EPISODE 603 - Shannon Russell - Second Act Success - Leave unfulfilling careers to build joyful, purpose-driven businesses

I spent over 16 years as a Television Producer overseeing multi-million dollar productions in New York City and Los Angeles working for companies like MTV, E! Entertainment, Yahoo!, Pop Sugar, A&E, TLC, etc.

My second act began once I leapt into entrepreneurship and opened a franchise business serving families in my community, so I could be more present mom for my two kids. My business quickly grew to be amongst the Top 5 in the organization, and I successfully sold this business in 2024.

While running my first business, I started Second Act Success® Coaching so I could help support women as they start a second act in life by changing careers to start a business.

My focus as a business coach for women is to help others produce their best life, while finding the flexibility, freedom, and fulfillment they deserve.

Now, I share my experience, as a television executive turned business owner with my clients, as we work towards their business goals.

Book: Start Your Second Act - How to Change Careers, Launch a Business, & Create Your Best Life

The ultimate guide to pivot with purpose, reinvent your career, and produce your best life. The career that once inspired you no longer fits your life, and a nagging voice inside tells you there’s something more. When your mind, heart, and dreams no longer align with your current path, it’s time to start your second act.

Shannon Russell, a former TV producer turned entrepreneur and business coach, understands the fears and challenges of disrupting your carefully planned career and taking the leap into something more. Drawing on her personal experiences and the success stories of other women, she shares her proven three-step Second Act Strategy (reflect, research, realize) to guide you from where you are now to where you want to be.

https://secondactsuccess.co/

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EPISODE 602 - Leslie A Rasmussen - TV Writer for Gerald McRaney, Alf, Burt Reynolds, Roseanne Barr, Norm McDonald, Drew Carey to Author of Books on Family

Leslie A. Rasmussen was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated from UCLA. She went on to write television comedies for Gerald McRaney, Burt Reynolds, Roseanne Barr, Norm McDonald, Drew Carey, The Wild Thornberrys, and Sweet Valley High.

After leaving the business to raise her boys, Leslie obtained a master's degree in nutrition and ran her own business for ten years. Leslie has been published in the Huffington Post over twenty times and speaks on panels discussing female empowerment. She’s a member of the Writers Guild of America, Women in Film, and the UCLA Alumni Association.

After Happily Ever After is Leslie’s debut novel and has won over fifteen awards, and her second novel, The Stories We Cannot Tell, has won eleven awards, and she’s been interviewed about it on NPR and XM radio. Leslie’s newest novel, When People Leave, came out in 2025.

When Leslie isn’t writing, she loves reading, exercising, and spending time with friends. Leslie lives in Southern California with her husband and two sons.

What I Write:
I have found that most women go through a multitude of similar issues in life. As a mom of two and having been married many years, I have seen this first hand. From the time we are in our thirties, we have experienced both joy and sadness. Whether that’s through finding the right partner, having our heart broken, suffering infertility, or losing a loved one. As we go through life, families go through many changes.

Children leave the nest, our parents age, our friendships change, and some marriages end. I write women’s commercial fiction where I delve into the human experience and situations that are relatable to most of us. I want my readers to see themselves or their family or friends in my characters and to realize no matter what they are going through, they aren’t alone. As my background is writing television sitcoms, I also try to find humor in the tough stuff, in fact, those moments are my favorite to write.

https://www.lesliearasmussen.com/

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EPISODE 601 - Cal Logan - ShadowBane - One womb, one soul, two fates. One will rise. One will fall

A full-time personal trainer and competitive powerlifter, Cal started writing seriously in 2017, drawing inspiration from history, his time spent practicing mixed martial arts, and of course, books. Cal lives in Chicago with his wife, Taylor, and his dachshund, Rizzo.

At the end of the day, I’ll be happy if ShadowBane earns me some loyal fans. As a debut author, I can’t ask for more than that. In a way, ShadowBane is a promise to readers—here’s what you can expect from my books, and if you like what you see, stick around. I’m just getting started, and there’ll be plenty more to come.

