Coach AnnaJo. Career Reinvention for Professionals 40+
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Career Reinvention · For Professionals 40+

Career change after 40 deserves more than a resume.

A guided process for professionals 40+ ready to navigate a real career change. Not "follow your passion." Not a resume tune-up. The path from "I know I need a career change but I don't know where to start" to "I know exactly where I am going, and I have a plan to get there." If you know you need to change your career and you don't know how, you are not alone. You are not crazy. Whether you are in a job that no longer fits, returning from a career break, or were just laid off and asking "now what?", you just need the path. The Career Reinvention GPS™ is the path. Built using the learnings from her 18-year corporate career. Walked through AnnaJo's own reinvention. Refined over six years with hundreds of clients across coaching programs.

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3 Phases
One Map
A New Career
Coach AnnaJo, Career Reinvention Coach
Why this exists

I had it all and I got lost.

I had just crossed forty. Eighteen years at Mondelēz. R&D leader, hiring manager, building global teams. Husband. Two children. From the outside, the whole picture. Then I hit the glass ceiling, and I did not know what to do.

So I did what most of my clients do first. I went after a certification. External validation. The thing you reach for when you cannot see the path. It did not work.

I started crying at my desk. Consistently. I went to my doctor. She prescribed Xanax in a ten-minute conversation and called it "work-life balance." That night I read the side effects. Who am I?

What I needed was not balance. It was purpose.

I tried to move inside the company first. Twenty-one internal applications from R&D to L&D, the people-development team in HR. Twenty-one no's.

I was the breadwinner. The thought of quitting without a backup was scary.

So I started building outside. A blog under a fake name (AnnaJo). I feared my colleagues finding out. Blogging did not match my status as a leader. So the name was a cover. And then the cover began growing into the real one. A coaching practice as a side hustle, built while the corporate job kept going. Five years of ups and downs. I quit my job in August 2023 to coach full-time.

That five-year arc became my own GPS. Get honest. Possibilities. Step forward. What I learned walking it is what I now teach. Career change after forty is not one leap. It is steps. And it is possible.

In her own words

From corporate to coaching. The real story.

Ana's SPEAK talk. "More than a career change. A profound transformation of the self." Eleven minutes.

80%
of professionals over 45 want a career change. You are not alone. You are not crazy.
The Conference Board, 2024
Only 6%
make the move. The ones who do are not lucky. They are deliberate.
The Conference Board, 2024
10–20%
pay bump for job changers. Stayers? 3 to 5%. Career change after 40 is not starting over. It is repositioning decades of experience.
ADP Pay Insights · Pew Research · The Conference Board
The Method

Career change after 40. Three phases. One map. A new career.

I am an engineer. I make things simple. GPS is as basic as it sounds: a map for the journey of a career change. Get honest. Possibilities. Step forward.

Career change brings uncertainty and doubt. That is normal. But once it becomes a decision, the journey stops being a risk and becomes a possibility. A learning opportunity. The space where you become someone better.

Most career coaching skips the first two phases and goes straight to the resume. That is why most career coaching produces a better resume, not a better life.

You walk the steps. The GPS shows the route. No one walks it for you, unless you take the Done-For-You track.

GWeeks 1–2

Get Honest. Clarity before market.

Clarity on what you actually want and who you actually are, before you test the market. You can't navigate to a destination you haven't named.

  • Non-Negotiables Document. Written, signed-off across 7 dimensions: salary range, lifestyle flexibility, mission and values, timeline, seniority, title and role, industry.
  • Career Self-Assessment. A 20-minute self-assessment plus a one-on-one debrief with AnnaJo. Powered by Pigment's Career Self-Discovery Assessment, which measures 82 workplace traits and reveals the professional advantages and the weaknesses holding you back.Output: a one-page identity summary naming the strengths you are using now, the environments where they perform best, and the type of work most aligned with how you operate today. The summary becomes the working document you carry into Phase P.
  • Identity Synthesis. Non-negotiables plus Pigment debrief, combined into a single paragraph: who I am at work now.
Exit criteria You can answer "what would make me say no to a role?" and "what version of me am I bringing into this next chapter?" without hesitation.
PWeeks 2–4

Possibilities. Evidence, not guessing.

Replace guessing with evidence. Most people arrive in one of two places. "I don't know what I want, I don't know where to start." Or, "I have a dream I don't believe is possible." Both share the same gap: generalizations. The killer of any specific outcome. Possibilities is where we trade generalizations for specifics, and you leave with the clarity and strategy to pursue what you actually want.

  • Cluster Definition. Up to 3 clusters max, each {role × industry × seniority}. If you believe "I could do anything" or "I want to keep my options open" will help, it will not. These feel like freedom. They are the trap. Open options scatter the work, and the months pass without a move. The answer? Focus.
  • Job Spec Research. Per cluster, 10 representative job specs analyzed. Deep dive into competencies, language, skills, software, qualifications. Up to 30 specs across 3 clusters.Output: a working profile of what each cluster actually demands.
  • Cluster Validation. Three angles, per cluster. Self: build a master resume for the cluster. Surface transferable strengths and the gaps. People: talk with people who hold that role today. Day-to-day, KPIs, what the work actually is. Market: apply and let the market respond. The signal across all three tells you if the cluster fits.Output: Cluster narrowing and prioritization. The commitment that unlocks Phase Step Forward.
Exit criteria You know, with evidence, the exact role, industry, and seniority you are pursuing. The market has told you it wants you there.
SDay 1 onwards

Step Forward. Run the campaign.

