With Leah Marcus and Yasaman Bakhtiar, founders of Good Girl Snacks

This is a masterclass in how to start a business and build momentum fast.

In this episode of Good Shift, I’m joined by Leah Marcus and Yasaman Bakhtiar, best friends and co-founders of Good Girl Snacks, the brand behind the viral Hot Girl Pickles.

Just a few years ago, they were working corporate jobs with zero business experience. Just 3 years later, their pickles have built a cult following online and landed on shelves at Whole Foods, Erewhon, Bristol Farms, GoPuff, and Nordstrom.

In this conversation, Leah and Yasaman share the real story behind the leap: from spotting a TikTok trend, to building in public, to trusting their gut before they felt ready and they share how you can do the same. 

I submitted Good Shift to the podcast awards (!) and as part of that, I had to put together a 15-minute highlight reel to showcase what the pod is all about.

It’s a great place to start if you’re new here, or to send to a friend who’s thinking about a career shift, hating their job, or feeling stuck on what’s next.

Enjoy my friends and cross your fingers for me for the awards!

Meet Sarah Cox, a Stanford graduate who walked away from a high-growth startup career in her late 20s to return to something she thought she’d left behind for good: professional soccer. After nearly a decade off the pitch, Sarah made the wild, bold move to re-enter elite sport — and she’s now a pro goalkeeper for Lexington SC in Kentucky.

This conversation is packed with everything you really want to know when you’re standing on the edge of change:

• Is it too late? 
• What if people laugh when I say my dream out loud?
• How do I give up a successful career to chase a dream?
• What if I fail?

We unpack how Sarah rebuilt belief, the structure she created to make it real, and what it feels like to play 100% for yourself.

Whether you’re feeling career burn-out, an identity wobble, or just that gnawing itch that there’s more — this one’s for you.

🎧 Tune in and remember: it’s not too late, you’re not too far, and there’s no rulebook on when your next chapter begins.

Sarah's instagram

Jay-Jay Feeney was New Zealand's most beloved radio host. She had everything - fame, success, a career most people dream of. But after 33 years, she made a decision that shocked everyone: she walked away from it all.

In this raw and honest conversation, Jay-Jay shares:

• The real signs of burnout (and why she ignored them for years) 
• How to separate your identity from your job title 
• The mindset shift that made leaving possible after decades of "this is all I know" 
• Why waiting for the "perfect moment" to change careers is a trap 
• How to handle the fear of disappointing everyone around you

If you’ve ever stayed in something too long, questioned what else you could do, or felt scared to leave the identity you’ve built — this one is for you.

Listen if you're ready to stop waiting and start building the next chapter of your life.

LINKS

1. Jay-Jay's ep with Dom Harvey on finishing her career
2. Podlab - Jay-Jay and Dom's fire new podcast studio
3. Who Moved My Cheese? Book by Spencer Johnson
4. Jay-Jay's insta
   
   

What if the job you’re in isn’t bad — but it’s not you?

In today’s episode of Good Shift, I’m sitting down with someone who made a shift that so many of us secretly think about but struggle to act on. Chris Harrison spent 15 years climbing the corporate ladder in banking. The money was good. The job was fine. But it never stopped gnawing at him — the childhood dream of becoming a police officer.

So, how do you leave a secure, respected career to chase a calling that’s risky, unfamiliar, paid a lot less and starts at the bottom? That’s what we unpack in this raw, honest, and deeply motivating conversation.

🎧 In this episode, we dive into:

• The quiet discomfort of a career that looks good on paper but feels wrong in your gut.
• How Chris knew it was time to stop waiting and finally take the leap.
• The fears around pay cuts, identity loss, and starting over — and how he worked through them.
• The unexpected emotional and practical challenges of joining the police force.
• The mindset shifts that helped Chris rebuild his life around purpose instead of just a paycheck.

Whether you’re in a job that’s “fine” or stuck at the crossroads of a potential career pivot, this episode will make you reflect, reevaluate, and hopefully take action toward a more aligned life.

Podcast ref: “Keep The Change”  Luke Kemeys

If you’re stuck in a job that doesn’t feel right anymore, but have no idea what to do next - this one’s for you.

Since launching Good Shift, I’ve had so many conversations with people sitting in the same place: they know what they don’t want, but feel stuck on what comes next.

