Billion Dollar Backstory 120: Lon Stroschein, Founder of Normal 40 and best-selling author of The Trade, on Why High-Achieving Professionals Often Feel Unfulfilled and Want More From Their Story
Out of more than 100 episodes, this is the one that brought Stacy to tears.
And once you hear it, you’ll understand why.
Meet today’s guest, Lon Stroschein, founder of Normal 40, where he works with high-achieving professionals who look successful on the outside but feel stuck on the inside.
In this episode, he and Stacy talk about:
- His backstory – how he went from farm kid to D.C. insider to leading billion-dollar deals in corporate America
- What made him walk away from all of it with no backup plan, just a gut feeling that he was meant for more
- Why “success” can still feel empty (even when everything looks great on paper)
- What it really means to outgrow your life (and how to know when you’ve hit that point)
- The freedom that comes when you stop pretending and finally get honest with yourself
And the surprising patterns he’s seen after thousands of coaching convos with top performers who feel stuck, too
This one’s real, raw, and full of truth.
If you’ve ever thought “there’s gotta be more than this,” hit play.
More About Lon:
Lon Stroschein is the founder of Normal 40®—a movement for elite providers who’ve built success but feel quietly stuck. He helps high performers trade the life they’ve outgrown for one they actually want.
A fourth-generation South Dakota farm kid, Lon’s values were shaped by early mornings, hard work, and quiet grit. He spent six years working for a U.S. Senator, followed by six years in private banking and finance, then 14 years as a public company executive—leading strategy, growth, and M&A, including a $2.1B transaction.
In 2022, Lon made The Trade—leaving the title, income, and image behind, without a backup plan. No resume. No safety net. Just a belief that his work there was done, his best decade was in front of him, but that it wasn’t going to be found where he was standing.
Since his resignation, Lon has coached thousands of elite professionals—physicians, executives, entrepreneurs, attorneys—who feel stuck at the top. Through 1,000+ confidential coaching calls (Rambles), he’s built the world’s most honest library of career transformation—and a library of some of the most incredible stories you will never hear.
What he’s learned is simple: most people aren’t lost—they’re just done pretending.
Lon’s best-selling book, The Trade, continues to reshape the lives of people he will never meet.
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