What happens when achieving the next promotion, building more skills, and reaching another professional milestone no longer feels like enough?

In Episode 16 of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, Stephen Lee-Thomas sits down with Jack Sparling, Co-Founder of Aspire Success, to explore how our definition of success can evolve from personal achievement toward purpose, leadership, and helping other people grow.

After more than 30 years in professional services leading high-performing teams and solving complex problems for major organizations, Jack entered a new chapter focused on executive coaching and leadership development.

He shares why some of his most fulfilling professional moments came not from his own advancement, but from seeing the people around him succeed.

The conversation explores a critical question for anyone responsible for a team:

Are you creating followers or are you creating leaders?

Chapters

[00:00] Meet Jack Sparling

Jack also shares an opportunity for listeners: the first three people who connect with him on LinkedIn and send the word “purpose” can receive a Purpose Factor Assessment and a 30-minute debrief with him.

Apply to be a guest:

What separates founders who successfully scale from those who stay trapped inside their own businesses?

In this episode of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, Stephen Lee-Thomas sits down with healthcare entrepreneur Eric Lowe, CEO and Co-Founder of Aptiva Health, to explore the leadership principles that transformed a startup into a rapidly expanding healthcare organization.

Eric shares why healthcare needs to become more human, how great leaders create cultures that scale, and why documenting systems may be one of the highest-return investments a founder can make.

The conversation also dives into his upcoming book, Be the Broker, where he introduces concepts like Relational Capital and the LASSO Framework a practical approach to leveraging relationships, aligning incentives, building systems, and optimizing growth.

Whether you're building a business, leading a team, or preparing for your next stage of growth, this episode offers actionable leadership lessons grounded in real-world experience.

[00:00] Introduction & Meet Eric Lowe

[01:12] Why Eric Is Passionate About Fixing Healthcare

[04:08] What's Broken in the Healthcare System?

[07:45] Building a Hospitality-First Patient Experience

[11:18] Creating Company Culture Across Multiple Locations

[14:05] Healthcare Transparency & Making Care More Affordable

[18:12] The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Purpose Over Profit

[21:06] The Biggest Leadership Mistake Founders Make

[24:03] Why Leaders Must Stop Being the Bottleneck

[26:20] The "Be the Broker" Mindset Explained

[28:55] Building Relational Capital in the Age of AI

[30:08] Eric Lowe's Advice for Success & Where to Connect

Eric Lowe

If you'd like to share your own journey on the podcast, apply here: CLICK ME!!

What does it really take to build a business while working a full-time career?

In this episode of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, Stephen Lee-Thomas sits down with Wondella Payne, a certified paralegal and business consultant who helps aspiring entrepreneurs launch their businesses while continuing to work their day jobs.

Wondella shares how she leveraged nearly two decades of legal experience into a consulting business, discusses balancing entrepreneurship with a full-time career, and explains why success is more than simply making more money.

[00:00] Introduction

[01:03] Meet Wondella Payne

[03:08] Why She Started Her Business

[05:25] Balancing Corporate and Entrepreneurship

[08:55] Helping Entrepreneurs Launch Businesses

[12:25] Growing a Business Since 2018

[14:15] AI's Impact on Small Business

[17:10] Defining Success

[18:45] Building Passive Income

[19:45] Final Advice for Future Entrepreneurs

If you're considering launching your own business while maintaining career stability, this episode offers practical advice and encouragement.

🎙️ Get a Chance to Share Your Side of the Story! CLICK ME!!

Thinking about leaving your corporate job to start a business?

In this episode of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, Stephen Lee-Thomas sits down with entrepreneur and recruiting expert Darren Tompkins to discuss what it really takes to make the leap into entrepreneurship.

From setting an exit strategy to hiring your first employees, Darren shares practical lessons learned from building his own recruiting company after years in corporate America.

[00:00] Introduction

[01:12] Darren's background

[04:40] When businesses should hire

[09:10] Knowing when to scale

[12:30] Leaving your W-2 job

[16:05] Building a lifestyle-first business

[19:30] Using virtual assistants effectively

[22:10] Why entrepreneurs must embrace failure

[24:20] Final advice

If you're building a business or preparing to make the leap from corporate life, this episode offers actionable advice to help you grow intentionally.

Get a Chance to Share Your Side of the Story! CLICK ME!!!

Artificial Intelligence is changing business faster than ever, but what does that really mean for leaders and HR professionals?

