Going Long Podcast with Billy Keels

Are you an overachieving director, VP, or senior AE burning the candle at both ends because you're forcing a cookie-cutter side business that doesn't fit your background?

In this highly strategic solo episode, host Billy Keels breaks down why choosing the wrong side venture model leads to intense overwhelm, wasted energy, and a loss of your most critical asset—your time. Drawing from his 26-year corporate career managing $100M EMEA operations for a legacy German enterprise software titan, Billy shares how he built a side asset engine generating $212,000+ per year in additional revenue. Discover how to analyze your current resources using the high-level "invest or build" framework, calculate your exact optionality number down to the decimal place, and trade the limiting fear of failure for a powerful mindset shift: What if it actually works?

🚀 Want to make your corporate role optional? Grab your FREE copy of Billy's 3-Step Process eBook here: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

📌 Questions Answered in This Episode:

• How can a senior corporate leader find the fastest side business model to generate quick wins?

• What is the hidden relationship between your available capital, required control, and the business path you choose?

• Why is knowing your career optionality number down to the exact decimal point critical to stopping the endless work loop?

• How does answering the question "What if it does work?" shift an executive's transition confidence?

• What does it feel like to spend the last 4 years of a corporate career completely independent of a company paycheck?

⏱️ Episode Chapters:

• 00:00 - Creating Professional Optionality Aligned with Your Values

• 01:10 - Reclaiming the Global Strategy: An Overview of 26 Years in Corporate

• 02:30 - The Illusion of the President's Club and the Reality of Paycheck Dependency

• 03:40 - Burning the Candle at Both Ends: Reaching a Year-and-a-Half Breakthrough

• 04:55 - 5 Years Outside the Enterprise: Why the Corporate Game Stays the Same

• 05:40 - The Strategic Fork in the Road: Evaluating the Invest vs. Build Model

• 06:35 - Tracking Your Escape Route: Why You Need an Exact Decimal Number

• 07:50 - Navigating Unfamiliar Spaces and Embracing the Discomfort of the Unknown

• 08:35 - Shifting the Focus: Olivier Jadoul and asking "What If It Does Work?"

• 09:50 - The 41 Streams of Income Engine: Managing 400+ LP Units

• 11:00 - Walking into Boardrooms by Choice: Shifting From Theory to Skill Mastery

Featured/Mentioned Previous Epsiodes:

Episode 623: https://www.billykeels.com/podcasts/turning-ambitions-into-real-world-actions---olivier-jadoul

Episode 615: https://www.billykeels.com/podcasts/the-truth-about-when-to-build-or-invest

Episode 457: www.billykeels.com/podcasts/how-to-easily-identify-the-number-to-make-your-job-optional

📘 About Billy Keels & Corporate Optionality

If you're a corporate executive who wants to make your role optional, learn how to achieve true control over your career and turn your corporate skills into personal assets.

With 26 years of experience in corporate sales leadership, Billy Keels achieved true optionality through multiple income streams. Today, he has helped dozens of executives build a predictable path to take control of their time and start living their ideal day.

This free ebook gives you everything you need to identify, plan, and take control of your career while building financial optionality, leveraging your skills, and starting to live your IDEAL day - today!

• Get the Free eBook: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

• How to Leave a Review for The Going Long Podcast: https://youtu.be/qfRqLVcf8UI

Be sure to connect with Billy:

• Website: https://www.billykeels.com

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@billykeels

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billykeels

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billykeels

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillyKeelsFanPage

• Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/billykeels

Are you a high-performing senior director, marketer, or brand strategist operating at the pinnacle of international luxury or management consulting, yet feeling an unshakeable urge to redirect your elite corporate execution into your own independent assets?

In this transparent guest conversation, host Billy Keels sits down with Katrina Logie, an international community strategist, startup mentor, and the visionary founder of Be Athletes. Katrina breaks down her professional trajectory, navigating high-stakes marketing, retail, and operational divisions across legendary brands like Christie's Fine Art, Cartier, and Bain & Company. Discover how an international stint working the Olympic Games shattered her conditioning regarding "institutional security" and traditional career timelines. Learn how to navigate family skepticism when stepping off the standard corporate path, leverage your enterprise strategy reps to serve startup networks, and implement a calculated "athlete's mindset" to construct powerful professional choices entirely on your own terms.

