Course Correction: Retiring Was a Big Mistake

At 53, Linda Davis was a successful entrepreneur running a business she'd started in 1989, staging events for corporations, managing travel and providing content for medical meetings. In one of the hardest, scariest decisions of her life, she closed the business and sold the two buildings that housed it.

How did she know it was time for a change? "I was lucky in that I loved what I did," Davis says. "I promised myself if I woke up one morning and didn't love it anymore, I would stop. That happened. The economy was bad, there were new federal guidelines to meet, the services we provide weren't as valued. The business was changing. I had to be true to myself, so I retired."

Davis moved to Florida and at first, retirement suited her just fine. "It was amazing to do what I wanted to do: read on the beach, go to the gym. But after six months, I said "What did I do? I'm bored. I miss the conversations, the interactions. I never anticipated that would happen."

She started to see a life coach someone recommended. "She was great. We talked about what I always wanted to do that I hadn't had a chance to accomplish. My business gave back and I had been involved in getting women who were incarcerated back into the workforce, and helping displaced women and children. I also realized I wanted a masters, which I'd never had time to get."

Attending School and Building Schools Too

For her second act, Davis applied to graduate school — "very scary" — and began to do charity work in Latin America. "My coach introduced me to a nonprofit called Miracles in Action, which builds schools in Guatemala. When I met with the founder, I knew right away that this was for me." She and her two daughters raised money for a school, then traveled to Guatemala for the opening. "It was life changing to see it. When you're greeted by these kids, particularly the girls, who are second-class citizens education-wise," she says. That was just the beginning. "My mom passed away three years ago. She wanted to be a teacher but couldn't go to college, so my sister and I raised money to build a school in her honor. My dad – my whole family – went for the opening. I can't tell you how wonderful that was."

Now Davis is working on another project. In the villages her schools serve, people live in one-room huts. "Women and their babies are inside all the time, it's not vented, and the smoke is so bad I couldn't even be in the room." She's raising money to install vents that carry the smoke outside in all the homes. "We just finished our first 50," Davis says proudly.

When Davis looked at graduate schools, she only considered online institutions. "I felt with my lifestyle online would be great. She selected Walden University, where a friend had gotten a doctorate. Fueled by a long-time interest in business psychology, Davis selected a concentration in organizational psychology. For her thesis project, she is advising a company that's going through change. "It's a huge project. We're running focus groups."

Returning to school, Davis says, "It's really important to be willing to get out of your comfort zone. If you're in your fifties you're probably not used to the technology. You have to hang in and believe you can do it. I can't believe how much I've learned. When I had my business, I had IT people. I'm not a computer genius but much better than I used to be."

Starting a New Company, One That Fits Her New Life

When Davis earns her masters at the end of May, she plans to launch another business. "I'm working with a marketing consultant to develop my company, which will be called Recognizing Potential. I'll coach young business leaders, and also help businesses deal with problems," Davis says. "The new business will be on my terms. The first time, I worked 90 hours a week. This time, the business will be an extension of my life. I want to spend time in Guatemala, learn Spanish, and do more work with Miracles in Action."

"This was the right decision for me. Life is good."