This episode is your guide to getting unstuck - with 5 practical, mindset-shifting steps to help you start figuring it out. No need to burn everything down or wait for clarity to magically arrive. This is about real progress, even when you feel like you have none.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• How to spot the clues hiding in your current job
• Why waiting for clarity will keep you stuck and how to rewire your brain to see possibilities
• The exact questions to ask people who are already doing what you’re curious about
• How to create a smart, low-pressure transition plan that works 

Links & Mentions:

• Ned Gow’s episode: EP3 – Balancing a Stable Career with Creative Passion
• Claire Hughes Johnson 
• Follow the pod on IG: @goodshiftpod

Share This Episode

If you know someone sitting in the “what now?” phase — send them this episode. Sometimes all it takes is a fresh perspective and the right questions.

If you're feeling stuck in a career that no longer fits, but the idea of change feels scary or overwhelming, this episode is for you.

Today’s guest, Meredith Baker, has lived many lives. She’s a Harvard and Oxford graduate, a former international journalist, founder of an alcoholic beverage company and now a certified leadership coach and creator of the Powerful Stuff podcast. Meredith helps high-achievers tune out the noise, break up with perfectionism, and build a life that actually feels like their own.

This conversation is packed with permission slips, mindset shifts, and practical tools for navigating change - whether you’re stuck in a job that doesn’t light you up, hiding behind perfectionism, or wondering if you’re “too late” to pivot.

In this episode, we cover:

✨ The silent pressures that keep us stuck in the “shoulds”
 🧠 How to start listening to your intuition again
 📈 Confidence as compound interest — and how to build it
 🌱 A step-by-step roadmap for moving through your next transition with clarity and confidence

Stick around to the end for a grounding visualization you can do anytime you're feeling stuck or unsure about your next move.

More about Meredith:
Meredith is a Master Certified Life Coach, 500hr meditation, yoga, and breathwork teacher, and the founder of The Upgrade, a group coaching program designed to help women create more meaningful, aligned lives. 

👉 Learn more at themeredithbaker.com or follow @themeredithbaker on Instagram.

Ever thought about walking away from a high-paying corporate career to pursue something wildly different - without knowing how it would all work out?

In this episode of Good Shift, I sit down with Adam Rowland, former Head of Planning at global brands like Ralph Lauren, ASICS, and Icebreaker, who swapped spreadsheets and a high-paying corporate role, for self-made, stop-motion animation.

He didn’t wait for burnout. He made the leap while things were going well and told us why he's always had that mindset. He now runs his own animation studio, Awkward Animations.

This episode is full of real, raw, and deeply helpful insight for anyone ready to shift gears but unsure how to do it, especially with a mortgage, kids, and self-doubt in the mix.

Adam breaks down:

✅ How to know when to leave the corporate world (even if it’s going good)
✅ Why upskilling on the side was the real secret to being able to pivot
✅ How to up your game at networking and build confidence around it
✅ Advice on planning ahead for a shift (incl financials)
✅ Why backing yourself doesn’t mean you can’t build a safety net
✅ Why it’s never too late to become a beginner again

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s “too late” to start again, or worried about what people will think, this episode will shift your mindset and give you practical ways to move forward.

🛠️ Recommendations:

🎥 Pak’nSave Stop-Motion Ad (Watch It Here)

🎥 Lee Jeans commercial by Awkward Animations

🎙️ Mel Robbins Podcast on Confidence

🧠 Sir Ken Robinson TED Talk – “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”

👉 Connect with Adam:
LinkedIn
Website
Instagram

🚀 Follow Good Shift for Bite-Sized Career Shifts:
Instagram: @goodshiftpod

Why do we stay stuck in work that doesn’t feel right — even when we know it’s time to move on?

In this episode of Good Shift, I sit down with Bianca Smeekes, mind-body coach and founder of Neurospark, to unpack the neuroscience behind feeling stuck.

In this episode, we explore:

• How subtle signs like fatigue, anxiety, and numbness may be clues your career no longer fits
• Why your nervous system can keep you stuck — even when you want to change
• The mindset shifts Bianca used to move to powerful change
• The science of taking small steps toward fulfillment
• Real, grounded advice for moving forward when the future feels unclear

About Bianca:
Bianca Smeekes is a mind-body practitioner, neuroscience coach, and the founder of Neurospark, where she helps people break free from limiting patterns and step into a life that actually feels good. Her approach combines science, nervous system regulation, and self-leadership to support deep, sustainable change.