🚀 Want to make your corporate role optional? Grab your FREE copy of Billy's 3-Step Process eBook here: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

📌 Questions Answered in This Episode:

• How can an executive identify the precise season when institutional security starts to limit personal growth?

• What does it look like to transfer top-tier consulting frameworks from firms like Bain & Company into independent ventures?

• How do you handle internal and family-driven anxieties when stepping away from highly prestigious global brands?

• Why is an iterative, testing-based approach superior to standard perfectionism when building an independent community?

• How does integrating the habits, visualization models, and physical disciplines of an elite athlete prevent founder burnout?

⏱️ Episode Chapters:

• 00:00 - Recording Track Intro: Redesigning a Luxury Corporate Path for Deep Personal Impact

• 01:10 - The Generation Trajectory: Unpacking Traditional Career Expectations vs. Creative Curiosity

• 01:54 - Christie's Fine Art & Cartier: Gaining Elite Institutional Experience in London

• 02:30 - The Olympic Catalyst: How Living in Sydney and London Disrupted Corporate Conditioning

• 03:00 - Bain & Company: Shifting from the Outside In to Master Organizational Strategy

• 03:45 - The Startup Jump: Moving Beyond Multi-Layered Corporate Hierarchies

• 05:00 - The Sovereignty Shift: Moving to Spain and Launching as an Independent Consultant

• 05:40 - Overcoming the Safety Narrative: Navigating Parental Concerns Regarding Career Risk

• 06:35 - The Who Factor: Why Your Core Professional Network Dictates Your Long-Term Value

• 07:50 - Defeating Academic Perfectionism: Embracing an Iterative Solution-Finding Process

• 08:35 - The Genesis of Be Athletes: Injecting Rigor and Good Habits into Founder Networks

• 10:15 - Breaking Stagnation: Using Movement and Sport to Shift Mindsets and Get Out of Your Head

• 11:00 - 6-to-12 Week Sprints: Launching High-Impact Programs for Teams and Leaders

• 12:15 - Reclaiming Your Freedom and Connecting with Katrina Logie

📘 About Billy Keels & Corporate Optionality

If you're a corporate executive who wants to make your role optional, learn how to achieve true control over your career and turn your corporate skills into personal assets.

With 26 years of experience in corporate sales leadership, Billy Keels achieved true optionality through multiple income streams. Today, he has helped dozens of executives build a predictable path to take control of their time and start living their ideal day.

This free ebook gives you everything you need to identify, plan, and take control of your career while building financial optionality, leveraging your skills, and starting to live your IDEAL day - today!

• Get the Free eBook: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

• How to Leave a Review for The Going Long Podcast: https://youtu.be/qfRqLVcf8UI

Be sure to connect with Billy:

• Website: https://www.billykeels.com

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@billykeels

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billykeels

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billykeels

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillyKeelsFanPage

• Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/billykeels

Are you a senior director, VP, or elite account executive completely nose-down in your career, chasing corporate accolades, status, and wealth while your family's attention slips away?

In this highly reflective solo episode, host Billy Keels breaks his own rules to make a mandatory recommendation: anyone managing a demanding multinational career needs to watch George Clooney's movie J. Kelly. Following the story of a massively successful, wealthy superstar actor at the tail end of his career, Billy highlights the painful, subtle realities of a high performer who achieved the absolute pinnacle of external validation, only to realize his deepest true desire was simply to capture the attention of his daughters—before realizing he had spent decades being "on" for the wrong people. Learn how to find true harmony over balance, escape the corporate machine's lease option on your life, and intentionally protect the relationships that actually belong to you before time runs out.

🚀 Want to make your corporate role optional? Grab your FREE copy of Billy's 3-Step Process eBook here: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

📌 Questions Answered in This Episode:

• Why should George Clooney's movie J. Kelly be considered required viewing for senior corporate leaders?

• What is the hidden relationship cost when a high-performing executive focuses entirely on personal status and accolades?

