In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with Houston Pierce, creator of 1000 Crazy Questions, film critic, movie nerd, storyteller, and lifelong explorer of the strange and fascinating sides of life.

Houston’s career journey has taken him through mechanical engineering, construction, radio, tour guiding, entertainment, software testing, delivery driving, podcasting, and more.

We talk about career reinvention, finding purpose through unexpected experiences, storytelling, movies, pop culture, faith, philosophy, and why the unconventional path may actually be an advantage.

We also have a little fun with a rapid-fire round of hypothetical questions inspired by Houston’s own podcast.

If you’ve ever felt like your career path is too messy, unconventional, or unpredictable, this conversation is a reminder that the experiences that seem random today may become the stories — and skills — that define your next chapter.

Connect with Houston on : https://www.1000crazyquestions.com/

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with Indonesian author and certified life coach Kirana Sidin, author of Cheers for a Good Life.

Kirana’s journey began with a simple but unexpected wake-up call when her youngest child called her “jobless.” Instead of dismissing the comment, she began asking a deeper question: Was she intentionally building the life she wanted?

That question led to years of reading, writing, reflection, philosophy, and personal growth — eventually becoming her book and her work helping others think more intentionally about their lives.

We discuss intentional living, self-respect, relationships, philosophy, personal freedom, achievement, and the small everyday choices that shape our future.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re truly building the life you want — or simply following the life you’ve fallen into — this conversation will give you a different way to think about freedom, success, and what it means to live well.

Connect with Kirana on : https://cheersforagoodlife.com/

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with writer, entrepreneur, advocate, sensory-friendly events specialist, and community leader Thomas R. Wilson.

Thomas shares his deeply personal journey through mental health struggles, neurodiversity, bullying, storytelling, advocacy, and discovering a purpose in helping others find connection and community.

We discuss the power of storytelling, meaningful inclusion, sensory-friendly events, mentorship, Dungeons & Dragons, community building, and how personal adversity can become the foundation for meaningful work.

Thomas has partnered with more than 40 businesses and continues building programs and experiences designed to create stronger bridges between people and the communities around them.

If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t quite fit into the world around you, this conversation offers a powerful reminder that your differences don’t have to hold you back.

Sometimes, they can become the reason you build something that helps others move forward.

Connect with Thomas to n : https://linktr.ee/ndttrpg

OR

https://www.rhcreativeadvocacyandstorytelling.net/

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with decision strategist, author, business advisor, and Possibilitarian Kathi Laughman.

After more than four decades working inside high-stakes business environments, Kathi developed a deep understanding of how consequential decisions are made — and what happens when organizations don’t have the right decision infrastructure in place.

But her biggest test came when she had to apply those lessons to her own life.

After leaving a long career, selling her home of thirty years, moving, and rebuilding her professional life, Kathi discovered that the decision principles used by large organizations could be just as powerful for entrepreneurs navigating uncertainty on their own.

We discuss the IDEAL Decision Framework, analysis paralysis, failure as a resource, founder psychology, business alignment, reinvention, and the hidden danger of business drift.

We also explore a question every entrepreneur eventually has to confront:

Is the business you’re building still becoming what you originally created it to be?

If you’re building a company, navigating a major transition, or trying to make better decisions with imperfect information, this conversation offers a powerful framework for moving forward with greater clarity and purpose.

Connect with Kathi on : https://linktr.ee/KathiLaughman

OR

https://kathilaughman.com/

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with public speaking coach, professional speaker, award-winning author, and AMP’D Framework™ creator Peter George.

Growing up with a lisp and a stutter, Peter spent years avoiding communication before coaching helped him discover the power of his own voice.

Today, he has trained more than 120,000 professionals across 50-plus countries, helping executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals become calmer, more confident, and more compelling speakers.

We discuss overcoming adversity, building confidence, transforming nervous energy, engaging an audience, and why communication can become one of the most valuable forms of leverage in your career or business.

If you’ve ever struggled with public speaking, felt nervous in front of an audience, or wondered how to communicate your expertise more effectively, this conversation will give you practical tools to become a more powerful speaker.

Connect with a Peter on : http://petergeorgepublicspeaking.com/

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with senior operations executive, leadership strategist, author, and Women in Manufacturing Hall of Fame inductee Kathy Miller.

Kathy started her career on the factory floor at 17 and went on to lead complex operations across aerospace, automotive, and industrial manufacturing, including senior leadership roles with General Motors, Parker Hannifin, Rolls-Royce, and Vertiv. (MORE 4 Leaders⁠)

We explore the connection between culture and business performance, and why the strongest organizations don’t treat people and results as competing priorities.

