50 Not Finished Show

👉 Come join me for the free 5-day New Era Coach Masterclass — we kick off Friday, May 1st. Register now and I'll send you an advance copy of my book TRIBAL: The New Era of Business for Women Near and Over 50, free. Over 5,000 women are already in. Join us here! Learn more here!In this episode, I'm getting honest with you about something most women won't say out loud: the worst mentors and bosses of my 25-year corporate career were women. Not because they were bad people — because they were forced to lead inside a masculine system that stripped the feminine right out of them.I'll tell you the soccer-coach story that nearly cost me a promotion, why I walked away from corporate after 22 years, and why I believe you — if you're a woman near or over 50 — are uniquely positioned to lead what's coming next.Here's what I cover:Why "leaning in" was actually leaning into the wrong systemThe hierarchy problem that breaks decision-making (and breaks us)Why the new era starting in 2027 belongs to the individualThe 4 pillars I'll walk you through in the masterclass: the opportunity, the simple business model, why Substack is the feminine approach, and why tribe is everythingWhy this rebellion is happening from the inside out — not on the streetsOne line I want you to sit with: The world will be saved by the ignited woman. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.julieciardi.com

Replay of live training 4/17/26The old way is over-tilled soil. Substack is the fertile ground. Here’s the six-figure system I’d build if my whole business burned down tomorrow.Okay, my friend. Pull up a chair.I need to talk to you about something I cannot stop thinking about, cannot stop talking about, cannot stop teaching — and quite frankly, I don’t want to.I’m psycho for Substack.I joke about it because it’s true. But here’s who I’m actually psycho for: you. My clients. The woman reading this who is knee-deep in her coaching business — or trying to launch one — and is exhausted. Exhausted by the tech, the tactics, the tools, the algorithms, the “post every day,” the funnels, the lead magnets, the email systems, the course hosting, the webinar software, the landing page builders, the scheduling tools, the graphics, the editing, the private podcast software, the VA you can’t quite afford but can’t live without.You are not imagining it. The online business space has become madness.And I’m here to tell you: there is a new way. There is fertile soil. And we are going to plant your business there.A Quick Story About Me Feeling StupidI spent 25 years at IBM. I was a global VP of marketing and sales. I had my MBA. I had spent thirty years either studying business or actually executing on business strategy at the highest level.I left corporate eight years ago, walked into the online business space, and I felt this big.Because everything was complicated. Everything was overbuilt. Everything required another tool, another tech stack, another funnel, another course on how to build the funnel that was going to sell the course on how to build the funnel.I went from feeling like a confident executive to feeling like I knew nothing. The model was broken.All the bros (no offense, bros) built an industry that looked a whole lot like the tech industry I came from — layered, complicated, tool-heavy, and completely disconnected from the thing we actually started our businesses for: serving our people.The Survey That Told Me EverythingBack in January, we ran a survey inside a big free masterclass. Thousands of women, and a few good men. All of them starting, restarting, launching, or trying to grow coaching, consulting, advisory, mentoring, guiding, healing businesses.87% of them wanted the same thing.They wanted a multiple six-figure business. Not an empire.Highly profitable — 50–65% margins. Very small team. Maybe a VA. Maybe one or two support people. Something meaningful. Something manageable. Something that created freedom, fulfillment and financially sound.Only 13% wanted the empire. The seven figures and up. The big team. All the things.Eighty-seven percent of you don’t want what the online coaching industry has been selling you for the last fifteen years. You want the simple six-figure business. You want consistent income without chaos. You want your life back.And almost no one is speaking to that woman.So I am. Loudly. Every day. On Substack.The Old Way (Are You Ready for This?)I made a visual with ChatGPT the other day because I wanted to show what most of you are currently drowning in. Picture a page covered in boxes. Each box is another piece of tech:Email system. Course hosting. Community platform. Webinar software. Landing pages. Sales funnels. Checkout capability. Scheduling. Graphics. Video editing. Audio editing. Public podcast hosting. Private podcast hosting (different software). Lead magnets. Social content — across Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and more, none of which talk to each other. Website. Analytics. VA support because it is literally impossible to manage all of this alone.Who can relate?Who is nodding so hard right now that their neck hurts?And even if you got all