Jump 180 - Inspiring stories of ordinary people who have made a drastic jump in their careers and life

Roberta O'Keith

This podcast hosted by Roberta O'Keith, Strategic Business Advisor and Coach, highlights inspirational interviews and stories of everyday people who have taken the leap from their 9 to 5 job or lifetime career and have done a complete 180 to create their own business or pursue their passion in a completely different field of work. read less

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Alana Muller - "I didn't know what or how to go about becoming a business owner..."

Alana Muller - "I didn't know what or how to go about becoming a business owner..."

In this episode you will hear from Master Networker, Alana Muller. She shares her story of how she went from being a corporate star to falling into a new role in life as a business networker, author, and coach. She shares how she developed a formula to master her networking skills and advice for those who struggle getting out there and meeting new people. Her tips and advice make for a great plan to begin putting yourself out there if you are looking to change careers or start a new one.Alana Muller is an entrepreneurial executive leader whose primary focus is to connect, inspire and empower community. She is the former President of Kauffman FastTrac (a division of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation), a global provider of training to aspiring and established entrepreneurs, providing them the tools, resources and networks to start and grow successful businesses. Additionally, Alana spent a number of years as an executive with Sprint Corporation serving in a variety of general management roles, including marketing, talent management, corporate strategy and wireless data product marketing. Today, Alana is founder and CEO of Coffee Lunch Coffee where she is a Networking speaker, workshop facilitator, coach and author of the book, Coffee Lunch Coffee: A Practical Field Guide for Master Networking and a companion blog, CoffeeLunchCoffee.com. Her accessible, relevant, immediately actionable approach to professional Networking for those interested in Connecting with others, getting involved in their communities, seeking to advance their careers or looking to build social relationships, has helped thousands of people formulate a strategic mindset around Networking. Coffee Lunch Coffee is a WBENC-Certified WBE. Alana is also Community Director for American Public Square at Jewell, an organization that brings together non-like-minded people to engage in civil conversation about controversial topics, for which she launched KC Common Good, standalone 501(c)3 designed to give all members of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area access to hope and opportunity while reducing violence. Alana enjoys Connecting with people around the world and sharing stories on topics such as Networking, entrepreneurship and women in business. She is a columnist for American City Business Journals’ BizWomen.com and other publications, has been a contributor to Forbes.com, The Huffington Post and CNBC, and, twice, was a featured speaker at TEDxOverlandPark.Alana has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago, where she was the recipient of the Mike and Karen Herman Fellowship for Women in Entrepreneurship, and an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Smith College. She is actively engaged in the community and serves on a number of corporate and volunteer boards including ISCTE International Business School (Lisbon, Portugal), Oppenstein Brothers Foundation, Enterprise Bank (NASDAQ: EFSC), Morningstar Communications, Swartz + Associates, Village Shalom Senior Living Community, Jewish Community Foundation, and Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee. Alana is the immediate past president of the Kansas Chapter of International Women’s Forum. She is an alumna of Coro Kansas City and the Civic Council’s Kansas City Tomorrow program. She was recognized as the 2019 JCRB|AJC Emerging Leader, the 2017 Instructor of the Year by the Turner Construction Management Program, a 2013 NextGen Leader by the Kansas City Business Journal and a 2012 Influential Woman by KC Business magazine. Alana is a Strengthscope-certified coach.Follow Alana on Twitter at @AlanaMuller. Learn more about her professional background on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanamuller.

Episodes

Alana Muller - "I didn't know what or how to go about becoming a business owner..."

Alana Muller - "I didn't know what or how to go about becoming a business owner..."

