Your Next Success
by Caroline Sangal, PhD, SHRM-CP
Have you ever looked at your life or career and quietly wondered, “Is this it?” That question isn’t a crisis — it’s a signal. An invitation. A beginning. Your Next Success Podcast with Dr. Caroline Sangal is for students, job seekers, and professionals navigating career transitions, unexpected detours, and the search for authentic success. Here, we normalize questioning your path — because discovering what you truly want begins with letting go of who you thought you had to be. You’ll hear: Honest conversations about layoffs, pivots, burnout, and reinvention Guest interviews with real people navigating career and life turning points Insights and frameworks to help you align your work with your purpose Whether you’re just starting out, reimagining what’s next, or simply asking deeper questions — this is your space to pause, reflect, and rebuild fro
Episodes
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York Kleinhandler: Power to Empower Leadership
Send us Fan Mail What does leadership development look like when you share everything you know? Dr. York Kleinhandler, leadership keynote speaker, educator, and creator of Force Multiplier Leadership, has been answering that question for more than four decades. He served 37 years in Army Special...
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Nell Debevoise Dewey: Doing Less on Purpose
Send us Fan Mail Doing too much at work: Nell Debevoise Dewey on doing less on purpose Doing too much at work has a way of looking exactly like success, right up until the day it costs something. Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey built a career across three continents, in nonprofits, in post conflict...
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Dr. Mickey Fitch-Collins: The Work She Actually Loved
Send us Fan Mail Mickey Fitch-Collins: The Work She Actually Loved | Career Change After 20 Years A career change after 20 years sounds impossible until you hear how Dr. Mickey Fitch-Collins did it. She was successful in higher education, and somewhere along the way the work stopped matching what...
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Micheal Shaw: Finding Gaps and Filling Them
Send us Fan Mail Micheal Shaw made his career pivot after twenty-two years of running his own photography studio, when the same digital technology that started his business changed the industry around him. The skill that carried him forward was one he had been giving away for free for fifteen...
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Sara Skowronski: Betting on Herself
Send us Fan Mail Starting a business after being laid off is the path Sara Skowronski took. For twenty years she was the person every company leaned on, hired for HR and soon running IT, finance, and whatever else needed an owner. She was let go by a new owner on a Monday, and the first thing she...
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Dr. Kevin Snyder: The Story He Wished He'd Heard
Send us Fan Mail Dr. Kevin Snyder: The Story He Wished He'd Heard Every choice carries a consequence you can't always see at the time. Kevin Snyder became Dean of Students at High Point University, a role he'd worked toward for years. It came with one condition: give up his public speaking. He...
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Graham Kuhn: Every Role Was Leading Here
Send us Fan Mail Career reinvention rarely arrives as a plan. For Graham Kuhn, it arrived as a series of jobs that looked unconnected until the day they became one calling. Graham grew up working farms and wrestling in small-town Wisconsin, trained in opera, sang professionally for years, managed...
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Stan Phelps: The Dream Job Wasn't the End
Send us Fan Mail What happens when you reach the career milestone you were certain would settle everything, then find a bigger question waiting at the top? Stan Phelps built a career at the top of sports marketing, running tennis promotions for Adidas and managing the New York Yankees…
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Patrick Kamba: Quiet Ambition
Send us Fan Mail You can reach every career goal you set and still catch yourself wondering what it was all for. Patrick Kamba knows that question well. He built the kind of career that looks complete from the outside, leading global programs in pharma, becoming a director, writing a book. And...
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She Wrote the Book on Leadership for Scientists: Jen Heemstra on Bad Bosses, Career Setbacks, and Leading with Kindness (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail Nobody trains you to lead. Jen Heemstra found that out the hard way, then wrote the book on it. She became a chemist by accident. Almost went to law school. Took an industry job that quietly convinced her she was mediocre. And then came the moment most academics dread: the tenure...
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Achievement Was Her Drug: Dr. Jen Heemstra on High Achievers, Self-Worth, and Finding What Really Drives You (Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail If you're a high achiever, this one's for you. Dr. Jen Heemstra figured out early that achievement was the one thing she could control. So she controlled it. Grades, awards, being the person who had it all together. She literally calls it her drug, and here's the part that gets...
