Untethered: Nick Gould on Rediscovering Purpose After the Exit

When the company you built is no longer yours—and the next chapter isn’t obvious—what happens next?

In this episode of Critical Moments, I talk to Nick Gould, a founder turned executive turned coach, about what it really feels like to leave behind the work that defined you for decades. Nick shares how he built Catalyst Group, sold it twice, and then found himself unexpectedly adrift. What followed wasn’t a clean next step—it was five months of uncertainty, reflection, and doing the deep personal work to figure out who he was without the job title.

This one’s for anyone navigating a transition—or supporting someone who is.

🔑 Key moments and takeaways:

• (00:02:00) Reconnecting after 15+ years: life, kids, Brooklyn, and Basquiat

• (00:09:30) Building Catalyst Group and the early days of UX

• (00:17:45) Two exits, one after the other—and then: the question of “what now?”

• (00:21:50) When your identity is your work: the shock of losing the tether

• (00:28:30) Finding a new direction by going back to first principles

• (00:34:00) Product leadership, presence, and translating founder skills into new roles

• (00:41:15) From career transition to coaching: why the door stayed open

• (00:54:00) Three lessons for leaders facing uncertainty

Whether you’re a CEO, founder, or just in between chapters, this conversation is a reminder that reinvention takes time—and it’s worth it.