Resources & Links:

• Learn more about Bianca: https://www.neurospark.co.nz/
• Connect on Instagram: @neurospark
• Bianca’s podcast: Unlearn with Bianca
• Freya's story on healing from concussion and chronic fatigue through the Lightning Process:
  Listen here on Apple Podcasts

If you're stuck, second-guessing yourself, or waiting for the “right” time to make a shift, this conversation is the nudge you've been waiting for.

How do you balance a high-performing career with a creative passion—without burning out? 

I’m joined by my good friend Ned Gow, who’s done exactly that. Ned is an Associate Director at Colliers, building a successful career in commercial real estate, while also being the drummer in No Cigar, a band that has skyrocketed with sold-out tours and a global fanbase. 

His story isn’t about escaping a job he hated—it’s about intentionally designing a life where both career and passion thrive. 

In this episode, we break down: 

🔥 The mindset shifts behind Ned’s career moves
🔥 How to take smart career risks without regret
🔥 Balancing financial security and creative freedom
🔥 The power of surrounding yourself with the right people
🔥 How to avoid burnout while chasing multiple goals 

Ned shares his key lessons on career growth, discipline, and fulfillment—plus insights on choosing the right boss, working smarter (not harder), and the books that have shaped his mindset. If you’re someone who wants more out of your career and personal passions, this episode is a must-listen. 🎧 Tune in now!

Books Mentioned: 📖 The Art of Living – Epictetus, Sharon Lebell 📖 Atomic Habits – James Clear 📖 Never Split the Difference – Chris Voss 📖 Can’t Hurt Me – David Goggins 

Where to Find Ned:
📌 Find No Cigar on Spotify
📌 Find Ned on LinkedIn  

Ever thought about leaving your job and starting your own business, but felt overwhelmed by the idea of building something from scratch? What if there was a different approach to being an entrepreneur?

In this episode of Good Shift, I sit down with my friend Kristiana Laugen, a powerhouse entrepreneur who took an unconventional route to business ownership. Buying an existing business instead of starting one from the ground up.

Kristiana breaks down:

✅ How she transitioned from the corporate world to entrepreneurship

✅ What "boring businesses" are - and why they can be gold mines

✅ How to find and buy a profitable business (even without prior experience)

✅ The mindset shifts needed to take the leap - and stay committed

✅ The biggest challenges of running a business after acquisition

If you’ve ever wondered how to be your own boss without reinventing the wheel, this episode is packed with real, actionable insights on finding, financing, and running a business that works for you.

Recommendations from Kristiana:

1. https://www.searchers.com/
2. Codie Sanchez - https://codiesanchez.com/
3. Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life - Book by Bill Perkins
4. Buy Then Build - Book by Walker Deibel
5. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success - Book by Carol Dweck

👉 Connect with Kristiana https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiana-laugen-4b116047/

🚀 Follow Good Shift for Bite Sized Insights

Instagram: @goodshiftpod

Welcome to Good Shift. The podcast for ambitious people ready to shake up their careers and build a working life that actually excites them.

I’m Freya Gordon, and in this first episode, I’m diving into why I started this podcast, my own career shifts (from law to marketing), and what you can expect from future episodes.

Whether you’re feeling stuck, curious about a change, or ready to make bold moves, this podcast will give you real stories, mindset shifts, and actionable tools to help you take the next step.

🎙 In this episode:
✔️ Why I left a "good" career to find a better one
✔️ The biggest reason people stay stuck and how to break free
✔️ What to expect from future episodes

If you’re ready to make a good shift, hit follow and let’s get started.

In this episode, I sit down with Alexa Gray - founder of Social Bloome and one of the formative early team members at Olipop, where she helped shape the brand into one of the fastest-growing wellness companies in the U.S.

With a background spanning nonprofit work, photography, brand building, and now her own agency, Alexa’s path has never been linear, but it’s always been purpose-led. We talk about how to make confident career moves (even when they don’t make sense on paper), the mindset needed to leave a “successful” job, and what it really takes to build a business rooted in authenticity and community.

