficult Boss
If you are a mid-career professional feeling drained, discouraged, or stuck because of a difficult boss, this episode gives you a clear path forward. Many professionals stay silent or shut down when leadership becomes unpredictable, controlling...
324: Lessons in Leadership | What "Quiet Piggy" Really Means
Workplace bullying is more common than many mid-career professionals realize, and its impact on confidence, performance, and career clarity can be long-lasting. In this episode, we unpack a high-profile moment that reopened old workplace wounds...
323: Stop Asking “Got Any Feedback?” And Other Career-Saving Tips
When you reach mid-career, feedback often fades or gets frustratingly vague. You may hear you’re “doing great” or that you should “be more strategic,” but those comments rarely help you grow or move forward. In this episo...