The 9–5 Exit Plan

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with U.S. Navy veteran, entrepreneur, pastor, and author David Petrash to explore what it truly means to lead with faith, integrity, and purpose. David shares the inspiration behind his book The Ripple of Faith, explains why leadership is ultimately about influence rather than authority, and unpacks his Three-Legged Stool of Success: Clarity, Competency...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I welcome back executive coach and Game of Ten® creator Steve Barton for a deeper conversation on leadership, awareness, and personal growth. We explore why high achievers often become their own biggest obstacle, how fear quietly influences decision-making, and why emotional awareness may be the most overlooked leadership skill in business today. Steve shares prac...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with entrepreneur and Firefli Fit co-founder Matthew Rial. Matthew shares lessons from his experiences in finance, international leadership, nonprofit work, and entrepreneurship, revealing why he believes the greatest changes in the world begin with personal transformation. We discuss habit formation, discipline, fitness, leadership, personal responsibi...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with HR executive, TEDx speaker, and author Ralph Kellogg. Ralph shares his deeply personal journey through identity, mental health struggles, resilience, and leadership, revealing the lessons that inspired his book Leading While Human: Notes I Wish Someone Had Given Me. (BookBaby⁠) We discuss authenticity, vulnerability, workplace culture, burnout, be...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with leadership coach, entrepreneur, and podcast host Victoria Noethling. After spending more than forty years in corporate America and decades developing leaders through Toastmasters, Victoria now helps entrepreneurs and professionals become more confident communicators and servant leaders. We discuss leadership confidence, effective communication, ser...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with TEDx speaker, award-winning artist, educator, and creativity expert Patrick Williams. With more than forty years of experience teaching creativity, innovation, and deep learning, Patrick shares why creativity is humanity’s greatest superpower and why so many adults lose touch with it over time. We discuss the causes of creative collapse, practical...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with strategic risk expert and bestselling author Steve Anderson. Steve shares the key principles he uncovered while analyzing Jeff Bezos’ shareholder letters and explains how entrepreneurs can apply those lessons to grow their own businesses. We discuss innovation, strategic risk, long-term thinking, experimentation, and the practical frameworks that h...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with educator, entrepreneur, and Musicolor Method® creator Andrew Ingkavet. Andrew shares his remarkable journey from MTV-Asia VJ to pioneering a revolutionary approach to music education that has helped thousands of children worldwide. We discuss how music can build confidence, focus, creativity, emotional resilience, and essential life skills that chi...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with serial entrepreneur and Europe’s #1 Scaling Expert, Angela Thomas. With nearly thirty years of experience building and selling businesses across industries including beauty, healthcare, aviation, retail, and real estate, Angela shares the lessons she’s learned about entrepreneurship, leadership, scaling, and reinvention. We discuss why founders oft...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with entrepreneur, author, and Guidewise CEO Ted Wolf. Ted shares lessons from building a company from two employees to more than 650 people and explains why most AI initiatives fail despite significant investment. We discuss leadership, organizational change, AI adoption, change fatigue, and what business leaders must do to successfully navigate the fu...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with entrepreneur, bestselling author, and host of the Born or Made Podcast, Larry Dix II. Larry shares his incredible journey from humble beginnings in small-town Texas to building an eight-figure manufacturing company guided by one simple principle: always do what’s right. We discuss entrepreneurship, resilience, leadership, integrity, overcoming adve...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with Josh Elledge, Fractional Chief Revenue Officer, founder of PodVerified, and host of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Josh has spent more than 15 years helping entrepreneurs leverage podcasting as a relationship-building and revenue-generating strategy. Having launched hundreds of podcasts and helped clients generate more than $40 million, he shares wha...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with Peak Performance Coach and Life Strategist Jessie Torres. For nearly two decades, Jessie has helped thousands of people around the world break through limiting beliefs, heal from past trauma, and unlock their highest potential. Through her philosophy of Fierce Grace, she teaches people how to transform pain into purpose and create lives filled with...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with Andrew Thoe, creator of NorViK Sessions, a music project dedicated to helping people navigate anxiety, self-doubt, overthinking, and personal growth. Andrew shares how his own struggles with anxiety led him to examine the messages he consumed daily and ultimately inspired him to create music focused on resilience, gratitude, hope, and emotional wel...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with healthcare provider, author, and podcast host Cherza Finney. Through her work with The Wellness Table Podcast, Cherza is committed to educating, motivating, and empowering people in the areas of health, spirituality, fitness, finances, and personal growth. We discuss confidence, holistic wellness, lifelong learning, personal transformation, and the...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with endurance athlete and Ride4Rights founder Teddy Bloom. After witnessing growing division across America, Teddy made the bold decision to spend the money he had saved for his first home on a cross-country bicycle journey from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. We discuss civil rights, free speech, equal justice, resilience, political polarization, an...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with life and spiritual guide Kristan Swan to discuss self-discovery, storytelling, spirituality, and personal reinvention. Kristan shares her journey from business coaching to guiding people through deeper questions of identity, purpose, and personal growth. We explore how our past shapes us, why curiosity is essential for transformation, and how self-...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with HR professional and author Nathaniel Sietz. After years working on the frontlines of human resources, Nathaniel witnessed firsthand how poor leadership, toxic cultures, and broken workplace systems impact employees and organizations alike. We discuss workplace culture, leadership mistakes, burnout, employee engagement, and what it really takes to c...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with Gaylen Wilson, co-creator of The Monument Method and co-founder of The Monument Method Institute. Gaylen shares his extraordinary journey through financial collapse, addiction recovery, multiple career reinventions, heart failure, and receiving a life-saving heart transplant. We discuss resilience, emotional safety, intimacy, men’s mental health, m...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with Jai Roza, founder of Eden’s Conflict and creator of a unique faith-based card game designed to help people engage with scripture through creativity and storytelling. Jai shares his powerful personal journey from spiritual searching and despair to faith, purpose, and entrepreneurship. We discuss redemption, creativity, biblical principles, entrepren...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with entrepreneur, leadership advisor, and Noble Talent Group founder Susan Bortone. Susan shares her journey from advertising creative to recruitment leader, including how being laid off during the pandemic inspired her to launch her own business. We discuss entrepreneurship, hiring, scaling businesses, leadership development, workplace culture, career...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with leadership strategist, author, and founder of Leap to Your Success, Jaclyn Strominger. Jaclyn shares why so many talented professionals and entrepreneurs plateau despite their abilities and explains how alignment, clarity, and intentional leadership can unlock the next level of growth. We discuss leadership, strategic networking, mindset, relations...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with multi-award-winning author, intuition mentor, and spiritual guide Ellen Edmondson. Following a profound spiritual awakening, Ellen dedicated her life to helping others reconnect with their inner wisdom, strengthen their intuition, and live with greater authenticity and purpose. We discuss spiritual growth, intuition, authenticity, navigating life t...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with Arky Jones, creator of PersonalityPeek, to discuss personality, self-awareness, Stoicism, and personal growth. Arky shares why understanding ourselves is essential for improving our mindset, relationships, and overall quality of life. We also explore emotional resilience, breaking unhealthy patterns, and practical ways to become more intentional ab...

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with entrepreneur, growth operator, and Sobo Co-Founder ST Tangirala. We discuss entrepreneurship, business growth, artificial intelligence, innovation, and the practical strategies businesses can use to scale in an increasingly competitive world. ST shares lessons from working across industries, building companies, interviewing visionary founders, and...