Burn the Map

Shelley McIntyre
  • 5.0 (15)
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Burn the Map is for people who spent decades in corporate jobs and now need to figure out what's next. Host Shelley McIntyre is a former corporate strategist who left to become a coach. She knows what it's like to have your entire identity wrapped up in a job title, and what it takes to untangle yourself from it. Weekly episodes cover the messy middle of career transition: how to admit you don't want what you worked years to get, how to stop performing competence you no longer care about, and how to build work that actually fits instead of what sounds good on paper. No motivational fluff. No "find your passion" nonsense. Just honest conversations about what it takes to leave corporate life and not implode in the process.

  1. 37: The Protection Myth

    1D AGO

    37: The Protection Myth

    Most conversations about being stuck in a miserable job focus on the person who's stuck: their identity, their fear, their eventual breaking point. This episode is about the people in the next room. When you stay in a job that wore out its welcome, the cost doesn't stay contained to you. Partners, family members, and close friends absorb your misery whether you intend that or not. And because you're focused on surviving each day, you often can't see it happening. What you'll learn: What prolonged job misery looks like from the outside, and why the person closest to you is doing a lot of emotional labor they didn't sign up forWhy the stories you tell yourself about staying (financial stability, loyalty, not disrupting the household) are real considerations that also help you avoid naming what you're actually afraid ofHow the corporate loyalty culture you grew up in makes leaving feel like a betrayal, even when the loyalty only ever flowed one wayThe difference between burden-sharing and burden-dumping, and why one requires a conversation that most people never haveWhy staying, if your goal is to protect the people you love, might be working against that goalIf you've been telling yourself you're staying for everyone else's sake, this episode will offer a different angle on that. Shelley McIntyre is a midlife career transition coach for corporate professionals figuring out what comes next. She spent decades in corporate strategy and technology before leaving to build something of her own. Now she helps other midlife professionals do the same,  with structure, honesty, and without blowing up everything they've worked for. Work with Shelley: Own Your Edge Strategy Session: A 90-minute session to identify what's misaligned and map your next moves. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/own-your-edge Reinvention Partnership Program: Five months of high-touch coaching for midlife professionals leaving corporate and building what comes next. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/work-with-shelley Free Guide: 4 Moves to Get Unstuck https://burnthemapcoaching.com/guide/ Let’s connect: LinkedIn | Website

    8 min
  2. 36: Find Your Weirdos

    APR 21

    36: Find Your Weirdos

    Corporate culture doesn't make you mean all at once. It happens gradually. The culture of correction, the "well, actually" posturing, the incentive models that reward sharp elbows regardless of what the company values say. At some point, you notice the armor has followed you home. In this episode, I look at what that costs you, and why getting in a room with people who love something (anything!) might be the most practical thing you can do before you leave. What you'll learn: Why corporate cultures harden people even when they espouse values about empathy and inclusionWhy telling yourself to be nicer doesn't work while you're still inside the systemHow to identify the weirdest part of yourself and why that's actually the starting pointWhy being around people who love things can change your wiring in ways that planning and reflection can'tWhat to do if you don't know what you love yet, and why mild curiosity is enough to get startedIf you've noticed your edge showing up somewhere it shouldn't, or if you've lost track of what you actually like, this episode is for you. Shelley McIntyre is a midlife career transition coach for corporate professionals figuring out what comes next. She spent decades in corporate strategy and technology before leaving to build something of her own. Now she helps other midlife professionals do the same,  with structure, honesty, and without blowing up everything they've worked for. Work with Shelley: Own Your Edge Strategy Session: A 90-minute session to identify what's misaligned and map your next moves. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/own-your-edge Reinvention Partnership Program: Five months of high-touch coaching for midlife professionals leaving corporate and building what comes next. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/work-with-shelley Free Guide: 4 Moves to Get Unstuck https://burnthemapcoaching.com/guide/ Let’s connect: LinkedIn | Website

