Lessons from a Quitter

It's not uncommon for people to stick with careers they're unhappy with just because they aren't sure what else they'd do, especially when it comes to "finding your passion". But what if you know what you're passionate about but you're still unsure about taking that path? On today's episode, Tara Laferrara found herself caught in that very dilemma. She knew she was passionate about fitness but did...

  If you've ever told yourself that it's too late to start over, be prepared to face the truth: you're just making an excuse. After spending 40 years climbing the ladder in corporate America, Paul Tasner was laid off from his job at 64 years old (all while casually eating an apple during his surprise exit interview!). A few years later, at 66 years old, Paul decided to take a leap of faith and try...

How would you feel about leaving a job that took you to places like Italy and let you work with well-known people like Bono? Most people would have a really hard time walking way from something everyone else considers a "dream job". But Kelsey had a little feeling in her gut that there was something better out there for her. (Yes, even better than working with Bono). It wasn't until her own dealin...

In honor of Labor Day, I invited Neil Sahota on the show to talk about the AI revolution and how it will affect the working landscape. Technology is developing at such a rapid pace and it is really important to pay attention to how it will change work as we know it. Neil Sahota is an IBM Master Inventor, United Nations (UN) Artificial Intelligence (AI) subject matter expert, and Faculty at UC Irvi...

Lindsey started out like many people pursuing a career in the corporate world. Even though she was doing great at her job, it was during the 2008 recession that she realized this wasn't a stable path. She then decided to enter entrepreneurship part-time through a company called Isagenix, a network marketing company which she still currently works with. From that company, she then created Powerhous...

How many times have you wanted to start over? How many times have you started thinking about the possibilities only to follow them up with the thought, "but it's too late in my life to do this"? If you're human, then you've probably had this discussion with yourself a million different times, and that's okay, we all have those moments. However, even though you may feel like it's too late to start...

A common theme we've seen is that a lot of new career paths evolve out of the need to create a hobby or some kind of outlet. Kelsey Chapman's story begins in a similar place. She started blogging in addition to her day job because she was feeling frustrated and trapped. (Sound familiar?). Over time her blog built up an audience and things eventually grew into her own agency. However, after years o...

You don't necessarily have to pursue a whole new path in order to make a career change. On today's episode, Michelle Schroeder-Gardner got her MBA in finance and then started working as a financial analyst. But realizing that she had never been taught about personal finance in school, she started a blog, Making Sense of Cents, to document her own financial journey. She wanted to show the different...

Since we've recently gained so many new listeners, we wanted to throw it back to one of our favorite episodes! Today, we get to talk to Steve Trang about how he made the (rather quick) jump from electrical engineer to real estate agent and how he's grown in that role ever since. Steve started out his career earning a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and working as an engineer for Intel for...

Since we've recently gained so many new listeners, we wanted to throw it back to one of our favorite episodes! I love this conversation with Pye! It was such a raw and in-depth conversation about the illusion of stability, the origin of most people's fears, and the importance of developing a learning mindset. What is so fascinating about Pye's journey is not just that he jumped from being a CPA to...

Happy one year anniversary! It has officially been a year since I started this podcast and I've learned so much both through doing the podcast and from the conversations I've had with guests. This episode is also a special one because I have compiled all of those important lessons in order to share them with you! I hope you enjoy them and I hope you feel as inspired as I do. And in case you don't...

What would you do if you started a company and it failed? What if you started multiple companies and they failed? Most people would stop. So many of us take those experiences personally and create a narrative about what it says about our abilities.  That's what I love about Josh's story! After going through some successes and even more failures, Josh Zloof didn't give up on his entrepreneurial dre...

How often do you stop yourself from doing something new because you don't feel prepared/good/experienced enough for it? While planning out your next step might help ease your nerves, sometimes the next step is to throw that plan out the window and dive in head first. You can plan all you want, but in the end, you'll never be able to predict what might come from taking that leap of faith. When toda...

If financial worries are holding you back from pursuing a new path, this episode is for you. I've found that whether it's through Instagram DMs, Facebook polls, etc., the number one thing that keeps people stuck is worrying about money. While those fears are valid, there are ways to deal with them.   Hopefully, today's guest might be able to ease your worries and give you a little more confidence...

You can pursue a traditional career and yet still approach it in a unique way, making it your own, and that is the basis for today's interview. Prior to crafting her own career path, Jenny Dorsey was a management consultant in the fashion industry and went on to become the youngest MBA candidate in Columbia Business School. But it was then during a sabbatical between leaving her job and moving ont...

  It's hard not to smile while listening to today's guest talk about his journey and you'll see why. Leslie's story is something we can all learn so much from. Through determination and a genuine love of teaching biology, he managed to land himself his dream job as a biology professor without getting a Ph. D! Crazy, right? So many of us are stuck believing that we have to go the traditional route...

Can you imagine being able to pay off almost 90k in student loans in only 2.5 years? It may seem impossible, but it can be done! On today's episode, I had the opportunity to speak with Kevin Ha from The Financial Panther, a blog about financial independence and side hustling in the sharing and gig economy. Kevin was able to pay off his loans by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer, and it p...

Today's episode is a perfect example of how to be intentional in your career. So often we do what we think we should be doing: working insane hours, building the biggest business possible, trying (and often failing) to balance life, etc. We go for the money or the title, even if that's not what we really want. Dona Bumgarner bucked that trend and is building the life, and career, that works for he...

The path that many of us have been brought up to follow usually goes a little something like this: take the right classes, get the good grades, get into the prestigious school, graduate, and then find a high paying job. We're taught that it is a linear path that you stick to and climb to the top. Well, in today's episode, Phil Black teaches us why you should buck that wisdom. Phil has one of the m...

One of the biggest excuses around starting a new venture is lack of time. We are obsessed with being busy (and telling everyone else how busy we are!). Well, on today's episode, Steve Chou debunks that excuse. Steve ran multiple 6- and 7-figure businesses while maintaining his career as an electrical engineer! The secret? Plan for the long game and prioritize your time. Steve's entrepreneurial jou...

Today I have the honor of talking to Dave Hollis, CEO of The Hollis Company. If you're living under a rock and haven't heard yet of Dave or, his wife, Rachel Hollis, just know that they are on a tour of world domination to help every person become a better version of themselves.   Rachel has been building a career, first, in the lifestyle blog space and, more recently, in the personal development...

We're usually sold on the idea that once we achieve x, y, or z then we'll finally be happy, but that isn't always the case. When Annie saw her mom's experience as a lawyer, it was cemented in her mind that she must follow the same path. It wasn't until she landed her dream job at her dream company that something didn't feel right. Despite everything looking picture perfect on the outside, she coul...

I love Dawn's story! Did you know that you could even be a professional crafter?! I didn't. And, actually, neither did Dawn. She started out her career in the corporate world and ended up leaving when she had her second child. She had every intention of going back to work when her children were in school.   But because her daughters had special needs, Dawn needed to stay at home much longer. When...

Typically, on this show, we feature stories of people who have quit their careers and started over in a completely different field. I'm so excited to talk to Nicole on this episode to show that you don't have to do that. If you like the field that you're in but want something more, be it flexibility, more money, more ownership etc, it is time to think outside of the box.   Nicole started out her h...

One of Steve Jobs' most popular quotes is "You can't connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future."   Nowhere is that principle proven truer than in John's life and career. He grew up the son of immigrant farmers and saw first hand the hard work, sacrifice, and struggles his parents had to go th...