Leaving Healthcare to Build a Travel Company: Midlife Career Pivot | Melanie Kiss, Chicas Abroad, Ep. 15

Melanie had every reason to stay: the title, the paycheck, the 401(k) she’d be walking away from as a single woman with no one to fall back on. Then a mentor asked her one question that made all of that beside the point — how many women are you NOT reaching by playing it safe?ABOUT THE GUEST:Melanie Kiss spent nearly 30 years in healthcare before founding Chicas Abroad, a women’s adventure travel company she built on the side and didn’t go full-time on until 48. Now the author of two books — a practical travel guide and a reinvention memoir, When the Compass Shifts — she walks through the thoughtful, strategic five-year transition: the money math, the mentor question that reframed everything, and the dream she’d buried since she was 16.WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:[03:31] Why she launched an adventure travel company in the middle of COVID, when no one was traveling[10:25] The single question from her mentor that flipped her from “I can’t afford to leave” to going all in[29:30] Why she wroteWhen the Compass Shifts— a reinvention memoir with reflection questions for women rethinking their next chapter[34:26] How she found her direction by noticing where her mind wandered — a dream she’d had since 15[41:26] Which corporate skills transferred straight into entrepreneurship — and the practical pieces (pricing, profit, contractors) she had to learn from scratch[51:07] Her mantra: get out of your comfort zone — and why she holds her clients to it tooGUEST LINKS: Chicas AbroadWebsite: https://www.chicasabroad.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/chicas_abroad/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicasabroadLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chicas-abroad/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniekiss/Podcast: Chicas ChatBook — Adventure More, Worry Less: https://amzn.to/4acOCefBook — When the Compass Shifts: https://amzn.to/3SlkvLrCONNECT WITH SPONSOR: Roots & BloomInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootsandbloom_studio/Listener promotion: Roots & Bloom 20% off plant purchase — mention "Her Intentional Reset" at checkout/to Ciera CurtisCONNECT WITH HIRInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/herintentionalreset.co/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587329908947Website: https://www.herintentionalreset.comRESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEThe Artist's Way by Julia Cameron: https://a.co/d/09E1ps0JHer Intentional Reset Experience — The Artist's Way Creative Cluster: https://www.facebook.com/groups/herintentionalresetexperienceIf HIR has been valuable to you, you can support the show here: https://ko-fi.com/herintentionalresetNo pressure — just making it easy for listeners who want to say so.Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/the-way-forwardLicense code: RVGOVVHKDJFBKVJCThis post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend books and resources discussed on the show that I genuinely use and believe in.