Step Forward starts on day one, in parallel with Get Honest. Clients want to look at their resume immediately, and the work of seeing what is missing creates clarity for the rest of the journey. S stands for Step Forward. Also for Strategy. Three things move together: the foundations (resume, LinkedIn, the way you tell your story), the application system (what to apply to and how), and the networking (visibility on the applications you make, and most importantly, access to the hidden opportunities never posted). A campaign, not a hope.

  • Foundations (week one). Two pieces, set in week one or session two. Resume Review: Resume Builder AI tool, powered by enhancv. Audits the four things that make a resume ATS-friendly. LinkedIn Audit: the six structural elements that make recruiters reach out.Output: a tool to update your resume without draining or guessing, and a LinkedIn profile that is searchable by recruiters.
  • Interview Prep. Confidence is built through practice, not preparation. From the moment you start applying, you practice how to talk about yourself and how to position yourself as a person of value.Output: clarity on the "Tell me about yourself" answer using the Present → Past → Future formula, with variations for each audience in the recruitment process: HR, the hiring manager, the panel, senior leaders, and peers.
  • Networking Strategy. Two branches. For your applications: when you apply, connect with people at the company or people in that role. Visibility is the difference between your application getting read and your application getting filtered out. For hidden opportunities: when no role is posted, build referral paths through your network. Especially at mid-to-senior level, where roles fill internally or through referrals before they ever go public. 15 to 20% of openings fill internally (SHRM). 30 to 50% of all hires come through employee referrals (Quarterly Journal of Economics, Burks et al.). The public job board is often the last channel, not the first.
  • Application System. Resume, cover letter, networking, and interview prep all moving together as one active funnel, with KPIs across applications, networking, and tracking. Target: 80 to 85% ATS match per application.
  • Positioning and closing. "Tell me about yourself" role-play (Present → Past → Future formula). Salary negotiation. Competing-offer leverage. Accept the offer that matches your non-negotiables.
Exit criteria A job offer that matches your non-negotiables. And you are excited about it.
What's Included

Three ways to run the GPS Method.

The Career Reinvention GPS™ 1:1 is the pillar offer. Three months of weekly private sessions, plus three months of integration support. The Group tier is the entry point for those ready to do it themselves with curriculum and community. The Concierge tier is the executive Done-For-You track for time-constrained leaders.

Career Reinvention GPS Group
Do It Yourself · Group + Self-Led
$497
3 months plus 3 months integration support
  • 1 onboarding session 1:1 with Coach AnnaJo
  • 1 Pigment debrief 1:1 with Coach AnnaJo
  • Full curriculum · Science of Perfection™ School
  • Weekly group cohort calls
  • Community access
  • Resume Builder AI tool
  • Full GPS Method · all 3 phases (private)
  • 4 private workshop sessions
  • Weekly 1:1 check-ins
  • Private text access to Coach AnnaJo
Sign Up
Career Reinvention GPS 1:1
Done WITH You · Private · 1:1
$2,500
3 months plus 3 months integration support
  • 1 onboarding session 1:1 with AnnaJo
  • 1 Pigment debrief 1:1 with AnnaJo
  • Full curriculum · Science of Perfection™ School
  • Weekly group cohort calls
  • Community access
  • Resume Builder AI tool
  • Full GPS Method · all 3 phases (private)
  • 4 private workshop sessions (onboarding, Pigment debrief, foundations: resume + LinkedIn + Job Cluster Definition)
  • Weekly 1:1 check-ins (interview prep, funnel tracking, application support)
  • Private text access to Coach AnnaJo
Sign Up
Career Reinvention GPS Concierge
Done FOR You · Private · Executive Track
$10,000
For time-constrained executives
  • Full GPS executed for you
  • Dedicated Success Coach with daily feedback
  • Weekly calls with Coach AnnaJo
  • Private text access to Coach AnnaJo
  • Pigment debrief plus Job Cluster Definition
  • Resume tweaked, applications submitted on your behalf
  • Networking outreach run on your behalf
  • Resume Builder AI tool
  • Science of Perfection™ curriculum
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Ana Jorge, Coach AnnaJo
About

Ana Jorge. Coach AnnaJo.

Ana Jorge, known to her clients as Coach AnnaJo, is the founder of AnnaJo Coaching and the creator of Career Reinvention GPS™ and Science of Perfection™. Eighteen years at Mondelēz across Portugal, Spain, France, the UK, and the United States. Twelve of those years on the other side of the hiring table. The GPS Method is calibrated by someone who has been there.

12 Years as Hiring Manager · R&D · Mondelēz Cornell · Women in Leadership Founder · Career Reinvention GPS™

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Client Stories

Meet the 6%.