In this episode you will hear from Master Networker, Alana Muller. She shares her story of how she went from being a corporate star to falling into a new role in life as a business networker, author, and coach. She shares how she developed a formula to master her networking skills and advice for those who struggle getting out there and meeting new people. Her tips and advice make for a great plan to begin putting yourself out there if you are looking to change careers or start a new one.Alana Muller is an entrepreneurial executive leader whose primary focus is to connect, inspire and empower community. She is the former President of Kauffman FastTrac (a division of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation), a global provider of training to aspiring and established entrepreneurs, providing them the tools, resources and networks to start and grow successful businesses. Additionally, Alana spent a number of years as an executive with Sprint Corporation serving in a variety of general management roles, including marketing, talent management, corporate strategy and wireless data product marketing. Today, Alana is founder and CEO of Coffee Lunch Coffee where she is a Networking speaker, workshop facilitator, coach and author of the book, Coffee Lunch Coffee: A Practical Field Guide for Master Networking and a companion blog, CoffeeLunchCoffee.com. Her accessible, relevant, immediately actionable approach to professional Networking for those interested in Connecting with others, getting involved in their communities, seeking to advance their careers or looking to build social relationships, has helped thousands of people formulate a strategic mindset around Networking. Coffee Lunch Coffee is a WBENC-Certified WBE. Alana is also Community Director for American Public Square at Jewell, an organization that brings together non-like-minded people to engage in civil conversation about controversial topics, for which she launched KC Common Good, standalone 501(c)3 designed to give all members of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area access to hope and opportunity while reducing violence. Alana enjoys Connecting with people around the world and sharing stories on topics such as Networking, entrepreneurship and women in business. She is a columnist for American City Business Journals’ BizWomen.com and other publications, has been a contributor to Forbes.com, The Huffington Post and CNBC, and, twice, was a featured speaker at TEDxOverlandPark.Alana has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago, where she was the recipient of the Mike and Karen Herman Fellowship for Women in Entrepreneurship, and an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Smith College. She is actively engaged in the community and serves on a number of corporate and volunteer boards including ISCTE International Business School (Lisbon, Portugal), Oppenstein Brothers Foundation, Enterprise Bank (NASDAQ: EFSC), Morningstar Communications, Swartz + Associates, Village Shalom Senior Living Community, Jewish Community Foundation, and Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee. Alana is the immediate past president of the Kansas Chapter of International Women’s Forum. She is an alumna of Coro Kansas City and the Civic Council’s Kansas City Tomorrow program. She was recognized as the 2019 JCRB|AJC Emerging Leader, the 2017 Instructor of the Year by the Turner Construction Management Program, a 2013 NextGen Leader by the Kansas City Business Journal and a 2012 Influential Woman by KC Business magazine. Alana is a Strengthscope-certified coach.Follow Alana on Twitter at @AlanaMuller. Learn more about her professional background on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanamuller.

John Hanson - "The world needs more generalists who can see connections..."

John Hanson - "The world needs more generalists who can see connections..."

In this episode of Jump 180 you will hear from someone who went from politics, to retail sales management, to owning his own cleaning company franchise. You will hear how being a "generalist" can be beneficial as a leader and learn the importance of developing your creative side to help drive innovation and change.John Hanson is the owner of a The Maids franchise in Kansas City. He is married to Deanna and has four children: Ashlyn (19), Joshua (16), Caleb (15), and Jonathan (13). He is an active member of Faith Community Church. Prior to co-founding the Maids of Kansas City with his parents in 2003, John Hanson was a Regional Sales Manager for Western Wireless, a precursor to T-Mobile. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Park University with degrees in Finance and Accounting. The Maids of Kansas City grew rapidly from the outset and achieved one million dollars in revenue in its third year. It is currently one of the largest single location residential cleaning companies in the country. John’s focus in building the business over the past 17 years has been creating a culture of empowerment that allows members of the organization to grow and develop their leadership potential. He has brought together a richly diverse group of men and women who speak four languages, are from four continents and over a dozen countries. Nothing brings him greater joy than seeing his people overcome the unique challenges of a business where hourly employees work together on small four-person teams working independently spread throughout the city. In 2016 John retired from day to day operations at The Maids to focus using his experience to support the entrepreneurial community both in Kansas City and internationally.

Diana Alt - "Life's too short to work at a crappy job..."

Diana Alt - "Life's too short to work at a crappy job..."

On this episode, Diana Alt shares insights into her multiple career 180's she has taken over the course of her corporate career. Taking many turns in a career, both forward and backwards, can build your confidence, skill set, and really stretch who you are. She will share her key learnings from every pivot she has made both positive and negative, that ultimately has landed her in her sweet spot.Diana Alt is a connector, problem solver, and career strategy coach who uses the skills she’s gathered throughout 20+ years in corporate product development roles to help people manage their careers and business. Diana helps people get out of their own way by building confidence, setting boundaries, and casting a vision for an awesome life. She’s guided by the principle that work should feel GOOD, not like a long slow march towards oblivion. Diana can be reached at diana.alt@dkacoaching.com or via Facebook and LinkedIn

Joel Goldberg - "We are all thrown curve balls..."

Joel Goldberg - "We are all thrown curve balls..."

