Lessons from a Quitter

Latest Episodes:

How Dave Hollis quit a dream job at Disney to create a dream life with the Hollis Company May 07, 2019

Show notes

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 arena for the past 15 years. She has 2 New York Times Best-Selling books (Girl, Wash Your Face and Girl, Stop Apologizing), is one of the most sought after motivational speakers, has 2 top-rated podcasts, and has been called the female Tony Robbins.

Dave stepped in as CEO of The Hollis Company just 10 months ago to lead the expansion plans in the next, exciting phase — focusing on media (books/podcasts/live coaching/radio/tv), live events and merchandise.

But before taking on this role, Dave had an incredibly successful 17-year career at the Walt Disney Company which culminated in his role as President of Theatrical Distribution. Dave was in charge of global theatrical sales for Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Lucas film. During his tenure, Disney had industry breaking records such as the first $7 billion in global ticket sales in one year and the only studio to cross $6 billion two years in a row.

His job was, by all accounts, "the dream" -- high paying, high glamour, highly respected. And yet, I talked to Dave about why it became unfulfilling and how he came to the decision to walk away. This episode is full of inspiration and incredible wisdom about how we all should be approaching our lives.

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

Why the very thing that made Dave's role at Disney a dream job was the thing that ultimately led him to quit
What 3 circumstances in his life at the time led Dave to decide to make the leap
How a conversation about personal development with Rachel changed the trajectory of his life
Why you should be honoring the struggle
What Dave would have done if he didn't have the opportunity to run the Hollis Company
What it's like to work with your wife
And so much more!

Where to find Dave:

Website: www.theholliscompany.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mrdavehollis
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mrdavehollis
Podcast: Rise Together

Resources Mentioned in this episode:

Mindset, by Carol Dweck

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How Annie Jensen Chapur quit law to create her own home accessories company Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

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 could feel it in her gut that this wasn't where she was supposed to be. Something was still missing. Luckily, Annie met her future partner, Annabelle, at the same law firm in Miami. They both shared a love of candles and wanted to find a way to make them more personalized for gifts. The two became instant friends (can you say, soul sisters?). The A-team connected first through design: they both decorated their offices to perfection--from gold staplers (yes, all gold everything) to luxurious candles. But they soon bonded on a deeper Level: their gift for all things thoughtful. It wasn't long before TAJA was born. TAJA Collection launched in June 2017, to create what was missing from the market: customizable home accessories. Their business focuses on both e-commerce and wholesale.

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

Why she felt drawn to the path of becoming a lawyer
How everything suddenly changed when she got her dream job
How a common interest in candles sparked the idea for their company
How they utilized their local female network to help get the word out about their business
And so much more!

Where to find Annie:

Website: https://tajacollection.com/
Email: info@tajacollection.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tajatribe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tajacollection/?hl=en

Resources mentioned:

Coupon code for TAJA Collection: GOLI15

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How Dawn Lewis followed her passion for crafting and became a professional Apr 23, 2019

Show notes

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 her daughters were grown, Dawn was looking for something to occupy her time and decided to teach crafting at her local community center. Given her love of crafting, this hobby was a great way to earn a bit of extra money while doing something she loved.

However, through networking, volunteering, and a lot of hard work, Dawn turned that hobby into a full-time career. Dawn is now a professional crafter, vlogger and podcaster based on the New South Wales Central Coast of Australia. She has worked in the Australian craft industry for well over a decade, creating projects for craft magazines and brands across a variety of craft mediums. She has hosted an Australian papercrafting television show, spoken at The Artful Business Conference about how video is a valuable tool for enhancing the customer experience. She has an online store selling craft supplies, teaches in collaboration with other businesses locally, and just launched The Craft Room Podcast. Find out exactly how she made that jump on the episode today!

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

Why she left the corporate world to stay at home with her children
Why her plan to go back to the corporate world didn't really work out
How she got involved in the craft community
How she went from just a hobbyist to a professional crafter
How networking really helped her career take off
And so much more!

Where to find Dawn:

Website: http://www.dawnlewis.com.au
Email - enquiries@dawnlewis.com.au
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DawnLewisImagery
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/DawnLewisPaints
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dawnlewisimagery

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How to go from employee to successful business owner by focusing on the niches with Nicole Osmer Apr 16, 2019

Show notes

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 healthcare PR career in 2002 at a large medical device company, Guidant Corporation, where she learned the trade for 5 years. When the company was acquired by Abbott in 2006, Nicole was no longer allowed to keep her part-time status. Because she wanted the flexibility of staying at home with her kids and having a career, Nicole quit her job and started her career as a medtech PR consultant, working primarily with startups to launch their companies and products. She hired her first fulltime employee in 2016. Today her agency has approximately 20 employees and offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and Orange County.

Nicole is also a founding member of MedtechWomen, a nonprofit organization dedicated to highlighting women leaders in the medical technology industry. She was named a 2015 PR Executive of the Year by the Business Intelligence Group and is a finalist for PR News' 2019 Top Women in Healthcare Awards.

We talk all about how taking that jump, and knowing how to value yourself, led Nicole to create an incredible business that also gave her the flexibility she wanted.