Career reinventors making it happen. They wanted the change. They are the 6% who made it real.

Burned out, alone in New York City, ready to quit my job. I didn't know what to do or where to start. I didn't quit. I got promoted. And I found my purpose another way: writing a book, and starting my own HealthTech leadership consultancy.
C
Catarina Abreu
Healthcare Strategist · HealthTech Reinvention
Laid off from big pharma. I did not want to go back, but my applications elsewhere were not landing either. So I did the work of defining what I actually wanted: a role that fit my lifestyle and gave me flexibility for my three kids. I landed a local government job close to home. For the impact and leadership I was missing, I became president of my Jack and Jill chapter. Meaningful work. Family close. Both.
V
Valerie Mason-Robinson
Government Project Manager · Jack and Jill Chapter President
Mechanical engineer at Decathlon, glass-ceilinged and burned out. I wanted flexibility for the family I was about to start. The change scared me. I did not know how. I moved from technical engineering to sales. 20% salary bump, flexibility, room to breathe. Then I became a dad. Then I started flipping houses for Airbnb on the side. The career change made room for the life I actually wanted.
T
Tiago Almeida
Engineer to Sales · Airbnb Business Owner · New Dad
Academic researcher, then pharma scientist, then project manager. Laid off right after my second maternity leave. I gave myself a couple of months to breathe. Then I did the work. Less than three months later, I had landed at another big pharma. Promoted from project manager to Associate Director. 20% salary bump.
T
Tonye Briggs
Project Manager to Associate Director · Big Pharma · Mother of Two
Nine years at USAA, the bank for veterans in Texas. I thought I would retire there. A reorg targeted me for layoff. I searched for months. No interviews. Then I did the work with the GPS Method. Three months later, I landed in fraud at another bank. 19% salary bump. Every non-negotiable met: fully remote, unlimited PTO, room for a mom of two.
K
Keesha Norfleet
Quality Compliance to Fraud · Banking · Mom of Two · Fully Remote
Eleven years at a healthcare company. Then a reorg. New leadership. The job stopped being the one I had. I was almost burned out. So I worked the hidden network. Less than three months later, I had landed at a company I had worked for years before, in a leadership role with a team. 20% salary bump. Fully remote. Every PTO box checked. But more than that: I am happy with the job and excited about the growth ahead.
?
Undisclosed
Healthcare · Promoted to Leadership · Hidden Opportunity · Fully Remote
FAQ

The questions that come up before you decide.

No. The data is clear. 80% of professionals over 45 want a career change. The ones who actually move see 10 to 20% pay bumps versus 3 to 5% for stayers. After 40, you are not starting over. You are repositioning two decades of experience into a role that fits who you have become. The Career Reinvention GPS™ is the guided process for doing it well.

There is no universal best career. The best one for you depends on your non-negotiables (salary range, lifestyle, mission, timeline), your transferable strengths, and what the market actually demands. The first work in the GPS Method is making you honest about those three things. Then validating which career clusters actually fit. The right next career is the one you walk into already knowing it is yours.

Ten to fifteen hours a week of focused work. The first weeks are reflection plus the Career Self-Assessment. Then market research: job specs analyzed per career cluster. Application work and networking run in parallel from week one, as a campaign. The structure makes the work efficient. Without the work, the structure does not matter.

Most coaching skips the upfront work entirely and starts at the resume. The GPS Method makes that work non-skippable: getting honest about what you actually want, then validating which career clusters actually fit, before any resume work happens. The structure is what makes the next career actually fit, not just exist.

Then the first stage of work may be the only work you need. Some clients finish the get-honest stage and stay where they are, with new clarity on why. Either outcome is the right outcome. The point is to stop guessing.

Two of the three tiers run privately. The Career Reinvention GPS 1:1 ($2,500) is private weekly sessions where you do the work with AnnaJo's guidance. The Career Reinvention GPS Concierge ($10,000) runs the entire process for you. Pigment debrief, Job Cluster Definition, resume tweaking, applications, and networking outreach all executed on your behalf. Built for time-constrained executives.

It's an AI-powered tool calibrated to your chosen cluster's ATS filters. It gets you past the gate that screens out 70%+ of applications, while keeping your resume authentic to a human reader. Most coaches give templates. AnnaJo gives the calibrated tool. Without it, your applications produce silence. With it, the same applications produce interviews.

Three months of active program work, plus three months of integration support. The first weeks focus on getting honest about what you want and validating which career clusters fit. Application work and networking run in parallel from week one, as a campaign. The system guarantees the cadence and the diagnostic, not a guaranteed offer date.

Free Masterclass

Watch the Resume for Career Change After 40 masterclass.

A free training where AnnaJo walks you through the Career Reinvention GPS™ 3-phase system and the key things you need to know about your resume for a real career change after 40. Walk away knowing exactly where you want to go and what your resume needs to say. Watch it now.

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Take the first step

You are powerful. You are capable. You can do hard things.

Book a Free Discovery Call. We will walk through where you are, where you want to go, and decide together whether the GPS Method is the right fit for your situation.

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AnnaJo