Dallas-area coaches help jobless baby boomers work out frustrations, new careers

Job counselor Helen Harkness tackles her clients' fears of age discrimination head-on. She asks them what they'd like to do if they were 20 years younger. Then she challenges them to pursue it.

"Boomers are living as though they've shaved 20 years off their age," she said. "Chronological ages don't matter anymore."

Harkness lives what she preaches. She started her business, Career Design Associates in Garland, at midlife and continues to run it long past the traditional retirement age. She's counseled more than 6,000 clients in the past 30 years.