In Pursuit of Purpose

When the C-suite grind stops feeling like success, what comes next? In this conversation, strategist and Prime Alchemy founder Marie Genevieve Pawlak shares how a layoff became the catalyst for a purpose-driven pivot—and why play is her unfair advantage in leadership transformation. Together, she and Chase unpack the power of transferable skills, authentic positioning, and building confidence by leaning into what lights you up. This episode is for anyone ready to reimagine their work without losing themselves in the process.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to conduct a quarterly “career audit” for clarity and growth
• The art of identifying transferable skills across industries
• Why play drives retention, collaboration, and culture in business
• How to position your business by leaning into authenticity
• Why alignment—not hustle—is the foundation for purpose-driven success

Key Insights:

01:20 — The Pivot That Started It All

05:58 — Burnout, Honesty, and Transferable Skills

13:36 — From Side Hustle to Sovereign Business

20:29 — Play Is a Serious Business Strategy

24:58 — Differentiate by Being More You

Guest Bio:

Marie Genevieve Pawlak is the founder of Prime Alchemy, a consultancy that transforms leadership through experiential, play-based learning. With a career spanning higher education and manufacturing, Marie blends systems thinking, humor, and heart to help leaders solve complex challenges with creativity and clarity. She’s also an author and advocate for civic education, bringing purpose and play to every room she enters.

Resources & Mentions:

Purpose Positioning Framework

Additional Mentions: Prime Alchemy, Frameworks of the Mind by Howard Gardner, Click by Jack Knapp, Marie’s children’s civics series

Connect with In Pursuit of Purpose™

Website→ vanquishmediagroup.com

Listen on → Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Music

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Most entrepreneurs aren’t stuck because they’re lazy or unmotivated — they’re stuck because they’re fragmented. In this solo episode, Chase unpacks the hidden cost of chasing every shiny object, the illusion of “busyness,” and how fragmented focus keeps founders trapped in overwhelm and burnout. Using his own story from agency life, he introduces the 3C Framework — a simple method to cut through the noise, reclaim your clarity, and finally create momentum that lasts.

If you’ve been feeling like you’re doing everything but getting nowhere, this episode is your reset.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why fragmentation — not burnout — is the real reason you feel stuck
• The hidden trap of busyness and “hustle culture”
• How to use the 3C Framework (Cut, Clarify, Commit) to regain focus
• How to identify and eliminate tasks that don’t align with your purpose
• Why doing less — but better — creates momentum and freedom

Key Insights:

00:35 — The Real Reason You’re Stuck

02:30 — The Noise That Keeps You Drowning

04:45 — The Power of Alignment

05:55 — The 3C Framework

08:12 — The Weekly Challenge

Connect with In Pursuit of Purpose™

Website → https://vanquishmediagroup.com

Listen on → Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Music

Resources & Mentions:

Purpose Positioning Framework

If this episode resonated:

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Every Entrepreneur faces the same fork in the road: Are you building a business that fuels you — or one that drains you?

One that gives you freedom, fulfillment, and meaning…or one that keeps you stuck chasing money, metrics, and momentum that never feel like enough?

In this solo episode, Chase dismantles one of the biggest myths in entrepreneurship—the belief that you have to choose between profit and purpose. Drawing from personal experience on both sides of the spectrum, he reveals why this paradox keeps so many leaders stuck in burnout or broke, and how to find the balance that leads to sustainable, purpose-driven growth.

If you’ve been chasing success that doesn’t feel aligned, this episode will help you find clarity, conviction, and a better way forward.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why the “profit vs. purpose” myth is keeping Entrepreneur stuck and burned out
• The hidden ROI of aligning meaning and money in business
• The three traps that fuel the Profit–Purpose Paradox — and how to break them
• Why purpose isn’t fluff—it’s fuel for performance, profit, and peace of mind
• A new model for growth: how to build momentum through Purpose-Driven Growth

Key Insights:

00:30 — The Question Every Entreprreneur Must Ask

03:10 — The Gas and the Map

08:00 — The 3 Traps of the Paradox

11:00 — Purpose Isn’t Fluff—It’s Fuel

18:00 — The Shift: Purpose-Driven Growth™

Resources & Mentions:

Purpose Positioning Framework

Connect with In Pursuit of Purpose™

Website→ vanquishmediagroup.com

Listen on → Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Music

If this episode resonated:

⭐ Leave a quick review

🔁 Share it with one founder who needs to hear it

🎧 Follow In Pursuit of Purpose™ for new weekly episodes

What happens when you realize the business you built no longer aligns with who you’ve become?