that working, the buyer is savvy right now and wants nothing to do with being marketed and sold to that way. She knows she’s in a funnel. She recognizes the webinar formula before the first slide loads. She sees the countdown timer reset when she reloads the page.The buyer got smart. The emperor has no clothes. And every box on that left side of the page requires skill, time, energy, and money — none of which you have infinite amounts of.The gold rush is over, my friend. From roughly 2014 to 2022, you could build a coaching business with a ring light, a Facebook ad, and a ClickFunnels account. That era had a beginning, a middle, and now an end. Every emerging market in the history of markets has the same arc: emergence, gold rush, maturation, reset, reinvention.We are in the reset. And the reset is calling new leaders forward.Over-Tilled Soil vs. Fertile GroundHere’s the metaphor I keep thinking about.What does a farmer do when her soil is over-tilled? When the minerals are depleted, when she’s pulled every nutrient out of the ground, when nothing will grow there no matter how hard she works?She moves her crops to fertile ground.Social media — Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok — is over-tilled soil. Best buyers are leaving those platforms because of the AI junk. It’s only going to get worse with AI-generated video flooding every feed. You cannot out-content the AI industrial content revolution. You cannot compete with machines that are creating content while you sleep.So don’t.Substack is the fertile ground.I don’t know how long the soil will be fertile — I hope forever, I’m praying it’s forever, I’m obsessed with how simple it is — but right now, today, it is the place your dream client is actually reading. Actually listening. Actually paying. Actually staying.Everything on the Left Can Be Done on the RightSubstack is an all in one. For free.I want this to sink in because it is the single biggest mistake I see people making about Substack: they think it’s a newsletter platform.It is not a newsletter platform.Maybe it started as one. That is not what it is now.Let me walk you through what Substack actually is. Ready?Your email system. Built in. Automated.Your course hosting. You can gate content, build tiers, deliver modules. Your community platform. Chats. Threads. Paid-member-only spaces. Done.Your webinar capability. Live video is native. You hit one button.Your podcast. Public tier. Private (paid-only) tier. Auto-distributed.Your landing pages. Your about page, your pricing page, your sales page — all on your Substack.Your checkout. Built in. Subscribers upgrade with one tap.Your video hosting. Your live auto-posts to YouTube. (I paid $5,000 in 2021 to a YouTube expert and gave up because it was too complicated. Now? One button. I don’t even think about it. Hell yeah.)Your LinkedIn repurposing. Automatic. Your articles go. Your clips go. You don’t lift a finger.Your website. Custom domain. Done. (I made julieciardi.com my Substack. That’s how all-in I am. That’s me walking the walk.)And here’s the thing that makes me lose my mind every time I think about it: most of this is free until you’re making money.Substack doesn’t take a cent until your paid tier starts generating revenue. And when it does, they take around 10%. That’s it. No $400/month software stack. No annual renewals. No VA hired specifically to duct-tape your tools together.One platform. One learning curve. One login. One brain.The Six-Figure Substack SystemNow let’s talk about how you actually make money. Because yes, I want you to have a feel-good business. But I also want you to have a profitable business. You’re here for both.I call this the Six Figure Substack System. You have three jobs:1. Marketing 2. Sales 3. DeliveryThat’s the whole job description. Every single one of those can happen on Substack.Stage 1: Your Free SoapboxThis is your public content. Free articles, free notes (Substack’s version of short-form), free lives, free podcasts. This is where you show up, give value, and let people find out who you are.No algorithm roulette. No dancing. No trending audio. Just your voice and your depth and your people finding you.And — this is the part I love — every single surface on Substack has an upgrade button built in. Every article. Every note. Every live. Every podcast. Zero friction. Zero salesy. Zero traditional-funnel energy.Because here’s the culture of Substack: nobody thinks you’re salesy for having a paid tier. It’s expected. It’s normal. It’s why they came.Compare that to Instagram, where everyone is hiding the sell until minute 42 of a webinar.Stage 2: Your Paid TierRecurring revenue. Warm audience. Trust built before they ever hop on a call with you.Your paid tier can be anything you want. Low ticket — $7/month, $79/year, whatever. Or higher ticket if your stuff is niched and nuanced and your people need exactly what you have. There’s a 20-something in New York City running a paid Substack for the FiDi financial district water cooler — Feed Me by Emily Sundberg — and she’s at nearly a million dollars a year on a $79/year paid tier.You could model your entire business around just the