Career Development Episodes

What if the biggest gap between your work and your life is not your schedule, but how you define success? Alan Lazaros built what most people would call a successful life. High income, fast growth, and clear upward momentum. But after a near-fatal car accident at 26, he was forced to confront a harder question. Was any of it actually meaningful? For working dads trying to balance ambition, work-life balance, and presence at home, this conversation reframes what meaningful work really means and...

What happens when you realize the career you built doesn’t actually align with the life you want? Scott Maderer built a successful career in finance, checked the right boxes, and did the things ambitious professionals are supposed to do. But eventually he realized something important was missing. The work that once looked impressive on paper no longer felt connected to his values, his purpose, or the kind of impact he wanted to make. That realization led Scott to step away from corporate finan...

What happens when your self-worth quietly becomes tied to your output? After nearly two decades leading digital transformation work for major brands, Loren Silverman realized that success on paper didn’t equal fulfillment in real life. The titles, the grind, the constant responsibility all looked right from the outside. But underneath, something felt off. That realization didn’t lead to a dramatic overnight reinvention. It led to something much simpler and far more powerful: pause, awareness, ...

What does meaningful work actually look like once you become a parent? For many professionals, the answer changes. Priorities shift. Energy changes. The things that once felt exciting or important can suddenly feel disconnected from the life you want to build. Career strategist Julia Toothacre works with high-performing professionals who look successful on paper but quietly feel stuck, burned out, or misaligned. Her work focuses on helping people take ownership of their careers while navigatin...

What happens when the job you thought would carry you to the finish line disappears overnight? Two months into what she believed would be her final role, Merry Korn was let go. She was a single parent with two teenagers, college tuition looming, and no clear path forward. The fear was real. The pressure was immediate. Staying in bed was not an option. What followed was not an overnight success story. It was a series of hard conversations, informational interviews, small courageous steps, and a...

What happens when health scares, job loss, and family tragedy collide all at once? After having part of his lung removed, being laid off during the pandemic, and losing his father-in-law the same day he was discharged from the hospital, Tony Berardo was forced to confront a hard truth: work was taking up too much of the wrong space in his life. Instead of chasing security, status, and a bigger paycheck, Tony rebuilt his life around something far more valuable: time. Today, he’s the foun...

What does leadership look like when the mission is your family and the stakes are emotional, not tactical? Brad Leeman is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, combat aviator, and F-35 test pilot who spent nearly two decades leading in environments where preparation, clarity, and execution were non-negotiable. After transitioning out of the military, Brad became an entrepreneur and founder of SwingSesh, a company built around a simple belief: parents should not be spectators in thei...

What do you do when your career looks successful on paper, but something quietly feels off? Stephanie Cordes is a career ownership coach who works with people at the exact moment when professional success and the life they want to live stop pointing in the same direction. She knows this moment personally. After building a successful corporate career, Stephanie realized that checking all the boxes did not automatically mean she was building the right life. Stephanie shares how to: • Recognize ...

What does it mean to succeed at work without missing the moments you never get back? Eddie Torba has spent decades in retail execution and operations, helping major brands adapt, rebuild, and evolve through massive industry change. Along the way, he made intentional career decisions to stay present for his family, from working nights and weekends early on, to shifting into remote corporate roles, to building a small consulting practice on the side. Eddie shares how to: • Design a career aroun...

What happens when the chapter you spent years chasing finally ends and you’re left asking what comes next? In this episode of Gap to Gig, host Michael Jacobs talks with Erin Aldrich Shean, a former Olympic and professional athlete who has reinvented herself multiple times across sports, corporate strategy, and now career coaching. Erin helps people navigate life and work transitions using her LAND method, a framework built around learning, alignment, networking, and delivery. Erin shares how t...

What really happens behind the scenes in hiring and how can dads returning to work stand out? In this episode of Gap to Gig, host Michael Jacobs talks with Jacob Stone, HR consultant and founder of WorqTap, who’s spent over a decade helping companies hire smarter and helping people land roles that actually fit their lives. Jacob shares what most job seekers never hear: • What’s really going on inside hiring teams (and how to stand out). • Why soft skills like adaptability and communication m...

What happens when your career suddenly stops fitting your life? In this episode of Gap to Gig, host Michael Jacobs talks with John Tarnoff, an executive coach who rebuilt his career after the tech bubble burst and now helps mid-career professionals rediscover purpose and confidence. John shares how to: • Navigate uncertainty and rebuild resilience. • Reframe “returning to work” as moving forward, not backward. • Turn personal experiences — even parenting — into professional strengths. • Re...