In this episode, hear from Joel Goldberg, award winning sport broadcaster, speaker, and podcaster on how he had to pivot during this worldwide pandemic. He provides some awesome insight on how to take action because now is the time!A native of suburban Philadelphia and Chicago, Joel Goldberg has been a member of the Kansas City Royals television broadcast since 2008, serving as the host of every pregame and postgame show on FOX Sports Kansas City. The University of Wisconsin graduate won a 2001 MidAmerica Emmy for sports reporting and has covered multiple championship teams in Major League Baseball and the National Football League. Joel built a 25-year career developing and maintaining strong relationships with professional athletes, coaches, and team management and he now shares those stories and strategies with companies and associations live on stage and these days virtually. He’s hosted a weekly podcast called Rounding The Bases the last two years and added a daily live video podcast when the pandemic started focusing on leadership during these times.

Martin Salama - "I had to reinvent myself; I was a control freak!"

Martin Salama - "I had to reinvent myself; I was a control freak!"

This podcast is about redefining yourself, reinvention, and letting go of the old you. Martin Salama, once a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, and businessman, shares his story of personal tragedy at a young age, how he realized he needed to do whatever necessary to make his parents happy, and learning how always being in control and reacting to situations in a negative way did not serve him well.Martin Salama is a life coach and author. He became Your Divorce Recovery Coach after finding the skills to recover after splitting from his wife of 24 years. He credits his coach training for helping him get through his divorce. Martin developed his 7 step system to help others going through divorce recover from their emotional pains. In 2013 he published his first book “Recovering from Divorce: 7 Steps to Recover Without Drama to Create a New Life”. In 2018 he was able to continue his personal journey when he married again.Martin is currently working on his latest book project tentatively titled “Enjoy your L.I.F.E. and “Live Incredibly Full Everyday!” It focuses on helping people who feel stuck in their finances, health or relationships discover their internal and external strengths and move forward to Live Incredibly Full Everyday-LIFE.You can learn more at www.YourDivorceRecoveryCoach.com. Martin@YourDivorceRecoveryCoach.com

Tara Renze - "Lean into your fear..."

Tara Renze - "Lean into your fear..."

Having 2 kids can change a woman on the path of climbing the corporate ladder. Tara Renze, former Sales Leader and online business owner turned Emotional Intelligence expert will share with us some great insights on how she managed her professional life with her personal life as she built a side hustle that led to her down the path to her current business.Tara Renze is an emotional intelligence practitioner, entrepreneur, speaker, inspirer, blogger, thought-leader, wife and mother and is redefining how we unleash purpose, level up our success and create sustainable happiness and fulfillment in all aspects of our lives. After two decades of success in corporate leadership and social selling, she started training, speaking, coaching and co-founded authentiCITY to share her passions and help others live the life they desire, envision and deserve. Tara has a true passion and talent for guiding others to harness and realize their full potential. Through social media, seminars, insights and writings, she helps her audience become the best version of themselves, achieve unlimited success, live fulfilled and pursue their passions. Tara takes a new and refreshing approach to helping others find purpose and be who they came to be. She combines her expertise in emotional intelligence, success in corporate leadership and experience social sales along with her roles as a wife and a mother to offer her audience an experience and a message that are sincere, motivating, relatable and game changing.Tara is recognized as an inspirational leader and top achiever. At CareerBuilder.com, she was celebrated as a top national sales leader as she built and led two multi-million-dollar sales teams, facilitated national trainings and provided leadership consulting to sales teams across the country. She left the corporate world to raise her two boys and successfully built a nationwide, multi-million-dollar social selling business with Stella & Dot, a San Francisco-based boutique-style accessories company offering flexible entrepreneurship for women. In 2018 Tara co-Founded authentiCITY with Amanda Thompson. authentiCITY is Tara’s passion project to help women redefine what success looks like for the modern-day female entrepreneur. Tara is a frequent keynote speaker and trainer at local and national conferences and seminars. She is also a passionate supporter of Susan G. Komen and breast cancer awareness. Her mother, mother in law, sister in law and aunt are all breast cancer survivors. Tara is an emotional-intelligence expert certified through OKA-Online. She graduated from the University of Kansas and has studied leadership at the Wharton School of Business, The University of Chicago and the Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Her favorite titles in life are wife to Scott, mom to Ben and Jack, daughter, sister and friend. Her dog, Olive, is by far her biggest fan.

Peg Chaidez - "Jumping into unknown territory..."

