Most career wake-up calls don't come from failure. They come when everything still looks good on paper, but your body, values, or sense of control start asking harder questions. In this episode of the Free Agent Podcast, Meg Schmitz and Dawn Mullarney talk about the moment experienced executives and fractional professionals reach when staying put feels riskier than moving, yet the next step has to be thoughtful, aligned, and sustainable.

Most leaders think risk is financial, until one bad hire starts running the business from the shadows. Erin Longmoon shares how her own run of toxic workplaces shaped her mission to eradicate them, and how Zephyr Connects vets people for character, coachability, and culture fit, not just a good resume. If you're hiring staff or considering ownership, this episode helps you spot cultural red flags before you commit.

When income becomes less predictable, experienced leaders begin asking different questions about stability and control. In this episode, Meg Schmitz talks with business owner Samuel Espindola about what it really takes to build predictable revenue when responsibility for your family's future is on the line. This conversation is for seasoned professionals weighing ownership carefully—and looking for a path that holds up in uncertain times.

In Part 2 of Meg's conversation with Melinda Emerson, the focus shifts from why to who you become after you buy a business. They talk candidly about the identity corporate life creates — titles, distance from the work, and the quiet arrogance that can follow you into ownership. Melinda explains why real owners roll up their sleeves, switch roles without ego, and do whatever the business needs that day. This episode is about humility, responsibility, and the mindset that separates operators from spectators.

When the call is clear but the path feels messy, most people mistake discomfort for a stop sign.

In this episode, Meg sits down with Melinda Emerson (SmallBizLady) to explore what happens after momentary ambition fades—when faith, fear, and real-world pressure collide.

Melinda shares how losing control of her business, her marriage, and her certainty became the proving ground for her purpose. Together, they unpack why buying a proven business or franchise can offer more stability than chasing another job, what it truly means to think like an owner, and why real freedom requires discipline—not shortcuts.

If you know you're meant for more but feel stuck in the middle, this conversation offers clarity, courage, and a grounded way forward.

In this episode, Bill shares how he went from SEAL training to buying a 65-year-old manufacturing company, navigating turnover, building a high-performance team, and using automation to help people earn more—not get replaced. He also opens up about stepping into (and back out of) politics, and why lifelong "forward-skilling" matters as industries shift fast.

If you're over corporate, craving mission, or wondering if ownership—especially franchising—could be your next move, this conversation gives you a clear, hope-filled way forward.

Fatima didn't leave social work because she stopped caring. She left because the cost of caring became too high. After years of holding other people's trauma, her own body and spirit demanded a new kind of life. In this powerful conversation, Fatima shares how she transformed burnout into a career rooted in healing, inclusivity, and conscious touch. Her journey offers a blueprint for anyone navigating the pressure-filled transitions so many Americans are facing today — career uncertainty, financial stress, identity shifts, and the ache for something steadier.

Matasha didn't fast-track her way into entrepreneurship — she played the long game, rebuilding her skills and timing her move while carrying the full weight of being the only income. Her story is one of patience and calculation, proof that steady planning can matter just as much as the dream itself. For anyone wondering how to start something with the skills they already have and almost no extra resources, this episode shows one of the many real paths forward.