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From Nice to Kind | Deidre Beacham
Send us Fan Mail From Nice to Kind | Deidre Beacham on Nice Girl Syndrome, People Pleasing, and Radical Self-Ownership Nice girl syndrome is one of the most invisible programs a woman can run, and Deidre Beacham ran it for decades before a single conversation finally made her see it. By her 50s…
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Find Yourself | Alex Dumas
Send us Fan Mail Find Yourself | Alex Dumas on Identity, Belonging, and Coming Back to Who You Are Finding yourself after years of performing, surviving, and building from the outside in is the real work underneath every career story, and Alex Dumas traces his own path back with rare honesty. He...
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Michele Novack: Who Are You Without the Title?
Send us Fan Mail Who Are You Without the Title? | Michele Novack Career reinvention after corporate is rarely just about finding the next job. Michele Novack invested 30 years in banking and finance building her identity from the outside in, and eventually had to rebuild it from the inside out.…
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Cameron Magee: Backstage, On Purpose
Send us Fan Mail How to Build an Event Production Career From Curiosity and Calling, With Cameron Magee Building an event production career from scratch looks a lot like Cameron Magee's story: a curious kid, a mentor who pulled up a chair, and 20 years of showing up and giving more than he took.…
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Doug Lynam: From Monk to Money Manager
Send us Fan Mail Money Mindset, the Enneagram, and Why Your Financial Patterns Go Deeper Than Money, With Doug Lynam Money mindset work rarely begins with a monastery in the New Mexico desert, but Doug Lynam's story does, and that is precisely what makes his insights so hard to forget. Doug is a...
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Chanoa Inez: Dream On
Send us Fan Mail How to Dream Again and Rebuild Your Life After Grief and Loss, With Chanoa Inez Rebuilding your life after grief and upheaval is possible, and Chanoa Inez has lived the full arc of what that actually takes. She followed her instincts toward beauty and meaning through fashion,...
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Madelaine Weiss: Mastering Your Mind, Changing Your Life
Send us Fan Mail Mastering Your Mind With Madelaine Weiss: Career Pivots, Life Transitions, and Getting to GREAT Mindset mastery is the through-line of Madelaine Weiss's entire life, from grieving teenager to Harvard-trained psychotherapist, from lab technician to executive coach, from student…
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Tabatha Jones: Building Your Corporate Escape Plan
Send us Fan Mail How to Leave Corporate and Build a Business Before You Quit | Tabatha Jones Tabatha Jones — Executive Director turned Corporate Escape Sherpa — built her coaching business one hour a day while still inside corporate, and left with a plan already in motion. In this episode, she...
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Marcy Axelrod: A Life of Showing Up
Send us Fan Mail When you reflect on your life, can you recognize the moments that shaped who you’ve become? In this episode, I talk with Marcy Axelrod about her life and career journey, starting with an early experience that changed how she saw herself and the world around her. We walk through…
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Megan Applegate: From Burnout to Business Owner
Send us Fan Mail What happens when you’ve built a career you’re good at… and something in you starts to shift? In this episode, Megan Applegate shares her journey from a 20-year career in hospitality into business ownership, recruiting, and career strategy. She opens up about the moment she...
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Jennifer Mecham: Elevated Thinking
Send us Fan Mail Have you ever woken up at 3 a.m., wondering if the life you’re living is truly fulfilling? In this episode of Your Next Success, Dr. Caroline Sangal sits down with Jennifer Mecham to explore the mindset shifts that can redefine success and unlock human potential. Raised in the…
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Annah Elizabeth: From Tragedy to Healing
Send us Fan Mail What if you experienced what some have called the most devastating loss imaginable, and discovered a path to healing in its aftermath? In this episode of Your Next Success, Dr. Caroline Sangal talks with Annah Elizabeth, author, speaker, and creator of the Five Facets® Philosophy...
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Camilla Calberg: From Silence to Trusted Advisor
Send us Fan Mail Camilla Calberg knows what it feels like to bring strong ideas, deep contribution, and genuine effort into a workplace… and still feel unseen. In this episode of Your Next Success, she joins Dr. Caroline Sangal for a thoughtful conversation about career alignment, trusted...
