Evolve Your Path

Most founders are busy. Far fewer are operationally sound. Christa Spear, founder of Iris Partnering, joins the show to talk about what it actually means to operationalize a business -- and why that same mindset applies to running your career and your life like you're your own COO. We get into the warning signs your systems have been outgrown, and the one fix that sounds boring but changes everything.

If you're not managing your business, it's managing you -- through the fires you're putting out, the deadlines that sneak up, and the decisions that only live in your head.

In this episode, I sit down with Christa Spear, founder of Iris Partnering, to talk about what it really means to "operationalize," a word that gets thrown around a lot, but rarely gets defined in a way that's actually useful. We dig into the difference between a founder who's busy and a founder who's operationally sound, the earliest signs a business has outgrown its systems (or its lack of them), and where to start this week if you're running everything in your head with no documented process at all.

We also go beyond the business: Christa makes the case that the same operational thinking that keeps a company from running on chaos can be applied to how you run your own career and your own life: becoming, in effect, the COO of your own business, career, and life. We close with the one shift she'd want every listener to walk away with, and what she's most looking forward to at the Evolve Women's Summit this November.

Interested in joining? Reserve your spot at The Evolve Summit on November 6th in Denver, CO.

About Christa:

Christa Spear is the founder of Iris Partnering, where she helps founders build the operations, systems, and decision-making structure behind their business — so growth doesn't rely on any one person holding it all together.

Megan Flanagan talks with Amy Beaulieu, licensed clinical social worker and founder of Three Shoes, about the winding path from therapy to leadership development. Amy explains how her “shoes” framework helps people recognize when they’ve outgrown their current role, step into bigger responsibilities, and lead with more confidence and self-awareness.They also discuss what makes leaders thrive in the first 90 days, why human behavior in workplaces changes less than people think, and how women can stop apologizing for taking up space and asking questions.

Key topics:

• In this episode, Amy shares how Three Shoes came to her in a dream and became a metaphor for career growth, coaching, and leadership transitions.
• Megan and Amy discuss the difference between “big shoes” moments like promotions, parenting, marriage, retirement, and role changes versus “small shoes” situations that feel stifling.
• Amy explains that the universal signal you’ve outgrown a role is discomfort, often showing up as Sunday dread, feeling underused, or feeling forced into skills that don’t fit.
• Amy traces her career from social work to EAP work to JetBlue and eventually entrepreneurship, showing how her desire to help people thrive has stayed constant.
• Amy shares how clinical social work shaped her whole-person approach to coaching, emphasizing the impact of community, school, family, work, and environment on behavior.
• The conversation explores why leaders and organizations invest in training, and how open-minded cultures often see benefits like retention, productivity, innovation, and easier change management.
• Amy reflects on the realities of running a business, including contracts, bookkeeping, networking, marketing, websites, and social media, which she underestimated at first.
• Megan asks about women in leadership, and Amy argues that the biggest barrier is often self-esteem, mindset, and comparison to polished, picture-perfect appearances.
• Amy introduces her emerging concept of “unapologetic leadership,” centered on candor, conviction, confidence, and bringing your humanness to work.
• In the bonus clip, Amy explains what thriving leaders do in their first 90 days: build relationships, lead with humility and curiosity, and take work seriously without taking themselves too seriously.

• Three Shoes - A metaphor for career and life transitions
• Unapologetic Leadership - Amy’s developing framework built on

Chapters:

00:00 - Megan introduces Amy Beaulieu and the Three Shoes concept01:04 - How Three Shoes began in a dream02:37 - The winding career path from social work to leadership development06:06 - How to know when you’ve outgrown your current role08:26 - Why social work still shapes Amy’s coaching style10:30 - How leaders decide whether to invest in training12:32 - The business side of entrepreneurship no one warns you about16:15 - What has changed in workplaces since Amy started in 199420:48 - Why self-esteem and mindset hold people back23:01 - What Amy took away from Mic Drop Live24:25 - How to find an audience for your story25:37 - Surprises about running a business26:56 - What keeps Amy energized in her work28:03 - Leadership as being followed, not just being in charge29:48 - The growth edge of learning to think like a business owner31:25 - Amy’s unapologetic leadership framework33:06 - Why Amy challenges women who start questions with “sorry”34:32 - What unapologetic leadership looks like in practice00:00 - Bonus clip: What thriving leaders do in their first 90 days00:19 - Humility, curiosity, and being human in a new roleKey frameworks

Notable quotes:

“Everybody needs a coach, everybody needs training.”

