Lessons from a Quitter

Sure, quitting is easy if you've always hated your job. But what if you used to love it? What if you loved it for many years? What if you were really, really good at it? I'm so excited about this week's episode with the amazing Shawn Askinosie. Shawn walked away from a very successful career as a criminal defense attorney, a job he used to love. Until he didn't. He realized that the career he once loved was putting him into an early grave and that it was time to do something else. Shawn is now the founder of Askinosie Chocolates, named by Forbes as “One of the 25 Best Small Companies In America.”  He was also named by O, The Oprah. Magazine, as "One of 15 Guys Who Are Saving the World." No big deal. He spends his days traveling between 4 continents to directly source his cocoa beans from farmers, where he offers them above Fair Trade prices, open books, and a share of his profits. He has created an inspiring company that not only gives back directly to the farmers but his community as well. His book - Meaningful Work: The Quest To Do Great Business, Find Your Calling And Feed Your Soul, co-written with his daughter Lawren Askinosie, published by Penguin Random House is a #1 bestseller on Amazon. I got to chat with Shawn about how he walked away from a career he loved and how he figured out what he should do next. Resources mentioned: Stuck To Strategy Sign up Here is what we chat about in this episode: Do the deep work and figure out who you truly are. Look for those thresholds. Be vulnerable with the people in your life. And so much more! Where to find Shawn:   Book: https://tinyurl.com/vf58dfv Chocolate: https://askinosie.com Blog: https://shawnaskinosie.com/ TEDx talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_askinosie_find_your_calling_where_it_hurts Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

In 75 episodes, I think the recurring lesson that comes up in almost every single episode is that you can't think your way to the end goal. It just doesn't work that way.⁠ ⁠ There will be detours. Set-backs. New connections. And a whole lot of learning that will change your route. The only thing you have to do is start. You don't have to know how it is going to unfold. Just start.⁠ ⁠ This week on the podcast, I was lucky enough to talk to the incredible @shuntagrant about her journey from attorney to entrepreneur.⁠ ⁠ Shunta unknowingly started a business at her dining room table in 2014 when she began selling hair bows that she made for her daughter Zoe on Instagram. She left law in 2015 to build Because of Zoe designs fulltime. In 2016, she started a second business mentoring other women business owners on how to build a business and life on the other side of busy.⁠ ⁠ Shunta could have never known what her Chapter 10 would look like. She had no intention of being a business owner when she went to law school. And now she has created a life and business that lights her up.⁠ ⁠ You don't have to know your Chapter 10. Just start with Chapter 1.⁠

Hi, my name is Goli and I'm a life-long people-pleaser.⁠ ⁠ I have a feeling a lot of you are too. Because we're trained from childhood to just do what we're told and not make waves.⁠ And while I used to understand that this tendency made me overly agreeable, overly apologetic (hello, women?), and obsessed with making sure everyone liked me, I didn't realize how much it actually kept me stuck in my career.⁠ ⁠ Tendencies like overachieving or perfectionism are just symptoms of the need to be liked. We think that if we just tick off the next accomplishment, like getting the promotion or making partner, or we turn in the perfect work product, then everyone will be happy and, in turn, we'll be happy.⁠ ⁠ But I don't have to tell you that it doesn't work that way.⁠ ⁠ We just move the goalposts. Maybe excelling at the next thing will finally make it all worthwhile. (Spoiler alert: it won't).⁠ ⁠ So we stay in a career we hate because the idea of other people's opinions weighs heavier than our own happiness.⁠ ⁠ How will I explain that I don't want to do this? Who am I if I'm not [insert "successful" profession here]?⁠ ⁠ This week on the podcast, I dive all into the nature of our people-pleasing and how to start climbing your way out of this suffocating tendency.⁠ Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

Will Day started out his career with a 2-year stint in the Peace Corps after college. He then went on to a successful career in the financial industry on Wall Street. But something felt like it was missing. In 2001, he enrolled in the Masters of Architecture program at Pratt Institute and then went to work as an architect. But that also never felt right. It wasn't until he decided to finally follow his passions as a full-time artist that he realized that he had been trying to force a square peg into a round hole.⁠ ⁠ But the best part about this conversation is that it's not all about how everything worked out wonderfully. I love Will's honesty about the realities of creating a living through art, how to find creativity in the chaos, and so much more.⁠ Here is what we chat about in this episode: How to find your creativity in the chaos. How to learn to listen to your inner voice. How to stop forcing something that isn't working. How to apply business principles to an artistic career to set yourself up for success. And so much more! Where to find Will:   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willdayart/ Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/yxqekyqu Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/willdayart/ Website: www.willdayart.com Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

