Way Out #25: From Corporate Climb to Making Wine with Sarah Lyons
When a corporate merger eliminated Sarah Lyons’ twenty-one-year executive career at WarnerMedia and HBO Max, she didn't just look for her next corporate ladder; she accelerated a long-held family dream. In this episode, Sarah shares how she turned the profound grief of losing her father-in-law into a living tribute by launching Lyons Vineyard, a boutique brand built entirely on her own terms. From navigating an identity crisis after losing her W-2 EVP title to discovering how childhood self-reliance fueled her entrepreneurial grit, Sarah offers a masterclass in decoupling your self-worth from a corporate identity, building financial optionality, and stepping back into the professional world with absolute leverage.
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 #19: From Being Told What to Make to Building a $1M Agency with Marianne Kaiser
Marianne Kaiser counted the bad mornings that she dreaded her job, and at the three month mark, she decided to leave and build her own business. She quit in June, filed her LLC on July 8th, launched Contrary Collective publicly in September, and is on track to hit $1M in revenue one year later. She also has two small kids. What got her there wasn't perfect timing or a flawless plan; it was the willingness to accept, as she puts it, that both options were going to be hard anyway, so she might as well do the thing she actually wanted to do.
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 #5: From Corporate Art Director to Watercolor Artist with Ken Stanek
Ken Stanek doesn’t have a "career path" in the traditional sense. He has a series of experiments, pivots, and intuitive leaps that eventually landed him exactly where he belongs.
From shivering as a bike messenger in NYC winters to designing PowerPoints for pharmaceutical giants, Ken spent two decades trying to fit his creative square peg into a corporate round hole. Today, he is a full-time artist, muralist, and illustrator who has finally stopped pretending.
Way Out #2: From Praying to Get Fired to Quadrupling Her Income with Christine Bridger
After years of climbing the agency ladder, Christine Bridger found herself praying to get fired. In this grounded, deeply human conversation, she shares how small, intentional steps, mindset work, and trust helped her leave corporate life and build a more joyful, abundant one.