In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with personal performance strategist, TEDx speaker, and Prime Performance creator Rob Tracz.

We explore why hardworking entrepreneurs can become stuck despite doing everything they believe they’re supposed to do.

Rob explains the difference between motion and momentum, why stagnation is often a direction problem rather than a work-ethic problem, and how entrepreneurs can build sustainable success without sacrificing their health, relationships, and personal lives.

We also break down Rob’s six-principle Prime Performance Process: Resilience, Intentionality, Clarity, Optimization, Influence, and Opportunity.

If you’re working harder than ever but wondering why you’re not moving forward, this conversation will give you a different way to think about performance, progress, and what it actually means to build a successful life.

Connect with Rob on : https://www.survivingthesidehustle.com/freecall

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with Zack James, founder and CEO of StarScript, a self-publishing and entertainment platform built for independent creators.

Zack is working to change the traditional publisher, label, and studio model by giving creators more control over publishing, monetization, collaboration, and relationships with their audiences.

We discuss the creator economy, self-publishing, entrepreneurship, AI’s impact on creative work, audience ownership, and the future of entertainment.

Zack also shares what he’s learned from building StarScript alongside his brother and growing the platform to more than 2,800 creators.

If you’re a creator, entrepreneur, artist, writer, musician, or simply someone interested in the future of media, this conversation offers a different perspective on what it means to build without waiting for permission.

Connect with Zack on : https://starscript.com/

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with pastor, leadership advisor, author, and C-suite leader Rev. Kevin T. Taylor.

Kevin is the author of A Charge to Keep: Immutable Leadership Lessons from the C-Suite to the Pulpit, a book exploring the real weight of authority and the difficult decisions leaders are often forced to carry alone.

We discuss leadership under pressure, decision-making, accountability, organizational health, faith, integrity, and the difficult moments when leaders have to choose between preserving comfort and doing what the situation actually requires.

Kevin shares insights from his experience across executive leadership and ministry, including why leaders sometimes delay decisions they already know need to be made, how to balance compassion with accountability, and how leaders can build organizations that don’t depend entirely on one person.

If you’re an entrepreneur, executive, pastor, or emerging leader carrying a difficult decision, this conversation will challenge you to think differently about responsibility, courage, and the cost of waiting.

Connect with Kevin on : https://calendly.com/revkttaylor

OR

https://revkttaylor.com/

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with clinical psychologist, executive coach, TED speaker, and author Dr. Robin Buckley.

Robin brings a fascinating perspective to relationships: what if we approached our personal lives with some of the same intentionality, communication, and strategic thinking we use to build successful careers and businesses?

We discuss why high-achieving people can struggle in their relationships, how cognitive behavioral strategies can improve communication, why couples often wait too long to address problems, and how intentional planning can create stronger, more resilient partnerships.

We also explore Robin’s book, Marriage Inc.: The Boardroom Blueprint for a Lasting Love, and her unconventional approach to helping couples build relationships with greater clarity, teamwork, and purpose. (Dr. Robin Buckley⁠)

If you’re successful professionally but want your personal life to become just as intentional, this conversation is for you.

Connect with Robin on : http://www.drrobinbuckley.com/

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with Ali Christos, Quantum Hypnosis practitioner, author, speaker, meditation teacher, and founder of the Conscious Practitioner Network.

After more than 15 years in business, real estate, and coaching, Ali experienced a difficult divorce, encounters with mortality, and years of Vipassana meditation that fundamentally changed how he understood success, identity, and purpose.

Today, he helps people explore the subconscious mind through Quantum Hypnosis and Beyond Quantum Healing, approaching these experiences with curiosity rather than dogma.

We discuss why people often remain stuck despite knowing what they should do, how subconscious patterns influence our lives, what happens when the analytical mind becomes quiet, and how profound insights can become practical changes in everyday life.

At the heart of Ali’s work is a simple message:

You were never broken.

If you’re questioning your purpose, repeating patterns you don’t understand, or searching for a deeper understanding of yourself, this conversation will give you plenty to think about.

Connect with Ali on : https://www.qhhtwithali.com/apply

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with entrepreneur, nonprofit executive, author, and Boston Marathon qualifier Kettia Ming.

Kettia built a childcare business from her basement into a seven-figure company with four Manhattan locations before selling it to Fortune 500 companies.

But after the sale, one of those companies came after her in a legal battle that nearly destroyed everything she’d built.

Kettia survived that chapter, along with divorce and bankruptcy, and eventually reinvented herself at 52 by stepping into nonprofit leadership. She went on to help transform Black Theatre United from an organization operating with less than $200,000 into a $1.5 million operating budget.

