Shanelle Porter-Simmons featured for helping people plan life after service

Shanelle Porter-Simmons, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and founder of The Fifth Path LLC, is featured by Influential Women for her work guiding professionals through major career and life transitions. Her approach centers on low-risk experimentation, especially for women military officers deciding what comes after retirement.

Why it matters: - Porter-Simmons is addressing a common gap for retiring service members: choosing a life structure, not just a next job. - Her work is aimed especially at women military officers who need to balance time, health, relationships and finances before committing to a new path. - The Fifth Path LLC turns an uncertain transition into a practical process for testing options before making a major change.

What happened: - Influential Women featured Shanelle Porter-Simmons for her work helping people navigate high-stakes life and career transitions. - Porter-Simmons is the founder of The Fifth Path LLC and the author of Try a New Path. - She is a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, former commander, former American record holder in the indoor 1,600-meter relay and former elite track athlete. - The profile highlights her work as a speaker, author and strategic thought partner.

The details: - Porter-Simmons built her approach from her own transition from military service into civilian human resources. - A civilian HR job offered strong pay and a chance to use her military experience, but the schedule left little room for the travel and half marathons she wanted. - Her New Path in Motion Framework asks participants to choose a small experience or action, identify needed support, schedule a first step and reflect on what they learn. - Porter-Simmons says, “Movement creates evidence. Evidence creates clarity.” - The framework is designed as a 14-day test so a person can decide whether to continue, adjust, explore something else or stop. - Try a New Path explores how conformity, fear, doubt and comfort shape decisions about change. - Writing the book helped Porter-Simmons see that she values listening to people’s stories and helping them notice options they may have missed. - Porter-Simmons holds SHRM-CP certification. - Her education includes a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Boston University Metropolitan College, a Master of Military Studies from Marine Corps University and a Graduate Certificate in Project Management from Boston University. - Her athletic background includes being a No. 1-ranked high school 400-meter runner, a two-time NCAA Division I champion, a 13-time NCAA Division I All-American and a former American record holder in the indoor 1,600-meter relay. - In the Marine Corps, Porter-Simmons became the first African American female to serve as commander of a Marine Corps Recruiting Station. - Her military honors include three Meritorious Service Medals and six Commandant of the Marine Corps Superior Achiever Awards for recruiting excellence.

Between the lines: - Porter-Simmons is using a military-style test-and-learn mindset to make personal reinvention feel less risky and more actionable. - Her message shifts the focus from career status to lived experience, which may resonate with people whose identity has been tied to service, performance or leadership. - The emphasis on small experiments reflects a broader trend in career transitions: try before you commit.

What's next: - Porter-Simmons will continue using The Fifth Path LLC for speaking, teaching and advising on next chapters in work and life. - Readers can learn more at Shanelle Porter-Simmons and The Fifth Path LLC or view her Influential Women profile. - The Influential Women platform says it will keep amplifying women’s voices through storytelling, thought leadership and creative expression.