Backwards Path Podcast

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What happens when the path you take leads somewhere you never expected—and what can we learn from the turns along the way?

In the Season 2 premiere of the Backwards Path Podcast, Meg Swallow sits down with Jamie Lancaster, a senior operations leader with more than 20 years of experience driving business transformation, operational excellence, and sustainable growth for Fortune 500 companies.

Jamie's career is a story of embracing change, taking on unexpected challenges, and finding opportunities where others might see obstacles. From helping lead Kroger's pivot to e-commerce and rapidly scaling global delivery capabilities during the pandemic to building international operations across seven low-cost production countries on three continents, Jamie has spent his career rethinking what's possible.

His accomplishments are remarkable: leading a company-wide initiative that eliminated $230 million in overhead expenses, building a centralized sourcing organization that generated $250 million in annual savings, and championing operational improvements that dramatically transformed service performance.

But beyond the impressive numbers and business milestones is a conversation about something much bigger: the people, decisions, risks, and unexpected opportunities that shape our professional journeys.

In this episode, Jamie and Meg explore:

• Embracing unexpected career turns: How being open to new challenges can lead to opportunities you never anticipated.
• Leading through transformation: What it takes to drive meaningful organizational change and bring people along on the journey.
• Rethinking what's possible: How challenging conventional thinking can unlock new efficiencies, growth, and innovation.
• The power of adaptability: Navigating uncertainty, responding to changing business needs, and finding opportunity in disruption.
• Creating meaningful impact: Looking beyond the bottom line to understand the lasting influence of the decisions we make.

Jamie's story is a reminder that success isn't always about following a carefully laid-out plan. Sometimes it's about saying yes to the unexpected, being willing to take a different direction, and recognizing that the most meaningful opportunities often emerge when we're willing to change course.

Welcome to Season 2 of the Backwards Path Podcast—where we meet people who've taken unique, often unexpected paths and share their stories to help us reflect on our own journeys, navigate what's ahead, and remain open to possibility in our everyday lives.

Because sometimes the best way forward is to look back at the path that brought us here.

Have an idea for a guest or suggestion for an episode? Write to Meg at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I catch up with my friend Jackie Kotz—artist, entrepreneur, mom, and founder of Kotz Kookies. She has come a long way from our high school days, heading from a double major at Drew University, to launching a thriving custom cookie business during Covid lockdown. We talk about creativity, courage, motherhood, and how she built a life (and business) full of sweetness, laughter, and authenticity.

Check out her work at @kotzkookies on Instagram.

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What does it mean to truly seek happiness? Author, poet, and fearless adventurer Anne Marie Wells didn’t just wonder—she took action. When life felt less than fulfilling, she set out on a journey to Iceland, consistently rated one of the happiest countries in the world, to explore what happiness really looks like to the people there. What she discovered wasn’t just in the landscapes or culture, but in the simple, everyday moments of connection and care.

In this episode, Anne Marie shares her incredible journey—one of bold decisions, unexpected detours, and the magic of trusting yourself. From navigating career shifts and personal growth to embracing life's small delights, her story is a reminder that happiness isn’t in the next big paycheck or luxury item, but in the people we love and the moments we cherish.

✨ Learning to trust your intuition

✨ The power of simplicity and why happiness isn’t necessarily found in materials or success

✨ How recounting your daily delights can shift your entire perspective

Her story is a call to embrace the unknown, redefine happiness on your own terms, and follow the unplanned, unexpected pathways that might just lead to something extraordinary.

Tune in for a conversation that will leave you feeling inspired to take that next leap—big or small—toward a life filled with more delight, magic, and meaning.

🔗 Learn more about Anne Marie Wells: annemariewellswriter.com

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I got to sit down with Mark Voytek, multi-business founder, angel investor, board member, and so much more, for an incredibly valuable conversation about how he has achieved his success - and it's not the story you think you know. He didn't just glide through business school and take over his dad's business. He embraced mistakes, took opportunities to learn the hard way, and has kept his mind curious even after 37 years of professional growth.

This is one episode you can't miss - it's advice too valuable to pass on!

Thank you to Mark Voytek, 4-time Founder | Angel Investor | Founder Growth Expert | Board Member | Advisor to Founder Led High Growth Companies | Business Mentor | Business and Lecturer

Learn more about all of Mark's work:

https://www.voytechnologypartners.com/

https://www.nextstagetrajectory.com/

https://www.iaop.org/

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Guest Larry Varney shares his adventurous journey from teacher to seasonal cycling Santa in this engaging episode full of laughs, surprising path crossings with notable names, and a look at the road ahead. Join us for a conversation and learn a few life lessons from someone who knows to stay loose in a tough situation, and never to cross a field of cattle on foot.

Check out his cycling content: https://www.bentrideronline.com/

https://www.facebook.com/larry.varney.5/

Other links from the episode:

https://www.catrike.com/

https://hoxworth.org/

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