On Second Thought with Jackie Pfeifer

Jackie Pfeifer
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to On Second Thought with me, Jackie Pfeifer, a podcast for ambitious women and mothers who built a life doing everything "right," and are now questioning whether it's actually the life they want to keep living. Nothing has to be falling apart for you to question what comes next. You can be grateful for your life and still change your mind on the direction you want to take. Through honest conversations, new perspectives, and practical tools, this podcast will help you feel brave enough to question yourself, honest enough to get real clarity, and capable enough to explore new directions without blowing up everything you've built. Because sometimes creating the life you want starts with one honest realization: "On second thought, I want something different."

Episodes

  1. Jul 21

    4: How to Lead Without Carrying Everything with Annette White-Klososky

    A lot of women do not realize they are over-functioning because it looks so much like leadership. They are the ones adding value, holding things together, staying highly involved, anticipating what everyone needs, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks. From the outside, it can look capable and impressive. But underneath it, there may be a quieter question: Am I leading from self-trust, or am I carrying too much because I still feel like I have to prove I belong? In this episode of On Second Thought, I sit down with Annette White-Klososky for a conversation about what happens when your second thought is not about leaving your life behind, but leading it differently. We talk about the pressure women carry in leadership, why highly involved does not always mean effective, how over-explaining can undermine your own credibility, and why mature leadership often requires stepping back so other people can rise. Annette White-Klososky is a founding partner of Future Point of View, an executive coach, and a contributor to Forbes and Entrepreneur. She chairs the Women Presidents Organization in Oklahoma and serves as co-chair at 50/50 Women on Boards. With more than 20 years of experience working with executives, organizations, culture, leadership development, strategic planning, and emerging technology, Annette brings a grounded perspective on what women in leadership are really carrying behind the scenes. What's Discussed (06:18) Why women can become tied to the role or season they are in, and why that can make leadership and identity harder to separate. (10:18) One sign a woman may be outgrowing an old version of herself, even if her life still looks good from the outside. (17:05) Why you do not have to prove you belong in the room before you start using your voice. (18:32) How over-explaining, apologizing, and softening your language can quietly undermine your credibility. (21:19) What leadership really looks like behind the scenes and why it is not the same as holding everything together. (34:32) The patterns Annette sees in women who are leading teams, companies, families, and communities while neglecting their own needs. (41:19) Why carrying pressure well is not always a trophy, and how the body can eventually keep the score. Listen to Episode 4: How to Lead Without Carrying Everything with Annette White-Klososky  and learn why leading differently does not mean becoming someone you are not. It may mean finally trusting yourself enough to say less, carry less, and lead from a place that feels more honest. Learn more about Jac Pfeifer: Instagram: @officially.jac    Learn more about Annette White-Klososky:  Website: annetteklososky.com Instagram: @leaderspotlight  LinkedIn: annettewk & fpov/

  2. Jul 14

    3: What Happens When the Life You Built No Longer Fits with Dr. Susan Miele

    Most women do not leave the conveyor belt because things fall apart. They leave because somewhere underneath all the success, the titles, the house, the bag, the perfectly curated life, they start to notice that none of it feels the way it was supposed to feel. And that quiet realization is scarier than anything on the outside, because at least when things fall apart you have a reason. When everything looks fine and something still feels off, you have to ask a much harder question. In this episode of On Second Thought, I sit down with Dr. Susan Miele, PhD, Chief People Officer, and author, for a conversation about identity, ambition, and what it actually takes to rewrite the story you have been living since you were fourteen. Walk away with a completely different relationship to the word stuck and the permission to ask yourself honestly where you are actually going. Dr. Susan Miele is a Chief People Officer with more than 30 years of experience in tech, life sciences, and professional services. She holds a PhD in Human and Organizational Systems and is the author of Paused: Redefining Our Identity When the Story No Longer Holds Us. Through her writing, speaking, and workplace education, Susan explores menopause, identity, leadership, and the transitions that ask women to rethink who they are and what comes next. What's Discussed (03:34) Why women in midlife may start questioning themselves instead of the life structure around them. (04:10) One sign an old version of yourself may no longer fit. (09:14) The successful life Susan had built and what it looked like from the outside. (17:34) Why perimenopause can become an identity turning point, not just a physical transition. (21:17) The moment Susan knew she could not keep pushing through. (38:11) How trying on a new direction can give you information without becoming a permanent decision. (01:04:41) Why changing your mind can be part of self-trust, not proof that you failed. Listen to this episode if you want to learn why wanting to explore a different direction does not mean the life you already built was wrong.   Learn more about Jac Pfeifer: Instagram: @officially.jac  Learn more about Dr. Susan Miele:  Website: www.susanmiele.com/  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/susan-a-miele-phd/