    7 min
  3. 35: Plan for the Punch

    APR 7

    35: Plan for the Punch

    The plan you make to leave your corporate job is not the plan that will survive contact with reality. A layoff, a reorg, a sudden directive from the CEO: any of these can detonate a carefully constructed exit strategy. The question isn't whether a surprise is coming. It's whether your plan can bend without breaking. In this episode, I look at how to build an exit plan that's elastic rather than brittle, and what most people miss when they start emotionally checking out before they've actually left. What you'll learn: Why your exit plan is worth making even though something will inevitably blow it upWhat the planning period is actually for (it's not logistics)How the gap between aspiration and reality is where the real suffering happens, and how to close it fasterWhy emotionally disengaging from your company and emotionally disengaging from your colleagues are two different thingsWhat your legacy at work will actually be remembered as. It's probably not the project you thinkIf you're in the middle of planning your exit, or you've had a plan interrupted by something you didn't see coming, this episode is for you. Shelley McIntyre is a midlife career transition coach for corporate professionals figuring out what comes next. She spent decades in corporate strategy and technology before leaving to build something of her own. Now she helps other midlife professionals do the same,  with structure, honesty, and without blowing up everything they've worked for. Work with Shelley: Own Your Edge Strategy Session: A 90-minute session to identify what's misaligned and map your next moves. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/own-your-edge Reinvention Partnership Program: Five months of high-touch coaching for midlife professionals leaving corporate and building what comes next. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/work-with-shelley Free Guide: 4 Moves to Get Unstuck https://burnthemapcoaching.com/guide/ Let’s connect: LinkedIn | Website

    8 min
  4. 34: Staying on the Emotional Payroll

    MAR 24

    34: Staying on the Emotional Payroll

    You left the job. So why does it still feel like yours? For many people who leave corporate careers, whether by choice or by layoff, the psychological exit takes much longer than the physical one. You're gone, but part of you is still at your desk. In this episode, I explore why that happens and what to do about it. What you'll learn: Why people who've left corporate jobs often keep using "we" when talking about their old companyHow your job was meeting psychological needs you may not have named:  relationships, meaning, accomplishment, and a sense of belongingWhy activity doesn't equal replacement, and what equivalent replacement actually requiresWhy new relationships take longer to fill the gap than most people expectHow to recognize when the shift from "we" to "they" is starting to happen naturallyIf you're finding it harder to detach from your corporate role than you expected, this episode will help you understand why. Shelley McIntyre is a midlife career transition coach for corporate professionals figuring out what comes next. She spent decades in corporate strategy and technology before leaving to build something of her own. Now she helps other midlife professionals do the same,  with structure, honesty, and without blowing up everything they've worked for. Work with Shelley: Own Your Edge Strategy Session: A 90-minute session to identify what's misaligned and map your next moves. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/own-your-edge Reinvention Partnership Program: Five months of high-touch coaching for midlife professionals leaving corporate and building what comes next. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/work-with-shelley Free Guide: 4 Moves to Get Unstuck https://burnthemapcoaching.com/guide/ Let’s connect: LinkedIn | Website

    7 min
  5. 33: How To Leave Well

    MAR 10

    33: How To Leave Well

    You've been thinking about leaving for a while. Or maybe the decision just got made for you. Either way, you're about to walk out a door, and how you do that matters more than most people realize. The emotional residue you carry out with you (bitterness, relief, grief, pride) doesn't disappear when you hand in your badge. It follows you into whatever comes next. Which means you have some agency over what you bring with you. In this episode, I talk about how to design your departure around what actually matters to you, whether you have a year of runway or a few hours. What you'll learn: Why "how do you want to feel on your way out" is the question most people skipHow your values can guide the practical decisions you make before you goWhat to do with resentment before it follows you out the doorHow to use whatever runway you have (or don't) to leave wellWhy a layoff doesn't have to mean leaving badlyHow you leave is the first decision you make about who you're becoming next.  Shelley McIntyre is a midlife career transition coach for corporate professionals figuring out what comes next. She spent decades in corporate strategy and technology before leaving to build something of her own. Now she helps other midlife professionals do the same,  with structure, honesty, and without blowing up everything they've worked for. Work with Shelley: Own Your Edge Strategy Session: A 90-minute session to identify what's misaligned and map your next moves. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/own-your-edge Reinvention Partnership Program: Five months of high-touch coaching for midlife professionals leaving corporate and building what comes next. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/work-with-shelley Free Guide: 4 Moves to Get Unstuck https://burnthemapcoaching.com/guide/ Let’s connect: LinkedIn | Website

    7 min
  6. 32: The Death of Craft

    FEB 24

    32: The Death of Craft

    You spent twenty years getting good at something. Now a tool can do it faster, and your company is thrilled about the efficiency gains. The loss isn't just about your job. It's about mastery itself. The identity you built around being the person who does this specific thing well. The dopamine hit of solving a problem elegantly. The community of people who cared about the same details you did. Corporate won't help you through this. They'll tell you to "adapt" and "manage the AI agents" like it's a promotion instead of a completely different job you didn't sign up for. In this episode, I talk about what you're actually losing when your craft gets automated, what survives even when the bots take over, and how to think about building something new that doesn't look anything like your old career. What you'll learn: Why the grief over losing your craft is legit(and what you're really mourning)What corporate won't do to help you transition thoughtfullyThe things AI can't take from you: discernment, context, problem definitionHow GenZ's approach to work might actually fit youOne concrete experiment to try this week to uncover what's nextThe craft isn't gone. It just doesn't live in the corporate world anymore. What you build next won't look like what you had, but it might let you use what you loved about the work in ways corporate never did. Schedule note: we're moving to a bi-weekly cadence. Look for episode 33 in 2 weeks. Shelley McIntyre is a midlife career transition coach for corporate professionals figuring out what comes next. She spent decades in corporate strategy and technology before leaving to build something of her own. Now she helps other midlife professionals do the same,  with structure, honesty, and without blowing up everything they've worked for. Work with Shelley: Own Your Edge Strategy Session: A 90-minute session to identify what's misaligned and map your next moves. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/own-your-edge Reinvention Partnership Program: Five months of high-touch coaching for midlife professionals leaving corporate and building what comes next. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/work-with-shelley Free Guide: 4 Moves to Get Unstuck https://burnthemapcoaching.com/guide/ Let’s connect: LinkedIn | Website

