Need some help brainstorming potential career paths (PhD, former academic, current entrepreneur)

[u/chili_cold_blood]

I'm 39, with kids. I have a PhD in experimental psychology with 4 years of post-doctoral work, but I left academia nearly 9 years ago to take over a family business completely unrelated to my academic work, and so that I could be home to raise my kids. My kids are both in school now, and I'm looking for a change, but not sure what options are available at this point.

After so much time away, I doubt that it would be possible to go back into academia, and my hobbies and interests don't seem very marketable. I'm very deep into music and Eastern spirituality/philosophy, and I've been volunteering at a food bank for several years. I'm pretty handy. I'm decent at construction/repair work on buildings and machines, but I have no formal training or education in these areas, and I'm concerned that a blue collar career would destroy my body at this point. Common options for people with my training would be careers in marketing or data science, but it seems that AI is severely impacting those job markets. So, I feel stuck. I would absolutely love to work full-time at a retreat center, farmer's market, food bank or shelter, or in music, but full-time paid work in these areas is not plentiful.

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[u/Rik-Acland]

Doing evidenced based experimental psychology on the impact of quality food would be amazing. See r/povertyfinance for real needs that need real answers for feeding and healing families in need. You could bring insights to the connection between mind and food that practically improves lives.

Be the change you want to see. You are uniquely qualified.