Beyond the Corporate Ladder

What if leaving your corporate career didn’t have to mean giving up your financial security?

In Episode 22 of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, I sit down with Mike Qu, founder of LGA Growth Partners and managing director of Crown Forge Energy, to talk about the strategy he used before leaving his career in tech:

Build passive income first.

Mike spent his corporate career in the Seattle tech world, surrounded by companies like Amazon and Microsoft. But eventually, he started asking himself whether he really wanted to continue down the same path for another 40 years.

Instead of immediately quitting, Mike started learning.

He attended investment conferences, built relationships with mentors outside his tech bubble, explored alternative investments, and eventually discovered direct oil and gas investing.

His objective was to build enough monthly passive income to help cover his expenses before making the full-time leap into entrepreneurship.

One of the concepts Mike and I discuss is his wealth ratio:

Monthly passive income ÷ monthly expenses.

When that number reaches 1, your passive income theoretically covers your current lifestyle.

[00:00] – Meet Mike Qu: From Tech to Entrepreneurship

One thing I appreciated about this conversation is that Mike isn't arguing that everyone needs to leave corporate America.

If you love your career, keep building it.

His bigger message is to intentionally grow your active income while also thinking about how you can build passive income, and ultimately create more choices around what you want your life to look like.

🎙️ Get a chance to share your side of the story here at Beyond the Corporate Ladder. Apply to be a guest:

What happens when the version of success you worked hard to create no longer fits who you’ve become?

In Episode 21 of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, I sit down with Dr. Jo, founder of Tula Soul, for a candid conversation about personal transformation, career reinvention, embodiment, entrepreneurship, and learning to trust yourself.

Dr. Jo began her career as a clinical psychologist, eventually building a successful private practice. But her own experiences with recovery, yoga, embodiment, and personal growth changed not only how she saw herself, but how she wanted to help others.

That realization ultimately led her toward holistic coaching, yoga, writing, retreats, and a business that felt more aligned with the person she had become.

[00:00] Meet Dr. Jo and Tula Soul

Dr. Jo also shares openly about her recovery journey, body shame, identity, and how learning to feel safe in her own body influenced the work she does today.

Her advice for anyone beginning a new chapter is simple: listen to your gut, trust your intuition, and use discernment when other people tell you how your path should look.

Want to share your side of the story on Beyond the Corporate Ladder?

Apply to be a guest:

You worked hard, built the career, and achieved what you thought success was supposed to look like.

So why can you still feel stuck?

In Episode 20 of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, I sat down with performance coach Joe Kamara to explore what happens when high achievers reach a point where their old definition of success no longer fits.

After thousands of coaching conversations, Joe has seen recurring patterns across different stages of a career from younger professionals trying to establish themselves, to mid-career leaders asking “now what?”, to experienced professionals facing an entirely new identity as their careers wind down.

The conversation explores why these moments aren't simply career changes. They're often identity shifts.

[00:00] Meet Joe Kamara and Rethinking Peak Performance

Joe also walk me through the five areas he uses when helping high achievers improve sustainable performance: sleep, stress, discipline, focus, and sustainable energy.

If you've reached a point in your career where you've accomplished a lot but find yourself wondering “What now?”, this conversation offers a different way to approach the question.

Have a career journey or leadership lesson worth sharing?

What if becoming a better leader isn't about eliminating fear, but learning how to move forward while it's still there?

In this episode of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, I sat down with Margo Masri, founder of Heartfelt CFO, to explore the career experiences, uncomfortable decisions, and mindset shifts that shaped the leader and entrepreneur she is today.

Margo shares how an early experience with money influenced her relationship with financial security, why her first accounting role left her exhausted and unfulfilled, and what happened when she began listening to the work she actually felt called to do.

She also tells the unforgettable story of nearly running from a speaking engagement in front of 700 people and how facing that moment taught her one of the biggest lessons of her career: be yourself.

Why fear doesn't have to disappear before you take action

How Margo learned to navigate imposter syndrome

Why saying “no” can be essential to meaningful growth

How to rethink success beyond money, status, and comparison

Why business owners need financial leadership, not just reactive accounting

How Margo leads her team through significant organizational change

Why one uncomfortable step can change the direction of your career

[00:00] — Welcome to Beyond the Corporate Ladder

Margo's journey is a reminder that building the career and life you want often requires questioning the definition of success you started with.

Have a career journey or leadership lesson worth sharing? Apply to join us:

What happens after you leave the corporate structure behind and suddenly realize you're responsible for creating the structure yourself?

In Episode 18 of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, Stephen Lee-Thomas sits down with internationally award-winning photographer, educator, and speaker Shawn Black to unpack his transition from television and agency work to building a photography business that has lasted more than 16 years.

Shawn shares how losing his agency job became the catalyst for entrepreneurship, why he initially photographed almost anything to build momentum, and how his career eventually evolved from weddings into a specialized boudoir photography business centered on confidence, strength, and helping clients see themselves differently.

But this conversation goes well beyond photography.

Shawn explains why “freedom needs to be managed,” how entrepreneurs can create structure without recreating the corporate environment they left, why continuous learning matters at every stage of business, and how knowing when to delegate can unlock the next stage of growth.

[00:00] Meet Shawn Black

Shawn's journey is a reminder that leaving corporate isn't the destination. Building a career and business around the life you actually want requires continuous adjustment, learning, and intentional decisions.

If you have a career journey or leadership lesson worth sharing, apply to join us on Beyond the Corporate Ladder: https://beyondthecorporateladder.com/podcast-guest-booking

What would make someone leave a six-figure leadership position and willingly take a two-thirds pay cut?

For Laura Biewer, it was the belief that she could build something of her own.

In Episode 17 of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, Stephen Lee-Thomas sits down with Laura Biewer, a mobile notary with 22 years of experience, educator, author, industry advocate, and co-founder of the Certified Notary Trust Delivery Agent (CNTDA) program.

Laura shares how she transitioned out of a vice president role at a nonprofit, unexpectedly entered the elder-care business, and discovered mobile notary work after struggling to find notaries willing to serve residents at her facility.

That opportunity eventually became a career.

But Laura's journey wasn't linear. When the 2008 financial crisis disrupted the loan-signing business, she had to reinvent herself again. She found a new specialty in trust signings and went on to build expertise in serving attorneys, legal professionals, hospital patients, hospice patients, skilled-nursing residents, and homebound signers.

Today, Laura also teaches and coaches other notaries, helps professionals discover new specialties, and advocates for stronger laws and protections within the industry.

What You’ll Learn:

00:00 — Meet Laura Biewer and the CNTDA

Laura's story is a reminder that leaving the corporate ladder doesn't require having the entire journey mapped out. Sometimes the next opportunity appears because you're willing to solve the problem directly in front of you.

Have a career journey, leadership lesson, or story worth sharing?

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!!!