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John DeDakis: The Story Behind the Storyteller
Send us Fan Mail John DeDakis told other people's stories for 45 years. In this episode, he tells his own. It begins with a curious kid in La Crosse, Wisconsin who knocks on a radio station door during a bike ride and discovers something that will shape his entire life. It winds through the…
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Rob Tracz: Rethinking Performance
Send us Fan Mail What does performance actually mean—and how does it shape the life you’re building? In this episode of Your Next Success, Dr. Caroline Sangal talks with high-performance coach Rob Tracz about the role performance plays in personal and professional growth. Rob shares how his early...
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Mike Barefoot: Hiring Decisions and Lessons Earned
Send us Fan Mail Mike Barefoot served 27+ years in staffing and recruiting, placed 1,000+ professionals (primarily in IT), generated $50M+ in revenue, and built a profitable boutique firm. In this conversation, we trace how his early life changes, competitive drive, and decades of martial arts...
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Ben Stein: From Seeking to Serving
Send us Fan Mail Ben Stein transitioned from executive leadership in advertising and tech to founding Purpose Up, where he now coaches professionals navigating career pivots with clarity and alignment. In this episode of Your Next Success, Dr. Caroline Sangal speaks with Ben about the internal...
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Judy Pearson: Treasure in the Wreckage
Send us Fan Mail Some chapters of life arrive without permission. In this episode of Your Next Success, Judy Pearson shares her story of resilience, reinvention, and what it means to keep moving forward when life does not go as planned. Judy opens up about the chapters she never would have…
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Meggi Rombach: The Mindful Rebellion
Send us Fan Mail What if burnout is feedback? Meggi Rombach has spent over 20 years leading teams and driving change across the private and humanitarian sectors, from Procter and Gamble to UNICEF and the ICRC. Constant high performance eventually led to burnout and health challenges that forced…
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Retirement Planning, Beyond the Numbers: Chris Pollard
Send us Fan Mail You can have a retirement plan that works on paper and still feel uneasy about what comes next. In this episode of Your Next Success, Dr. Caroline Sangal talks with Chris Pollard, West Point graduate, U.S. Army veteran, and principal of Great Path Planning, about retirement...
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Cecilia Zapata-Harms: Women, Life and Science and Shared Success
Send us Fan Mail Growth changes direction. In this episode of Your Next Success, Cecilia Zapata-Harms shares how nearly 30 years of leadership in life science and healthcare prepared her to build something new, something aligned with who she had become. Cecilia is the Founder and Executive…
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Lin Wu: From Broom Shop to Supercomputer
Send us Fan Mail Lin Wu fled China as a child during the Communist revolution, came to the U.S. at sixteen, and had to start over completely on his own—right down to working in a broom shop to afford school. He went on to study engineering, enter the computer industry, and help build some of the...
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Cortney McDermott: Give Yourself Permission to Evolve
Send us Fan Mail What happens when your life looks full — yet something inside you knows you’re meant for more? In this episode, Dr. Caroline Sangal talks with author and global speaker Cortney McDermott, whose journey moves from a chaotic childhood in Chicago to London, France, Italy, corporate...
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Wes Towers: Busy Isn’t Success
Send us Fan Mail A full calendar can look like success. Sometimes it’s just a belief you absorbed early. In this episode, Dr. Caroline Sangal is joined by Wes Towers, founder of Uplift 360, to talk about the definition of success he picked up as a kid: busy equals important, and how his…
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Nataly Huff: The Wrong Ladder Moment
Send us Fan Mail What happens when your career looks amazing on paper and your body keeps signaling strain? In this episode, Caroline talks with Nataly Huff, executive coach and founder of Inspire Forward Coaching, about the hidden cost of high performance, the “professional face” many of us…
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Mike Wysocki: Career Readiness Is Broken
Send us Fan Mail What changes when you choose your career with real-world exposure and honest insight before you invest years into a guess? Mike Wysocki spent 30 plus years in tech sales, built stability, and recognized that meaning and alignment shape long-term career satisfaction. He turned…
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Joanne Merrick: Is Management Your Best Career Play?
Send us Fan Mail Management is a major career decision and a lot of people step into it without real clarity. In this episode, Dr. Caroline Sangal talks with Joanne Merrick, founder of The Leadership Recipe and author of Game On! Is Management Your Best Career Play? Joanne shares her story from...