We talk about entrepreneurship, selling a business, legal battles, resilience, financial setbacks, starting over later in life, leadership, running, and the mindset required to keep moving when the life you planned no longer exists.

At the heart of the conversation is Kettia’s message:

Run the mile you’re in.

You don’t have to know exactly how the entire race ends.

You just have to keep moving through the chapter you’re living right now.

Connect with Kettia on : https://www.amazon.com/Run-Mile-Youre-Founders-Reinvention/dp/B0GLQTQH1L/ref=sr_1_1?crid=16EFCFTMI5PCK&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.wbP4LYY8EwsjDELVfIol6Q100S4XOf2eK0xn_kRhoY8.Gv5j8dBuAEYq5K22PLrHfuykC1i5SAq6ogr_D6yhD5g&dib_tag=se&keywords=kettia+ming+book+run+the+mile+you%27re+in&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1772633079&sprefix=kettia+ming+book+run+the+mile+you%27re+in%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-1#

OR

https://www.evergreenhousepress.com/

In this episode of 9–5 Exit Plan, I sit down with former senior HR executive and founder of Claris Vox, Helen Armstrong.

After 27 years in financial services, Helen had achieved the professional success many people dream about. But beneath the accomplishments, she had spent decades suppressing parts of herself in order to fit expectations, stay appropriate, and move through the world smoothly.

Eventually, her body forced her to confront what she had been ignoring.

Today, Helen helps accomplished women reclaim the parts of themselves they’ve muted over the years and reconnect with their authentic voice, energy, and desires.

We discuss identity, authenticity, success, self-worth, safety, expectations, and what happens when you finally stop performing and start asking what you actually want.

If you’ve ever built a successful life but wondered where you went along the way, this conversation is for you.

Connect with Helen on : https://www.helenarmstrong.life/gifts/

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with Enterprise Revenue Architect and Commercial Advisor Zeeshan Qedwaee to explore why great technology companies often struggle to scale beyond their first major revenue milestones.

With more than 20 years of global sales leadership experience, Zeeshan has generated tens of millions in enterprise revenue and worked across North America, Europe, and the Middle East.

We discuss the founder-led sales trap, enterprise selling, shortening sales cycles, protecting contract margins, global expansion, C-suite decision-making, and how to build a predictable commercial engine.

We also explore AI’s rapidly changing role in sales—and why human trust may become even more valuable as technology makes outreach and communication increasingly automated.

If you’re a founder, sales leader, or B2B technology entrepreneur trying to break through a revenue plateau, this conversation is packed with practical frameworks you can apply immediately.

Connect with Zeeshan on : https://www.linkedin.com/in/zeeshanqedwaee/

In this episode of 9–5 Exit Plan, I sit down with award-winning television director, documentary filmmaker, author, professor, and global traveler Craig D. Forrest.

Craig has traveled to more than 160 countries, completing hundreds of overseas assignments and telling stories from some of the world’s most challenging environments.

His career has taken him into war zones, humanitarian crises, remote cultures, and extraordinary encounters with people around the world. He’s also worked with major television networks, built his own production company, taught filmmaking, and written the memoir Night Train to Cairo.

We talk about entrepreneurship, filmmaking, faith, travel, storytelling, leadership, overcoming fear, and what decades of witnessing humanity at its best and worst can teach us about living a meaningful life.

Craig also takes us through a rapid-fire round covering his favorite countries, most dangerous assignments, biggest career lessons, favorite films, and the places he’d still love to explore.

If you’ve ever dreamed of building a career around your passion, escaping the conventional path, or simply understanding the world beyond your own backyard, this conversation is for you.

Connect with Craig on : http://craigforrest.com/

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with media strategist and publicity expert Kate Engler, famously known by some journalists as the “PR Anti-Christ.”

After more than 30 years around media and journalism, Kate has developed a radically different approach to publicity. Instead of encouraging entrepreneurs to become dependent on PR agencies, she teaches business owners how to understand the media, pitch their own stories, and create opportunities for free coverage.

We discuss the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make with journalists, what makes a media pitch stand out, why AI may be hurting your pitches, how to identify publicity opportunities, and what it really takes to become newsworthy.

Kate also explains her Meet The Press MasterClass, where carefully selected entrepreneurs get the opportunity to pitch directly to journalists from major Australian media outlets.

If you’ve ever wondered how businesses get featured on television, radio, newspapers, and magazines without spending a fortune on advertising, this conversation will give you a completely different perspective.

Connect with Kate on : https://meetthepressmasterclass.com.au/