paid tier if you wanted to. You do not need a high-ticket offer to build a multiple six-figure business on Substack.But most of you will have one, so let’s talk about it.Stage 3: Your Higher-Ticket OffersOne-on-one coaching. Group masterminds. Retreats. Signature programs. Consults (we call them magic sales calls around here).Here is what has been impossible for most of you: selling high-ticket offers on Instagram. Because it is almost harder to sell a low-ticket thing on Instagram than a high-ticket thing. Because selling on any social platform is brutal right now. I have been in business for eight years and I will tell you: I have never closed a single dollar organically on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Not one. I have sold masterclasses. But the organic-to-sale path? Nope, not once.Now compare that to Substack.Your reader finds your free article. She loves it. She upgrades to your paid tier the same day because the button was right there. She stays in your paid tier for three months, consuming your work, getting real value, building real trust. Then you run a paid-tier-only workshop or offer a consult. She books.The stranger-to-curious-prospect-to-interested-buyer journey collapses from months to minutes.Time is the currency of sales. Substack just gave you your time back.Substack Becomes Your Sales TeamYou want to know the wildest part?People are coming into my paid tier every single day. Multiple people a day. Every day.And I am not promoting it every day. Let me say that again — I am not promoting my paid tier every day.Substack is doing it for me. Substack is my sales buddy. Substack is my sales team. Every article I publish, every note I post, every live I go on — every one of those surfaces has the upgrade button sitting right there, and the culture of the platform is built around people clicking it.Your aura is your marketing. Your frequency is your funnel.I mean it when I say it. Frequency over funnels. Clarity over complexity. Human over automated. Depth over performance.Stop the MadnessIf you are a coach, a consultant, a guide, a mentor, a healer — a woman who has real expertise and real wisdom and a real calling to serve — I do not want you spending one more week drowning on the left side of that diagram.I don’t want you buying another tool.I don’t want you watching another webinar on how to build the funnel to sell the course on how to run the ad.I don’t want you competing with AI-generated content.I want you on the fertile ground, early, while the company is still coming.Because the company is coming. Best buyers are already migrating. Our top-performing ads right now? All about Substack. People are hungry for this. They are looking for something that doesn’t feel like a trick.Be ready to receive them. Get your house ready. Assume your places. Start preparing for the company.This Is the New Feminine FrequencyI’m going to get a little woo on you and I don’t care.All the bros built the online business space. And they built it in their image — loud, hustle-based, algorithm-dependent, performance-heavy, trick-the-buyer-into-the-funnel.That is not us.We come from boardrooms. Courtrooms. Classrooms. Operating rooms. We built our expertise in rooms that valued precision, credibility, depth, and earned authority. We are not here to become reality TV stars to make six figures.Substack is the new feminine frequency rising.It is the calm. It is the depth. It is the place where enough is enough and the nervous system finally exhales. It is where our voice can actually be heard.The new era has no gurus. I am not your guru. I am a guide — a fellow traveler who happens to be a few steps ahead. I’ve been at this thirty years total, eight years in this space, and I am telling you with every ounce of conviction I have:This is where I would build if my entire business burned down tomorrow. Full stop. End of story.Your Next Step (If You’re Ready)I am running a FREE 5-day live masterclass called The New Era Coach, and we start May 4th (prep session Friday, May 1st at noon Eastern).We are going way deeper into everything I just walked you through. How to reposition yourself as a new era leader. How to build a new era brand and business plan. How to simplify your marketing, your sales, your delivery. And yes — an entire session on the six-figure Substack system and how to actually build it.When you register, you get:📖 A free advance copy of my new book TRIBAL — plus the audiobook. (The full data story behind everything I just told you.)🎁 A private pop-up community of women doing this alongside you.🎯 The option to upgrade to VIP ($47) for the New Era Brand Workshop, the Her Profit Map, the Authority Architecture Playbook, and the workbook + prompts.The online coaching gold rush is over, my friend. But the midlife gold age has begun. And the women who move first — who plant their crops on the fertile soil, who build with clarity and conviction and frequency — are the ones who win this next chapter.Register at www.igniteherbrand.com/neweracoachI’ll see you May 4th.Let’s stop the madness together.xo, Julie This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.julieciardi.com