• What is the difference between chasing an impossible "work-life balance" versus creating true professional harmony?

• How does the corporate machine trick high earners into trading away irreplaceable time with their children?

• Why do physical corporate assets go back to the machine while personal relationships remain your only true asset?

⏱️ Episode Chapters:

• 00:00 - Breaking the Rules: A Mandatory Movie Recommendation for Senior Leaders

• 01:10 - Sunday Reflection: Unwinding on the Couch to Analyze J. Kelly

• 02:15 - The Superstar Trap: Accolades, Wealth, and High-Performance DNA

• 03:30 - The Tail End of a Career: What Matters Most to a 60-Year-Old Achiever

• 04:30 - The Subtle Truth: Realizing You Are Constantly Alone Inside the Machine

• 05:15 - The European Travel Trap: When Your Family Rejects Your Time

• 06:05 - Who is Standing Beside You in the End? Agents vs. Family

• 07:00 - The Lease Option: Why Corporate Fame and Luxury Cars All Go Back

• 08:15 - Reclaiming Harmony: Intentionally Investing in Those Looking for Your Attention

• 09:30 - Reclaiming Your 168: Moving from Success Theory to Personal Practice

📘 About Billy Keels & Corporate Optionality

If you're a corporate executive who wants to make your role optional, learn how to achieve true control over your career and turn your corporate skills into personal assets.

With 26 years of experience in corporate sales leadership, Billy Keels achieved true optionality through multiple income streams. Today, he has helped dozens of executives build a predictable path to take control of their time and start living their ideal day.

This free ebook gives you everything you need to identify, plan, and take control of your career while building financial optionality, leveraging your skills, and starting to live your IDEAL day - today!

• Get the Free eBook: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

• How to Leave a Review for The Going Long Podcast: https://youtu.be/qfRqLVcf8UI

Be sure to connect with Billy:

• Website: https://www.billykeels.com

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@billykeels

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billykeels

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billykeels

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillyKeelsFanPage

• Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/billykeels

Are you an overachieving director, VP, or enterprise tech leader who has spent decades climbing the corporate ladder, yet feels an unshakeable urge to stop postponing the personal legacy projects that matter most?

In this transparent guest conversation, host Billy Keels sits down with Rupinder Mangat—a veteran technology executive with over 30 years leading enterprise sales, business strategy, and global initiatives at industry titans like Gartner, IBM, and Microsoft. Rupinder shares her remarkable trajectory as a British expat transitioning into corporate America, revealing the exact moment a near-miss subway injury forced her to stop doubting her value, sign her voluntary retirement agreement, and embrace true schedule sovereignty. Discover how to transfer top-tier corporate assets like "influencing without authority" into independent assets, overcome the emotional friction of surrendering your company badge, and build a vibrant second-act venture that serves underserved professional communities entirely on your own terms.

🚀 Want to make your corporate role optional? Grab your FREE copy of Billy's 3-Step Process eBook here: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

📌 Questions Answered in This Episode:

• How does a 30-year tech executive handle the emotional transition of stepping away from Microsoft?

• What are the subtle, critical cultural differences between executing corporate strategy in the UK versus corporate America?

• How do you successfully transfer enterprise skills like "influencing without authority" into independent entrepreneurship?

• Why is separating your individual identity from your corporate company badge essential for long-term career optionality?

• How can women executives over 50 overcome self-doubt to launch high-impact independent assets?

⏱️ Episode Chapters:

• 00:00 - Broadcast Recording Setup: Thursday, July 23, 2026, with Rupinder Mangat

• 03:40 - Life Is Too Short: A Subway Wake-Up Call in New York City

• 05:11 - The Door Ajar: Deciding to Accept a Voluntary Retirement Offer

• 08:35 - The Subway Injury Realization: Shifting Out of Self-Doubt and Fear

• 11:40 - Crossing the Atlantic: Transitioning from UK Tech Sales to US Corporate Strategy

• 14:36 - The Cultural Map: Navigating American Corporate Norms vs. British Workplace Traditions

• 17:49 - Enterprise Asset Transfer: Mastering "Influencing Without Authority" and Active Listening