Book: ShadowBane
Description
One womb, one soul, two fates. One will rise. One will fall.

Shura and Jin are the last of a divine bloodline, operating at the bloodiest fringes of society where they wield might and magic against the demons they are sworn to destroy. For Shura, it's the only way to restore honor to her lineage and claim her rightful place in the world. For Jin, it's a matter of begrudging duty-and escaping the influence of the three kings vying for control of the continent.

In their pursuit of the sadistic cult behind the demons' resurgence, the twins find themselves hunted by an ancient demon harboring a blood vendetta, and are forced to set aside past grudges and seek the kings' alliance. When Shura discovers a chilling prophecy, she fears that even her newfound allies may not be enough to stem the rising tide of shadow.

Even the palest chance of victory will come at a brutal price. But the prophecy never foretold whose fate would settle the debt: Shura's or her brother's.

https://callogan.com/

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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/

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Episode 600 - Dominick Domasky - Celebrating 600 Episodes, Tap Into Your Creativity, Go Beyond Learning, Embrace Starting

Episode 600 brings the return of Dom Domasky - every one hundred episodes of Living The Next Chapter, Dom returns to celebrate a podcast idea that he gave me 600 episodes ago

Dom shares publishing inside information and how we as creatives need to engage in action over information collecting!

Check out Dom and his services here!!

https://www.motivationchamps.com/

Books Mentioned:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Lean-Learning/Pat-Flynn/9781668027646

https://patflynn.com/

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Rick Rubin is a nine-time GRAMMY-winning producer, named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time and the most successful producer in any genre by Rolling Stone. He has collaborated with artists from Tom Petty to Adele, Johnny Cash to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys to Slayer, Kanye West to the Strokes, and System of a Down to Jay-Z.

https://sites.prh.com/thecreativeact

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Book: GOOD TO GREAT

This book addresses a single question: can a good company become a great company, and if so, how? Based on a five-year research project comparing companies that made the leap to those that did not, Good to Great shows that greatness is not primarily a function of circumstance but largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline. This book discusses concepts like Level 5 Leadership; First Who, Then What (first get the right people on the bus, then figure out where to drive it); the Hedgehog Concept, and the Flywheel.

https://www.jimcollins.com/

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EPISODE 489 - Author Darlene Campos Shares the Amazing Story of Holocaust Survivor Pete Philipps

Hello! Hola! I'm Darlene P. Campos, an Ecuadorian-American author who is also a proud Houstonian.

I earned my BA in English-Creative Writing with a Medicine and Society Studies minor from the University of Houston (Go Coogs!) and my MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso (Go Miners!).

I am the author of the young adult novels Behind Mount Rushmore, Summer Camp is Cancelled, and Heaven Isn't Me, traditionally published by Vital Narrative Press.

Pete Philipps' Interview
Pete grew up in Essen, a major industrial city on Germany’s Ruhr River. His father worked as a cattle hide dealer for an international trading company in nearby Mühlheim. His mother was a designer for a fashionable women’s dress shop. Pete, his younger twin brothers, and parents lived together in an apartment.

1933–39: Pete had barely passed his first birthday when the Nazis came to power. His father realized the danger that now faced Jews in Germany, and the family left for Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1936. Pete attended Jewish school there, but the times were unsettling. In fall 1938, the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia, was incorporated into the Nazi Reich, and the following March, German troops marched into Prague. Shortly thereafter, Pete’s family left for Italy, where they settled in the Genoa suburbs. There, they were attacked by local antisemitic fascists. Soon after Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, the Philippses immigrated to Ecuador.

1940–45: In Quito, the Philippses joined the growing colony of refugees from Germany. Pete attended a private boys’ school. His father set up business making margarine, while his mother did clothing alterations and knitting. In May 1941, just six months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Philippses arrived in the United States. Pete’s father returned to his former company.