“Leadership is about being able to be followed.”

Connect with Amy:

LinkedIn

Jenn Smukler, founder of Alive Unlocked, speaker, certified holistic health coach, and advocate for sustainable performance, shares her deeply personal journey from high-achieving corporate leadership to a more human, grounded, and resilient way of living and working. After years in demanding corporate environments, Jenn found herself constantly operating in overdrive: saying yes to everything, carrying the weight for everyone, and pushing through chronic stress until her body forced her to stop. That turning point became the beginning of a complete redefinition of success, health, and what it means to feel alive inside your own life.In this episode, Jenn opens up about the hidden cost of always-on performance, the nervous system impact of chronic stress, and why true excellence requires regulation, not burnout. She shares how leaving corporate life led her to retrain as a holistic health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and build a mission-driven practice that helps high-achieving professionals reconnect with themselves, strengthen their wellbeing, and create success that can actually be sustained. This is for anyone who has ever looked successful on the outside but felt disconnected on the inside. Jenn’s story is a powerful reminder that wellbeing and achievement are not opposing goals, they are deeply connected.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• Jenn’s corporate background and the moment everything changed
• The quiet warning signs of chronic stress and nervous system dysregulation
• Why high performers often ignore their body’s signals until they can’t
• How Jenn redefined success after leaving corporate life
• The shift from output-driven achievement to sustainable performance
• Why regulation is a foundation for clarity, energy, and resilience
• How personal storytelling and wellness education can create meaningful impact
• Jenn’s mission to help people build a life that feels aligned, not just impressive

Connect with Jenn

• Website: https://www.aliveunlocked.com
• Substack
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

About Jenn:

Jenn Smukler is the founder of Alive Unlocked, a speaker, certified holistic health coach, and advocate for sustainable performance who helps high-achieving professionals reconnect to themselves while building the energy, wellbeing, and resilience that real success requires. Jenn operated at the top of her field in corporate leadership, managing teams, driving results, and navigating high-pressure, always-on environments that reward output above everything else. Much of that time was spent in New York City, where she built a career that looked exactly like success was supposed to look. She was the person everyone counted on at work, at home, and everywhere in between. The one who never said no, never slowed down, and smiled through all of it, until her body made the decision for her. Chronic stress and nervous system dysregulation left her struggling to do something as simple as taking her daughter to school in the morning. That moment became the turning point that changed everything. What followed was a complete reevaluation of success, health, and what it truly means to feel alive inside your own life. Jenn walked away from corporate life, retrained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), and became a certified holistic health coach. Today, she blends personal storytelling, science-backed wellness education, nervous system support, and practical lifestyle shifts to help individuals and organizations rethink performance through a more human and sustainable lens. Her message is not about slowing down or stepping back. It is about learning to regulate so you can show up more fully, think more clearly, and perform at a level that is actually sustainable over a career and a lifetime. Now based in CA with her husband, daughter, and their pup, Churro, Jenn is on a mission to prove that success and wellbeing do not have to exist separately and that the highest-performing version of yourself is a regulated one.

