Send us a Text Message. Brian sits down with Jennifer Raibon, a lawyer turned successful real estate investor and entrepreneur. Jennifer shares the pivotal moment when she discovered a book that completely reframed her perspective on life and career choices. Guided by a powerful exercise within the book, she embarked on an inspiring journey to create beautiful spaces and find true happiness. Join us as Jennifer shares her revelations, challenges, and ultimate transformation into a passionate adv...
Aug 08, 2023•49 min•Ep. 39
Send us a Text Message. Brian sits down with Billy Lahr, a former Educator and current host of the Mindful Midlife Crisis Podcast. Billys story is a testament to the power of self-reflection, personal growth, and the pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. After many years in education, Billy lost interest in working with teenagers and the issues he experienced soured his view of education. Instead, he realized the importance of investing time and energy into things that reciprocate joy and happin...
Aug 01, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 38
Send us a Text Message. Brian has an insightful conversation with Zoe Fragou, an expert in organizational psychology. With experience in recruitment, sensitivity trainings, and conflict resolution, Zoe delves into the challenges faced by organizations and individuals alike. Throughout the conversation, Zoe imparts valuable advice on effective communication, conflict resolution, and setting boundaries. She stresses the importance of expressing needs verbally and clearly, rather than relying on pa...
Jul 25, 2023•36 min•Ep. 37
Send us a Text Message. Today, Brian sits down with Jaclene Jason, PhD, as she shares her insights on the need for connection, the power of vulnerability, and managing anxiety. Jaclene highlights the surface-level access and ease that technology provides for consumers but challenges the notion that it fulfills our need for connection and a sense of being part of something larger. While this perspective may not apply to those working in tech or software, it reminds us that personal satisfaction g...
Jul 18, 2023•40 min•Ep. 36
Send us a Text Message. Brian sits down with Charles Walker to discuss the importance of mental health support for therapists and the impact of unresolved childhood trauma on adults. Charles provides a unique perspective on the potential stress for male African American therapists who fall within the 4-5% demographic sought after by clients. He highlights the importance of mental health support for therapists themselves, comparing it to taking medication for other physical health issues. Did you...
Jul 11, 2023•37 min•Ep. 35
Send us a Text Message. Why I Left is kicking off BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Guest with a special guest, Dr. Chrissy Lee. Dr. Lee is a neuropsychologist who focuses on gender and racial mental health care disparities and neuropsychological assessment. During the episode, Dr. Lee discussed the trends she is seeing in her practice and the community she serves. She shared her experiences as one of the few psychologists of color in a large hospital system, where they faced pressure to provide edu...
Jul 04, 2023•46 min•Ep. 34
Send us a Text Message. Have you been feeling lost or uncertain about your career path during the pandemic? On todays episode of Why I Left, Brian chats with Bev Attfield, partner at Within People and former host of People at Work. Bev shares her journey of leaving her job in the tech industry and how she found purpose in helping organizations create supportive environments for humans. During our conversation, Bev shares her experiences of transitioning to remote work overnight due to COVID-19 a...
Jun 27, 2023•49 min•Ep. 33
Send us a Text Message. In this captivating episode of Why I Left, Brian delves into the remarkable journey of Julie Deem, Founder of The Business Podcast Editor and co-host of the UNITED State of Women podcast. Join us as we explore Julie's path to entrepreneurship, where she reveals the power of embracing struggles as catalysts for personal growth and transformation. ?? Episode Highlights: ?? 1?? The Unforeseen Pivot: Julie shares her inspiring story of pivoting from a massage therapist to run...
Jun 20, 2023•37 min•Ep. 32
Send us a Text Message. In today's episode, we have the pleasure of diving into the inspiring story of Noah Scott, Founder and CEO of The Big Possible. Noah is an expert in creating immersive in-person experiences that empower leaders to take risks, find peace of mind, and build lasting bonds that transcend limitations. His eclectic background in marketing, design, film, and entrepreneurship has positioned him as the ideal sounding board for entrepreneurs at any stage of their journey. Enjoy! Ep...
Jun 13, 2023•56 min•Ep. 31
Send us a Text Message. In this episode, Brian chats with Katie Dunn, an angel investor and partner of Power to Pitch. Katie has financed over $10 billion in commercial real estate, but she recognized that her job was no longer serving her. So, she found her passion for helping startup companies through angel investing. Katie shares her passion for finance and how she navigated the work environments that she has been a part of. She also discusses some little-known facts about commercial real est...