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From Corporate Silence to Stage Builder: Sybil Stewart
Send us Fan Mail What would you do if you spent years delivering at a high level supporting leaders, carrying responsibility, being the steady presence behind the scenes, and then the promotion opportunity comes up and you’re passed over. Not only that. You’re asked to train the person they…
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Keith Anderson: You’re Great, But…
Send us Fan Mail You can be highly capable and still feel stalled. Sometimes the work speaks for itself and the room still does not move. In this episode, Keith Anderson shares what he learned after years inside big tech watching how promotion decisions are actually made. He breaks down the…
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Angie Hawkins: The Inner Glow Journey
Send us Fan Mail What happens when you do everything “right” and still feel disconnected from yourself. Angie Hawkins knows that experience from the inside. In this episode, Angie shares her path from being a high achiever chasing love and approval, to rebuilding her identity after an emotional...
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Chris Baron: Not Your Ordinary Career, A Life Shaped by Awe
Send us Fan Mail When was the last time you felt real awe and what if that feeling is a career clue? Filmmaker Chris Baron shares his extraordinary path from science and scientific sales to documentary filmmaking for the BBC, National Geographic, Disney+, and Curiosity Stream. Chris opens up…
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Drewbie Wilson: Crush the Day Before It Crushes You
Send us Fan Mail What happens when success starts as survival, and then becomes a choice you make on purpose? In this episode, Drewbie Wilson shares his story from a rough childhood and early “figure it out” mindset to building real success through sales, service, and identity-level change. We…
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Rob Rene: When the Life You Planned Disappears
Send us Fan Mail Rob Rene’s life has been shaped by sudden impact and unexpected mercy. A Division I runner with a clear plan, he was hit by a truck during a winter training run and nearly died. That moment changed everything. Years later, he built a successful career in enterprise technology...
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Anil Gupta: The Formula That Heals
Send us Fan Mail What does it take to lose everything and rebuild a life grounded in purpose, clarity, and joy? In this episode, I talk with Anil Gupta, bestselling author, global speaker, and creator of The Happiness Formula. Anil shares how he grew up in Kenya and London, became an optometrist,...
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Grateful but Not Done: Chaz Wolfe
Send us Fan Mail What happens when your drive to win collides with the reality of the life you’re actually living? In this episode of Your Next Success, Dr. Caroline Sangal is joined by Chaz Wolfe, serial entrepreneur and founder of Gathering The Kings for an honest conversation about identity,...
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Shelley McIntyre: Burn the Map
Send us Fan Mail What if the map you’ve been following isn’t yours anymore? In this episode of Your Next Success, Dr. Caroline Sangal talks with Shelley McIntyre, reinvention partner for Gen X professionals and creator of Burn the Map. After decades in tech and consulting, Shelley realized she…
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Anna Quigley: Why Intuition Matters
Send us Fan Mail What if the next step in your life has been whispering to you all along? In this episode, Dr. Caroline Sangal talks with Anna Quigley as she shares how intuition guided her through career shifts, personal turning points, and the deeper purpose that kept calling her forward.…
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Burnout Is Your Nervous System Talking
Send us Fan Mail Burnout doesn’t always arrive as collapse. Often, it arrives quietly, through responsibility, competence, and a life that slowly starts to feel smaller. In this solo episode, Dr. Caroline Sangal explores the lived experience of depletion and why capable, reliable people so often...
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Dr. Jessie and Omar Ferreria Part 2: A Soul's Quest was Born
Send us Fan Mail What happens when you do everything right and it still feels wrong? In part two of the conversation Dr. Caroline Sangal had with Dr. Jessie and Omar Ferreria, they talk about the season where purpose became unavoidable. You’ll hear about layoffs, identity loss, depression,...
About this show
Have you ever looked at your life or career and quietly wondered, “Is this it?” That question isn’t a crisis — it’s a signal. An invitation. A beginning.
Your Next Success Podcast with Dr. Caroline Sangal is for students, job seekers, and professionals navigating career transitions, unexpected detours, and the search for authentic success.
Here, we normalize questioning your path — because discovering what you truly want begins with letting go of who you thought you had to be.
You’ll hear:
Honest conversations about layoffs, pivots, burnout, and reinvention
Guest interviews with real people navigating career and life turning points
Insights and frameworks to help you align your work with your purpose
Whether you’re just starting out, reimagining what’s next, or simply asking deeper questions — this is your space to pause, reflect, and rebuild fro
Hosted by
Caroline Sangal, PhD, SHRM-CP