What if getting fired was actually the catalyst for building the life you were meant to live? In this episode of Wickedly Smart Women, host Anjel B. Hartwell welcomes Merry Korn, entrepreneur, author, and social enterprise pioneer.

After losing a job she desperately wanted to keep, Merry found herself facing uncertainty, fear, and the responsibility of supporting her family. What followed was an extraordinary journey that led her to build Pearl Interactive Network, a company that grew to employ more than 1,300 people and specialized in hiring individuals often overlooked by traditional employers, including people with disabilities, veterans, military spouses, and those living in economically challenged communities.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that career setbacks can become the doorway to your greatest work and that purpose often reveals itself when you're willing to listen.

What You Will Learn:

How getting fired can become a catalyst for discovering your true purpose.

Why many high-achieving women stay too long in careers that no longer align.

The role informational interviews can play in career transitions and business growth.

How Merry built a social enterprise focused on hiring overlooked talent.

Why vision is essential when creating a business with long-term impact.

How hiring people with disabilities became a competitive advantage and mission.

The importance of recognizing opportunities disguised as setbacks.

Why listening to intuition can be a valuable business strategy.

How government contracts helped scale a purpose-driven organization.

The difference between building a business to operate and building one to sell.

Why your mission and purpose can evolve throughout different stages of life.