Jun 06, 2023•39 min•Ep. 30
Send us a Text Message. Today, we talk to Melissa Deally, a health coach and integrative mind/body health practitioner. Melissa shares her journey of becoming a health coach and how she came to focus on personalized wellness packages that help rebalance the physical, mental, and emotional body by tapping into the power of the unconscious mind. Her work has been impactful in the wellness industry, and she shares her insights and knowledge throughout our discussion. Melissa also hosts the podcast ...
May 30, 2023•56 min•Ep. 29
Send us a Text Message. Our guest today is Sophie Mallari, a Therapist at Citron Hennessey trained to counsel through a multicultural and holistic perspective that encompasses ones biological, psychological, sociological, and spiritual needs. Her areas of specialization include grief & loss, depression, anxiety, interpersonal relationships, and conflict resolution. Sophie also discusses the nuances of being a 2nd-generation Asian American. In this episode, Sophie shares her insights and expe...
May 23, 2023•37 min•Ep. 28
Send us a Text Message. Today, Brian talks with Kristan Weisdack, founder and CEO of BehaviorWorx of Southwestern Pennsylvania, who has worked for over 17 years in the mental health field, specializing in autism and behavior intervention. Her company focuses on providing a holistic approach to behavior intervention, shifting the practice of mental health professionals, teachers, and parents to address the root cause of a client's behavior. We discuss the effects of the pandemic on her practice a...
May 16, 2023•52 min•Ep. 27
Send us a Text Message. Today, Brian interviews Dr. Kimani Norrington-Sands, a licensed clinical psychologist with over 15 years of experience providing mental health and consultation services. Dr. Kimani is also the founder of Lifting As We Climb Consulting, where she offers strength-based, culturally grounded, and trauma-informed trainings and consultations focused on emotional wellness. Dr. Kimani shares her personal story of leaving her job during the pandemic and discusses the grief that of...
May 09, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 26
Send us a Text Message. In this episode of Why I Left, host Brian Aquart interviews Gillian Tietz, Founder of Sober Powered Media and Host of the Sober Powered Podcast, a top 50 mental health podcast. This episode begins our May Mental Health Awareness Month Series. We talk openly and honestly about her personal journey with addiction and how she left her successful career as a biochemist to start her own podcast network. After struggling with alcohol addiction for years, Gillian talks about how...
May 02, 2023•46 min•Ep. 25
Send us a Text Message. On this episode of Why I Left, host Brian Aquart interviews Dennis Geelen, the founder of Zero In and author of The Accidental Solopreneur, a parable about the journey from burnout in the corporate world to success as a solopreneur. Dennis offers insights and advice for anyone looking to make a career change. He also shares his experiences starting his own business and becoming an author, including the surprising things he discovered along the way. Listeners will hear abo...
Apr 25, 2023•39 min•Ep. 24
Send us a Text Message. When the Pandemic struck, Luke Chirayil, a self-taught programmer from Chicago, fearlessly pursued his passion for technology and marketing by pivoting from a corporate job to his own business, battling the fear of failure and the pull of comfort for a chance to follow his dreams. Luke Chirayil is an entrepreneur who dropped out of school and launched his own digital marketing company, Ndm Analytics, prior to the pandemic and eventually founded UP Collective, a company fo...
Apr 18, 2023•46 min•Ep. 23
Send us a Text Message. Tracy Brower, PhD, visits Why I Left to discuss work life fulfillment and happiness. She is a sociologist and author of "The Secrets to Happiness At Work," and "Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work." Shes also a contributor for Forbes.com and Fast Company . Given the movement in the job market, clearly people are looking for something different. So, I invited Tracy to join the show and share tips on how people can leverage happiness in their current or future work ...
Apr 11, 2023•39 min•Ep. 22
Send us a Text Message. Prof. Anthony Klotz debuts Season 2 of Why I Left. His research on resignations lead to predicting a major pandemic-related labor shift resulting in the Great Resignation in May 2021. He is fascinated by the causes and effects of how and why people resign, and his work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review and The Wall Street Journal. His theory has continually been supported by record numbers of resignations in the US and globally. Its...
Apr 04, 2023•56 min•Ep. 21
Send us a Text Message. Are you ready to explore the Great Resignation and hear from those who left their jobs during the pandemic? Join host Brian Aquart for Why I Left, a weekly podcast that chronicles real stories from real people about why they left their jobs, and what has happened since. In season 2, I'm taking a deep dive into Mental Health and how it played a role in people's decisions and its impact on the workplace overall. With honest, informative, and entertaining discussions, Why I ...
