Special "Business Revenue Leak Checklist" offer free at http://www.mrse.co/leak.

Most professionals don’t intentionally design their careers—they react to layoffs, titles, and market shifts as they happen. In this episode of Making It, career coach and former recruiter Chris Morga explains to host Michi why career drift is so common, how AI is reshaping career strategy, and what it really means to work by design instead of default.

Guest Bio:

Chris Morga is a certified professional career coach, U.S. Navy veteran, and former senior talent leader with over 20 years of experience inside hiring, recruiting, and workforce strategy. He's worked with global organizations like Cisco, Dow Jones, and Capital One, giving him a behind-the-scenes view of how careers actually move forward and why so many people get stuck.

After experiencing a layoff himself, Chris began focusing less on job chasing and more on career design. His work now centers on helping mid-career professionals build clarity, structure, and momentum in their work lives using practical systems instead of hype or hustle culture.

Chris is the creator of the Work by Design philosophy, which blends career strategy, productivity systems, and modern workforce thinking to help people make better decisions about their careers and income over time. His perspective is especially valuable for professionals navigating change, burnout, or transitions in an increasingly unstable job market.

Connect with Chris Morga
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chrismorgacpcc

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:
Mirasee

Credits:

Producer: Michi Lantz
Editor: Michi Lantz
Executive Producer: Danny Iny

To catch the great episodes coming up on Making It, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channel or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.

Episode transcript: Designing a Career on Purpose in a Volatile Job Market coming soon.

Special "Business Revenue Leak Checklist" offer free at http://www.mrse.co/leak.

Losing your home, your job, and your sense of security can either break you or force a reinvention. Debbie Balfour, a Canada-based real estate investor and real estate investing success coach, shares with host Michi how a house fire and a sudden layoff pushed her fully into entrepreneurship instead of back to corporate life. She talks candidly about mindset, sweat equity, and why real growth came from community, coaching, and building trust long before asking for capital.

Guest Bio:

Debbie Balfour is a real estate investing strategist, mentor, and host of the Let’s Talk Real Estate Investing podcast. With a background in business analysis and process improvement, she helps aspiring and novice investors create personalized real estate strategies that align with their goals, time, and resources. After building her own portfolio while working a demanding corporate job, she discovered the key to success wasn’t just buying properties—it was treating real estate like a business with streamlined systems, automation, and a clear strategy.

Beyond real estate, Debbie is a proud mom to two incredible young men, ages 20 and 25, whom she considers her greatest accomplishment in life. She now coaches investors to cut through the overwhelm, avoid analysis paralysis, and build a business that works for them—not the other way around. Her expertise lies in simplifying the investing process, optimizing efficiency, and guiding investors toward financial and time freedom. Whether you're stuck chasing every strategy or unsure where to start, Debbie’s mission is to help you create a roadmap that’s uniquely yours.

Connect with Debbie Balfour

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiereicoach/
Website: https://debbiebalfour.com/

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:

Mirasee

Credits:

Producer: Michi Lantz
Editor: Michi Lantz
Executive Producer: Danny Iny

To catch the great episodes coming up on Making It, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channel or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.

Episode transcript: Lost Her Home, Lost Her Job, Built a New Life Through Real Estate. coming soon.

Special "Business Revenue Leak Checklist" offer free at http://www.mrse.co/leak.

Young adults, Gen Z, are navigating adulthood in a digital, post-pandemic world that offers more access than ever — and far less real connection. In this conversation, Michi Lantz talks with Kristin Green, founder of Solutions Unlocked, about coaching young adults through life’s “in-between” stages without losing the human connection that matters most. Kristin shares her journey from educator to entrepreneur, why small-group and face-to-face conversations still matter deeply, and how curiosity and mentorship can bridge the growing generational gap. They also explore redefining success beyond revenue, learning to ask for help, and building a coaching business that values depth, presence, and purpose over comparison or scale-at-all-costs growth.

Guest Bio:

Kristin Green is the founder of Solutions Unlocked, a coaching and workshop-based practice dedicated to helping young adults gain clarity, confidence, and real-world skills. With a background in education, leadership development, and years of hands-on work with young adults in classrooms, workplaces, and her own home, Kristin brings a grounded, human-centered approach to supporting both young adults and the adults who love, teach, hire, and lead them. Her work centers on honest conversations, practical tools, and strengthening the connection between generations. Kristin is also the author of an upcoming book designed to serve both audiences and continues to build programs that make this support accessible, meaningful, and impactful.

