Host Siebe Vanderzee interviews career strategist Curt Sassak, a former award-winning chef who lived and workedin seven countries and reinvented his life around age 40 after losing passion,feeling bored despite “success on paper,” and turning to excessive alcohol.Curt explains how identity can outlive its usefulness, and how COVID—while he was running a wine and spirits company—pushed him to become “unf*ckwithable” by building skills, hiring coaches, and creating more self-sufficiency. He shareslessons including the Jurassic Park effect (repeating the same career move expecting a different result), the Olive Garden effect (looking polished externally while feeling empty), the Blockbuster Video effect (what made you successful can keep you stuck), treating career transitions like a recipe with interdependent ingredients, and that staying put can be the biggest career risk. He also discusses self-awareness, overthinking, and using AI as a thinking partner rather than for judgment calls.

 00:00 Curt Sassak - Career -WIP

09:15 Lesson 1: The Jurassic Park Effect

11:38 Lesson 2: The Olive Garden Effect

13:21 Lesson 3: The Blockbuster Video Effect

17:13 Lesson 4: The Recipe Effect

24:43 Lesson 5: The Biggest Career Risk

Annet Monster has worked across corporate and government roles in Europe, Africa, and the US for over two decades, developing a deep understanding of how change and culture shape behavior. This experience allows her to support, motivate, and inspire others in meaningful and practical ways.

Two years ago, she started her own business as a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer. She is also a Behavior Change Specialist, and NLP Master Practitioner.Through her work, she guides clients in building sustainable habits that enhance both their health and mindset.

Herapproach blends evidence-based practices with practical, real-life strategies.

Authenticity and a growth mindset are at the heart of how she connects with others, creating environments where people feel empowered to share, collaborate, and grow." 

 Episode Notes

00:00 Annet Monster - The Key To Happiness Is To Detach

06:59 Lesson 1: Respond vs. React

10:42 Lesson 2: Don't Judge, Be Curious

13:50 Lesson 3: When Nothing Goes Right, Go Left

16:33 Lesson 4: When You Learn, Teach

21:05 Lesson 5: No Pain, No Gain

24:06 Lesson 6: Travel, Travel, Travel

28:41 Lesson 7: You Become Who You Surround Yourself With

31:41 Lesson 8: Your Cravings Reveal Something Deeper

34:52 Lesson 9: The Key to Happiness is to Detach

37:14 Lesson 10: Quality of Life = Quality of Thoughts

Host Robert Hossary interviews Matt Formston, a blind Australian surfer, cyclist, author and Order of Australia recipient, about his book “Why Not?” and 10 lessons learned. Matt recounts being diagnosed at age five with macular dystrophy and later struggling through bullying, illness, losing sport, a friend’s suicide, and a decade of rebuilding his identity. He explains key frameworks: using “why not” to break down problems; shifting consciously between strategy and execution; treating values as standards with clear consequences; conducting a confronting “bullshit audit” of unfiltered behaviour; building capacity by choosing the hard way; making the future “already real” through sensory visualization and self-identity; using empathy to understand people without lowering standards; “owning every hat” with focused time and context-specific behaviours anchored by consistent values; separating diversity from inclusion and avoiding quotas; and a trust formula—trust = standards × consistency × time—as both foundation and amplifier of performance.

Episode Notes

00:00 Matt Formston - Why Not?

04:54 Lesson 1: Why Not?

08:09 Lesson 2: Two Gears, One Engine

10:59 Lesson 3: Standards Without Consequences Are Just Wishes

15:36 Lesson 4: The Bullshit Audit

19:46 Lesson 5: The Hard Way Is The Easy Way

22:50 Lesson 6: The Future Is Already Real

27:24 Lesson 7: Empathy Is A Superpower

33:34 Lesson 8: Own Every Hat

39:28 Lesson 9: Diversity And Inclusion Need A Divorce

46:06 Lesson 10: Trust, The Bedrock And The Amplifier

10 Lessons Learned with Zoe Fragou: Negotiation, Strengths, Consistency & Speaking Up

Guest: Zoe Fragou

Zoe Fragou is an Organisational Psychologist with an MSc in Human Resources Management, a clinical psychologist license, a diploma in Business Coaching & Mentorship and a Certificate in Agile Leadership.

At the moment, she is a PhD Candidate at Panteion University and her research is mainly focused on the psychometrics of the corporate culture.

Alongside her academic interests, she is operating professionally in the full spectrum of her science, taking over projects of culture transformation, employee training and development, business coaching, personal branding, public speaking, and writing, for both private and corporate clients globally.