• 21:37 - Surrendering the Badge: Overcoming the Identity Trap of High-Paying Tech Salaries

• 24:22 - Building Personal Credibility: Walking Into Boardrooms Without corporate backing

• 27:12 - Launching "Her Next Chapter": Serving Underserved Professional Women Over 50

• 31:30 - The Freedom Shock: Setting Up an Independent Company in 30 Minutes

• 36:24 - Perspective in the Trough: Remembering You've Handled Adversity Before

• 39:20 - Social Club Focus: Connecting with Rupinder Mangat and Her Next Chapter

How to connect with Rupinder: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupinder-mangat-a679111a/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hernextchapterhq/

Event and Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/her-next-chapter-launch-event-tickets-1992294378116 📘 About Billy Keels & Corporate Optionality

If you're a corporate executive who wants to make your role optional, learn how to achieve true control over your career and turn your corporate skills into personal assets.

With 26 years of experience in corporate sales leadership, Billy Keels achieved true optionality through multiple income streams. Today, he has helped dozens of executives build a predictable path to take control of their time and start living their ideal day.

This free ebook gives you everything you need to identify, plan, and take control of your career while building financial optionality, leveraging your skills, and starting to live your IDEAL day - today!

• Get the Free eBook: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

• How to Leave a Review for The Going Long Podcast: https://youtu.be/qfRqLVcf8UI

Be sure to connect with Billy:

• Website: https://www.billykeels.com

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@billykeels

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billykeels

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billykeels

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillyKeelsFanPage

• Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/billykeels

Are you a senior executive or elite tech leader spending all your working hours riding a corporate treadmill, sacrificing deep presence with aging parents or growing children just to secure the next title?

In this transparent and deeply reflective solo episode, host Billy Keels breaks down a powerful life lesson on how life experiences fundamentally reshape a high performer's priorities. Billy recounts his recent 3,925-mile transatlantic investment—flying from Barcelona to the United States for a brief five-day trip purely to celebrate his mother's birthday and watch basketball on the couch with his father. Drawing contrast against his 26-year corporate history managing $100M EMEA operations for a blue-logo German enterprise software giant, Billy breaks down what it truly feels like to exit corporate dependency. Learn how to achieve a lifestyle where you no longer need to beg a boss for personal time off (PTO), how to transition your relationship with your 168 weekly hours, and how to build a predictable pathway to optionality that lets you be fully present for the moments that matter most.

🚀 Want to make your corporate role optional? Grab your FREE copy of Billy's 3-Step Process eBook here: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

📌 Questions Answered in This Episode:

• How do an executive's personal priorities radically shift as their parents and children grow older?

• What does true time control feel like compared to chasing corporate titles and enterprise perks?

• How can a high achiever build a sustainable professional model without needing to request PTO?

• What is the reality of battling severe jet lag as a mature professional compared to traveling early in your career?

• How do you realign your weekly 168 hours to focus on personal impact and deep presence with loved ones?

⏱️ Episode Chapters:

• 00:00 - Tipping Point: How Life Experiences Rewire Your True Priorities

• 01:10 - Investing 3,925 Miles Across the Atlantic for a Birthday Celebration

• 02:15 - Reflecting on 26 Years of Corporate Enterprise Software Accolades

• 03:30 - The Reality Shift: Aging Parents, Growing Kids, and Long-Distance Realities

• 04:30 - Reclaiming Time Autonomy After Shifting Through Personal Change

• 05:40 - The Power of Independence: Traveling Stateside Without Asking a Boss

• 06:35 - Couch Time with Dad and Car Time with Mom: Reclaiming Precious Moments

• 08:15 - Mother Time Catches Up: Navigating Jet Lag in an Over-40 Transition

• 09:30 - Escaping the Corporate Treadmill of Constant Growth and Always-On Stress

• 11:00 - Moving From Time Management Theory to Radical Personal Practice

📘 About Billy Keels & Corporate Optionality

If you're a corporate executive who wants to make your role optional, learn how to achieve true control over your career and turn your corporate skills into personal assets.