Connect with Kristin Green

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristintgreen/
Website ‘Solutions Unlocked’: https://paperbell.me/solutions-unlocked

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:

Mirasee

Credits:

Producer: Michi Lantz
Editor: Michi Lantz
Executive Producer: Danny Iny

To catch the great episodes coming up on Making It, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channel or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.

Episode transcript: Coaching Young Adults Without Losing the Human Connection coming soon.

Special "Business Revenue Leak Checklist" offer free at http://www.mrse.co/leak.

Host Michi Lantz talks with transformational coach and retreat leader Gayle Nowak about how healing deep “visibility wounds” became the foundation of her soul-led business. Gayle shares her journey from traditional journalism, PR, and storytelling into trauma-aware, spiritually grounded visibility work for spirit-led coaches and healers—including the vulnerable personal story that reshaped how she shows up and serves.

This is a conversation about authentic leadership, redefining success beyond the glossy entrepreneur image, navigating self-doubt even after years in business, and building a heart-centered coaching business that lets you be more you—not louder.

Guest Bio:

Imagine a world where sensitive, powerful people no longer feel they have to hide parts of themselves to be successful. That vision inspires today's guest, Gayle Nowak [pronounced No-wack], a transformational visibility coach who helps Spirit-led entrepreneurs show up, speak up, and lead from their deepest truth.

Gayle's storytelling foundation began in journalism and evolved through marketing communications and public relations. Today, she focuses on the transformational work of helping people access and express the deeper truths that want to be spoken through them. As the founder of the award-winning company The Story Stylist, Gayle blends emotional healing, energy work, and decades of storytelling experience to guide coaches, healers, and conscious leaders into aligned visibility rooted in honesty, inner authority, and genuine human connection.

Her work supports entrepreneurs in breaking free from old patterns of hiding and self-silencing, discovering the message they're truly meant to share, and building businesses where they can connect more authentically, lead more powerfully, and receive more fully.

Connect with Gayle Nowak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaylenowak/
Website: https://www.gaylenowak.com/

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:
Mirasee

Credits:

Producer: Michi Lantz
Editor: Michi Lantz
Executive Producer: Danny Iny

To catch the great episodes coming up on Making It, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channel or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.

Episode transcript: Healing Visibility Wounds in Your Coaching Business coming soon.

Special "Business Revenue Leak Checklist" offer free at http://www.mrse.co/leak.

What if the biggest barrier to speaking better English isn’t grammar, vocabulary, or talent? What if it’s perfectionism?

In this episode of Making It, host Michi Lantz sits down with Business English coach Christine Burgmer, who has spent nearly three decades helping German-speaking professionals, executives, and entrepreneurs find their voice in English — without fear, pressure, or the need to sound “perfect.”

Guest Bio:

Christine Burgmer is an English Communication Coach for German-speaking entrepreneurs and executives. She helps professionals speak clearly, calmly, and confidently in English so they can lead international conversations without overthinking. Her coaching focuses on Global English, Plain English, and real-world communication. No textbooks. No perfection pressure. Christine's approach helps her clients sound like themselves in English, not like someone they think they "should" be. Based in Germany and originally from the UK, Christine has supported business professionals for more than two decades. Today, she works 1:1 and in small groups and also mentors language trainers who want to grow their own businesses.

Connect with Christine Burgmer

🌐 Website: https://english-trainer.de
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-burgmer-englishtrainer

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:
Mirasee

Credits:

Producer: Michi Lantz
Editor: Michi Lantz
Executive Producer: Danny Iny

To catch the great episodes coming up on Making It, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channel or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.

Episode transcript: How Letting Go of Perfectionism Can Improve Your English coming soon.

Special "Business Revenue Leak Checklist" offer free at http://www.mrse.co/leak.

Leadership coach Jim Mondry joins host Michi Lantz for a candid conversation about leading when life doesn’t go to plan. Jim talks about shifting from “safe” career paths to entrepreneurship, caring for a partner with long-term health challenges, and redefining success around sustainability instead of scale. He shares practical mindset shifts that help leaders stay grounded, regain agency, and build a business that truly supports their lives. A meaningful listen for anyone navigating uncertainty or feeling pulled in every direction.

Guest Bio:

Jim Mondry works with sales and tech leaders, collaboratively shaping their teams to become aligned on passion, purpose, and productivity. He does this through targeted one-on-one and group coaching, focusing on skills like Emotional Intelligence, Strategy, Communication, and Conflict Management. In addition to coaching, he is available to create custom workshops and experiential learning programs for your teams.