So often we hold on to what we know so tightly that we give up the opportunity of having something so much better. Kim Le Pham is on the podcast today and her story is such an inspiration to me. Everything this woman touches turns to gold and, yet, she never rests on her laurels. She's constantly pushing herself (and her husband) out of their comfort zone.Kim Le went from climbing the corporate ladder as a CPA to becoming a wildly successful wedding photographer. But even though she was traveling the world, making a great living, and doing something she loved, she let herself pursue her curiosities. She started a fashion blog (laceandlocks.com) which led to an online clothing store (morninglavendar.com) which led to a brick-and-mortar clothing store which led to a second location that also has a cafe. And she's not finished. She's the founder and CEO of Morning Lavendar where she employs over 50 people and has been named to Inc. 5000 fastest growing companies 2 years in a row. And she's just getting started. She is a shining example of how multifaceted we all are and how much room there is for reinvention. Here is what we chat about in this episode: How the fear doesn't go away. Why you deserve the same love you give everyone else. How we all have inner intuition and the importance of listening close enough. And so much more! Where to find Kim:   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laceandlocks/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopmorninglavender/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morninglavenderoc/ Website: www.laceandlocks.com Website: www.morninglavender.com Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

It's important to pay attention to what you build your identity around. A common mistake that people make is to believe that what they do equates to who they are. This misconception can create a giant roadblock when it comes to changing paths because it then poses the question, "who am I if I'm not x, y, or z?" The reality is that, clearly, you're not what you do. Our identity is made up of so many different roles. And, much like our careers and relationships, our identities evolve as we do. In today's episode, I dive deep into the concept of stripping one identity and evolving into another with Geoff Kullman. Geoff went from being a pastor to becoming an atheist and having to leave the Church and start a career from scratch. Religion had been a fundamental part of his entire life from growing up in the Church to majoring in biblical studies in university to working for a number of years as a pastor. It wasn't until some life circumstances caused Geoff to begin questioning his own belief system and he eventually came to the conclusion that he no longer believed in God. Geoff's story shines a lot of light on how we view our identities and how much more malleable we are than we think. There is a lot of courage in saying, "this doesn't fit me anymore and I want to try something else". We talk all about how Geoff had to stand on stage and tell his congregation that he couldn't lead them anymore because he was an atheist (talk about scary!), how he navigated his family relationships after such a major shift, and how he figured out what he should do when he started over. In under 3 years, Geoff has created a successful copywriting business helping companies attract, convert, and retain more customers. His story is so fascinating and really helps dispel a lot of the fears we all hold about pivoting.   Here is what we chat about in this episode: Why you have to live with integrity to yourself. How, even though it's hard, the freedom on the other side is worth it. How there's always an opportunity to re-invent yourself. And so much more! Where to find Geoff:   Website: www.geoffkullman.com Email: hello@geoffkullman.com Blog post: https://geoffkullman.com/from-pastor-to-atheist/ Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

Even though this week's guest isn't a traditional quitter like our previous guests, she has dealt with the same limiting beliefs and fears we all deal with when starting something new. Right out of college at 21, Jenna Irvin decided she wanted to start her own brick-and-mortar fitness studio without ever having any experience in business. What I love about her story is that she didn't let the limiting beliefs that so many of us are plagued with, like feeling too young or too inexperienced, stop her. She got to work executing on her plan to open up a Pure Barre franchise, in a city that she had never lived in no less. In less than a year, she was able to sell that first location for double the investment and open a second one in a city that she had always wanted to live in. While her accomplishments and business acumen are extremely impressive, what blew me away about Jenna is her mindset. It is incredible to see how aware she is of the importance of mindset on her success and how much work she puts into it in order to help navigate this type of career. She's such an inspiration to me and I'm sure you'll get so much insight from her journey! Here is what we chat about in this episode: How the fear doesn't go away. Why you deserve the same love you give everyone else. How we all have inner intuition and the importance of listening close enough. And so much more! Where to find Jenna:   Instagram: instagram.com/jennairvin Website: jstandingtall.com Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