In this deeply personal conversation, Megan Flanagan speaks with Jen Berlingo about midlife emergence, queer identity, self-abandonment, grief, and the creative practices that help us move toward a more honest life. Jen shares the pivotal moment that changed everything for her, how she learned to trust her inner signals, and why authenticity is not selfish; it’s expansive.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Why Jen uses the phrase “midlife emergence” instead of “midlife crisis”
• The ocean moment that became a turning point in her life
• Coming out later in life and navigating queer identity
• The grief that can come with changing identities and life paths
• How envy can reveal what you truly desire
• The difference between intuition, fear, and anxiety
• How creativity, journaling, and art can help uncover truth
• Why community matters during major life transitions
• The difference between coaching and therapy in Jen’s work
• How self-trust and self-expression can become a form of service to others

• Jen’s origin story and the concept of midlife emergence
• Growing up without queer role models
• Realizing that self-abandonment had a cost
• Using journaling and art to access deeper truth
• How to begin exploring a new identity safely
• Why saying no and choosing yourself can be liberating

• Jen Berlingo’s book, Midlife Emergence: Free Your Inner Fire
• Jen’s website: https://jenberlingo.com
• Jen’s Substack: https://jenberlingo.substack.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jenberlingo
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenberlingotherapy
• Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/artsorceress

About Jen:Jen Berlingo (she/her) has spent more than two decades guiding women and gender-expansive people through midlife transitions, with a specialization in those living more fully into their queerness later in life. She is a licensed counselor, nationally registered art therapist, master-level Reiki practitioner, and author of the award-winning Midlife Emergence.

In this episode, I dive into building wealth and fulfillment in our careers with Sweta Govani, the Founder of Happy Paying Customers™ System: used by 110+ founders to get early paying customers. She also started Join Your Wealth Garden, a movement of ambitious people building a life ecosystem of passive and active income streams.

Discover how Sweta Govanni transformed her career from corporate success to building a diverse wealth garden of income streams. This episode offers practical insights into creating a sustainable, fulfilling portfolio career that aligns with your values and ambitions. In this episode:

• Sweta shares her journey from a Mumbai-born high achiever to a startup founder and portfolio career strategist
• The concept of a "wealth garden" to diversify and optimize income streams
• How to consciously design a career that brings joy and fulfillment through experimentation and intentionality
• The importance of giving yourself permission to want and pursue different paths
• Practical steps to test new ideas with minimal risk, including the power of coffee chats and community involvement
• The value of being specific about your niche and avoiding broad industry terms that dilute your messaging
• How to balance active and passive income streams, such as real estate and consulting
• The significance of aligning your work with what sparks joy and generates real impact
• The role of healing micro traumas and practicing gratitude in achieving happiness
• Sweta's practical advice on starting small, experimenting, and trusting your intuition

Chapters:

• (00:00) Welcome and introduction to Sweta Govanni and her journey
• (02:00) Recognizing career burnout and midlife crisis signs
• (04:00) Sweta’s immigrant story and early success in tech marketing
• (07:19) How she achieved her dream job and the heartbreak of industry betrayal
• (08:44) The process of reevaluating her career after termination
• (10:20) Understanding industry disillusionment and finding new purpose
• (12:28) Overcoming the fear of making a change and the importance of specific niche targeting
• (14:00) The power of coffee chats and community for inspiration and validation
• (16:12) Building and experimenting within your portfolio career
• (18:43) Transitioning from custom proposals to productized services
• (21:17) Recognizing your natural strengths and areas that spark joy
• (23:38) The importance of specificity in defining your niche
• (26:50) Hypotheses, testing, and validating new income streams
• (29:23) The significance of organic outreach over paid ads
• (31:13) How Sweta began crafting her wealth garden after leaving her job
• (33:44) Visualizing wealth streams like planting different types of plants
• (36:40) The holistic approach of balancing time, money, and fulfillment
• (42:22) Defining happiness and fulfillment in your portfolio life
• (44:25) Healing from micro traumas and practicing gratitude
• (45:17) Giving yourself permission to want, pursue, and adjust your goals
• (48:02) Creating a "want list" for inspiration and clarity
• (49:24) Sweta’s ongoing volunteer work and personal growth
• (52:19) The importance of separating negotiation from wanting
• (54:00) Final encouragement: you can have whatever you want in your wealth garden