With 26 years of experience in corporate sales leadership, Billy Keels achieved true optionality through multiple income streams. Today, he has helped dozens of executives build a predictable path to take control of their time and start living their ideal day.

This free ebook gives you everything you need to identify, plan, and take control of your career while building financial optionality, leveraging your skills, and starting to live your IDEAL day - today!

• Get the Free eBook: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

• How to Leave a Review for The Going Long Podcast: https://youtu.be/qfRqLVcf8UI

Be sure to connect with Billy:

• Website: https://www.billykeels.com

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@billykeels

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billykeels

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billykeels

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillyKeelsFanPage

• Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/billykeels

Are you a senior tech leader, architect, or enterprise sales executive sitting on high-value technical acumen, wondering how to channel your skills into an independent venture without sacrificing your corporate career?

In this transparent guest conversation, host Billy Keels sits down with Diwas Timsina, a Customer Success Architect at a market leading enterprise software and services company, founder and CTO of Sarva, and former TEDx speaker. Born in a refugee camp in eastern Nepal, Diwas details his journey of arriving in the U.S. at age 14, changing high schools three times, and ultimately earning his MBA while navigating corporate consulting and enterprise software. Discover how Diwas uses the methodology of "building quietly" to prove concepts to himself before sharing them publicly, how he translates C-suite enterprise client conversations into grassroots multilingual AI tools for small vendors, and how to maintain total perspective during career challenges by remembering your ultimate starting point.

🚀 Want to make your corporate role optional? Grab your FREE copy of Billy's 3-Step Process eBook here: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

📌 Questions Answered in This Episode:

• How can an enterprise tech professional quietly build a side business without disrupting their main career track?

• What does it look like to transition from a refugee camp background into C-suite enterprise consulting?

• How do you leverage high-level corporate architecture reps to solve real-world problems for small businesses?

• Why is "building quietly and proving it to yourself first" the ultimate strategy for high performers?

• How do you maintain mental resilience and perspective when facing high-stress corporate or business obstacles?

⏱️ Episode Chapters:

• 00:00 - Broadcast Recording Setup: Thursday, July 23, 2026, with Diwas Timsina

• 03:07 - Dual-Track Success: Refugee Camp Origins to IBM Customer Success Architect

• 04:47 - The Golden Rule: Build Quietly, Prove It to Yourself, and Share What Works

• 07:22 - The 14-Year Refugee Journey: Resettling in the U.S. and Overcoming Multiple Resets

• 10:36 - Relocating to the Bay Area: Pursuing an MBA to Expand the Professional Network

• 14:30 - The CEO Meeting: How a Junior Achievement Opportunity with AT&T Shifted His Mindset

• 18:00 - Parental Sacrifices: Turning Generational Hustle into Enterprise Opportunity

• 22:30 - The Genesis of Sarva: Building Multilingual AI Tools for Underserved Small Businesses

• 28:48 - Enterprise Transferable Assets: Connecting Technical Dots with C-Suite Empathy

• 33:12 - Refusing the Trade-Off: Embracing Your Own Unique Journey Over Comparison Traps

• 37:08 - Grounding in the Trough: Using Past Real-Life Perspective to Overcome Roadblocks

• 42:00 - Connecting with Diwas Timsina and Exploring Sarva

Contact Diwas: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diwas-timsina/ 📘 About Billy Keels & Corporate Optionality

If you're a corporate executive who wants to make your role optional, learn how to achieve true control over your career and turn your corporate skills into personal assets.

With 26 years of experience in corporate sales leadership, Billy Keels achieved true optionality through multiple income streams. Today, he has helped dozens of executives build a predictable path to take control of their time and start living their ideal day.

This free ebook gives you everything you need to identify, plan, and take control of your career while building financial optionality, leveraging your skills, and starting to live your IDEAL day - today!

Get the Free eBook: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

• How to Leave a Review for The Going Long Podcast: https://youtu.be/qfRqLVcf8UI

Be sure to connect with Billy:

• Website: https://www.billykeels.com

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@billykeels

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billykeels

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billykeels

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillyKeelsFanPage

• Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/billykeels

Are you a senior corporate leader or high-performing director relying on your company's learning and development budget to dictate your personal growth and future security?