 Zoe shares her 10 lessons: everything is a negotiation; everyone is a mess; focus on strengths; don’t swipe issues under the carpet; pettiness stalls careers; be the person you needed when younger, including negotiating harder and addressing the pay gap; connections matter; stop starting and start finishing; consistency is showing up; and always be the last to speak. She emphasizes speaking up clearly about needs and learning from every conversation. 00:00 Zoe Fragou - Stop starting, start finishing05:56 Lesson 1: Everything is a negotiation08:04 Lesson 2: Everyone is a mess. Some hide it better11:12 Lesson 3: Focus on your strength15:39 Lesson 4: Don't sweep it under the carpet19:00 Lesson 5: Pettiness stalls your career20:51 Affiliate Break20:51 Lesson 6: Be the person you needed when you were younger26:37 Lesson 7: All we have is the connections that we make28:24 Lesson 8: Stop starting and start finishing31:05 Lesson 9: Consistency is about showing up32:11 Lesson 10: Always be the last one to speak

About Conan Higgins

Dr. Higgins is an international business attorney, crisis leadership consultant, and Amazon #1 Bestselling author who has spent his career operating where most people only theorize.

Before embarking on his illustrious academic journey, Conan served as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller with U.S. Air Force Special Operations—including parachuting into enemy-held territory in Iraq—earning two Bronze Stars for Valor across combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. After more than 25 years of military service, he became a Washington State Trooper and SWAT team leader before transitioning to international crisis management, where he oversaw projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars across six continents, from the Middle East and Eastern Europe to West Africa and Latin America.

Today, Conan serves as President and General Counsel of TSI Legal Enterprises, advising clients on complex international transactions, defense contracting, and export control compliance. He has consulted for the Government of Qatar, contributed to the World Bank/IMF's "Doing Business" report covering 189 economies, and held leadership positions in the American Bar Association's international law committees. His book, The Maverick's Blueprint: Crisis Leadership for an Unstable World, distills decades of operational experience into practical frameworks for leaders facing high-stakes decisions. He also writes the Princess Gumdrop children's book series—proof that even operators have a softer side.

Episode Notes

00:00 Conan J. Higgins - WIP

10:17 Lesson 1: The Signal Was Always There

14:10 Lesson 2: The Plan Dies on First Contact

15:59 Lesson 3: Calm Is Contagious

17:31 Lesson 4: Crisis Does Not Build Character

18:59 Lesson 5: Decide Who You Are Before the Phone Rings

23:03 Lesson 6: Give People a Job

27:45 Lesson 7: Train for the Day, Not for the Drill

31:24 Lesson 8: Relationships Are the Only Currency That Compounds

34:20 Lesson 9: Read the Room Before You Read the Brief

36:17 Lesson 10: Authority Is Not the Same as Judgment

About Elena Colmenero

Elena Colmenero is a People & Culture executive, organizational transformation leader and executive mentor with more than 25 years of international experience helping leaders, teams and organizations navigate growth, reinvention and change.

As leaders move into bigger roles with larger budgets and responsibilities, they can become increasingly disconnected from what’s really happening on the front line and across the organization. The speaker explains how executives often receive filtered or biased perspectives from a shrinking circle of trust, losing a true pulse on both business and organizational realities. They argue it’s strategically valuable to stay connected at all levels—listening directly to people and hearing what they have to say—because many insights gained from lengthy HR surveys could be learned quickly through simple conversations. Maintaining open ears, an open mind, and relationships throughout the organization provides practical insight, new ideas, and meaningful perspective that goes beyond merely addressing internal “noise.”

Episode Notes

00:00 Intro

07:57 Lesson 1: The People Are the Work

11:48 Lesson 2: Stop Talking, Start Hearing

14:33 Lesson 3: Loyalty Is Not Obedience

19:08 Lesson 4: Talent Needs Witnesses

22:17 Lesson 5: Authentic Doesn't Mean Unfiltered

27:17 Lesson 6: Power Does Not Change People, It Reveals Them

31:46 Lesson 7: The Climb Doesn't End When You Reach the Top

36:23 Lesson 8: Not Every Promotion Is Progress

38:54 Lesson 9: History Is Borrowed Experience

42:49 Lesson 10: Impact Is Not What You Control

About Our Hosts

Diana White has over 30 years in sales and retail experience, leading stores with revenues of over 10 million and a staff of 200. Consumer psychology, marketing, operations, and leadership are just a few of her skillsets. Seeing a need for startup and operations assistance within the local business community, Diana established D.E.W. Business Solutions, LLC, to provide consulting to small businesses. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Small Business Administration from Northern Arizona University, holds a green belt in Lean Six Sigma, and is a certified Agile Scrum Master. She is committed to helping businesses and non-profits as well as the community at large.

Siebe Van Der Zee is President of Vanderzee & Associates, Executive Search & Coaching. He has served as an international management consultant for over 25 years. For 28 years, Siebe has served as Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Arizona. He holds a Master's Degree in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management and he is a current member of the International Leadership Council at GPEC (Greater Phoenix Economic Council).

Robert Hossary has been involved in the not for profit/charity sector for the past 12 years. Robert also has an excellent knowledge in international business. Since 2011 - 2018, Robert was the General Manager for the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia (AmCham) and helped advise many Australian and US companies about their international expansion requirements. Prior to that, Robert was Regional Vice President for the Americas for a technology manufacturer. He has also worked in Taiwan with responsibility for Asia Pacific and the Middle East. With a background in Technology, Transport, Fashion and Healthcare, Robert has a wealth of experience to share.