For six years — six years this month — I’ve been running free masterclass experiences.They’ve been the single most powerful, value-driven approach to marketing and growing my business. People think I’m crazy for giving this much away for free. But it’s who I am. It’s my human design. And it works — because real generosity builds real trust.So here’s what’s next.The New Era Coach — May 4thWe are in a massive shift. The coaching industry, the online business world, the collective — it’sall changing. Structures that have been in place for decades are cracking. Gurus are losing their grip. Something new is emerging.If you can feel it, you’re not imagining it. The New Era of 2027 is approaching, and it’s bringing both chaos and extraordinary opportunity.The New Era Coach masterclass is where we go all in on what this means for you and your business.Kickoff: Friday, May 1st Deep dive: Monday, May 4th — all week, about an hour a dayWe’re covering the massive changes happening right now and exactly how to position yourself — your voice, your wisdom, your work — inside this new landscape.This Is For You If…You’re a woman near or over 45, stepping into the second half of life and ready to do your legacy work. Maybe you’re a coach, healer, guide, consultant, speaker, podcaster, or author — or you want to be. Maybe you’ve already started, and you know something needs to shift. This masterclass is for you.A Gift I Can’t Wait to Give YouI have a new book coming called Tribal — it’s my business book, all about the new era of business and what’s actually working now.When you register for the masterclass, you’ll receive:🎁 A free advanced digital copy of Tribal 🎧 The full audio book — also free 📱 Access toour private community inside my mobile app (also on desktop) where we’ll start the conversations before the masterclass even beginsThink of the masterclass as a book circle around Tribal. We’re going deep into the content together, and I want your feedback before the full release this summer.A New, Streamlined ExperienceIf you’ve done one of my masterclasses before — we’re doing things differently this time.No Facebook group. No juggling Zoom links and replay pages. Everything lives in one place: my private mobile app (or one link on desktop). The sessions, the community, the replays, the resources — all together. Simple. Clean. Easy.Registration Opens MondayKeep your eyes and ears out. Links drop Monday.This masterclass will set you up for the second half of 2026 in a way that nothing else can.We’re leaving behind the insanity of the last 15 years of online business, and we’re going in a direction that was made for us.It is our time. It’s the time for women with voices, with wisdom, with something meaningful to give — to step into our power and lead.I’m going to show you how.Stay tuned. I cannot wait. 🎙Join the Substack Soapbox ($79/year) for the full Podcast Playbook, strategy sessions, and step-by-step Substack training.Subscribe now This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.julieciardi.com