In this empowering solo episode, host Billy Keels reacts to a powerful life lesson from fellow podcaster Chris Williamson: no one is coming to save you. Billy pulls back the curtain on why market-leading multinationals constantly put their money where their mouth is—investing massive financial resources into technical skills, soft skills, and elite methodologies like MEDDIC or Challenger Sales to fuel their corporate organism. Discover why you must break the habit of putting yourself last, treat your personal transition as your own business line item, and aggressively invest your own time, effort, and capital into guided frameworks that unlock a predictable pathway to optionality while you continue to excel at your 9-to-5.

🚀 Want to make your corporate role optional? Grab your FREE copy of Billy's 3-Step Process eBook here: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

📌 Questions Answered in This Episode:

• What does Chris Williamson's phrase "no one is coming to save you" mean for corporate leaders?

• Why do large multinational corporations invest so heavily in training their frontline executives?

• How do you shift your mindset from a corporate line item to creating your own personal L&D budget?

• What is the true opportunity cost of trying to launch a side business completely alone?

• How can making a significant personal financial investment dramatically accelerate your business decisions?

⏱️ Episode Chapters:

• 00:00 - Solo Strategy: Moving Beyond General Corporate Concepts

• 01:10 - Reacting to Chris Williamson: Life Lessons in 60 Seconds

• 02:00 - The Loud Inner Voice: Shifting from Promotable to Optional

• 02:45 - The High Cost of Going It Alone on Your Side Business

• 03:40 - Why Market Leaders Put Their Money Where Their Mouth Is

• 04:55 - MEDDIC, Spin, and Challenger: Analyzing Corporate L&D Investments

• 06:15 - Becoming the Market Leader of Your Own Personal Optionality

• 07:10 - Breaking the Habit of Putting Your Own Growth Last

• 08:35 - Billy's First Six-Figure Investment in a Personal Coach

• 09:50 - Maximizing the 168: Using Guided Action to Hit Your North Star

• 11:00 - Reclaiming Your Worth: Shifting From Theory into Practice

📘 About Billy Keels & Corporate Optionality

If you're a corporate executive who wants to make your role optional, learn how to achieve true control over your career and turn your corporate skills into personal assets.

With 26 years of experience in corporate sales leadership, Billy Keels achieved true optionality through multiple income streams. Today, he has helped dozens of executives build a predictable path to take control of their time and start living their ideal day.

This free ebook gives you everything you need to identify, plan, and take control of your career while building financial optionality, leveraging your skills, and starting to live your IDEAL day - today!

• Get the Free eBook: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

• How to Leave a Review for The Going Long Podcast: https://youtu.be/qfRqLVcf8UI

Be sure to connect with Billy:

• Website: https://www.billykeels.com

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@billykeels

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billykeels

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billykeels

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillyKeelsFanPage

• Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/billykeels

Are you a senior executive or elite corporate leader who thinks achieving true career optionality means you are forced to quit the corporate game you actually enjoy?

In this highly unique guest conversation, host Billy Keels sits down with Chad Greenlee, a partner at Creative Planning and one of the very first members to go through what is known today as the Executive Edge Advisory Program. Chad pulls back the curtain on why typical "popular opinions" regarding financial independence are flawed, sharing how a midnight flight unlock forced him to ditch cookie-cutter definitions of work-life balance and build a customized "ideal day" model. Discover how Chad utilized ghostwriting, marketing, and copywriting skills honed in his side venture to build a multi-million dollar intern pipeline for his employer, land a massive promotion to Vice President of Sales after seven previous rejections, and confidently master his career on his own timeline.

🚀 Want to make your corporate role optional? Grab your FREE copy of Billy's 3-Step Process eBook here: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

📌 Questions Answered in This Episode:

• What does career optionality actually look like for a senior leader who chooses not to quit their corporate job?

• How can an executive handle the emotional transition of scaling back a side business to go "all in" on a major corporate acquisition?

• Why is the foundational equation "Am I valuable and am I available?" the ultimate key to permanent employability[cite: 3, 5]?