• Explore the concept of a “wealth garden” as a visual and practical framework for diversifying income
• Embrace experimentation and specificity to carve a fulfilling, sustainable career
• Prioritize self-awareness, healing, and permission in your journey toward happiness and success

Connect with Sweta:

• ⁠Sweta Govanni - LinkedIn⁠
• ⁠Old Girls Club (OGC)⁠
• ⁠Happy Paying Customers System⁠

• ⁠Instagram⁠

In this interview, Liz Batsche, founder of Well-Hosted, shares her unique approach to the art of hosting. She discusses how hosting skills can be applied across various contexts, from personal gatherings to professional settings, emphasizing the importance of 4 key principles: presence, observation, signature style, and emotional connection. Liz also reflects on her career journey, the power of self-trust, and practical tips for enhancing your hosting and interpersonal skills.

Topics we discuss include:

The definition of hosting as a mindset and practice

The H-O-S-T framework: Human-centered observation, Signature style, Taste

The role of emotional intelligence and presence in hosting

Career journey from banking to entrepreneurship and the red thread of hosting

Practical tips for self-hosting and creating memorable experiences

The impact of style and authenticity on confidence and connection

The importance of self-trust and intuition in decision-making

How to assess and improve your hosting skills

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and guest background

01:20 Defining the practice of hosting

02:27 The H-O-S-T framework explained

04:07 Details of observation and signature style

05:15 Career journey and the red thread of hosting

12:16 The impact of layoffs and entrepreneurial reset

13:36 Bringing the hosting framework to business

15:41 The importance of making others feel seen

18:23 Gaps and opportunities in hosting skills

22:46 Assessing and improving hosting abilities

26:49 Early influences and childhood hosting memories

32:46 Creating a feeling and self-hosting

40:19 Style, authenticity, and professional presence

42:08 Lessons from luxury brands and client experience

45:27 Shifting from answers to confidence in leadership

46:48 The role of self-trust and intuition

48:20 How to connect with Liz and upcoming offerings

50:48 Parting words and final insights

Resources:

Well Hosted Website - ⁠https://www.wellhosted.com⁠

Liz Batsche on LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizbatsche⁠

Susie Welch's Institute of Flourishing - ⁠https://www.instituteofflourishing.com⁠

LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizbatsche⁠

Continue to Evolve Your Path:

Did you enjoy this episode? Leave us a 5-star review and share it with someone who would appreciate listening!

Follow us on Instagram @evolve.your.path and visit www.evolvedpotential.co for more information on coaching.

Alison Kinsey shares her journey from high-paying tech sales to a fulfilling career break, exploring her values, challenges, and new pursuits like podcasting and RV living. Discover insights on redefining success, embracing non-linear paths, and prioritizing well-being.

Key topics we discuss:

Career transition from tech sales to personal fulfillment

The impact of layoffs on mental health and well-being

Building a life aligned with core values of freedom, fun, and community

A non-linear career path can lead to greater fulfillment.

Prioritizing mental health and well-being is crucial during transitions.

Living intentionally, such as RV life, can align with personal values.

Chapters:

00:00 The Journey of Reinvention

02:58 Rediscovering Creativity and Curiosity

06:11 Life in Tech Sales: The Reality

08:55 Health Impacts of Corporate Life

11:53 The Layoff: A Turning Point

14:56 Embracing Minimalism and Financial Shifts

17:57 Values and Non-Negotiables Post-Layoff

20:53 Finding Purpose in the Unconventional

22:50 Leaving Home for New Adventures

25:49 Embracing the RV Lifestyle

28:30 Navigating Career Changes and Income

31:25 The Challenge of Visibility

35:52 Resonating Stories and Community Impact

39:20 Taking the Leap: Overcoming Fear

40:33 Exploring New Creative Outlets

Connect with Alison:

Real Time Creator Podcast

Alison Kinsey on Instagram

Did you enjoy this episode? Leave us a 5-star review and follow Evolve Your Path on Instagram!