What a powerful episode of the 50 Not Finished show! Leah Hadley, AFC, CDFA, MAFF shared so much goodness on what to look for when considering wealth management - especially for women. Grab a copy of her book, Intentional Money here on Amazon! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.julieciardi.com

The coaching industry is entering a massive shift—and most coaches don’t see it coming. In this episode, Julie breaks down the two forces reshaping the market: the collapse of traditional social media as a marketing engine for transformational entrepreneurs and the rise of platforms that reward depth, thought leadership, and real connection. If you’re building a coaching or transformational business, this conversation will challenge how you think about marketing, authority, and where the future of your audience actually lives.In This Episode, Julie Covers:Why the coaching industry is moving away from guru-driven modelsThe rise of self-coaching tools and client empowermentWhy Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn algorithms don’t favor transformational contentThe hidden risk of building your business entirely on social mediaWhy many coaches are already spending less time on traditional platformsThe difference between entertainment platforms vs. thought leadership platformsWhy Substack is emerging as a powerful home for serious entrepreneursHow creating your own digital publication can attract aligned clientsWant to Go Deeper?If this episode resonated, Julie is teaching exactly how to build your own Substack “soapbox” inside her private membership.The Substack Soapbox is a paid community for transformational entrepreneurs who want to grow their voice, audience, and revenue on Substack through thought leadership and long-form content.Inside the membership you’ll get:Live strategy sessions on growing and monetizing SubstackTrainings on Notes growth, publication strategy, and paid tiersAccess to the private Substack Soapbox communityExpert interviews and behind-the-scenes insightsPractical guidance to turn your voice into a thriving publicationJoin here:This is your moment to build your own corner of the internet—a place where your depth, wisdom, and transformational work are actually valued. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.julieciardi.com

Episode OverviewHost Julie Ciardi interviews her son, Jack Currie, who at just 18 years old has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to set big, seemingly impossible goals and relentlessly pursue them.Jack shares his journey from a ninth-grade student navigating online learning during the pandemic, to becoming a varsity football captain, All-Section honoree, and Division 2 college football recruit — all after picking up the sport for the first time at age 16.What We Cover in This Episode1. Trusting Your Intuition to Make a Big Change* Jack made the courageous decision to switch high schools during the pandemic, leaving the only school he’d known since kindergarten.* He recognized that in-person learning was essential for his academic success and followed his gut toward a school that offered more structure.* That one decision became the catalyst for everything that followed — academic honors, a National Honor Society membership, an academic scholarship, and a new sport.2. Discovering Football — and Falling in Love with Teamwork* Jack had played soccer his entire life. Because the football season was moved to the spring due to the pandemic, he tried both sports simultaneously — and immediately connected with football.* What stood out: the way every player had to move in unison for a play to work. This level of collective precision was unlike anything he’d experienced in soccer.* Football quickly became his favorite sport, and he committed to it fully heading into his junior year.3. Physical Transformation — The Work Behind the Goal* Jack recognized quickly that his soccer player’s build wasn’t going to cut it on the football field. He committed to a major physical transformation.* Driven by dissatisfaction with where he was, a desire to be better, he dedicated himself to gym work, nutrition, and discipline.* By the start of his senior season, he was 40 pounds heavier and in the best athletic shape of his life.* His motivation: “I didn’t want to be the kid that couldn’t run the play. I wanted to be the kid everyone looked up to.”4. The Front Porch Conversation — Setting the Impossible Goal* Just before his senior season — with only 14 months of football experience — Jack sat down with his parents and declared his goal: play college football.* He had already reverse-engineered what that would require: being among the top players on his team, earning All-Section recognition, and becoming a captain.* He didn’t know which college, what position, or how far from home. But he knew the destination — and that was enough to move forward.5. The Senior Season — Goal Achievement in Real Time* Jack was voted captain by his teammates before the season even started.* In the very first game, despite rolling his ankle during warm-ups, he caught a touchdown pass on the team’s first offensive drive and never looked back.* The team finished 10-2, making it to the state championship game.* Jack earned All-Section honors — exactly what he’d set out to achieve.* He used Twitter strategically throughout the season to get in front of college coaches, tagging them, posting after games, and making himself visible.6. Committing to College — The Goal Complete* After several official visits and conversations with coaches, Jack committed to play D2 football at Assumption University.* The deciding factor: the people, the values of the program, and the culture — not just the football.* Only about 6% of high school football players go on to play college football. Jack is one of them — after starting the sport at 16.7. The Role of Books, Mindset, and Discipline* Books like Think and Grow Rich helped Jack build the mindset and financial awareness that supported his larger life goals.* He identifies discipline — not talent or luck — as the single most important factor in his success.* Discipline showed up in early mornings at a demanding construction job, saying no to going out when he had work the next day, and continuing to train when others didn’t.Jack’s Main Points on Goals & SuccessIn Jack’s own words, here are his core insights:* Set a goal so big you don’t even think you can achieve it. If the goal is easy, it won’t give you the drive to push through the hard moments. An impossible-feeling goal gives your life direction and purpose.* A big goal acts as a beacon. When you have one clear goal in your mind, it keeps you from getting lost. Every decision — what to eat, whether to go out, whether to show up — gets filtered through it.* Doubt is part of the process — self-coach through it. Jack had moments of serious doubt, especially watching other athletes at camps and questioning whether college football was realistic. He learned to push through by reminding himself of his goal and what he knew was best for him.* Goals have to be yours, not someone else’s. A goal driven by your own desire will sustain you through early mornings, bad weather, and hard days. A goal you’re pursuing for someone else won’t. Kids (and adults) perform best when the “why” is internal.* Know the criteria for success, then reverse-engineer it. Jack identified exactly what he needed to achieve (captain, All-Section, top player on the team) in order to attract college coaches. Knowing the target gave him a clear action plan.* Discipline is the bridge between wanting and having. “If discipline were easy, everyone would have exactly what they want.” Discipline is the differentiator — in athletics, finances, relationships, and anything else worth pursuing.* You can be in the trenches and still be living the dream. When you have a clear vision, even the hardest, most uncomfortable moments feel meaningful. The vision makes the grind worth it.* Start small if you need to — but always keep the big goal in view. Don’t be paralyzed by the size of a goal. Start with one small action. Just start. The big goal keeps you oriented while the small steps build momentum.* Not every day will feel like progress — and that’s okay. “Every workout isn’t going to feel like this is my vision to college football right here.” You just have to keep showing up.Key TakeawayJack’s story is proof that a focused, unwavering commitment to one big goal — combined with discipline, self-coaching through doubt, and a willingness to do the hard work — can produce results that seem impossible from the outside. He went from a soccer player who had never put on a football helmet, to a Division 2 college football recruit in under two years. The goal came first. Everything else followed. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.julieciardi.com