In this debut episode, Parker Williams—producer, entrepreneur, and CEO of Light Beam—joins Chase Friedman to explore the messy middle between ambition and alignment. From his early agency days and rapid success at Wheelhouse Media to walking away and rebuilding a purpose-driven company, Parker opens up about chasing growth at all costs, rediscovering meaning, and learning that profit and purpose aren’t opposing forces.

If you’ve ever questioned the definition of “success,” this conversation will hit home.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How the definition of success evolves from simply "getting by" to a complete life "reset" (e.g., with a new baby).

✅ The moment Parker realized he was a producer, loving the power to "hit record" and lead a team.

✅ Why producing content is like running "little mini entrepreneurial things"—short-lived businesses with a team, budget, and product.

✅ The pivotal moment where a client suggested adding an "extra zero" to a quote, instantly shifting the company's focus from TV shows to commercial production.

✅ How the trap of growth can lead to years of doing work for clients whose products you don't use or believe in, causing a sense of profound misalignment.

✅ Why you can't learn entrepreneurship in school and how the best way to be prepared is simply by "just doing it".

00:02:30 – 00:06:30 | Success Redefined

00:06:39 – 00:09:25 | Jumping In Before You’re Ready

00:15:19 – 00:21:00 | The Extra Zero Trap

00:21:48 – 00:27:30 | When Growth Outpaces Alignment

00:27:35 – 00:30:00 | Identity & Letting Go

00:32:18 – 00:35:15 | Building Light Beam

00:36:12 – 00:39:08 | Life After Realignment

00:42:05 – 00:44:16 | Profit with Purpose Defined

“There’s no way to experience entrepreneurship without just doing it.”

“I was proud of the work—but not proud to say what I was doing.”

“If you can make money, you can contribute. You don’t have to suffer to add value.”

“When people ask what I do now, it’s easy to answer—and that feels really good.”

Parker Williams is the CEO and Executive Producer of Light Beam, a purpose-driven media company producing uplifting stories that inspire hope and shift culture. Before launching Light Beam, he scaled Wheelhouse Media into a multi-market production company, created award-winning films featured at Tribeca, and co-founded Lead Wire, a platform reinventing independent journalism. Today, Parker champions storytelling with clarity, conviction, and purpose.

Website → lightbeam.tv

Instagram → @lightbeamtv

Resources & Mentions:

• Book: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• Organization: LightBeam – producing positive, culture-shifting media

Connect with In Pursuit of Purpose™

Website→ vanquishmediagroup.com

Listen on → Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Music

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In this Prologue episode of In Pursuit of Purpose™, host Chase Friedman shares his personal journey from filmmaker to brand strategist—revealing the burnout, breakdowns, and breakthroughs that shaped his mission to help founders do good and do well.

Through raw honesty and hard-earned wisdom, Chase explains why purpose isn’t fluff—it’s fuel—and how aligning strategy with soul can completely transform the way you build and lead your business.

This episode sets the tone for the series ahead: real conversations, actionable frameworks, and mindset shifts that challenge the myth that you must trade meaning for money.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why purpose-driven businesses outperform competitors in growth & profitability

✅ How burnout and breakdowns can lead to breakthroughs

✅ Why the “profit vs. purpose” mindset is a false choice

✅ How to rebuild your business from identity outward

✅ What to expect in future episodes—coaching frameworks, founder stories, and mindset shifts

Key Insights:

00:01:00 — The Lie We’ve Been Sold

00:04:45 — Burnout Is a Symptom of Misalignment

00:06:40 — Rebuilding from the Inside Out

00:09:35 — The ROI of Purpose Is Real

00:10:50 — Purpose as Positioning Power

Guest Bio:

Chase Friedman is a brand coach, storyteller, and founder of Vanquish Media Group, an impact-driven marketing agency. With roots in film and a decade leading a seven-figure agency, he now helps entrepreneurs align profit with purpose—turning clarity into confidence and purpose into positioning. Connect with In Pursuit of Purpose

Connect with In Pursuit of Purpose™

Website → vanquishmediagroup.com

Listen on → Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Music

Resources & Mentions:

Purpose Positioning Framework

If this episode resonated:

⭐ Leave a quick review

🔁 Share it with one founder who needs to hear it

🎧 Follow In Pursuit of Purpose™ for new weekly episodes