Summary

In this engaging interview, Kima Sargsyan, a Senior Strategy Director at HUGE, shares her insights on career experiments, cultural analysis, AI leadership, and personal growth. Discover how to navigate the messy middle of life and career with wisdom, curiosity, and strategic thinking.

Notable quotes:

"Don't judge Gen Z, learn from them"

"Zoom out and find joy in the process"

"Nothing is as serious as we think"

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:00 Career Experiments and Assumptions

03:16 Cultural Influences and Personal Growth

06:59 Brand Strategy and Cultural Analysis

08:42 Curiosity as a Guiding Force

10:30 Navigating Stakeholder Relationships

11:24 Writing and Complex Thinking

16:51 Recommended Reads and Influences

20:27 Imagining the Future

22:42 Imagining a Brighter Future with AI

23:54 Demystifying AI Leadership

25:51 AI in Healthcare: A Tool for Connection

27:13 Finding Inspiration in Unlikely Places

32:05 The Challenges of Branding Strategy

35:12 Deciding What to Say No To

42:13 Navigating the Messy Middle of Life

43:17 Connecting and Engaging with Kima Sargsyan

44:43 Introduction to Evolve Your Path Podcast

45:10 Transitioning and Resources for Growth

Connect with Kima:

LinkedIn

Substack

Did you like this episode? Be sure to leave a 5-star review and share with someone who would enjoy it!

Follow Evolve Your Path on Instagram, as well.

In this episode, Megan Flanagan interviews Maggie Blackburn, a former tech product marketer who quit her job in November 2024 after 10 years of climbing the corporate ladder. Now, her work isn’t just one thing anymore, and she finally gets the freedom to choose what she wants to do. She is a Corporate Events Freelancer, Retreat Planner, Community Builder, Airbnb Superhost, Coach, Pilates Teacher, and Writer of the Feel Free Newsletter.

Maggie was born in Shanghai, China and adopted at three months old. She grew up in the Bay Area, went to school at Cal Poly, and has been living in Brooklyn, NY for the last 4 years.

Key topics we discuss include:

• Definition of a portfolio career
• Experimentation and testing new opportunities
• Building self-trust and overcoming fear
• Community and networking in career development

Chapters:

00:00 Understanding Portfolio Careers

07:57 Navigating Career Changes During COVID

13:41 The Experimentation Phase of a Portfolio Career

19:02 Coaching Multi-Passionate Women

24:52 Finding Community and Inspiration

43:03 Introduction to Evolve Your Path Podcast

43:28 Transitioning and Resources for Growth

Connect with Maggie:

Website: www.maggie-blackburn.com

Instagram: @maggieblackburn

Newsletter: https://maggieblackburn.beehiiv.com/

Bonus: See Megan's feature on Maggie's Beehiiv!

Follow Evolve Your Path:

@evolve.your.path (IG)

Substack

In this episode, Megan Flanagan interviews Stephanie Reese about her diverse career journey, from French studies to startup leadership, and her insights on fractional work, leadership, and work-life balance. They explore challenges, soft skills, and lessons learned from living abroad and working in startups.

Key topics we cover include:

• Career transitions from software engineering to COO
• Fractional work and entrepreneurship
• Soft skills for leadership and challenging conversations
• Lessons from living abroad in Germany and France
• Building systems, processes, and guardrails in startups

Chapters:

00:00 The Unplanned Journey: Embracing Opportunities

07:50 Finding Interest in Challenges: Career Evolution

10:42 Integrity and Values in Startups

13:23 Transitioning from Software Engineer to COO

15:51 Work-Life Balance: A Personal Perspective

18:51 Cultural Insights from Living in Europe

21:20 The Art of Knitting: Lessons in Patience

24:02 Navigating the Fractional Path: Challenges and Insights

26:38 Creating Systems: The Operations Mindset

29:19 Revenue and Relationships: Key Metrics for Success

31:56 Introduction to Evolve Your Path Podcast

32:22 Transitioning and Resources for Growth

Connect with Stephanie:

LinkedIn

Connect with Evolve Your Path:

Instagram: @evolve.your.path

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