Join me as a paid subscriber and come to my LIVE workshop on Substack Content for Thought Leaders on Feb 11th!https://julieciardi.substack.com/Grab the book 50 Not Finished here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.julieciardi.com

Ready to go deeper on your Chiron Return? Your 50s Cycle?Here is the link to join me on Substack for the CHIRON Newsletter & the first post.Ready to be a founding member of our Chiron Circle? Check it out here - we start January 9th!Grab the book 50 Not Finished here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.julieciardi.com

Download the NEW Human Design for the New Era Ebook www.julieciardi.com/newhdReady to go deeper on your Chiron Return? Your 50s Cycle?Here is the link to join me on Substack for the CHIRON Newsletter & the first post.Ready to be a founding member of our Chiron Circle? Check it out here - we start January 9th!Grab the book 50 Not Finished here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.julieciardi.com

Ready to go deeper on your Chiron Return? Your 50s Cycle?Here is the link to join me on Substack for the CHIRON Newsletter & the first post.Ready to be a founding member of our Chiron Circle? Check it out here - we start January 9th!Grab the book 50 Not Finished here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.julieciardi.com

Ready to go deeper on your Chiron Return? Your 50s Cycle?Here is the link to join me on Substack for the CHIRON Newsletter & the first post.Ready to be a founding member of our Chiron Circle? Check it out here - we start January 9th!Grab the book 50 Not Finished here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.julieciardi.com