She worked in corporate HR for more than a decade, then pivoted to an unconventional job: Career astrologist

Brit Morse

Good morning!<div class="paywall-selector"></div><div class="paywall">



As a self-described overachiever, star student, and someone who always did everything “by the book,” it&#8217;s no wonder that Emily Pantel gravitated toward the <a href="https://fortune.com/2025/04/25/the-longtime-chro-of-citizens-bank-says-that-hr-teams-treat-corporate-initiatives-like-diet-fads-and-argues-that-making-real-changes-can-take-years-of-consistency/" data-type="link" data-id="https://fortune.com/2025/04/25/the-longtime-chro-of-citizens-bank-says-that-hr-teams-treat-corporate-initiatives-like-diet-fads-and-argues-that-making-real-changes-can-take-years-of-consistency/">world of corporate HR</a>. She spent nearly a decade working in the people space at <a href="https://fortune.com/2025/03/28/lululemon-earnings-revenue-outlook-consumer-spending-tariffs-economic-uncertainty/" data-type="link" data-id="https://fortune.com/2025/03/28/lululemon-earnings-revenue-outlook-consumer-spending-tariffs-economic-uncertainty/">Lululemon</a>, and then another three years at <a href="https://fortune.com/2024/09/13/verizon-revamped-how-it-drives-employee-performance/" data-type="link" data-id="https://fortune.com/2024/09/13/verizon-revamped-how-it-drives-employee-performance/">Verizon</a>, eventually as a corporate culture specialist.&nbsp;&nbsp;



What was less predictable is the leap Pantel made when she left corporate HR four years ago to start her own business: She became a career astrologist.  



“I didn&#8217;t initially introduce or incorporate astrology because that felt like something that I needed to still keep in my private life,” she tells Fortune. “But I wanted to be able to bring my full self to the table, and astrology has helped me, personally and professionally, appreciate my unique gifts and also reframe my weaknesses to see them as byproducts of strengths.”



Pantel says some clients come to her having reached a “certain level of success,” while others are unsure of what career path is right for them. But most are trying to answer one question: “Why am I not happy?”



Before each coaching session, which usually lasts for an hour, Pantel asks clients for their birthday and the time they were born, which she uses to create a birth chart. That’s essentially a map of where different planets were situated back then, which in astrology informs different aspects of their life and personality. Pantel looks at parts of their astrological chart that would inform their careers, including things like how they view success, handle stress, or come across to others. 



Within astrology, for example, someone with Virgo rising is often considered to be someone who pays meticulous attention to detail; they may be great in roles that prioritize taking in data and synthesizing information for others. The goal of each meeting is for clients to “walk away with actionable insights” they can take into their professional lives, says Pantel.



“There might be other really strong influences that are contributing to your identity and how you show up in the world that you’re not considering in your current role, and I want to help people understand that,” she says, referring to internalized habits, beliefs, and self-talk that are reinforced in more professional environments.



Pantel also does more traditional career coaching, and says she doesn’t incorporate astrology with all clients—only the ones who are curious or enthusiastic. “Astrology is not the cornerstone of my work or my approach; it is a lens that I can incorporate if there&#8217;s interest there, and if there’s not that’s fine with me,” she says.&nbsp;



I’m not personally a big believer in astrology myself. As a Capricorn sun, Capricorn rising, Libra moon, that means I’m logical, serious, a realist, and probably unlikely to believe in astrology anyway. But I understand the pull, especially as many young people graduate into such an uncertain economic environment.&nbsp;



But just like any other personality assessment, Pantel says it’s crucial to remember that it’s not about the information that is presented, but what people do with it afterwards.



“I want to have the conversations that people feel like they can&#8217;t have about their job and their work and their relationship to it, and I strive to be a place where we can acknowledge that and speak without judgment.”



