What if you've achieved everything you were supposed to achieve—and it still doesn't feel like enough?

You're accomplished, credible, exceptional at what you do.

But somewhere along the way, the goals that seemed so important stopped mattering. What if you've been chasing the wrong things? What if those impressive achievements—the ones that look so significant from the outside—haven’t brought the fulfillment you were promised?

If you're ready to redesign your work to serve the life you actually want, you're in the right place.

My Story

Tara James, EdM, ACC

I've spent the past ten years talking with accomplished professionals who are frustrated by their work—the time it takes away from families, toxic environments, burnout, even illness brought on by chronic stress. And I've come to believe something: we don't have to sacrifice our entire lives to earn a living.

What if the prestigious title, the corner office, the impressive trajectory, the "right" career path—what if these are MacGuffins? Things that seemed like they should matter, that society told you to pursue, that looked significant from the outside.

You've achieved them. But do they feel like what you actually wanted?

Meanwhile, what about the real plot—deep relationships, creative expression, meaningful impact, time for what matters, alignment between your values and your daily life? Has that been set aside?

Here's what I know: when you have decades of experience and expertise, you can find satisfaction at work and maintain healthy boundaries. You can pivot not only what you do, but how you work—earning more by working more strategically. This phase of life is about being selective in the type of work you do and how much time you invest in doing it.

MacGuffin House helps you explore what you've been chasing and what would actually make your life deeply satisfying. Together, we redesign your work to serve that real plot, then develop the positioning and visibility to build a sustainable practice around it.

This is why the work integrates both life redesign and strategic positioning. Clarity about what you're actually optimizing for has to come before the positioning work. And redesigning your life means reimagining how your expertise shows up in the world.

Many of our clients are deep specialists, solopreneurs, and career-transitioning professionals who know what makes them unhappy, understand their core values, and are ready to question whether they've been pursuing the right goals

Who is this for?

This work may be right for you if you're asking yourself questions like:

  • I've built real expertise and accomplishments—so why doesn't something fundamental feel right?

  • What if I've been relying on company branding rather than developing my own voice?

  • Am I following a narrative about what my career "should" look like instead of what I actually want?

  • How do I leverage my expertise in ways that serve the life I want to live, not just my resume?

  • What would it mean to question my assumptions and explore new possibilities?

  • Am I ready to dedicate real time to this—not just think about it, but actually do the work?

We're selective about who we work with. Our approach works best for people who want to do meaningful work and are genuinely ready for transformation—without excuses or delays.