Episodes

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 ...

Why do anxiety and depression feel heavier during the long winter season, even when nothing is technically “wrong”?Kristian Leavell, licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and dad, returns to talk about the emotional weight winter can bring, especially for fathers carrying responsibility at work and at home. The focus here is awareness, regulation, and small, realistic ways to stay steady when energy is low and motivation fades.Kristian shares how to:• Notice early signs of anxiety an...

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 does it actually take to feel grounded, confident, and present as a dad when anxiety is rising, expectations are shifting, and the world feels louder than ever?AJ Rich is a licensed marriage and family therapist, practice owner, and doctoral candidate who works almost exclusively with men. After nearly 20 years in corporate leadership, AJ transitioned into clinical work and now helps dads navigate identity, emotional intelligence, anxiety, and growth without losing themselves or their fam...

How do you rebuild your life when everything breaks at once and you still have kids who need you every minute of the day?After a devastating spinal injury and years of recovery, Paul Terrell became a stay at home dad who had to relearn how to walk, talk, type, and parent with new physical limitations. Later he returned to work and eventually became a top performing enterprise account executive in PropTech and FinTech. His story is one of grit, patience, perseverance, and a deep commitment to f...

What happens when you realize the real work of your life is happening at home, not at your job?Sean Waldron returns for a deeper conversation about creativity, fatherhood, and the stories that shape us. He shares how filming with his son became a doorway into connection, why every dad has creative gifts even if they do not see themselves as creative, and how bringing your work skills into your home can strengthen the bond with your kids.Sean opens up about:• Entering his child’s world and ...

How do you hold onto your creative identity while trying to be the parent you want to be?Sean Waldron has built a life around creativity from music to video production to brand storytelling. He has freelanced, gone in-house, flipped houses, and wrestled with the tension between purpose and practical responsibilities. Becoming a dad pushed him to rethink all of it.Sean shares how to:Blend creative skills with fatherhood in a way that builds connectionSeparate who you are from what you do ...

What does it really take to be present as a dad while juggling work, pressure, and your own mental health?Kristian Leavell, a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and dad, brings both clinical insight and lived experience to this honest conversation about the weight many fathers carry and how to navigate it with clarity and compassion.Kristian shares how to:• Be truthful about what you feel and what you need• Understand the voice behind internal pressure and self doubt• Redefine...

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...

In this episode of Gap to Gig, host Michael Jacobs talks with Jesse Holmes, a performance coach who helps entrepreneurs and parents make measurable progress in just 10 minutes a day.Jesse shares how to:• Build clarity and confidence through small, consistent actions.• Find your focus when life feels chaotic.• Apply “deep work” principles to parenting, relationships, and self-care.• Turn daily 10-minute wins into lasting momentum.• Balance business growth with family life — without bu...

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...