In this episode of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, Stephen Lee-Thomas sits down with Heather Mallette, Founder & CEO of The Decision Line, to discuss how AI is transforming Human Resources from a transactional department into a strategic business partner.

Heather shares why successful AI adoption isn't about replacing people, it's about empowering leaders, improving decision-making, and building organizations that are ready for the future.

From leadership development and organizational culture to trust, change management, and practical AI implementation, this conversation offers valuable insights for business owners, executives, HR professionals, and anyone leading teams through change.

[00:00] Introduction

[01:05] Meet Heather Mallette

[03:12] How HR Has Changed Over the Last 25 Years

[07:15] Why HR Deserves a Seat at the Leadership Table

[10:28] AI Will Redefine Leadership

[15:18] How Companies Should Adopt AI

[20:45] Organizational Readiness & Building Trust

[25:12] Career Growth Through Stretch Assignments

[29:42] The Future of AI, Leadership & Work

[32:15] Culture Is What Leaders Reward

[34:10] Where to Connect with Heather

Heather Mallette is the Founder & CEO of The Decision Line and a strategic HR leader with more than 25 years of experience helping organizations improve leadership, people operations, and business performance through thoughtful AI implementation.

LinkedIn: Heather Mallette

Apply to be a guest: Click here!

What happens when entrepreneurship becomes a vehicle for healing, empathy, and purpose?

In this episode of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, Stephen Lee-Thomas sits down with Shabana Serang entrepreneur, nonprofit founder, podcast host, and creator of the Mercy Mindset movement.

Shabana shares her deeply personal journey growing up as the daughter of immigrants, watching her father work tirelessly to build a better life, and how those experiences inspired her mission to “spread mercy with every bite.”

The conversation explores:

Shabana also opens up about her own struggles with mental health, entrepreneurship, and learning to navigate life through mercy and transparency.

[00:00] Introduction

Website: https://miraclesformercy.com

You can be my next guest speaker! How to apply:

What separates great leaders from average managers?

In this episode of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, Stephen Lee-Thomas sits down with senior healthcare executive Russell Meadows to discuss leadership, team building, decision-making, and navigating complexity in high-pressure environments.

Russ shares lessons from decades in healthcare leadership, including how he built high-performing teams, solved operational challenges, and led through massive organizational change. From Medicare operations to mentorship, this conversation is packed with practical leadership insights for professionals at every stage of their career.

If you’re leading people, growing your career, or trying to navigate complexity with confidence, this episode delivers actionable wisdom grounded in real-world experience.

[00:00] Introduction

Book a call here and let’s talk: Click me!

What happens when you’ve done everything “right” in your corporate career… but still feel disconnected from fulfillment?

In Episode 9 of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, Stephen Lee-Thomas sits down with Rachel Cotter Davis to explore leadership, burnout, organizational change, and the deeply personal journey of career reinvention.

Rachel shares insights from her experience as a senior director in change enablement and organizational effectiveness, discussing what it really takes to lead through uncertainty while staying authentic in high-pressure corporate environments.

This conversation goes beyond career strategy and into identity, growth, resilience, and redefining success on your own terms.

[00:00] Introduction

[01:42] Rachel’s corporate background

[05:10] Navigating leadership and organizational change

[09:28] Burnout and identity shifts

[14:06] Reinvention beyond corporate success

[18:45] Authentic leadership and vulnerability

[23:12] Building fulfillment outside traditional career paths

[27:01] Final advice for professionals in transition

Want to share your side of the story? Book a Call here!

What would you do if you had no plan, but knew your life needed to change?

In this episode of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, Stephen Lee-Thomas sits down with Dwight Dillon-Seminario, who shares his journey from professional musician to entrepreneur helping others build passive income and reclaim their time.

After a major life shift, Dwight made a bold decision, he quit without a backup plan and leaned into uncertainty. What followed was a decade-long journey of growth, rejection, and building a system that now helps others create more freedom in their lives.

This episode is a deep dive into action-taking, mindset, and what it really takes to reinvent your life.

00:00 Introduction

In Episode 7 of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, we talk leadership, growth, and multifamily real estate with Corey Muldrow, who has scaled his portfolio to over $100M+ in assets under management. Corey shares his journey from healthcare and anesthesia practice to becoming a full-time multifamily investor and operator alongside his wife, Candice.