Whether you're navigating your own pivot or dreaming about starting something new, this conversation is packed with real insights and practical encouragement.

In this episode, we cover:
✨ How to make bold career moves with confidence
💼 Leaving a job you’re doing well in and why it’s okay
🚀 Alexa’s experience working at an early stage start-up and how to know if that enviroment is right for you
💡 Building a business (and community) from scratch
📱 Launching an app with no tech background 
🛠 Her go-to habits for staying grounded and moving through hard moments

Connect with Alexa:

1. Alexa's Linkden 
2. Social Bloome 

Follow Good Shift:
Instagram → @goodshiftpod

 

In this episode, I sit down with best friends, co-founders, and first-time entrepreneurs Elan Halpern and Kiki Couchman, who traded high-achieving careers in tech and private equity to start a probiotic yogurt company from scratch — without burning it all down overnight.

They talk candidly about the slow build of misalignment, how they reframed leaving “successful” jobs without guilt, and the three key pillars they used to figure out what was next (Elan’s 3 Ps: passion, product, pay). We unpack what it means to make a shift on your own timeline, how your career can shape your identity (without permission), and why being “obsessed” with your work actually matters.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a role that everyone else admires, or wondered whether a side idea could be something more — this episode will meet you where you are.

In This Episode, We Cover:

🎯 The signs of career misalignment 

🧠 The mindset shifts that made leaving corporate jobs possible

🧪 The “experiments” they ran to build conviction before quitting

💼 How your job can silently shape your identity over time

🛠️ Elan’s 3 Ps framework for deciding what to do next

🚪 How to exit the “first job” without throwing away everything you’ve built

👯‍♀️ The power of building in public and treating your community like a co-founder

💬 The uncomfortable part of starting over (and how to speak about it confidently)

🔗 Links & Resources:

Follow Elan & Kiki’s journey on Instagram: @eatbeny 

Book recommendation: Be Ready When Luck Happens by Ina Garten

Want the framework Elan used? Listen out for the 3 Ps: Passion, Product, Pay

Have you ever felt the pull toward something totally different but held back because it seemed too weird, too impractical, or just too far off your current path?

In this episode, I sit down with Belinda Price, who left behind travel agency life to milk cows on a dairy farm and eventually made a bold, purpose-fueled shift into one of the most misunderstood (and profound) careers: death doula.

We dive into:

• How to make unconventional career moves when fear and judgment show up
• Why your gut instinct won’t leave you alone (and why that matters)
• The 5 regrets people have on their deathbed and what they mean for your career
• Building a business from scratch in an emotional, under-resourced industry
• What it actually looks like to work in death and what it teaches you about living

🧰 Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

💬 Belinda’s Work:

• Leaving Legacies – Belinda’s End-of-Life Doula Practice
  https://www.leavinglegacies.co.nz
  
  
• Belinda’s Podcast: Dying to Know
  

📚 Reflection Tools:

• The Five Regrets of the Dying
  Based on the book by Bronnie Ware (referenced by Belinda)
• How We Feel App
  Free mobile app to track and name your emotions
  Great for understanding emotional patterns when considering career shifts
  
  
• Knowing Your Connection Cards
  A 54-question card deck created by Belinda to help spark conversations around values, life reflections, and legacy
  Available on her website: https://www.leavinglegacies.co.nz
  
  
• Reflection Letter Exercise
  A guided self-awareness tool where you gather strengths-based feedback from 20 people across your life (colleagues, friends, family, past clients). Used in Belinda’s positive psychology studies.

🎓 Courses Mentioned:

• Diploma of Positive Psychology
  From The Langley Group Institute – helped spark Belinda’s pivot into her doula work
  
  
• Micronutrients and Brain Health Course
  University of Canterbury – explored holistic wellbeing and brain nutrition
  
  

This episode covers how to support your partner when they want to make a career change, how to move through a shift yourself, and a side dive into the basics of insurance you might never have thought about but most definitely need to know. 

This episode covers two major topics:

Part 1: The emotional reality of career change in relationships

• How to support a partner's risky decisions while managing your own fears
• Having difficult conversations about money and security with someone you love
• Recognizing when you're ready to make your own leap
• Working with your life partner without destroying your relationship

Part 2: Insurance basics every entrepreneur and young adult needs to know

• Why you should insure yourself before your phone
• What income protection actually covers (and why you need it young)
• How insurance brokers work and what they cost
• Essential coverage for small business owners
• The insurance questions you didn't know to ask

Perfect for anyone supporting a partner through career uncertainty, considering their own major change, or wondering what insurance coverage they actually need as they build their adult life.