One of the biggest benefits that come from pivoting a career is that it shows you the freedom you truly have to reinvent yourself. The fear of starting over lessens with each jump and that's why so many #quitters go on to have multiple career changes. That freedom is such a blessing because you'll quickly learn that there is a lot of trial and error in finding your next career step. It is precisely through those many failures that you are led to where you need to be. This week I spoke with Julian Mather about his own process through many career pivots. After failing out of high school, he took that failure and decided that his education was in his own hands and chose to become a life long learner. After leaving high school, Julian joined the army and became a sniper for a number of years. He then started a 25-year career as a photojournalist/tv-camera man, globetrotting and documenting people doing incredible stories of people doing incredible things. What's amazing about his story is that he was at the top of his career and loved his job, and yet, he felt a calling to do something more. He walked away from his career at the age of 48. (Something a lot of people never muster up the courage to do!). He wanted to teach children valuable lessons about philanthropy and helping others. When his first foray into entrepreneurship failed, Julian went on to fulfill his passion by becoming a successful children's entertainer and magician for a number of years. He started a YouTube channel that garnered over 130,000 subscribers and 30 million views. That channel led him to creating a business out of showing people how to be in the kids' entertainment space. He has since sold that business and is now re-inventing himself once again. He is teaching businesses how to use video to leverage their sales and marketing. I loved Julian's story so much because of his insight on reinvention and starting over. Here is what we chat about in this episode: Why it's important to adopt a learning mindset. Why you are 100% responsible for your life. How change is a process and not an event. And so much more! Where to find Julian:   Website: http://www.julianmather.com/ Email: julian@julianmather.com Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

We typically have stories of people who have become successful in one type of career and then quit to start over in a completely unrelated field. However, there are people who enjoy the field that they're in but they want to find an alternative way to do the thing they love. Today's guest, Luke, falls into that category. He went to school to be a designer and after college he went on to work for various design agencies. He didn't feel fulfilled in the work he was doing, so after a decade, he decided to go out on his own to become a "fun-lancer".  (Love that). We talked a lot about his journey of switching from the employee mindset to becoming an entrepreneur. He is now a graphic designer and an art director. He spends his time doing things he loves like art directing magazines, lecturing at Birmingham University and putting on amazing events like the Birmingham design festival. He has done incredible things and I think his perspective on how you can use the corporate world to help set you up to go into entrepreneurship or how to plug into those niche communities is such an important lesson for many of us! Here is what we chat about in this episode: Everyone feels like an imposter no matter how much experience you have. Why you should get involved in your community. How it's important to have patience. And so much more! Where to find Luke:   Website: http://www.luketonge.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luketonge/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/luketonge Design Fest Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designfestbrum/ Glug Brum Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glugbirmingham/ Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

Sometimes we aren't fully aware of the hidden skills and interests that reside inside us. And if we don't follow those little sparks of curiosity, we'll never uncover them. That's exactly what happened with today's guest, Kayse Morris started out as an English and Language Arts teacher. She began selling her lesson plans and resources to other teachers as a side hobby. It wasn't her intention to create this into a big business, but it was through starting this side hustle that she discovered a talent and passion for entrepreneurship. In a couple of short years, her side income grew to become more than her teacher's salary! After growing this passion into a profitable side hustle, she decided to walk away from the classroom. She wanted to focus fully on helping other teachers sell their resources so that they can create more income and a life they want. What has happened with that business in less than a year is just incredible! While Kayse had a social media following, and she knew she could teach people what she did, she had no idea how big it would blow up. Within the first time she launched, she started making multiple 6-figures with her course! I think her business and her approach is really such a testament to the fact that there are so many opportunities and things we can if we don't limit ourselves and give in to fear. She really is such an inspiration and I think there is so much we can learn from her story! Here is what we chat about in this episode: Why you should just follow that little spark. How it can be so much better than you've ever dreamed of. No one knows what they're doing! And so much more! Where to find Kayse:   Website: https://kaysemorris.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaysemorris/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teachingonless/ Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gogetterspodcast/ 10 step workbook: https://teachingonless.lpages.co/the-first-10-steps-to-selling-your-teaching-resources-online-lead-magnet Email: kayse@teachingonless.com Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast