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V O L . X X X I I N O. I I W E A LT H M A N A G E M E N T / R E T I R E M E N T F O C U S W hen Kristen Miale stepped down from leading Maine's largest hunger relief orga- nization in June 2023, she couldn't have known that the next year would be the last of her mother's life. Miale's plan, after more than a decade as president of Good Shepherd Food Bank, was to take a year off to rest, reset and ruminate on her next career move. She didn't start to search for a new job until the fall. She spent the summer taking walks in the woods and trips to the beach. She visited places like the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay Harbor for the first time. She also spent quality time with her mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and died in June 2024, by which time Miale had taken a role as a sell-side adviser to business owners with her brother-in-law at Caswell Advisory Group. Although she had looked at other nonprofits and applied for a job she didn't get with the Nature Conservancy, her job search went faster than expected. Looking back, she's grateful for the unexpected extra time with her mom to go out to lunch, play cards and have tea thanks to a more flexible schedule. "Going through the process of los- ing your mother sets priorities," she says. "Before, I felt like my job was such a huge part of who I was, and now it's a much smaller part of who I am and I'm OK with that." e 54-year-old Miale, who used to spend two hours a day commuting to and from Auburn, now works from a third-floor home office in Kennebunk she shares with her mother's former cat Sabrina and has evenings and weekends free. JA N UA R Y 2 6 , 2 0 2 6 12 P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Kristen Miale, the former president of Good Shepherd Food Bank, works from home in Kennebunk as a sell-side adviser to business owners. Before, I felt like my job was such a huge part of who I was, and now it's a much smaller part of who I am and I'm OK with that. — Kristen Miale Caswell Advisory Group CLOSING THE GAP How Maine business leaders are resetting after a career break B Y R E N E E C O R D E S