Former principal Roxanne Hyer shares how grief, burnout, and a seizure led her to start over, reinvent her career, and build Hyer Education from scratch. "Wait until you're ready" can keep you stuck for years. Roxanne Hyer proves the opposite: start before the plan is perfect, and your next chapter can change everything. After nearly two decades in education, a devastating personal loss, and a health scare in the middle of a school year, Roxanne made a bold career change from school principal to founder of Hyer Education, building a consulting business from the ground up. In this conversation on The More Than Your Age Podcast, Erica Pasvar and Roxanne Hyer unpack the real story behind that reinvention: the leadership moments that prepared her, the professional boundaries that made the shift from peer to supervisor work, and the quiet pressure women in education and leadership carry while balancing high-stakes careers and family. Roxanne also pulls back the curtain on the hidden weight of the principal role, from school culture and safety to parent relationships, personnel decisions, and the emotional load of being the one who has to make the call. In this episode, you'll learn: How Roxanne went from classroom teacher to instructional specialist, assistant principal, and principal The leadership skills her mentors saw early: big-picture thinking, communication, trust-building, and follow-through Why her grandmother's words, "teaching is a calling," stayed with her for life How to set professional boundaries when you lead your former colleagues The moment grief, burnout, and stress pushed her to leave a role she loved How she started a business with no clear roadmap, tutoring, homeschooling, cleaning houses, and organizing closets to keep moving Why her business grew through trust, word of mouth, and staying visible long after the first outreach How small wins built the momentum and confidence to keep going How her consulting expanded beyond schools into corporate and manufacturing leadership development What her upcoming book, Out of the Valley, Into My Purpose, is about and how journaling led to it Roxanne also opens up about losing her mother in 2020, leading a school through the start of COVID, and the seizure that forced her to finally listen to what her body had been saying all along. Out of that season, she built a firm focused on leadership development, career growth, and helping people advance without burning out. This is essential listening if you've ever felt stuck between security and purpose, or if you know you're meant for more but keep waiting for the "right" time. It's a story of starting over, career reinvention, and resilience for women in their 40s and beyond, and for anyone at a crossroads. It's especially valuable for educators, teachers, principals, women in leadership, aspiring entrepreneurs, and career changers. "Your age is not a limitation. Your circumstances do not define your future." Key takeaways Start writing the idea down instead of waiting for the perfect plan. Build and maintain relationships before you need them. Set clear professional boundaries early if you move into leadership from a peer role. If burnout is building, look at workload, efficiency, and work-life balance before a crisis forces a change. If you're going to bet on something, bet on yourself. Connect with Roxanne: Website: hyer-education.com https://www.hyer-education.com/ Instagram: @roxanne_hyer Facebook: @hyer-education.com 💬 Join the More Than Your Age Facebook CommunityA space for women redefining what’s possible at every age. Connect with Erica Email // Facebook // Instagram // Linkedin // YouTube Visit The More Than Your Age Website and check out our merch! www.morethanyourage.com Intro and Exit Music written and performed by Daniel Ging.