Job Search, Promotion, and Career Clarity: The Mid-Career GPS Podcast
Job Search, Promotion, and Career Clarity: The Mid-Career GPS Podcast

319: Do It Scared: Reinventing Your Career with Emmy-Winning Journalist Lindsey Mastis

21 October 2025 49:05 John Neral

Listen to episode

About this episode

Send us a text

What does it take to walk away from a successful career to build one that aligns with your passion and future? In this episode, Emmy-winning journalist Lindsey Mastis shares her journey of leaving a 20-year career in tv news, to create an independent reporting career focused on AI and emerging technology.


If you’ve ever wondered how to make a bold mid-career pivot, this conversation is packed with insights on courage, reinvention, and staying relevant in a rapidly changing world. Lindsey opens up about making her final contract decision, handling the emotional aftermath with family and colleagues, and redefining success around health, purpose, and learning.


You’ll also hear how Lindsey is navigating the intersection of journalism and AI—from using AI tools ethically to creating her new documentary->“Is AI Ruining Music?”, featuring voices like Rosanne Cash, Jackson Browne, and DJCherishtheLuv. Together, we explore how to stay human in an increasingly digital world and why embracing discomfort can fuel your next chapter.


In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

  • How to make a confident decision to leave a familiar career path
  • The emotional and professional realities of a mid-career reinvention
  • What “doing it scared” looks like in practice
  • How to balance well-being with professional ambition
  • Why learning business skills is essential for career independence
  • How to collaborate with AI tools while keeping your authentic voice
  • Practical ways to experiment, fail forward, and iterate your next move
  • The ethical questions shaping AI’s role in creative industries
  • What “human-made” really means in an algorithmic world


Connect with Lindsey Mastis

LinkedIn | Substack | Website | YouTube 



Support the show

Ready to give your career the jumpstart it needs to whatever is next? Schedule a $197 Career/Leadership Strategy Session. Click here to learn more about how this transformative strategy session will help you.

Visit https://johnneral.com/resources to:

  • Subscribe to my free leadership and career newsletter
  • Get The Mid-Career Promotion Blueprint to help you figure out whatever is next for you and your career
  • Join The Mid-Career GPS Membership Community.


Please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts here.

Connect with John on LinkedIn here.
Get John's New Mid-Career Journal on Amazon here.
Follow John on Instagram @johnneralcoaching.
Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.

Want to find AI jobs?

Join thousands of AI professionals finding their next opportunity

We respect your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.

© 2026 Job Search, Promotion, and Career Clarity: The Mid-Career GPS Podcast. All rights reserved.

Common Questions

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about how DevFound's AI matching, resumes, and referrals work.

DevFound's AI Copilot ingests your profile, goals, and live job data to deliver curated matches in seconds. Every match includes a resume variant, suggested referrals, and interview prep so you can act immediately. The more feedback you provide, the sharper the Copilot becomes.

AI-led job searches shrink the hours spent sifting through boards and formatting resumes. DevFound pairs automation with your personal outreach, so you reserve energy for interviews and negotiation. Traditional networking still matters, but AI gives you a lift before you even send a message.

Modern AI roles expect comfort with production-grade code, data fluency, and practical ML tooling. The strongest candidates pair deep technical chops with storytelling—translating model impact to product, GTM, and exec partners. Continuous learning keeps you ahead as stacks evolve.

DevFound rewards active seekers. Keep your profile fresh, respond to match quality prompts, and enable alerts so you never miss a role. The AI prioritizes companies and teams that align with your feedback, accelerating both introductions and interview invites.

High-density tech hubs continue to host the deepest AI talent pools, yet distributed teams are catching up fast. Use DevFound filters to hone in on onsite, hybrid, or fully remote roles and watch openings expand across time zones.

DevFound aggregates thousands of remote AI openings and flags the nuances—core hours, async culture, and visa needs—up front. The Copilot also recommends how to position your distributed work experience so hiring managers know you can thrive on a remote team.