What happens when the thing you're known for isn't what you want to be known for anymore? You built the career, the reputation, and the business everyone admires, and now you're the only one who knows it doesn't fit, which makes changing direction feel almost impossible to explain.

In this episode of On Second Thought, KJ Blattenbauer and I talk about why choosing to change something that's already successful can be harder than rebuilding after something falls apart, and how to decide what you want to be known for next. We get into growing up in a small town where everyone wrote your story for you, quitting a "dream job" on the spot, building and walking away from two businesses she didn't love, why women need to stop saying "I'm just," and the one thing to do in the next 30 days if you want people to see you differently.

KJ Blattenbauer is a reputation strategist, bestselling author, and the founder of Hearsay PR. With nearly three decades of experience helping entrepreneurs and brands become known, trusted, and in demand, she now helps accomplished founders take ownership of their narratives through her books, speaking, and signature Recognition Report & Roadmap™. She is the author of Pitchworthy and the forthcoming Impossible to Ignore, out January 12, 2027.

What's Discussed:

(2:51) Why changing something that's already successful can be harder than rebuilding after it falls apart.

(7:03) What growing up in a small town taught KJ about reputation and the stories people tell about us.

(13:17) Why "you're more than your job title" is easier to say than to believe.

(29:53) How to decide what you want to be known for and turn it into one sentence people can repeat.

(42:12) Building two businesses she didn't love, and what they taught her about what she actually wants.

(1:10:27) KJ's four steps to get known for something new, starting today.

(1:15:32) Why women need to stop saying "I'm just" when someone asks what they do.

If you've ever been great at something you no longer want to be known for, this one is for you.

Come sit at the table 🤍

The conversation doesn't end when the episode does. My Substack is where the rest lives: my raw, unedited thoughts on every episode, free, every week, plus the world I'm building around style, beauty, travel, and the questions we're all actually asking.And when you're ready for the decisions (what I actually bought, booked, and believed, names and prices included), listeners get 20% off your first year: prettybigthoughts.substack.com/777

Start free: prettybigthoughts.substack.com

See everything inside the community: PBT Sales Page

Learn more about Jac Pfeifer:

Instagram: @officially.jac

Learn more about KJ Blattenbauer:

Website: kjblattenbauer.com

Instagram: @kjblattenbauer

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kjblattenbauer

You have the career you worked for. Your kids are healthy. You like walking into your house. On paper, you built the exact life a younger version of you prayed for.

And still, there's something else you want. A different pace. A new challenge. More creative space. Something that belongs only to you. And before you can even finish the thought, guilt slams the door and tells you that wanting more from a life this good makes you selfish, spoiled, or never satisfied.

I know this one from the inside. I'm recording this episode with a really great life around me and a lot of change in motion, and the guilt has had plenty to say about it.

In this episode, I'm talking about why a good life is so much harder to question than one that's falling apart, and the five things I'm holding onto as I learn to stop apologizing for wanting more, plus something you can actually do with each one.

In this episode I discuss:

• Why we look for proof of pain before we let ourselves make a change.

• How guilt takes your gratitude and turns it into a box.

• Why anything for the kids is automatically fine, but anything for yourself needs a reason a jury would accept.

• The question to ask when guilt tells you you're spoiled.

• How to hold gratitude for today and ambition for tomorrow at the same time.

• Why outgrowing a goal you worked hard for is proof the goal did its job.

• Where buried wants show up when you refuse to say them out loud.

• How to tell whether guilt means you did something wrong, or you're just not meeting someone else's expectations.

You're allowed to love your life and still want something new. If you needed to hear that, this one is for you.

Come sit at the table

The conversation doesn't end when the episode does. My Substack is where the rest lives: my raw, unedited thoughts on every episode, free, every week, plus the world I'm building around style, beauty, travel, and the questions we're all actually asking.And when you're ready for the decisions (what I actually bought, booked, and believed, names and prices included), listeners get 20% off your first year: prettybigthoughts.substack.com/777

Start free: prettybigthoughts.substack.com

See everything inside the community: Pretty Big Thoughts

Learn more about Jac Pfeifer:

Instagram: @officially.jac

I used to think outgrowing a version of yourself would arrive as one big moment, where you wake up and know exactly what has to change.

In my experience, it shows up small first. The thing you worked years for finally happens, and it barely registers. Something you tolerated for years suddenly irritates you. The same idea keeps coming back, and you keep telling yourself you'll get to it later, when there's more money in the bank or more time on the calendar.

In this episode, I'm walking through seven signs you may have outgrown a version of yourself. I'll tell you which ones have been true for me, from redefining what success means to finally saying out loud that I'm walking away from my corporate career to build something of my own. And because naming the signs isn't enough, I'm also sharing five small moves to start toward what's next without blowing up the life you've built.

In this episode I discuss:

• Why making space for yourself is useless until you know what the space is for.

• The test I use to decide which goals I would still choose today.

• Why chasing a bigger version of the same goal rarely fixes the restlessness.

• What it means when the same idea keeps coming back year after year.

• How to use envy as information instead of something to feel bad about.

• Why getting irritated by things you used to tolerate might mean your standards have changed.

• How every "later" teaches you that your own wants are optional.

• What happens when you start editing yourself to keep other people comfortable.

• Five small moves to make this week, from protecting one hour on your calendar to getting in a new room.

You don't have to reject the woman who built the life you have. You can be proud of all of it and still let the next chapter be led by who you're becoming.

Come sit at the table

The conversation doesn't end when the episode does. My Substack is where the rest lives: my raw, unedited thoughts on every episode, free, every week, plus the world I'm building around style, beauty, travel, and the questions we're all actually asking.And when you're ready for the decisions (what I actually bought, booked, and believed, names and prices included), listeners get 20% off your first year: prettybigthoughts.substack.com/777

Start free: prettybigthoughts.substack.com

See everything inside the community: PBT Sales Page

Learn more about Jac Pfeifer:

Instagram: @officially.jac