• How can a senior professional bounce back after being turned down seven times for leadership positions to secure a VP of Sales role[cite: 3, 5]?

• What are the benefits of having an outside mentor regurgitate your words back to you to identify what tasks to stop doing?

⏱️ Episode Chapters:

• 00:00 - Following Your Curiosity: A Track Record of Corporate Excellence

• 01:14 - Redefining Freedom: Why Optionality Doesn't Mean Quitting Your Job

• 02:28 - Sabbatical Realities: The Delayed Midnight Notes App Breakthrough

• 03:40 - Transitioning from Burnout to Becoming an Executive Champion

• 04:55 - The FIRE Movement Trap: Why the Leisure Path Lacks Purpose

• 05:40 - The Miyagi Moment: Using One-on-One Accountability to See the Big Picture

• 06:35 - Platinum Advice: Why It is More Important to Choose What You Stop Doing

• 07:50 - Building a Personal L&D Budget: Leveraging Smart Phones to Close Deals

• 08:35 - Replacing a Corporate Salary in 90 Days Through Copywriting and Ghostwriting[cite: 3, 5]

• 09:50 - Overcoming 7 Corporate Rejections to Secure a VP of Sales Job[cite: 3, 5]

• 11:00 - The 360-Appointment Engine: Leading a High-Impact Intern Team[cite: 3, 5]

• 12:15 - Building a Board of Advisors: Controlling the Simplest First Steps[cite: 3, 5]

• 13:30 - How to Execute a Personalized Invitation to Connect with Chad Greenlee

Contact Chad Greenlee: Website: https://creativeplanning.com/team/chad-greenlee/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadgreenlee/

📘 About Billy Keels & Corporate Optionality

If you're a corporate executive who wants to make your role optional, learn how to achieve true control over your career and turn your corporate skills into personal assets.

With 26 years of experience in corporate sales leadership, Billy Keels achieved true optionality through multiple income streams. Today, he has helped dozens of executives build a predictable path to take control of their time and start living their ideal day.

This free ebook gives you everything you need to identify, plan, and take control of your career while building financial optionality, leveraging your skills, and starting to live your IDEAL day - today!

• Get the Free eBook: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

• How to Leave a Review for The Going Long Podcast: https://youtu.be/qfRqLVcf8UI

Be sure to connect with Billy:

• Website: https://www.billykeels.com

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@billykeels

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billykeels

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Even the greatest leaders in the world eventually hit the end of the road. Pep Guardiola, for the decade that he was at Manchester City, won 20 titles. But when it was time for him to walk away, it was the inner voice inside of him that told him it was that his time was up. This episode reveals exactly why every corporate relationship ends and what you can do to make sure that you don't have complacency destroy your edge.

Going Long Podcast Episode 652: Every Corporate Relationship Ends: Lessons from Pep Guardiola

( To see the Video Version of today's conversation just CLICK HERE. )

In today's episode of The Going Long Podcast, you'll learn the following:

• [00:24 - 00:53] Billy welcomes us to and introduces today's show.

• [00:53 - 09:31] Billy discusses the inevitability of corporate relationships ending, using Pep Guardiola's career as an example. emphasizing the importance of recognizing when it's time to move on and preparing for transitions.

• [13:10 - 14:11] Billy wraps up the show.

If you're a corporate executive who wants to make your role optional, then grab your FREE ebook with Billy's proven 3 step process at: www.makeitoptional.com What you can expect to get out of this ebook:

• Learn how to achieve corporate optionality

• Gain true control over your career

• Turn corporate skills into personal assets

With 26 years of experience in corporate sales leadership, achieved optionality through multiple income streams, Billy has helped dozens of executives build their paths to take control of their time.

This free ebook gives you everything you need to identify, plan, and take control of your career while building financial optionality, leveraging your skills, and start living your IDEAL day - today!

Go to: www.makeitoptional.com

Click the above link or just copy and paste the following directly into your browser to sign up and get your free ebook: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

To see the Video Version of today's conversation just CLICK HERE.