Mar 28, 2023•1 min•Ep. 55
Send us a Text Message. Ashley Bince is the Founder of Bince Law, where she helps small businesses secure and protect their intellectual property rights. After working in Big Law for several years, she recognized that she lacked fulfillment and the space wasnt for her. So, she launched her own firm and found it to be more personally and professionally rewarding than she could have ever imagined. It was great to hear how patient she was in finding her niche and how much she trusted the process al...
Feb 21, 2023•37 min•Ep. 20
Send us a Text Message. Megan Martin Strickland is a career coach with ReBoot Accel, where she empowers women to lead lives of impact. She consults with Fortune 500 and midsize companies, along with startups and foundations to promote best practices for building inclusive workplaces. Megan was featured in an Oprah Daily article entitled, Why Havent More Moms Returned to the Paid Workforce? By Julia Edelstein in May 2022. Although she didnt join the Great Resignation herself, I wanted to bring he...
Feb 07, 2023•46 min•Ep. 19
Send us a Text Message. Charissa Stewart graduated undergrad right before the world shut down due to the pandemic. She shares her story of what it was like, and how she realized what she wanted to do. Charissa is an aspiring paralegal who is passionate about the legal industry. After experiencing working environments that werent conducive to her values, she decided it was time for a reset and pivoted outside the industry before recognizing thats truly where her heart was, so Im excited to have h...
Jan 24, 2023•33 min•Ep. 18
Send us a Text Message. Yemane Williams posted a great resignation video on TikTok that was featured on Adam Grants Work Life podcast. Yemane has learned more about herself than ever before. And the pandemic offered a path of enlightenment. She exists in a moment of space being received by time with the goal of evolution. During the pandemic, she shifted her focus to herself and began a conscious awareness journey that she admits is difficult to put into words. However, shes on the path to becom...
Jan 10, 2023•45 min•Ep. 17
Send us a Text Message. Daniel Jordan is the owner of Demo Pros a commercial and residential demolition company in Montana. His companys mission is to provide a healthier and cleaner solution to interior demolition by providing a dust free environment during projects. After getting furloughed from his job in California and taking a leap of faith in a new state with other contractors, he learned that his efficient ways of working were not suited for working for someone else. He has a great story ...
Dec 27, 2022•37 min•Ep. 16
Send us a Text Message. Today, Brian chats with Patrecia Ming Buckley. Patrecia is an experienced business development and operations leader living down under in Australia. She has a passion for serving others and has worked diligently to further equality, diversity and belonging in the spaces in which shes shown up. Patrecia left the consulting industry to reset, refocus and reconnect to the things that are most important to her. Throughout her legal career, she has worked with various non-prof...
Dec 13, 2022•50 min•Ep. 15
Send us a Text Message. In today's episode, I chat with Tomeka Jordan. After working in operations management in the supply chain industry for over a decade, she made the ultimate pivot to marry her love of travel with her career and joined the great resignation to become an international flight attendant. I enjoyed hearing how much shes built her confidence over the past year to do more of what she loves. Enjoy the show! Stay connected with our Guest Connect with Tomeka on Instagram . Support t...
Nov 29, 2022•30 min•Ep. 14
Send us a Text Message. Ep. 13 - Don't Let Fear Take The Fun Out Of Life - Brad Hicks Brad Hicks is a 25+ year veteran of the sales industry who has driven multi-million-dollar growth in a variety of competitive markets. Hes adept at ensuring growth of company revenues while maintaining profit margins and serves as mentor and leader in his field. The pandemic gave him precious family time he had yet to experience, so he made the most of this opportunity to align his values with his work and forg...
Nov 15, 2022•41 min•Ep. 13
Send us a Text Message. Kimberly Mayes is a psychotherapist, speaker, author and wellness expert who is passionate about bringing clarity & mental health support to her clients. She owns and operates the Essence Therapy & Wellness Center, which focuses on Recreating the definition of therapy & self-care for the BIPOC community. The pandemic taught her a lot, from navigating tragedy to better aligning her work with her values. Kimberlys devotion to supporting her clients by improving ...
Nov 01, 2022•34 min•Ep. 12
Send us a Text Message. Keith Allen Johns is a former Chief Operating Officer for a tech company who realized that work shouldnt suck, so he founded Keith Allen and Company to help people find their purpose, turn it into a business idea, start that business on the side and exit the corporate world. Hes helped leaders who are feeling stuck in their 9-5 break free from corporate by building & scaling a purpose-driven business. Stay connected with our Guest: Connect with Keith on LinkedIN . Wat...
Oct 18, 2022•44 min•Ep. 11
