The Break - with Michael Gardon

#534: Chason Forehand is a mission-driven leader who turned a turbulent childhood, addiction, and homelessness into a blueprint for building a life of impact. After a pivotal moment of compassion from a chef who helped him get clean, Chason committed himself to paying it forward.

In this episode, he shares the practical steps and lessons he’s learned, from overcoming adversity and silencing your inner critic to creating sustainable change through his nonprofit, Transformation Kitchen. As host of the Time to Change podcast, Chason continues to spotlight strategies for making a difference in your own life and community.

#533: Scott Raven is a former Fortune 500 executive turned liberation expert who helps overwhelmed entrepreneurs escape the cycle of burnout and build businesses that support their lives, not consume them. After experiencing his own breaking point and trading one “prison” for another in his first business venture, Scott developed the Liberation Framework: a strategic system rooted in the Six Dimensions of Freedom, from time sovereignty and operational independence to sustainable success. Through Corvus Empowerment Solutions, Scott now guides founders in designing work that aligns with who they are, not just what they do, so they can lead with purpose, reclaim their time, and create lasting impact.

#532: Joe McKay is an Australian business coach and solopreneur mentor who helps founders and solo business owners build thriving, opportunity-generating brands.

After leaving a secure government job in Australia, Joe relocated his family to France, where he grew a six-figure solo business by overcoming his own fears of posting online and sharing his voice.

Today, he specializes in helping busy founders and consultants create high-impact thought leadership content, while coaching solopreneurs to move from content to conversations to conversions.

Joe’s clients have landed six-figure deals, booked keynote speaking engagements, guested on top podcasts, and secured board and advisory roles — all through the power of strategic content and personal brand growth.

#531 - Henna Pryor, CSP is a dynamic Workplace Performance Expert who speaks and writes about performance mindset, interpersonal dynamics, high-impact communication, and embracing bumps in a world that keeps optimizing for smoothness.

She is a regular Expert Columnist for Inc. Magazine, 18x award-winning author of Good Awkward, and an in-demand global keynote speaker. Her playful personality and insightful talks blend 2 decades of working with corporate leaders and teams with a fresh, science-based approach to taking more strategic risks and boosting social and mental fitness for success at work.

Her clients call her their “secret weapon for impossible change” — a title she wears proudly.

In addition to speaking for TEDx, SXSW, and being frequently tapped by media outlets like Business.com, FastCompany, INSIDER, HuffPost, NBC, FOX, and more, she’s a SUCCESS Magazine Woman of Influence, LinkedIn Learning Instructor, and Glassdoor WorkLife Pro. Her book was also named a Kirkus Reviews’ Best Book of the Year.

#530: Katrina McGhee is a Career Break and Sabbatical Expert, creator of the Break Blueprint, BreakSpace and the author of Taking a Career Break for Dummies. As a certified master coach with an MBA, Katrina helps mid-career professionals create happier, more fulfilling lives by designing bold and transformational breaks. Her clients return from their breaks recharged, inspired, happily-employed and forever changed. On their time off, her 60+ clients have traveled the world, launched a business, changed careers and more.

Katrina's work was inspired by her own 20-month career break where she saved $40,000 in just 18 months to quit her corporate job to travel the world. She's now an enthusiastic world traveler and digital nomad. Her advice on career breaks, money, and travel has been shared across various outlets including Forbes, Smarter Travel, Thrive Global, and Yahoo.

#529: Matt Doan is a transformational coach and entrepreneur dedicated to helping senior professionals break free from the constraints of corporate life and build sustainable, purpose-driven businesses online.

After spending a decade climbing the corporate ladder in management consulting, he faced a personal crisis that forced him to reevaluate his path. Determined to reclaim his life, he immersed himself in entrepreneurship, coaching, and high-level mastermind programs, ultimately developing a proven system for transitioning from corporate roles to entrepreneurial freedom without unnecessary risk.

Since 2019, Matt has guided hundreds of professionals through this life-changing journey, offering structured strategies and real-world insights to help them achieve autonomy, financial stability, and a fulfilling career beyond the traditional workforce.

#528: Sigute Zitikyte is a passionate advocate for multi-potentiality, helping ambitious individuals embrace their diverse interests and build careers that evolve with them. After spending a decade in the "multi-passionate shame cycle," feeling constrained by traditional career expectations, she broke free from a linear path and turned her creative pursuits into a thriving business. Through personal experience, she understands the struggle of balancing ambition with societal norms and now empowers others to confidently forge their own paths, integrating passion, purpose, and financial success.

Sigute’s journey from the tech industry to entrepreneurship was fueled by a desire to live life on her own terms—one that values experiences as much as achievements. She now coaches multi-passionate professionals on building an online presence and expanding their income streams with clarity and confidence. By unlearning the need to conform and tuning into their inner voice, her clients gain the courage to create fulfilling careers beyond the conventional 9-to-5. Through her writing, coaching, and personal brand framework, Sigute inspires others to step boldly into their ambitions and craft a life they truly love.

#527: Kasey Jones is a renowned personal brand consultant, business growth strategist, and advocate for personal and professional empowerment. She specializes in transforming overworked and underpaid solopreneurs into profitable CEOs of businesses they love, using a bespoke blend of strategy, branding, systems, and mindset development.

With nearly two decades of experience in early-stage growth strategy, B2B sales, demand generation, personal brand development, and relationship building at scale, Kasey excels at helping CEOs and C-suite executives amplify their unique strengths to drive business growth and build impactful brands.

Over the years, Kasey has collaborated with startups like Sila, Ripcord, and Dealpoint (acquired by Clari), and has worked alongside brands such as Gwen Stefani’s GXVE, accelerators like PIE, and venture capital firms like True Venture Partners. Her expertise has guided hundreds of entrepreneurs, executives, and teams in finding their authentic voice, building authority, and reshaping their professional journeys to achieve more income, meaning, and purpose.

Kasey’s guiding principles—empathy, generosity, resilience, honesty, and a commitment to doing the hard work—are at the core of her coaching philosophy. She believes in the power of authenticity and vulnerability, encouraging her clients to embrace their unique stories and transform them into powerful tools for connection and growth.

#526: Dr. Benjamin Ritter, founder of Live for Yourself (LFY) Consulting and award-winning author of "Becoming Fearless," is an international leadership and career coach, Sr. Talent Management Consultant, Top LinkedIn Voice, global speaker, and host of The Executive, and the Live Fearlessly Podcasts.

Ben has coached over 500 leaders with a strong focus on senior-level executives across multiple industries and geographic regions, within organizations that varied in scale from 50 to over 250,000 employees and have included names such as Amazon, Coursera, DoorDash, Google, Fiserv, Northwestern, Mayo Clinic, Pinterest, Yelp, and more.

Ben’s passions include working with Better for You CPG organizations, small business founders and minority-owned companies, for which he offers pro-bono coaching services.

Ben possesses a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership with focus on value congruence and job satisfaction, an MBA in entrepreneurial management, and an MPH in health policy administration.

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Ben now resides in Austin, Texas, with his partner, Tiffany, Squirt, a “rebel in a shell” turtle, Elwood, a scruffy rescue pup, and Sima, the kitty queen of their kingdom.