In this solo episode of the Stand Sure podcast, host Rob Anderson, age 59, shares his personal "Season 3" – a comprehensive reinvention that includes a new marriage, returning to school for a coaching master’s program, and launching StandSure Coaching. He frames this transition as a strategic reset rather than a step back, emphasizing the need to discard old mindsets and create space for new possibilities. Anderson cites neuroplasticity research by Dr. Michael Merzenich to argue that the brain can rewire at any age, countering societal age bias that often sidelines professionals over 50 during career changes. He outlines his coaching philosophy: moving clients from present constraints to future possibilities by asking deep questions, not merely giving advice. The episode also includes a candid production note about his low‑tech recording setup (wireless mics, cell phone, background motorcycle noise) to keep the podcast authentic and accessible. Throughout, Anderson invites listeners undergoing similar reinvention to connect for coaching support.
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I never thought that I would be starting all over again at 59 years old, but that's exactly what's happening. Hey, my name is Rob Anderson and I am the host of this podcast, actually about 3 or 4 podcasts, but I'm the host of this podcast, Stand Sure. You know, and if that resonates with you, if you're rebuilding a career, rethinking your relationships, Reimagining your purpose. This episode is for you. I said this on a, on another podcast, but I've started breaking my life into seasons. Season 1 was all about the military career. It had structure, sacrifice, service, showing up even when I didn't want to. Season 2 was leading Fortune 500 companies. Helping others grow through either classes that I facilitated or workshops I facilitated, coaching, instructional design, building out coursework. But it was helping others to continue, whether that was through emotional intelligence or soft skills or technical skills, building out leadership programs and making a mark for not just myself, but for others as well. But now season 3 is about starting all over again. And I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It's, it's hard and it's humbling. But it's also clarifying because I'm rebuilding 3 areas all at once. Brand new marriage, learning how to show up and, and be fully present in that, be vulnerable. I'm back in school to increase my capabilities in coaching. And honestly, it's like taking another master's program. And while all this is going on, I'm building a brand new business, StandSure Coaching. I'm building it from scratch. I'm taking 20 years of experience in coaching, leadership development, Facilitation. And now I'm doing it my way. And there's a lot of sacrifice with that. But here's the thing, starting over isn't just a motivational concept. It's actually a neurobiological one. Research from Dr. Michael Merzenich. This guy has done some fascinating work. He's, he's one of the pioneers in the field of neuroplasticity. And his work shows that our brains retain the ability to rewire and grow throughout our entire lives. And that means your age doesn't disqualify you from growth. And here's the sad thing. I talk to people every single day, literally every single day, who are over age 50 and are in the middle of a career change. And 9 times out of 10, it's not their doing. And the outside world sees the age as a disqualifier. Now, they, they can't purposely disqualify them, but they look at their experience, they look at their resume, and it's not hard to tell that they're over 50. But you don't have to let that impact you. Your age doesn't disqualify you from growth. In fact, if you stay mentally engaged and push into new challenges, your brain adapts. It literally builds new pathways. So you're not too late. You're not behind. You're just in a new season. What I've learned about starting over— and don't get me wrong, coaching, coaching is not advice giving, but I do want to share this on this platform— when you're starting over, you can't bring your old mindset into the new season. Into your new mission. You've got to let go of all the should-haves. You have to let go of the used-to-be's. You have to let go of that's how we used to do it. And you have to create space for what could be. This is the major area where I help my clients. Because in coaching, we move from today So if you're in the middle of your own reinvention, and you're not sure where to start, you're feeling unqualified, you're wrestling with your— you're wrestling with your own identity. Keep this in mind: starting over isn't a step back. It's a strategic reset. It's not failure. It's foundation building. Trust me, I know. Having the audacity to give up what I was good at for 30-plus years and in pursuit of finding a new kind of freedom, I started all over again. I didn't go back to what I knew. I didn't go back into a career field Where I knew that I had expertise and I had experience because I was searching for something that was completely new. And it's hard. Trust me, it is hard. I've shared this on another podcast. I took a significant cut in pay and lifestyle, but I'm after something much grander. If you need someone to help you do that deep work, ask the right questions, and walk this road with you, let's connect. By the way, if you hear the motorcycle in the background, I think I've talked about this before. If you don't know, the way I do this podcast is I've got A couple of Rode wireless microphones and my cell phone, and that's how I do the podcast. I write everything out on— well, I now write it out on an Amazon Scribe, but usually it's a piece of paper, and I just do it a mind map, and I roll from there. So if you hear the motorcycle in the background, you're always going to hear background noises on this podcast, I can guarantee you, because I want to keep things simple. Because for me, it's about contacting and reaching out and making contacts for coaching and not some podcast that sounds like it's done in a studio. And that's nothing against the people who do that. This is just one more path to freedom for me. Hey, again, I know where you are and you can still build something extraordinary. Let me walk along with you. Have a blessed day. Thanks so much. Thank you.
