How Did She Do It ? Career Reinvention Inspiration From Martha Stewart
Career reinventions - Making a couple of left and right turns to ultimately get to the destination.
👋 Hi, it’s Dipti ! Welcome to my weekly newsletter, where I share insights to help you find clarity, build confidence, and grow in your career—all while living with a greater sense of joy and purpose.
“Your fear is the most boring thing about you” - Elizabeth Gilbert
If you're feeling indecisive or lost, remember: careers can be reinvented—especially now, more than ever. Though it may not happen overnight, exploring and reflecting on your options can open up new paths.
Whatever path you choose - don’t stay stuck.
Last week I found inspiration on the topic of career reinvention in the Netflix documentary on Martha Stewart. She is someone who has had multiple careers in this lifetime. As I watched the documentary, I realized she like many of us, is imperfect, yet she kept choosing new paths and moving forward.
At a women’s business conference earlier this year, I got to attend a key note session by Martha Stewart. She was dressed in a beautiful golden blazer and captivated us with her humor and honesty. She shared stories of her career highs, her setbacks, and the joy she’s found in reinvention.
It was fascinating to learn about her family background, and how she was one of the six children in her family in the documentary. It wasn’t an easy life.
She started her career as a young model, and was featured in advertisements and magazines in the 50’s and 60’s. She looked gorgeous.
After finishing her college she started out her career on Wall Street. She was the only female stockbroker at her firm when she worked on Wall Street in the last 60s. She says in the documentary "The stuff that went on in the back seat of the taxis, I'm not even gonna talk about."
Stewart said she made a quarter of a million dollars a year at her firm. When she started to burn out, she quit Wall Street and moved her family to Westport, Connecticut.
Her new home required complete renovation, and its here that she realized how much she enjoyed doing this and being a home maker. This inspired her to start a catering business from her home. She expresses that she seems to have found her calling here. Martha made everything from scratch, and the recipes she used eventually became the basis for her famous cookbooks.
She has now published over 90+ books and her magazine was one of the biggest success at that time.
She’s also the oldest model (at 82) on the cover of the Sports Illustrated in 2023. A testament to good living. Martha hopes the cover inspires other women, and said. "Trying new things is very good. Being fearless is very good. Don't be afraid of anything."
The courage to do what she did and stay relevant culturally by creating shows with Snoop Dog has been brilliant.
Martha Stewart turned 83 years old this August. She is curious about tech, and learns about it. She is still active on social media and has created her own podcast. It amazes me how many different interests she has, and the number of times she’s reinvented herself.
Her story is a reminder of believing in yourself enough to keep going and doing things consistently to reinvent yourself. Age is after all just a number.
Action creates clarity. Have confidence in your actions.
Here’s a question for you to consider that your future self will thank you for:
What would your 10-years-from-now future self be grateful for if you allowed yourself to explore a path you’ve been curious about today?
My Weekly Recommendation
For more inspiration on career reinvention, check out Jean Chatzky's podcast episode: Reinvent Your Career
P.S - I published a 10 question self-assessment designed for mid-career professionals, figuring out whether to stay in their role and grow or take the leap and make a transition. If you’re interested in downloading this PDF and checking where you stand with your role, click here.