If you want to know more, you can connect with Jim through LinkedIn: LinkedIn or through his website www.jimmondry.com.

Connect with Jim Mondry

LinkedIn: https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/jim-mondry/
Website: https://jimmondry.com/

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:
Mirasee

Credits:

Producer: Michi Lantz
Editor: Michi Lantz
Executive Producer: Danny Iny

To catch the great episodes coming up on Making It, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channel or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.

Episode transcript: How to Lead When Life Doesn’t Go to Plan | Jim Mondry coming soon.

Special "Business Revenue Leak Checklist" offer free at http://www.mrse.co/leak.

Host Michi Lantz talks with public speaking coach and former Fortune 200 executive Dan Adkins about his remarkable, winding journey—from music education and Broadway costuming, to six seasons at Saturday Night Live, to eventually coaching entrepreneurs on the art and strategy of speaking. Dan shares why speaking is still the fastest way to grow a business, what really happens in the first 27 seconds of a first impression, and how founders can transform stage anxiety into relaxed, intentional presence that moves audiences to action.

Guest Bio:

Dan Adkins worked with Dustin Hoffman, Kim Cattrall, Brad Pitt, and a few dozen other major actors who made showing up to work a lot more interesting than your average Monday meeting. And sure, those gigs paid the bills and gave him great stories for dinner parties, but they also taught him how to speak with confidence in front of a camera and an audience

Here’s the main flip: People in business aren’t talking for applause. We’re talking for bank deposits. And it’s not just what you say that matters. It’s the energy behind it. And that’s what he teaches his clients these days.

Before he went Hollywood, Dan was in the corporate world with a Fortune 200 company and after he left the fun of entertainment, he was a professional fundraiser. He learned all about how to set goals and hit them. Mix that with the creativity of the film industry, and you’ve got the secret sauce in his coaching: structure meets storytelling, strategy meets style.

Now, Dan takes everything he’s learned — from movie sets to boardrooms — and helps clients build speaking confidence and ability that actually converts. Dan throws in a few stories, because let’s face it, if he’s going to preach that stories have impact, he’d better bring some of his own. And the best part? Watching clients light up, find their voice, and succeed. That’s the real standing ovation.

Connect with Dan Adkins

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/danadkins
Calendly: https://calendly.com/Dan4610

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:
Mirasee

Credits:

Producer: Michi Lantz
Editor: Michi Lantz
Executive Producer: Danny Iny

To catch the great episodes coming up on Making It, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channel or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.

Episode transcript: How Speaking Can Rapidly Grow Your Business coming soon.

Special "Business Revenue Leak Checklist" offer free at http://www.mrse.co/leak.

Host Michi Lantz talks with executive coach and facilitator Michaun Elise Winborn about her unexpected transition from corporate DEI leadership to launching Born to Win Coaching. Michaun shares how being laid off became the catalyst for building a business grounded in inclusive leadership, cultural intelligence, and the courage to interrupt harm when it happens. She opens up about the three practices sustaining her as a new entrepreneur—rest, reflection, and regeneration—and how they shape the way she now supports leaders. This is a conversation about resilience, self-honesty, sustainable leadership, and what it really means to build a business that aligns with your values from day one.

Michaun Winborn is the CEO and Principal Coach at Born2Win Coaching, a leadership development practice that reduces legal and reputational risk for organizations by coaching executives into inclusive, culturally intelligent leaders. She brings more than a decade of corporate experience to this work, most notably as Vice President of Diversity, Opportunity and Inclusion for Consumer and Community Banking at JPMorgan Chase. In that role, she led enterprise-wide inclusion initiatives, created standardized diversity reporting for executives and senior leaders, and facilitated DEI training across the firm. Her leadership resulted in stronger accountability, increased understanding of diverse talent needs, and measurable improvements in workplace culture.

She is a certified executive coach through The Institute for Coaching Innovation (formerly CoachDiversity Institute), and is based in Columbus, Ohio.

Connect with Michaun Elise Winborn

LinkedIn: Born2Win (business) | Michaun Elise Winborn (personal)
Website: Born2Win

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:
Mirasee

Credits:

Producer: Michi Lantz
Editor: Michi Lantz
Executive Producer: Danny Iny

To catch the great episodes coming up on Making It, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channelor your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.

Episode transcript: From Layoff to Born to Win coming soon.