What is the work that works for you?
About Richard Taliaferro Coaching
Career Coaching for Mid-Career Professionals
I’m Richard Taliaferro, a career transition coach who helps mid-career professionals—especially journalists, editors, media professionals, and mission-driven people—figure out what comes next.
If you’re dealing with burnout, a layoff, a shrinking industry, or simply the sense that the work that once fit no longer does, you don’t necessarily need to start over.
You may need to understand what you’re starting from..
Why I Became a Career Transition Coach
For 26 years, I worked at The Wall Street Journal.
Journalism wasn’t just my job. It became part of my identity.
When I was laid off in 2023, I had to confront a question many of my clients face now: Who am I professionally when the thing I’ve spent decades becoming is suddenly no longer mine?
I had already started training as a coach, but losing my journalism career made the work personal.
I learned that career reinvention isn’t about erasing what came before. It’s about understanding what still belongs to you—your skills, judgment, experience, values, relationships, and hard-won knowledge—and deciding what you want to build from there.
That idea sits at the center of my coaching:
Career transition isn’t starting over. It’s starting from.
How I Coach
I help clients take a step back before rushing toward an answer.
We look at what’s working, what’s not, what gives you energy, what you’ve outgrown, and what assumptions may be keeping you stuck.
Then we turn that insight into action.
That might mean exploring possibilities, having new conversations, testing ideas, making decisions, or taking small steps that create momentum without requiring you to blow up your life.
I don’t write résumés or promise quick fixes.
I help you think more clearly about your work, your life, and the choices in front of you—and then move.
You’re Not Starting Over
Everything you’ve done still counts.
The skills you’ve built. The mistakes you’ve survived. The things you now know about yourself. Even the parts of your career you no longer want.
Your next chapter doesn’t have to look like your last one.
But it gets to benefit from everything that came before it.
Ready to Explore Your Next Chapter?
If you’re at a career crossroads and want help figuring out the work that works for you now, let’s talk.
