Third Act Design Lab

Create your most fulfilling chapter yet

You’re eager to leave the corporate world, and you still have energy within you to start something new. But what?

This is a design project. So let’s design it.

The 3rd Act Design Lab is a six-month private partnership for GenX professionals who are done with corporate and ready to design what’s next.

This isn’t about retirement. It’s not about escaping into a hobby or staying in the same system with a better mindset. It’s about building a new livelihood — one that fits who you are now.

You don’t need a business plan yet. You don’t need to quit your job tomorrow.

You just need to know that what you’re doing isn’t working anymore — and that you want to make your next move with clarity, courage, and structure.

In our 6 months together, you and I will:

🧠 Count the Costs of Being a Corporate Warrior

  • You’ll unpack the toll corporate life has taken on your body, mind, and relationships

  • We’ll name and release outdated identities and internalized expectations

  • You’ll complete a personal values inventory to reconnect with what truly matters

🔍 Reconnect with What’s Possible

  • We’ll explore which of your skills, strengths, and experiences to carry forward — and which ones you’re ready to leave behind

  • We’ll uncover your true essence: what you’re like when you’re not performing, producing, or people-pleasing

  • You will use reflection tools and structured exploration to surface ideas worth pursuing

  • You’ll begin narrowing your direction with practical frameworks (like a personal SWOT)

🛠️ Prepare Mentally & Plan the Transition

  • You’ll get honest about your fears — especially around money, identity, and approval

  • We will map out key conversations with the people in your life who matter most

  • I’ll help you clarify your timeline, boundaries, and must-haves for the path ahead

🤝 Find Collaborators & Set Up Structures

  • We will take inventory of your personal and professional networks to find support and new connections

  • I’ll help you degin design sustainable systems and structures that reflect your values and how you want to live

  • You’ll shift from a “worker” mindset to a “builder” mindset — and lay the foundation for your next chapter

““This was a very good experience for me as I think about moving away from my current job to something different and planning for the next ten years. I would highly recommend Shelley for coaching. There were many components to planning that I had not given any thought to, and it was helpful to go through this program as I now have new tools and new framing for some of my planning.””
— Laura