    9 min
  7. 31: What Leaving Actually Means

    FEB 17

    31: What Leaving Actually Means

    Someone I know quit a job after 20 years, then immediately took a contractor role on the same team, in the same building. To him, everything changed. To everyone else, nothing did. "Leaving corporate" doesn't have to mean never setting foot in an office again or launching a pottery business. For most people in midlife, it's about getting specific on what actually needs to change, not blowing everything up. The problem is you're probably using someone else's definition of what leaving looks like. Or you've tangled your job so tightly with your identity that the idea of change feels like erasing yourself. In this episode, I walk through how to figure out your version of leaving, how to separate what you do from who you are, and why the smallest number of changes is the right place to start. What you'll learn: How to define what leaving corporate actually means for youThe STOP/START/CONTINUE framework for getting clear on non-negotiablesWhy your job is not your personality (and how to prove it to yourself)How to ignore other people's projections about what your change should look likeYour version of leaving might not look like leaving to anyone else. That's fine. It only has to work for you. Shelley McIntyre is a midlife career transition coach for corporate professionals figuring out what comes next. She spent decades in corporate strategy and technology before leaving to build something of her own. Now she helps other midlife professionals do the same,  with structure, honesty, and without blowing up everything they've worked for. Work with Shelley: Own Your Edge Strategy Session: A 90-minute session to identify what's misaligned and map your next moves. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/own-your-edge Reinvention Partnership Program: Five months of high-touch coaching for midlife professionals leaving corporate and building what comes next. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/work-with-shelley Free Guide: 4 Moves to Get Unstuck https://burnthemapcoaching.com/guide/ Let’s connect: LinkedIn | Website

    8 min
  8. 30: The Real Risk Is Staying

    FEB 10

    30: The Real Risk Is Staying

    Almost half of you said financial risk is why you stay in jobs you don't want anymore. Here's the thing: most of you aren't broke. You have savings. Maybe severance. You've spent thousands on courses and retreats trying to figure out what's next. You're not too broke to take risks. You're spending money to avoid taking them. The real risk isn't leaving too soon. It's staying too long and getting ejected without a plan. In this episode, I walk through the actual financial calculation you need to do, what happens after you run the numbers, and why building something small while you're still employed is the move.  What you'll learn: Why staying feels safe but is actually the bigger gambleThe three numbers you need to know (and why they'll make you queasy)Why experimenting while employed is your smartest moveIf you keep moving the goalposts on when you'll be ready, you're not waiting for more money. You're waiting for the fear to go away. It won't. You build the thing while afraid. Shelley McIntyre is a midlife career transition coach for corporate professionals figuring out what comes next. She spent decades in corporate strategy and technology before leaving to build something of her own. Now she helps other midlife professionals do the same,  with structure, honesty, and without blowing up everything they've worked for. Work with Shelley: Own Your Edge Strategy Session: A 90-minute session to identify what's misaligned and map your next moves. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/own-your-edge Reinvention Partnership Program: Five months of high-touch coaching for midlife professionals leaving corporate and building what comes next. https://burnthemapcoaching.com/work-with-shelley Free Guide: 4 Moves to Get Unstuck https://burnthemapcoaching.com/guide/ Let’s connect: LinkedIn | Website

    7 min
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About

Burn the Map is for people who spent decades in corporate jobs and now need to figure out what's next. Host Shelley McIntyre is a former corporate strategist who left to become a coach. She knows what it's like to have your entire identity wrapped up in a job title, and what it takes to untangle yourself from it. Weekly episodes cover the messy middle of career transition: how to admit you don't want what you worked years to get, how to stop performing competence you no longer care about, and how to build work that actually fits instead of what sounds good on paper. No motivational fluff. No "find your passion" nonsense. Just honest conversations about what it takes to leave corporate life and not implode in the process.

Information

  • Creator
    Shelley McIntyre
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Burn the Map Coaching, LLC
  • Show Website
    Burn the Map