# Second Act Career: Corporate HR to Solo Founder | Carol Thompson, Thompson Professional Resources + PowerConnections. Ep. 5

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/her-intentional-reset-7728413/second-act-career-corporate-hr-to-solo-founder-carol-thompson
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/her-intentional-reset-7728413/second-act-career-corporate-hr-to-solo-founder-carol-thompson.md
Podcast: [Her Intentional Reset: Career changes and second acts for women in midlife](https://stenobird.com/podcast/her-intentional-reset-7728413)
Published: 2026-04-14T08:45:00+00:00
Episode link: https://herintentionalreset.com/all-podcasts/second-act-career-corporate-hr-to-solo-founder
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/91d1ed7a-b627-487a-8a0f-4f92d1bccda3.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/her-intentional-reset-7728413/episodes/second-act-career-corporate-hr-to-solo-founder-carol-thompson
Duration seconds: 2905

## Resource

You've spent years inside corporate America watching how the game is played — what gets negotiated behind closed doors, what's actually in that separation agreement, and what your employer is hoping you never think to ask. Carol Thompson spent 12 years as a corporate HR director before walking away to build her own consulting practice from scratch — and in this conversation she hands you both sides of the playbook: how to set your rates, land your first client, and build a location-independent business without a brick and mortar, how to job search in the age of AI including what recruiters actually want to see on your resume now, and the HR insider knowledge every employee needs before they're ever handed a severance package. ABOUT CAROL THOMPSON: Carol Thompson walked away from her corporate HR director role, turned her expertise into Thompson Professional Resources — a fully remote HR and legal consulting practice — and never went back to an office. She also coaches professionals through career transitions as part of the Power Connections outplacement team, sitting on both sides of the equation: helping businesses navigate HR and employment law, and helping individuals who've been laid off rebuild their confidence, navigate the modern job search, and land what's next. In this conversation, she delivers a dual playbook — the practical financial and strategic framework she used to build her second act career as a solo founder, and the job search tools every woman over 40 needs to compete in the age of AI: resume strategy, ATS systems, LinkedIn algorithms, and what to negotiate before you sign anything. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: [00:05:20] Why saying yes to an unexpected offer — even one completely outside your lane — can become the defining move of your entire career, and w…

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## Transcript

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