Way Out #32: From Hospital Psychiatrist to Life on the Road: Continuous Reinvention with Dr. Lani Jones
"If you wait until you're ready, you will never do it. Just take one small step to get unstuck." — Dr. Lani Jones
Dr. Lani Jones, Clinical Psychologist, Executive Coach, and Speaker, joins Vanessa to share how third time’s the charm when learning to step off conventional tracks. Lani spent a decade training to become a clinical psychologist at a major children's hospital, only to find the healthcare system treated her like she was easily replaceable. As she put it, "I was just a number in the system; they just wanted my productivity units." She walked away to launch a private practice. Though it was flourishing, she knew five years in that it was time for another change. So, she reinvented herself again: she closed her clinic, sold her home, and hit the road as an executive coach and full-time nomad living across mountain towns.
Way Out #31: From Award-Winning Educator to Modern Supportive Husband with Brian Page
When former Milken National Educator of the Year Brian Page realized how subtle workplace biases and domestic care gaps sideline ambitious women, he stepped away from an 80-hour-per-week career to fully support his wife’s corporate trajectory. Today, as the founder of Modern Husbands, he uses evidence-based research to help couples manage money and domestic labor as a unified team, break the traditional link between masculinity and breadwinning, take full ownership of the household mental load, and build systems that let both partners thrive.
Way Out #30: From Corporate Conditioning to Living on Purpose with Integrative Coach Tamie Rising
In this special milestone episode of 101 Ways Out, Vanessa sits down with a very personal guest: her own coach, Tammy Rising. Tammy is an integrative success coach who blends soul and strategy to help individuals, moms, and business owners step into alignment, calm, and genuine purpose.
Together, they dive deep into unlearning generational limiting beliefs, breaking free from corporate conditioning, navigating fear, and trusting internal signals over external expectations. From leaving corporate finance to adopting her son as a single mom while building a business, Tammy shares how choosing the courageous path over the comfortable one unlocked true freedom.
Way Out #29: From Silicon Valley Hyper-Growth to Redesigning Maternity Leave for Parents with Kelly Ling
What happens when the high-paying Silicon Valley career you spent 15 years building suddenly collides with real life? On Way Out #29, I sit down with former DoorDash executive Kelly Ling to talk about the illusion of startup security and the raw turning points that forced her to walk away. After surviving a life-threatening pregnancy and hitting a wall of burnout, an unexpected maternity leave layoff became her ultimate golden ticket to reclaim her time. Tune in to hear how Kelly walked off the corporate treadmill, intentionally slashed her salary to one-sixth of her former income, and finally built a life centered around peace, presence, and proactive change for other parents.
Episode #26: From Clinical Burnout to Health Coach with Katie Cooper
Katie spent nearly two decades climbing the clinical leadership ladder in occupational therapy. But when the COVID-19 pandemic stripped away the resources of her healthcare system, she found herself physically and emotionally depleted. Instead of giving up, she used her crisis as a catalyst to train as a health coach, pioneer an internal wellness program for over 500 of her peers, and ultimately find the courage to give her two months' notice to build a business on her own terms.
Way Out #20: Laid Off From Her Executive "Dream Job": The Burnout Story with Haley Scruggs
For years, Haley Scruggs believed that success required pain — and her body eventually made sure she knew the cost. In this episode of 101 Ways Out, the founder of A Lighter Way Consulting opens up about the extreme corporate burnout that pushed her to her breaking point, how being laid off from her executive "dream job" became the ultimate blessing in disguise, and why you do not have to sacrifice your health and happiness to be successful.
Way Out #16: She Walked Out of Manhattan Publishing With $25,000 and No Plan with Alisa Messeroff
Alisa Messeroff was a Manhattan publishing associate who said “fuck you” to her director, walked out after a broken promotion promise, and moved to the Caribbean with $25,000 and no plan. What followed was a head-to-toe hives diagnosis that nearly killed her, a decade-long journey with plant medicine, a spirit guide named Iribella, and a multi-modality practice that now spans breathwork, Reiki, mindset coaching, and empowerment photography across Breckenridge and Tamarindo. This is her way out.
Way Out #12: She Left Corporate Innovation to Build a Human-Centered Business with Ari DeGrote
We are often told that if you follow the rules and land a great corporate job, you will ultimately feel fulfilled. But what happens when you reach that milestone and realize your personal growth has completely flatlined? For corporate innovation leader Ari DeGrote, the realization was stark: she hadn't just hit a wall—she had hit her 'expiration date.' Read how Ari prototyped her exit and proved that leaving a stable career doesn't have to mean running away from something toxic; it can simply mean running towards a life of total autonomy.
Way Out #7: From Emmy-Winning Oprah Producer to Entrepreneur and Puppeteer with Lisa Weiss
She spent years at the pinnacle of television as an Emmy-winning producer for Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday. But when a layoff coincided with a high-risk pregnancy, Lisa Weiss was forced to reimagine her identity without the safety net of a "dream job." In this episode, Lisa reveals how she escaped the trap of the "unlived life," why she turned down venture capital advice to follow her gut, and how a 7-minute puppet show about mansplaining unlocked more business confidence than any boardroom meeting.
Way Out #1: Corporate Ladder to Costa Rican Freedom with Mike Messeroff
After quitting a successful corporate job and traveling the world, Mike Messeroff found himself more depressed than ever. In this deeply personal story, he shares how joy, mindfulness, and generational healing helped him reclaim his purpose, and how you can too.