How to leave a review for The Going Long Podcast: https://youtu.be/qfRqLVcf8UI

Be sure to connect with Billy! He's made it easy for you to do…Just go to any of these sites:

• Website: www.billykeels.com

• Youtube: billykeels

• Facebook: Billy Keels Fan Page

• Instagram: @billykeels

• Twitter: @billykeels

• LinkedIn: Billy Keels

Are you an overachieving general manager or country director running massive turnaround strategies, yet realizing your body is sending signals that your schedule is completely out of alignment?

In this transparent guest conversation, host Billy Keels sits down with Roger Simo, a veteran corporate executive with over two decades of experience leading world-class brands across Europe and West Africa, including Molson Coors, SAB Miller, Asahi, and Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company. Roger shares the profound psychological impact of surviving a sudden, life-threatening appendicitis infection and medical evacuation while serving on the front lines of global enterprise expansion. Discover how to establish your own core value frameworks, transition away from the limiting belief that you are trapped by a single executive title, and leverage your high-stakes team alignment skills to handle major transition crossroads entirely by choice, not obligation.

🚀 Want to make your corporate role optional? Grab your FREE copy of Billy's 3-Step Process eBook here: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

📌 Questions Answered in This Episode:

• How can a near-death health crisis fundamentally accelerate an executive's timeline to optionality?

• What does it look like to wear multiple functional hats inside smaller, high-growth multi-national business units?

• How can an enterprise sales leader use the discipline of elite competitive sports to build world-class corporate cultures?

• Why is defining your core personal values essential before making your next major corporate or independent move?

• What is the exact mathematical relationship between time control, cash flow, and true professional sovereignty?

⏱️ Episode Chapters:

• 00:00 - Elite Enterprise DNA: Running Multi-National Consumer Goods Operations

• 01:50 - The Transatlantic Evacuation: Surviving a Sudden Health Crisis in Cabo Verde

• 04:20 - Volatile and Fragile: Developing Grounded Gratitude One Year Later

• 06:51 - The Outsider Mindset: Driving Resourceful Market Turnarounds Under Pressure

• 09:00 - Wearing Multiple Hats: The Learning Speed of Smaller Business Units

• 10:55 - The Genetic Itch: Balancing Enterprise Excellence with Side Asset Curiosity

• 13:20 - The Cost of Overwhelm: Missing the Small Print on Side Real Estate Contracts

• 15:37 - Defining the Ultimate Metric: The Uncompromising Pursuit of Freedom

• 17:00 - The Strategic Core Four: Unpacking Kindness, Respect, Freedom, and Friendship

• 19:27 - Carving Out Introspection: Utilizing External Executive Coaches Amidst Chaos

• 21:40 - Defeating Limiting Beliefs: Choosing Team Synergy Over Individual All-Star Status

• 25:53 - The Last Dance Effect: Building Corporate Environments on Athletic Principles

• 29:55 - Friday at 7 PM: The Brutal Energy Realities of High-Performing Leaders

• 33:45 - Listening to the Machine: When the Body Forces You to Listen to Alignment

• 36:06 - At the Crossroads: Managing the Psychological Friction of Having Too Many Options

• 38:58 - The Trough Shield: Remembering That Everything Passes and Trusting Your Guts

• 44:02 - Expanding Your Circle: How to Leave a Personalized Invitation for Roger Simo

Find and Contact Roger Simó Garcia:

LinkedIn: https://es.linkedin.com/in/rogersimo/es

📘 About Billy Keels & Corporate Optionality

If you're a corporate executive who wants to make your role optional, learn how to achieve true control over your career and turn your corporate skills into personal assets.

With 26 years of experience in corporate sales leadership, Billy Keels achieved true optionality through multiple income streams. Today, he has helped dozens of executives build a predictable path to take control of their time and start living their ideal day.

This free ebook gives you everything you need to identify, plan, and take control of your career while building financial optionality, leveraging your skills, and starting to live your IDEAL day - today!

• Get the Free eBook: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm

• How to Leave a Review for The Going Long Podcast: https://youtu.be/qfRqLVcf8UI

Be sure to connect with Billy:

• Website: https://www.billykeels.com

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@billykeels

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billykeels

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billykeels

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillyKeelsFanPage

• Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/billykeels