  3. Jul 7

    2: The Success Trap That Keeps You from Trusting Yourself with Melanie Watson

    For a lot of ambitious women, the hard part is not admitting they want something to change. The hard part is figuring out what is actually driving that desire. Is it intuition? Fear? Burnout? Ego? A need to prove something? Or the quiet realization that the version of success they have been chasing was built around approval more than self-trust? In this episode of On Second Thought, I sit down with Melanie Watson to talk about external validation, self-image, intuition, motherhood, career identity, and the patterns that keep showing up when something in your life is asking for your attention. We get into why success can feel addictive when it is tied to outside approval, how intuition can become a practical tool for decision-making, and why the pull toward change deserves to be understood before it becomes a reckless reaction. Melanie Watson is an intuitive guide and self-image mentor with a background in corporate leadership, entrepreneurship, intuition training, and self-image work, shaped by her own experience of questioning success, identity, and external validation while building a career, marriage, family, and life that looked successful from the outside.  What's Discussed: (16:06) The hidden craving underneath ambition and achievement. (19:08) A grounded way to understand intuition as a skill. (28:10) When career, motherhood, marriage, and lifestyle all start shifting. (32:31) Why external success can keep you chasing the next thing. (47:33) How self-image shapes what you protect and question. (01:12:17) Why self-trust is built through small evidence. (01:51:38) How to honor change without ignoring real-life responsibilities.   Listen to This Episode If You've Been Thinking "My life looks good, so why does something still feel off?" "Am I being ungrateful, or am I finally being honest with myself?" "How do I know if this is intuition or just fear?" "What would change if I stopped needing everyone else to validate my next move?"   Learn more about Jac Pfeifer: Instagram: @officially.jac  Learn more about Melanie Watson:  Website: /www.melaniewatson.co/

  4. Jul 7

    1: Why You're Allowed to Rethink the Life You Built

    For a lot of women, the hardest part is not realizing something feels off. The hardest part is giving yourself permission to question it when everything still looks fine from the outside. The career makes sense. The responsibilities are real. The life you built may even be one you are grateful for. But there can still be a quiet moment when you wonder whether the choices you are protecting are still yours, or whether they were shaped by approval, practicality, recognition, fear, or what you were taught a "right" life should look like. In this solo episode of On Second Thought, Jac Pfeifer shares what the phrase "on second thought" really means to her, why she created this podcast, and how her own life has been shaped by ambition, beauty, responsibility, approval, reinvention, and the slow process of learning to trust herself first. She talks about the difference between doubt and discernment, why changing your mind does not have to mean you failed, and how women can start asking better questions about the lives they are building. This episode is the foundation for the entire show: the idea that your first thought may be inherited, but your second thought can be yours. What's Discussed: (01:03) What "on second thought" means and why a decision does not have to stay permanent just because you already made it. (02:38) Why rethinking your life is not the same as doubting yourself. (04:31) Who Jac is beyond the bio, from beauty and aesthetics to responsibility, ambition, and deeper questions. (07:01) How coaching helped her see the creative part of herself she had been pushing down. (11:23) Why approval and validation became something she learned to collect from everyone except herself. (15:02) What the messy middle can feel like when you are building something new and learning to sit with discomfort. (18:48) The three things that helped Jac start moving: saying things out loud, paying for help, and keeping people around her who ask better questions. Listen to This Episode If You've Been Thinking "My life looks right on paper, so why does part of it still feel off?" "How much of what I chose was actually mine?" "What would happen if I stopped waiting for permission?"   Learn more about Jac Pfeifer: Instagram: @officially.jac

  5. Jun 29

    Welcome to On Second Thought

    Welcome to On Second Thought with me, Jackie Pfeifer, a podcast for ambitious women and mothers who built a life doing everything "right," and are now questioning whether it's actually the life they want to keep living. Nothing has to be falling apart for you to question what comes next. You can be grateful for your life and still change your mind on the direction you want to take. Through honest conversations, new perspectives, and practical tools, this podcast will help you feel brave enough to question yourself, honest enough to get real clarity, and capable enough to explore new directions without blowing up everything you've built. Because sometimes creating the life you want starts with one honest realization: "On second thought, I want something different." Find more from me:  Instagram: @officially.jac

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About

Welcome to On Second Thought with me, Jackie Pfeifer, a podcast for ambitious women and mothers who built a life doing everything "right," and are now questioning whether it's actually the life they want to keep living. Nothing has to be falling apart for you to question what comes next. You can be grateful for your life and still change your mind on the direction you want to take. Through honest conversations, new perspectives, and practical tools, this podcast will help you feel brave enough to question yourself, honest enough to get real clarity, and capable enough to explore new directions without blowing up everything you've built. Because sometimes creating the life you want starts with one honest realization: "On second thought, I want something different."

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