After the war, Pete learned that his paternal grandmother, who had fled earlier to the Netherlands, had been deported to Auschwitz, where she perished. He completed his education and, after a tour of military duty in Germany, became a journalist for the New York Times.

https://www.ushmm.org/remember/holocaust-survivors/volunteers/pete-philipps
https://www.ushmm.org/
https://www.darlenepcampos.com/
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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/

Published: Jan. 20, 2025

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EPISODE 237 - Stewart Lee - Me and My Addiction - one man’s battle to break free from a life heavily impacted by alcoholism

About our Guest -
I grew up in Exeter, Devon and lived with my parents and 2 older sisters. I didn't really have a troubled life but from a young age I discovered alcohol and my journey into addiction began.

Drugs and alcohol consumed my life from that point on. It got so bad that I thought I would either end up in prison, a psychiatric unit or dead. Either by someone else killing me or succeeding in killing myself.

I managed to find a way to recover and now live a clean sober life. You could say the complete opposite of how I lived before.

I'm hoping now that if I share my experience through writing books I can help to inspire anyone that change is possible.

The Book: Me and My Addiction tells the intense, but overall positive, account of one man’s battle to break free from a life heavily impacted by alcoholism. This thought-provoking book gives the reader a no holds barred, insight into addictions, and their power to change people’s lives, often without the victim realizing until it’s too late.

Stewart’s reflection of the problems around addiction, along with his real, raw and (brutally!) honest stories will open your mind to see life through the eyes of an addict.

If you think you, or maybe someone you know, may have an issue with alcohol it provides answers to the questions that many are afraid to ask, a deeper understanding of how addiction works, along with hope that it’s possible to break the cycle of destruction and to turn your life around.

https://www.stewartleeauthor.co.uk/
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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/

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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/

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EPISODE 85 -

Our Empty Nest and Doing Life With Your Adult Children

For me as a Dad I sensed this empty nest state would equate freedom, my wife Jen has a different take on this - everything and everyone revolved around Jen with the kids here - she knew her role in all of our lives (mine included) now that keep the plates spinning season is over, and it feels strange.

I heard our guest on another podcast and he was talking to our situation - he had such wisdom and a heart for what we are living and I had to have him on - and to my great surprise and delight he said, yes!

Please join me in welcoming Jim Burns to our podcast!

Jim Burns is the president of HomeWord. He speaks to thousands of people around the world each year. He has more than 2 million resources in print in 20 languages.

https://homeword.com/

Books

- Finding Joy in the Empty Nest: Discover Purpose and Passion in the Next Phase of Life Paperback

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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/
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EPISODE 60 - Lauren MacLean Author of Me and My Sit Spot - Find your spot in nature

About the author

Lauren MacLean, an accomplished author and educator, is the creative force behind the Amazon Bestselling children's picture book, "Me and My Sit Spot," and "Finding Common Ground," as well as Sitting With Nature: An Educator's Guide to Sit Spots. With a vibrant background as an elementary school teacher, outdoor educational consultant, and presenter, Lauren is deeply committed to bringing the wonders of learning outdoors to young minds.

In addition to her written work, Lauren is the dynamic host of the Teach Outdoors podcast, where she shares insights, strategies, and inspiration for educators and parents eager to integrate outdoor learning into children's lives. As a co-founder of the Local Bookshelf, Lauren actively contributes to building literary communities and fostering a love for reading among young readers.

Lauren's journey into the world of outdoor education is rooted in her own childhood experiences. Struggling to sit still, she found solace and freedom in learning outdoors, an environment that allowed her to authentically be herself. Now a devoted mother of two young toddlers, Lauren brings her passion for nature exploration to life, serving as a role model for parents seeking to connect their children with the land.

Through her writing, podcast, and advocacy, Lauren MacLean continues to make a significant impact on the world of education, inspiring others to embrace the transformative power of learning through nature.

What is a sit spot and how does it help nurture our relationship with the land? Developing this nature routine for yourself and your learners leads to so many possibilities for learning about our land and how we fit into it. Where is your sit spot?
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https://outdoorlearning.com/product/me-and-my-sit-spot/
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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/

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