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

How to recognize the value you bring in your career and how to charge accordingly
How she realized it was time to make the jump
Why setting up a business isn't as difficult as people make it seem.
How freelancers can provide a lot of value that companies can't provide
Why you shouldn't work for free
Why the riches are in the niches
How she grew her company from being a single consultant to 20 employees
Why she believes in investing in yourself even if you're not making money yet
And much more!

Where to find Nicole:

Website: https://healthandcommerce.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicoleosmer

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleosmer/

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How Dr. John Pham focuses on his 'why' to navigate his career from Engineer to Orthodontist to Startup Founder Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

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 through in life. So you can imagine how well-received his decision was to drop out of his Engineering program in college to join an internet startup. But John promised his mom that if it didn't work out, he'd go back to school and become a doctor.

While he had some initial success with the startup, it eventually folded in the internet bubble burst in the early 2000s. As you'll hear, John credits that failure as one of the best things that could have happened to him. He went back to UCLA to finish his Engineering degree and became an engineer for Boeing. Most people would have just stopped there. But wanting to make good on his promise to his mom, John decided to go back to school to become a dentist. He not only became a dentist but went on to specialize in orthodontics.

During that schooling, John met his current co-founder, Dr. Hongsheng Tong, and they began developing a product that would place braces behind the teeth in order to make them invisible. After he received his degree, John began working as the managing orthodontist for Bristol Dental and Orthodontics. But he kept working on this invisible brace product and company on nights and weekends.

Eventually, John became the CEO and co-founder of Swift Health Systems and is bringing disruptive change to the orthodontics industry with INBRACE. His past startup experience coupled with his specialized knowledge of orthodontics makes him uniquely qualified to lead such an innovative company. And in under 2 years, John has helped to raise $25 million dollars and grow the company to 75 employees! Incredible, to say the least!

There is so much we get into this episode, so you definitely don't want to miss it!

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

How John's upbringing affected his view on work and life
Why he decided to drop out of college to pursue the internet startup craze
How the failure of that tech startup impacted him
Why he decided to become a dentist when he had a good career as an engineer
How he started his current business and how he's grown it so fast
How mentors have shaped his life
How he became clear on his "why" and how that drives him, and more!

Where to find Dr. John Pham:

Website: https://myinbrace.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pham-dds-ms-999a274/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myinbrace/

Email: john@myinbrace.com

Resources mentioned in this episode

John C. Maxwell, 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

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Why we should stop focusing on happiness and build resilience instead with Dr. Zelana Montminy Apr 02, 2019

Show notes

The goal in life is to be happy, right? Well, maybe not. Today on the show, we have the incredible Dr. Zelana Montminy, a clinical psychologist and reformed happiness researcher. Dr. Zelana used to focus on how people could be happier in their lives but she quickly found, through her research, that the more we obsess over happiness in our society, the more people are unhappy. She saw that the people that were content and fulfilled in their lives were the ones that were resilient to whatever life threw at them.

Dr. Zelana is now a renowned wellness architect, providing an unparalleled realistic perspective rooted in science. Whether it's as a bestselling author, working with celebrities, hosting a television show, or leading a transformational retreat, Dr. Zelana is paving the way for mental fitness. A prominent figure in Positive Psychology and one of Maria Shriver's Architects of Change, Dr. Zelana is the author of bestselling 21 Days to Resilience. She speaks around the world and is a go-to authority in the media appearing on Access Live, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Dr. Oz Show, The Doctors and more. She also makes ongoing contributions to the pages of Real Simple Magazine, Health Magazine, Redbook, Better Home & Gardens, and the list goes on.

I love this conversation with Dr. Zelana about why resilience is so important and how we can build it in our lives.

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

Why we shouldn't focus on happiness but rather try to build up our resilience
What resilience actually is and how to start building it
How to know when your unhappiness should lead to change v. when to weather the storm
What actionable steps can you take to build resilience
What is the difference between habits and goals
How to build resilience in your kids, and more

Where to find Dr. Zelana:

Website: www.drzelana.com
Instagram: @dr.zelana
email: contact@drzelana.com

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How Allison Lancaster went from executive assistant to 6-figure business owner in under 2 years Mar 26, 2019

Show notes

So many mothers face the tough decision of how to balance their careers while raising kids. It is often the catalyst for big change whether that be a new business, deciding to quit and stay at home or shifting your goals in your current career. On today's episode, I got to talk to Allison about how the birth of her son started the beginning of her journey into entrepreneurship.

Allison spent much of her career in business management, as either an office administrator or an executive assistant. When Allison's son was born and had to spend some time in the NICU, she was faced with the decision of returning back to work or leaving her career to stay at home. She was looking for a way to stay at home but also bring in some extra money to support her family.

She decided to start a blog, chronicling her life including the various issues NICU mothers face. Her blog quickly took off and she began being featured in publications such as Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, TODAY Parents, and more. Having learned how to effectively market her own blog through Pinterest and other social media outlets, Allison began offering those services to other bloggers and business owners.

In under 2 years, she has grown her online business management company to over 6-figures through mostly referrals. She now has a growing team that helps cater to their growing customer base. And she gets to do all this while spending more time at home with her children. I got to talk to Allison all about how she grew this company and how we can learn from her experience.

