We often feel that the career choice we made years ago is permanent, that we are hostages of a degree we earned or a couple of decades of experience that we accumulated. But that isn’t true. In this episode of the Align podcast, Ashley Stahl and I discuss the 9 core skill sets that you should develop if you are contemplating switching careers. Plus, Ashley explains how the skills that you naturally have are more important than the interests you have. Lastly, we get to hear all about how Ashley’s impressive background in counterterrorism helped her develop soft skills that are essential for the career choice she made after leaving the Pentagon. Ashley is an angel investor, writer, career coach, podcast host, and an ex-counterterrorism professional for the Pentagon. Her leadership firm, Ashley International Inc., offers private coaching and unparalleled online programs to empower Millennials to find their purpose, land more job offers, and increase their income.   What we discuss:   04:26: Ashley's creative process for writing her new book 08:36: Expanding options vs going unidirectionally in a career 12:56: Making core skill sets relevant 16:22: Ashley's background in counter-terrorism 22:39: How Ashley incurred a loss in her business 24:41: What brought Ashley to her current formula? 29:25: Why did the Senate get raided? 32:22: Ashley's day to day working in counter-terrorism and international development 35:57: How are skill sets becoming obsolete in the workforce 40:01: What was Ashley's relation to Al-Qaeda in her professional role? 41:51: Ashley's experience as a female in her previous field 44:42: Developing self-awareness to determine our own hardness 47:00: Making career choices based on past wounds 48:46: What are the required skills of a good spy? 52:37: The power of being good with words 55:16: How did Ashley's perception of death evolve throughout time 01:03:05: The value and disadvantages of the current educational system 01:05:42: Changing careers at a mature age To learn more about Ashley:   Website: ashleystahl.com Instagram: @ashleystahl Podcast:  Your Turn Podcast