Two widowmaker heart attacks will either break your story or rewrite it. I sit down with Adrian “AJ” Jones, a longtime financial services leader who had to confront the question most high performers avoid until something forces it: what if the life you built no longer matches who you are? AJ walks me through the early twists that pulled him from international relations into finance, how comfort can become a trap, and how “fine” can mask deep misalignment.

We get candid about what happens after a major health scare when the paycheck still feels safer than the calling. AJ shares the messy middle: going back to work, feeling the strain in his body through anxiety and sleeplessness, and realizing that identity, fear, and momentum can keep you stuck even when you know better. Then comes the second shock, another heart attack, and a sharper lesson that career success means nothing without health.

AJ also breaks down the evolution of his company, More, from a broad community idea to a focused mission around alignment and authentic truth. We talk about career reinvention, burnout signals, and why alignment may be more than motivation. AJ is building evidence into his work with psychology and neuroscience, and he shares resources, including his book, "Powered by Authenticity," and his podcast, Code 3: Life Reinvented.

If you know someone who’s high on achievement but low on aliveness, share this conversation with them. Subscribe to Beyond Expertise and leave a review so more people can find stories that help them reinvent with purpose.

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For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/

Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO podcast.

The strangest career clue is not burnout, it's relief. When concert cellist Kate Kayaian watched her entire performance calendar vanish during COVID, she expected panic. What she felt instead was a weight lifted, and that single emotional moment forced a bigger question: if the “dream” disappears and you feel freer, what does that say about your identity?

Kate grew up in a world where music was not a hobby but a calling. She had a community and a clear definition of success. In this episode, we unpack how achievement-based careers can become a locked-in professional identity, even when you are thriving on paper. She shares why she chose the freelance path over an orchestra job, how the lifestyle tradeoffs stacked up over time, and how ego can quietly shape what we chase. If you are a high achiever facing a career change, a midlife pivot, or an “I don’t want the next rung” moment, her story makes the emotional side of reinvention feel honest and navigable.

We also get practical. Kate breaks down her “plateau and portal” framework, the ideas behind her book "Beyond Potential," and the steps she uses with clients to reassess old stories, redefine who they are beyond titles, and reignite momentum with a real roadmap. You will hear how she built the Virtual Summer Cello Festival, turned that into coaching and leadership programs, and why tiny experiments and one clear non-negotiable can be enough to start moving again.

Kate is also a podcast host on her show, Tales From the Lane.

If you are ready to explore identity reinvention, purpose, and life beyond expertise, subscribe, share this with a friend who feels stuck, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Send questions or comments

For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/

Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO podcast.

A layoff. A cross-country move. A booming coaching practice. Then a stroke that forced a hard pause. Chip Scholz’s story is a sharp reminder that career and identity reinvention rarely unfold as we script them, and that “success” can still quietly pull us away from the life we actually want.

On this episode of Beyond Expertise, we trace Chip’s path from working non-stop in college, landing in sales during a recession, to discovering he thrives when he can define his own role and build real community relationships. He explains what pushed him out of the corporate world, why he stopped chasing the motivational-speaking stage, and how executive coaching gave him what he craved: long-term relationships and measurable impact. If you’re trying to figure out how to reinvent your career, start a coaching business, or build a more fulfilling professional identity, you’ll hear concrete tactics, not just inspiration, including his simple five-by-five networking method for generating warm introductions.

The conversation also goes deeper into meaning and purpose. Chip reflects on David Brooks’ “The Second Mountain,” the toll of 100-hour weeks and constant travel, and how recovery changed his priorities around sleep, health, and the way he chooses work. We also talk about writing books, using StoryWorth to break through writer’s block, and why hobbies like woodturning can become a surprisingly powerful part of a purposeful life.

Listen now, then subscribe, share this with someone at a crossroads, and leave a review so more professionals can find these stories of reinvention.

Show notes, references, and links are available at: https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/show/beyond-expertise/from-selling-canned-corn-to-purposeful-coaching-with-chip-scholz/

Send questions or comments

For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/

Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO podcast.

Your career can provide you with status, structure, and a straightforward answer to the question “Who are you?” Then one day, that answer stops working. Maybe you’re tired of climbing the corporate ladder. Maybe your role disappears in a layoff, merger, or firing. Or perhaps you decide to walk away. Whatever the reason, you might find yourself in a strange middle ground. No longer where you used to be, but not yet where you want to go.

I’m Eric Dickmann, a former corporate executive who spent over 30 years building a career before stepping away to start something new. The transition hasn’t been straightforward; it has been filled with uncertainty, reflection, and the tough realization that identity can quickly become overly attached to a job title. Beyond Expertise exists specifically for that season, when you’re questioning what’s next and who you want to become.

We dig into what career reinvention really looks like: rediscovering interests you buried while building a corporate life, exploring new paths and creative pursuits, rebuilding your network, and uncovering relationships that fit the person you are now. This is a podcast for professionals in transition, for anyone navigating a midlife career change, and for people who still feel they have more to contribute.

If you’re ready to define yourself beyond work and build a next chapter with real fulfillment, subscribe, share this with someone in the in-between, or share a question you’re wrestling with right now.

Send questions or comments

For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/

Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO podcast.