Kathy introduces her MORE framework — Meaning, Optimism, and Relationships — with Excellence as the outcome, and explains how leaders can use these principles to improve trust, accountability, engagement, decision-making, and operational performance.

We also discuss leadership development, AI and the future of work, managing change, and how leaders can protect meaning and human connection as technology transforms the workplace.

If you’re an entrepreneur, executive, or business leader who wants to build a high-performing organization without losing the humans inside it, this conversation offers practical ideas you can put to work immediately.

Connect with Kathy on : https://more4leaders.com/

What happens when you spend years inside an industry…

and eventually realize you don’t believe in the way the game is being played?

What happens when the thing you’re really good at…

is being used to build someone else’s vision?

And what happens when you finally decide:

Enough is enough.

Because sometimes your exit plan isn’t about escaping work.

It’s about escaping the version of work that no longer aligns with who you are.

Welcome to 9-5 Exit Plan —

where entrepreneurship meets freedom.

Today’s conversation is about reinvention, ethical entrepreneurship, transparency, creativity, and what happens when you stop following the industry’s rules and start creating your own.

Today’s guest is Monique Montoya — cosmetic formulator, entrepreneur, founder of the•alambique, and one of the most unconventional voices challenging the beauty industry.

After more than a decade behind the scenes of major cosmetic companies, Monique became increasingly frustrated with an industry she felt was recycling old ideas and overlooking incredible raw materials in the pursuit of margins.

So she quit.

She left for the mountains of Taos, New Mexico, and began building something of her own.

Today, the•alambique is an ethical bee venom skincare brand built around rare botanicals, family farms, fair trade initiatives, reforestation, regenerative agriculture, and radical ingredient transparency.

Monique doesn’t just formulate products.

She travels to the source, meets the farmers, investigates the ingredients, and asks questions the beauty industry doesn’t always want consumers asking.

And

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with cosmetic formulator and entrepreneur Monique Montoya, founder of the•alambique.

After more than a decade working behind the scenes of the beauty industry, Monique reached a point where the traditional approach no longer aligned with her values. She left the industry, moved to Taos, New Mexico, and began building a skincare company around radical transparency and ethical sourcing.

Today, the•alambique combines rare botanicals, bee venom skincare, family farms, fair trade initiatives, reforestation, and regenerative agriculture.

We discuss reinvention, entrepreneurship, ethical business, ingredient transparency, the courage to leave an established career, and what happens when you stop following someone else’s blueprint and build around what you actually believe.

If you’ve ever felt that your career, industry, or business no longer represents who you are, this conversation will challenge you to ask better questions—and perhaps take your own leap.

Connect with Monique on : https://thealambique.com/

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with men’s wellness coach, Harvard teaching fellow, and author Jeff Siegel.

Jeff works with high-performing men who understand nutrition and health intellectually but still struggle with consistency, emotional eating, stress, and feeling at war with their bodies.

We explore why knowing what to do isn’t always enough, why willpower can fail, and how identity, stress, social pressure, and competing motivations influence the decisions we make around food.

Jeff introduces his four Inner Eaters — Survival, Pleasure, Social, and Strategic — and explains how understanding these competing motivations can help people create healthier, more flexible, and sustainable habits.

If you’ve ever wondered why you keep repeating patterns you already know you want to change, this conversation will give you a completely different way to look at yourself and lasting change.

Connect with Jeff on : https://jeffrey-siegel.involve.me/inner-eaters-quiz

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with Kati Peterman, founder of Your FRX, operator, growth strategist, and former Chief of Staff.

Kati has helped scale multiple seven- and eight-figure companies and has worked with more than 1,200 business owners. Her team has collectively served more than 3,200 companies.

We discuss the systems behind sustainable growth, operational discipline, leadership, delegation, fractional executives, and why entrepreneurs can easily become the bottleneck in their own businesses.

If you’re building a business and want growth without sacrificing your freedom, this conversation offers practical insights on how to create the structure, people, and systems that allow your company to scale.

Connect with Kati on : https://calendly.com/d/cx9b-6gg-k2n/frx-learn-more

OR

https://yourfrx.com/

In this episode of 9-5 Exit Plan, I sit down with four-time bestselling author, entrepreneur, speaker, and High Agency advocate Corey Gladwell.

Corey believes extraordinary lives aren’t built by waiting for permission. They’re built through ownership, action, and the willingness to create something that lasts.

We discuss High Agency, personal brand equity, bestselling books, speaking, thought leadership, leverage, and why the right personal brand assets can continue creating opportunities long after the initial work is done.

If you’re an entrepreneur, executive, creator, or professional looking to turn your experience into authority and create greater freedom through your own ideas and expertise, this conversation will give you a new way to think about building your personal brand.

Connect with Corey on : https://substack.com/@coreygladwell