Episode notes:

00:00 Special - International Lessons

00:21 Introduction

02:33 Guests' International Backgrounds

08:04 Biggest Challenges Working Abroad

16:14 What Is Culture?

17:45 Accepting an International Position

21:29 Family Considerations

26:56 Being a Citizen of the World

30:04 Empathy Through Cross-Cultural Experience

36:22 How to Acclimate to a Dominant Culture

42:48 Final Advice & Takeaways

About Codie Comeau

Codie works in Sales at EF Education First as a Tour Consultant. He is a first-generation college graduated where he thrived, earning a Bachelor’s in Communication, Media & Design with a minor in Psychology. The journey did not stop there as he would later earn an Master’s in Business Administration with a focus on Innovation and New Venture Management.   

Although young, Codie has plenty of experience over many different industries including Engineering & Manufacturing, Entertainment, Education and start-ups. He takes on many passion projects, his most notable was the Tennis program at Clarkson University. Under his leadership, the organization thrived growing in members and budget as well as gaining USTA membership.   

Codie has a goal to be a global citizen and explore what the world has to offer. He believes that every new place he visits or new culture he experiences helps him to grow as a person and share new perspectives. Codie loves developing new skills and keeping a student mentality. He is excited to begin this new chapter in life and experience what lies ahead. If he’s not busy at work you can find him on the tennis court or golf course, where he still has plenty to learn.  

Codie Comeau has joined the 10 lessons learned team as the episode producer 

Episode Notes 

About Lukas Hefti

Lukas Hefti is the founder of www.speachers.com , where he has helped 100+ events across the globe find a great keynote speaker, connects great personalities with podcasts and the news, and supports speakers in their journey to improve.

Currently, he manages the former Deputy Administrator of NASA, the Chief of Science at NASA, an astronaut, the former Head of HR for Elon Musk, a Nobel Prize Laureate, a YouTuber with 20+ million followers and more.

After failing at computer science, he studied English and Geography at the University of Zurich, failed to become a musical actor, joined an IT company as a communicator and then built his own company to 2+ million USD in revenue over 3 years at age 27.

In his free time, Lukas sings, dances, and performs close-up magic. Recently, he won the DanceCup Switzerland.

Episode Notes

00:00 Intro

08:07 Lesson 1: Be Visible in Public

10:21 Lesson 3: Make It Easy to Book You

12:11 Lesson 2: Be Memorable and Easy to Share with Others

15:45 Lesson 4: Stay After Your Talks to Mingle

20:05 Lesson 5: Tell Stories Even When Your Topic Is Technical

23:10 Lesson 6: Pause and Summarize

27:42 Lesson 7: Use Language Your Audience Understands

30:29 Lesson 8: How You Say Things Is More Important Than the Exact Words You Use

34:30 Lesson 9: Don't Make Your Audience Waste Their Attention on Why They Should Listen to You

40:13 Lesson 10: Specificity Breeds Trust and Interest

43:41 Lesson 11: Not Everything You Say Has to Be on Your Slides

About CJ Cornell

Host Diana White welcomes returning guest CJ Cornell —entrepreneur, engineer, former Arizona State University professor who helped start its entrepreneurship program, mentor/advisor, and author of The Age of Entrepreneurship and new children’s books—to share 10 life lessons: finish what you start because completion creates results; knowing who you are and what you want outweighs being smart or ambitious; understanding the problem beats delivering a solution; hands-on expertise can become a curse if it prevents delegation; self-awareness and being present are rare superpowers; persistence isn’t always heroic and endurance can mask futility, so learn when to pivot; patience isn’t inaction and timing matters (illustrated by waiting for better AI tools to complete children’s books); listen for what isn’t said, including body language; most people aren’t thinking about you; and most fears aren’t real, illustrated by the “Scars Experiment.”

Cornell shares current projects: two children’s series (entrepreneurship books and the Bailey Bear life-lesson books) plus an upcoming mentorship book, The Startup Brain Trust.

CJ Cornell is the author of the bestselling book The Age of Metapreneurship – A Journey into the Future of Entrepreneurship, and The Startup Brain Trust – A Guidebook for Startups, Entrepreneurs, and the Experts that Help them Become Great, and coauthor of the textbook Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

CJ Cornell holds undergraduate degrees in engineering, a master’s in management and a Ph.D. in marketing and strategy. Outside of business, CJ has practiced martial arts for 21 years and has been an instructor for eight years. He holds advanced black belts in Karate, Jujitsu, Aikido and in other disciplines. The Smithsonian recognized CJ as one of the influential teachers and mentors of 1999.

ranked in the top 50 most influential websites for entrepreneurship and startups.

Episode Notes

00:00 Leadership - Intro

02:54 Lesson 1: Complete Things

04:07 Lesson 2: Knowing Who You Are

08:36 Lesson 3: Understanding the Problem

10:51 Lesson 4: Hands-On Skills

12:55 Lesson 5: Self-Awareness

15:13 Lesson 6: Persistence

19:16 Lesson 7: Patience

22:10 Lesson 8: Learn to Listen

26:07 Lesson 9: People Aren't Thinking About You

28:17 Lesson 10: Your Fears Aren't Real