Peg Chaidez - "Jumping into unknown territory..."

Peg Chaidez was on her way to be a world traveling journalist, but life had another plan for her. After spending most of her corporate career at Tellabs in Naperville, Illinois, she pivoted again into a marketing role learning website development and digital marketing. After an emotional day on the playground with her then 1st grader, she decided something had to be done. Check out this story of how Peg's life pivoted once more for the better.Peg has 20+ years of experience in digital strategy and marketing. She transitioned to a new career in 2017 as Co-Founder and President of Dream Build Play Experience, a non-profit with a mission to design, fundraise and build inclusive playgrounds for kids of all abilities. When her youngest son, Owen, was born with Arthrogryposis, Peg found her passion advocating for people with disabilities and educating people about the importance of inclusion. Peg has a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and a Master of Science in integrated marketing communications. She is completing her certification as an ADA Specialist. Peg serves on the Youth Outlook Board and the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association Inclusion Committee. She volunteers for non-profits committed to education, inclusion and mental health initiatives for children.

Elizabeth Souder - "Finding your voice; speak up!"

Elizabeth Souder - "Finding your voice; speak up!"

In this episode, you will hear from an attorney turned corporate special projects leader, turned change management expert and how she found her voice by expressing what she needed in order to be successful. Hear how fear can be your greatest nemesis and courage can get you out of a bad relationship with your employer. Everyone is going through change right now but be encouraged that it is a journey for all of you. You are not alone. Your story is valuable, you just need to share it!Elizabeth Souder has over twenty years of experience and stories to tell as a transactional attorney and program director at a multinational telecommunications company and Am Law 100 law firm. Her experience negotiating, counseling, experiencing and witnessing organizations and business relationships rise and fall over foreseeable actions and outcomes led her to jump 180 from employee to entrepreneur, from lawyer to business owner, from traditional rule follower to new vision creator. Her company, What’s Next Biz, helps organizations and individuals assess the health of their businesses and careers as they prepare for change.

Shawn Kinkade - Finding what you're good at; how a long career professional found his passion

Shawn Kinkade - Finding what you're good at; how a long career professional found his passion

Hear from someone who had a long running career in corporate consulting and how after 15 years, made the jump without a parachute into entrepreneurship. This is a story of courage, determination, reflection, and trying different ideas to help find his passion. Shawn Kinkade is a full time certified Professional Business Coach, Strategic Advisor and the President of Aspire, a business strategy, consulting and coaching company founded in Leawood Kansas in 2007. He works with entrepreneurs and business owners who are looking for traction and momentum in their business and are ready to take things to the next level.Shawn’s experience is a mix of Management Consulting (Accenture and as an independent) and as a Corporate Executive (at Sprint PCS), both roles required extensive work on developing and fixing business processes, making people productive, instilling leadership and coaching success with a dedicated focus on solving business problems.For the past 13 years, Shawn has been working as a coach and strategic advisor, helping his clients reach (and exceed) their business goals. Using an entrepreneurial focus along with his corporate background and experiences, clients get a unique perspective and powerful insights into their challenges and solutions which ultimately helps them to work less and make more.

Jon McGraw - Former NFL player, Jon McGraw talks mindset strategies

Jon McGraw - Former NFL player, Jon McGraw talks mindset strategies

In this episode, you will hear from former NFL safety football player, Jon McGraw, on how he left his career early and has gone on since to be a successful entrepreneur, investor, personal development coach, and mentor."Mindset is everything" says Jon. When looking at transitioning from a career, relationship, or major life event, we must self evaluate and envision the end-game goals. Jon attended Kansas State University majoring in business finance and walked on the football team. He was twice selected as a First Team Academic All American. He was a second-round draft pick to the New York Jets where he played three seasons. He then played two seasons for the Detroit Lions before joining the Kansas City Chiefs for his final five seasons. Jon retired from the NFL in 2012 and received the Ed Block Courage Award. This award is presented annually to one player from each NFL team who, in the eyes of his own teammates is a source of inspiration and courage. Jon also completed NFL sponsored business management and entrepreneurship programs at Harvard Business School and Wharton Business School. Jon is President of the Jon McGraw Foundation which supports various charitable causes. He is now a principal partner at Vision Pursue (VisionPursue.com), a performance mindset training and technology company. Over the 10-week Performance Mindset course, corporate teams learn critical mental skills being taught in professional sports to enhance focus, resilience, life experience, and performance.