Ask For An Answer

What if the life you built to survive is no longer the life you want to live?In this episode of Ask For An Answer, Jim Fielding sits down with leadership coach, speaker, and author Erin Coupe for a deeply honest conversation about burnout, emotional resilience, childhood trauma, parenting, corporate leadership, and the long process of learning how to stop abandoning yourself.Erin shares the powerful story behind her transformation from high-performing corporate executive to entrepreneur, coach, and author. Raised in a working-class family while caring for a terminally ill father, Erin learned early how to survive, overfunction, and push through pain. But eventually, survival mode stopped working.Together, Jim and Erin unpack the hidden cost of people-pleasing, the pressure of always being “the strong one,” and why so many successful people secretly feel disconnected from themselves.This conversation is about reclaiming your energy, choosing intention over performance, and building a life that actually reflects who you are becoming.In this episode:Erin’s journey from corporate leadership to personal reinventionHow childhood trauma shapes ambition, perfectionism, and burnoutWhy high achievers often struggle with self-worthThe leadership lessons hidden inside difficult workplacesParenting, emotional awareness, and breaking generational patternsWhat it means to stop outsourcing your power and energyJim and Erin also explore the realities of aging parents, emotional healing, identity shifts, and why growth often begins the moment you stop pretending everything is fine.Chapter Highlights00:00 – “I’m no longer going to outsource my power”01:17 – Erin’s origin story and growing up in survival mode05:14 – Childhood responsibility, caregiving, and emotional maturity12:40 – Corporate success, burnout, and searching for something deeper24:32 – Leadership lessons from difficult managers and toxic workplaces33:10 – Why vulnerability became central to Erin’s work42:18 – The cost of constantly performing for others56:20 – The deeper meaning behind I Can Fit That In57:50 – Parenting, emotional intelligence, and breaking old patternsThis episode is a reminder that healing is not separate from leadership. The way we work, parent, communicate, and show up in relationships is shaped by the stories we carry and the ones we decide to rewrite.Follow Erin Coupe: Instagram: @jauthenticallyec✨ Follow Jim Fielding & Ask For An Answer:💼 Instagram: @jimfielding🌐 Podcast: Ask For An Answer

Three years after All Pride, No Ego first hit shelves, Jim Fielding sits down alone behind the microphone to reflect on everything that happened next and none of it went the way he expected.In this deeply personal solo episode of Ask For An Answer, Jim shares the real story behind the paperback release of his bestselling book, the emotional impact of being truly seen by readers, and how one vulnerable project unexpectedly transformed into a podcast, a leadership platform, a community, and an entirely new chapter of his life.Broadcasting from his home office in Atlanta, Jim opens up about the fear, uncertainty, and reinvention that followed his corporate career, why recording the audiobook forced him to confront insecurities he carried for decades, and how authenticity became more than a buzzword. It became survival.This conversation moves beyond leadership theory and into something far more personal: grief, gratitude, chosen family, creativity, visibility, and the courage to keep evolving publicly.In this episode:The emotional story behind releasing the paperback edition of *All Pride, No Ego*Why Jim almost refused to narrate his own audiobookThe unexpected ripple effect of vulnerability and storytellingHow radical kindness became the foundation of his workWhat he learned about identity after leaving corporate leadershipWhy community matters more now than ever beforeJim reflects openly on the realities of reinvention, leadership, community, and what it actually takes to keep evolving through every chapter of life.Chapter Highlights00:00 – Why Jim decided to record his first solo episode02:56 – The moment *All Pride, No Ego* started connecting with readers06:10 – Why the paperback release feels different10:45 – Recording the audiobook and confronting old insecurities15:34 – How the book unexpectedly created a movement and community20:06 – Gratitude, chosen family, and the people behind the journey22:07 – Launching the League of Radical Kindness23:49 – What Jim hopes people take from this next chapter✨Follow Jim Fielding & Ask For An Answer:💼 Instagram: jimfielding🌐 Podcast: Ask For An Answer

​​What does it actually take to build a lasting career in retail and leadership?In this episode of Ask For An Answer, Jim Fielding sits down with longtime retail executive Ken Pilot for a candid conversation about the realities behind leadership, brand building, and staying relevant in a constantly evolving industry.From their early days in the denim business to navigating decades of change across retail, Ken shares what he has learned about decision making, adaptability, and why the fundamentals still matter more than ever.In this episode:How early career experiences shape long-term leadership instinctsWhat separates operators from leaders in high-pressure environmentsWhy most people misunderstand what drives success in retailHow to make decisions when there is no clear answerWhat it takes to stay relevant as industries evolveThe mindset required to build a career that actually lastsThis conversation is about what actually holds up over time. The choices you make, the way you lead, and how you stay steady when everything around you keeps changing.Chapter Highlights00:00 – Where it all started in retail05:42 – Learning by doing and earning your way in10:18 – The leadership lessons that stick17:05 – Making decisions without perfect clarity24:30 – How retail has evolved over time32:12 – Staying relevant in a changing industry41:20 – The discipline behind long-term success52:08 – What leaders need to understand right nowIf you are building a career, leading a team, or navigating change in your industry, this conversation offers a grounded and practical look at what it takes to move forward with clarity and confidence.✨Follow Jim Fielding & Ask For An Answer:💼 Instagram: jimfielding🌐 Podcast: Ask For An Answer