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

How the birth of her son sparked her interest in starting her own business or side hustle
Why she started a blog in a saturated market and how she stood out
How she started her online VA business
What resources she used to learn about monetizing her blog and how people monetize their blogs
How she built up her online business management company into a 6-figure business in 2 years.

Where to find Allison:

https://allisonrlancaster.com/
www.lovinglivinglancaster.com
Pinterest course: https://allisonrlancaster.com/lets-learn-pinterest-course/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/allisonrlancaster/

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How a life coach can help you with Montine Blank Mar 19, 2019

Show notes

Montine Blank has done it all. From the corporate world to entrepreneurship to transformational coaching, Montine has a vast array of expertise that she utilizes in helping her clients create a meaningful, fulfilled life.

With an MBA, Montine started out at a large management consulting firm before deciding that she wanted a different future than that path provided. Her jump took her down a successful entrepreneurial road, where she founded numerous companies including The Green Half, a discount gift card site for sustainable businesses that had over 10,000 subscribers and The Green Plate, a nonprofit aimed at reducing disposable plastic consumption. She has also created 3 one of a kind art business, Crazy Moon Art Room, T-shirt Construction Co and Paint Awake. On this episode, we talk a lot about how art and painting helped her on her path to self-discovery and how she uses it with her clients.

Because of her own journey, Montine was led to getting certified and becoming a transformational coach. She now coaches clients on a wide-variety of life and career transitions in order to help people become more aligned with the true version of themselves.

We talk about her own journey as well as overarching questions about working with a life coach, like: who would benefit from it, how to find a good coach, what to work on, etc.

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

How she started planning her escape out of the corporate world
Why taking slow baby steps is generally the best practice for jumping on a new path
How intuitive painting helped Montine along her path to discovering her next steps and why creativity is so important for everyone on self-discovery journey
Why she was reluctant, at first, to get involved with coaching
How she got involved in transformational life coaching
When do you really need a coach and how can you find one that works for you
Why the majority of the work is just on your thoughts and not actually creating a plan

Where to find Montine:

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How Erin Hatzikostas walked away from her CEO position to help shape the next generation of leaders Mar 12, 2019

Show notes

Erin spent 22 years climbing the corporate ladder and climbed her way right up to the very top as CEO of PayFlex, Inc., a large healthcare financial company. As the CEO, Erin was in charge of overseeing 1000 employees and over $2bn in financial assets. In late 2018, just when things were getting really good, Erin decided to exit the corporate world after 22 years and go down a path less traveled to start b Authentic inc.

Erin felt pulled to help create a new generation of authentic, diverse, and humble leaders. She started her own business, b Authentic Inc., where she hopes to change the face of Corporate America. Through individual and company trainings, Erin is on a mission to toss aside traditional approaches and help teach the very things that made her such a successful leader.

On this episode, we dive deep into what made Erin make the switch and how we can make the switch when we are no longer being served in our current role.

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

How she climbed her way up the corporate ladder to become the CEO of PayFlex, Inc.
How she dealt with the feeling of always wanting more and how she used that to fuel her achievements
Why she walked away from her amazing CEO position
How she navigated her jump with her spouse and her advice for how to get your spouse on board with your next move.
Why she wanted to start her current business, b Authentic Inc., and how she hopes to shape the new generation of leaders

Where to find Erin:

Website: https://www.bauthenticinc.com/
https://www.facebook.com/bAuthenticInc
https://www.instagram.com/b_authentic_inc/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-hatzikostas/

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How Jennifer Berson quit law and became a Public Relations powerhouse Mar 05, 2019

Show notes

Jen is an all-around rockstar! She started her career as a lawyer and practiced civil litigation at a prestigious law firm. Then, she "saw the light" and left to start her own business and pursue more creative endeavors (and she's never looked back!)

She is now the President & Founder of Jeneration PR, a Public Relations & Social Media Marketing firm specializing in promoting beauty, baby & lifestyle brands. Jen's retainer clients range from small and mid-sized brands to multi-billion dollar publicly traded companies, and everything in between.

Jen is also the creator of the Agency Accelerator, where she teaches entrepreneurs how to launch, grow & scale a profitable PR & marketing Agency. She also recently launched Press Success, a PR Master Class for entrepreneurs to learn the step-by-step framework for executing a PR strategy that converts into massive media placements for their businesses.

She has been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, Inc.com, Business Insider, Yahoo! Finance, Entrepreneur Magazine, Huffington Post, EOFire, CBS.com, PR Week, Fox News, and PR Web sharing her expertise, and was profiled on Apple.com as an "entrepreneur on the go" using Apple products to power her business. Jennifer was also selected by Babble.com as one of the 10 "Mompreneurs Who Made it Big!"

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

How she got started in marketing by reaching out to a company to work for them for free
How she started her PR work on the side while still working as a lawyer
How she dealt with disappointing her family when she chose to quit law
How she started and grew her PR agency
Why she decided to add an online arm to her business
How she made 6-figures in 6 months with her new online business

Where to find Jen:

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