Connect with Pam:

LinkedIn 

Coversure insurance brokerage 

Naomi Ballantyne Podcast ep 

What do you do when everyone thinks you can't stick to anything? Danii O'Malley spent years jumping between careers - failing university, personal training, construction sales - feeling like something was fundamentally wrong with her. Each time she moved on, it looked like she couldn't commit to anything.

But she kept listening to that inner voice saying "this isn't it" even when it would have been easier to just stay put. That persistence through multiple career shifts, a health crisis, and financial uncertainty eventually led her to naturopathy - work that finally felt right.

Now in her final year of study and running her own holistic health practice, Danii shares the practical lessons about:

• How to tell the difference between "I can't stick to things" vs "this genuinely isn't for me"
• The Monday morning test for knowing when it's time to move on
• Why you need to get your own health sorted before making big career decisions
• How to handle family expectations when you deviate from their plans
• Managing the financial reality of career changes while raising kids

If you've ever felt like the problem because nothing seems to stick, or you're wondering whether to persist through a rough patch or make a change, this conversation gives you both permission and practical frameworks to trust your instincts and keep searching for work that truly fits.

Connect with Danii: Instagram: @Flourish__Health 
Website: flourishhealth.co.nz

Danii's recco:
The college Danii studied at: "It’s called the South Pacific College of Medicine and they really have made these final years of this journey so special and I’d recommend them so highly."

Great for anyone with a business idea brewing or stuck wondering if they should make the jump.

David Vioque and Arnold Fomété are two London based co-founders who went from finance careers to building and exiting a startup in under a year. They share what actually worked (and what almost killed their business).

After burning out at Goldman Sachs and Evercore, they took the leap into entrepreneurship and learned some hard lessons along the way. Now building their second venture, they're getting real about the stuff that matters.

What we cover:

• How to know if people actually want what you're building
• The money reality before you quit your day job
• Choosing a co-founder 
• What to look for (and avoid) in investors
• Setting up a board of advisors
• The validation mistakes that can sink you

Key quotes:

• "People need to be asking for whatever you're building more than you can actually build it"
• "It can't just be your friends at a pub saying they'd use it"
• "Getting an investor is like marriage - do your due diligence"
• "Be in the kitchen with the people who'll actually use your product"

If you're thinking about starting something, wondering how co-founder relationships actually work, or curious about what it takes to get initial traction - this conversation covers the practical stuff that's often glossed over.

Resources mentioned:

1. Ikigai concept - Japanese philosophy for finding purpose
2. "The Creative Act" by Rick Rubin - on applying creativity to business building

Connect with them: Instagram: @living.unbound Website: https://www.unbound.living/ 

In this episode, Manoj Dias - Co-founder of Open, shares how he walked away from an epic corporate career to build one that actually felt right. It’s a conversation about rethinking success, taking risks and finding the courage to move against the status quo.

We cover:

• What burnout feels like and how to make a change
• Why we stay stuck in careers that no longer fit
• The emotional and financial risk of stepping away — and how to manage it
• How to rebuild your career from the inside out
• What success means after you’ve lost the version that once defined you

If you’re feeling disconnected, burnt out, or like you’ve outgrown your current path, this one will meet you right where you are.

When the thing you’ve poured years of your life into — your career, your business, your identity — comes to an end, it can feel impossible to know what comes next. This episode is an honest look at how to rebuild from that place to make your next shift.

Henry Mitchell, co-founder of Still Life, shares the raw reality of closing the chapter on something meaningful and how to find your footing again. We dive into the emotional side of transitions, the mindset shifts required to move forward, and how to keep showing up when you’re still in the messy middle.

This is a conversation about identity, resilience, and the power of reframing “failure” as part of your next chapter — not the end of your story.

If you’re navigating change, feeling stuck, or questioning what’s next, this one’s for you.

Find Henry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-mitchell-3aa177ab/

Find Still Life Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtGlyGdfpMyu98ax5oXHWSyg7duZr41Uc