Brit Morse <a href="mailto:brit.morse@fortune.com">brit.morse@fortune.com</a><h3>Around the Table</h3>A round-up of the most important HR headlines.
DEI is vanishing from many corporate filings, following increased pressure from the Trump administration in the form of executive orders. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2025/dei-companies-sec-filings/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f007">Washington Post</a>
All federal employees are now required to submit this daily information around their location as the administration tries to crack down on remote work. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/04/30/return-to-office-track-federal-office-occupancy/">Washington Post</a>
Junior bankers at a boutique firm say they work insane hours, sometimes up to 110 hours per week, and management told them to step up their performance. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/finance/banking/banking-culture-robert-w-baird-aeccc947">Wall Street Journal</a>
<h3>Watercooler</h3>Everything you need to know from Fortune.
Young people are sad. The “<a href="https://fortune.com/article/gen-z-unhappy-mental-health-harvard-survey/">happiness curve</a>,” as academics call it, has been relatively predictable for a long time, but Gen Z is upending that. —Ani Freedman
AI factory. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says the <a href="https://fortune.com/article/jensen-huang-ai-manufacturing/">future of manufacturing</a> will have entire factories full of AI workers. —Paolo Confino
The gender pay gap. Women in <a href="https://fortune.com/article/gen-z-men-women-pay-gap-begins-early-career-new-graduates/">entry-level roles</a> earn 93% as much as their male counterparts, according to a new report. —Sara Braun</div>

She left her corporate job in HR to help people use an unconventional tool to navigate their careers.

How one woman pivoted from corporate HR to become a career coach and astrologist

This is the web version of CHRO Daily, a newsletter focusing on helping HR executives navigate the needs of the workplace. <a href="https://www.fortune.com/newsletters/chro-daily?&itm_source=fortune&itm_medium=nl_article_tout&itm_campaign=chro_daily">Sign up</a> to get it delivered free to your inbox.

P-Newsletter

CHRO Daily

Newsletters

Leadership

One woman left her corporate job in HR to help people use an unconventional tool to navigate their careers.

How one woman pivoted from corporate HR to become a career coach and astrologist | Fortune

Sharon Goldman

OpenAI reversed an update that made ChatGPT a suck-up—but experts say there’s no easy fix for AI that’s all too eager to please

/2025/05/01/openai-reversed-an-update-chatgpt-suck-up-experts-no-easy-fix-for-ai/

/2025/05/01/she-worked-corporate-hr-more-than-decade-then-pivoted-unconventional-job-career-astrologist/

Emma Hinchliffe

Nina Ajemian

Exclusive: Tory Burch foundation pledges to add $1 billion to the economy through women entrepreneurs by 2030

/2025/05/01/tory-burch-foundation-women-entrepreneurs-1-billion-pledge/

Sheryl Estrada

office workers meeting in a conference room

95% of finance leaders say their roles have expanded beyond traditional functions  

/2025/05/01/95-of-finance-leaders-roles-expanded-traditional-functions-cfo/

Allie Garfinkle

Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen on Trump’s tariffs and the uncertain future of global trade

/2025/05/01/flexport-ryan-petersen-ceo-on-trumps-tariffs-and-the-uncertain-future-of-global-trade/

Andrew Nusca

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the 2025 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony on April 05, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo: Craig T Fruchtman/Getty Images)

Meta’s staggering AI investments get even more staggering

/2025/05/01/metas-staggering-ai-investments-get-even-more-staggering/

Sydney Lake

Kohl's just fired its CEO after only 100 days on the job after striking a 'highly unusual' deal with a vendor he had a personal relationship with

https://fortune.com/article/kohls-fires-ceo-ashley-buchanan-ethics-conflict-interest-unusual-vendor-relationship/?itm_source=parsely-api

Phil Wahba

Kohl’s turnaround efforts dealt major blow as its new CEO is fired in scandal involving a ‘personal relationship’ just a few months after taking the top job

https://fortune.com/article/kohls-ceo-fired-turnaround-efforts-major-blow-ashley-buchanan/?itm_source=parsely-api

Eleanor Pringle

Melinda Gates told her daughter Phoebe to ‘get up or get out the game’ when investors kept asking about her plans to have kids

https://fortune.com/article/melinda-gates-phoebe-sophia-kianni-phia-children-investment/?itm_source=parsely-api

Greg McKenna

Top Trump economist derided as ‘incoherent’ on tariffs after closed-door meeting with investors

https://fortune.com/article/trump-economist-incoherent-tariffs-investors/?itm_source=parsely-api

Dave Smith

Jason Del Rey

Amazon pours cold water on report saying it will show how tariffs affect each product's price: 'Never a consideration for the main Amazon site'

https://fortune.com/article/amazon-denies-tariffs-pricing-report/?itm_source=parsely-api

Sasha Rogelberg

Tariffs threaten a pharmaceuticals shortage, as 95% of ibuprofen comes from China

https://fortune.com/article/tariffs-threaten-pharmaceuticals-shortage-ibuprofen-china/?itm_source=parsely-api