Finding North with Nancy Girres

She Quit the Life She Built at 70 | Janet Fogarty | Ep. 6

What happens when you achieve everything you were supposed to want but something inside still tells you there’s more? In this deeply moving episode of the Finding North Podcast, Nancy Girres sits down with legendary executive coach and Vistage Chair Emeritus Janet Fogarty for a conversation about reinvention, intuition, grief, courage, identity, and designing a life that actually feels aligned. After spending 27 years guiding CEOs through growth, crisis, and transformation, Janet made a shocking decision at age 70: she walked away from the career she loved most. This conversation explores: • Why success alone is never enough • The hidden cost of ignoring your intuition • How sabbaticals can completely change your life • The power of asking better questions • Why listening is more transformative than advice • The difference between kindness and honesty • How to stop following someone else’s compass • What it really means to flourish as a human being Janet shares wisdom from decades spent coaching leaders through pivotal moments and reveals the mindset shifts that helped her embrace an entirely new chapter of life with freedom, peace, and purpose. If you’ve been feeling stuck, burned out, disconnected, or quietly questioning your direction... this episode may change the way you see your life. 📸 Follow behind the scenes: https://www.instagram.com/coachgirres/ 🌐 Nancy’s Website: https://nancygirres.com/ 💼 Connect with Nancy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancygirres Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, identity, healing, burnout, and personal transformation. #findingnorthpodcast #janetfogarty #selfgrowth #leadership #personaldevelopment

Why Women Come Alive After 60 | Whitney Walpole | Ep. 5

What if the conversations you’re avoiding are the key to becoming fully alive? In this episode of Finding North, Nancy Girres sits down with executive team coach and communication expert Whitney Walpole to explore leadership, reinvention, motherhood, identity, and the conversations that change everything. After 30 years coaching leadership teams and helping organizations build healthier cultures, Whitney shares the powerful communication tools behind her upcoming book, Breakthrough Conversations: How Great Teams Talk and Win Together. This conversation goes deep into: • Why most people focus on what they DON’T want • The communication shift that transforms relationships • What successful women struggle with privately • Why “having it all” is more complicated than it sounds • The surprising freedom that comes with getting older • Why women often come alive later in life • The power of uncertainty, growth, and becoming If you’ve ever felt successful but disconnected from yourself… this conversation will stay with you. 📸 Follow behind the scenes: https://www.instagram.com/coachgirres/ 🌐 Nancy’s Website: https://nancygirres.com/ 💼 Connect with Nancy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancygirres Connect with Whitney Walpole: ✉️ whitney@culturecounts.biz 🌐 https://www.conversationscount.com Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, identity, healing, burnout, and personal transformation. #leadership #womenover50 #personalgrowth #communicationskills #executivecoaching #findingnorth #whitneywalpole #nancygirres #womeninleadership #selfdevelopment #emotionalintelligence #mindsetshift #breakthroughconversations #leadershippodcast #womenempowerment #midlifetransformation #purposedrivenlife #authenticleadership #teamculture #podcastforwomen

He Drew the Long Straw and Accidentally Became CEO | Michael Trotter | Ep. 4

What happens when leadership finds you before you feel ready for it? In this episode of Finding North, Nancy Girres sits down with retired entrepreneur and longtime business leader Michael Trotter for an honest conversation about leadership, pressure, identity, freedom, legacy, and what really matters after decades of building a successful company. Michael shares the moment that unexpectedly changed the trajectory of his life, how he built a people-first company culture, and why true leadership starts with serving the people doing the hardest work. This conversation explores: • The unexpected moment Michael became CEO • Why great leadership is built through responsibility • The hidden pressure behind business ownership • How company culture shapes long-term success • Why frontline employees mattered most to him • The power of recalibration and personal growth • What freedom feels like after stepping away from leadership • Lessons on family, legacy, mentorship, and letting go This is a conversation for leaders who have spent years carrying responsibility and are now asking what success truly means. 📸 Follow behind the scenes: https://www.instagram.com/coachgirres/ 🌐 Nancy’s Website: https://nancygirres.com/ 💼 Connect with Nancy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancygirres Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, identity, personal growth, business ownership, freedom, and finding your true direction. #findingnorth #nancygirres #michaeltrotter #leadership #entrepreneurship #businessowner #businessgrowth #ceomindset #leadershipdevelopment #selfdiscovery #executivecoach #culture #retirement #personaldevelopment #podcast

She Had the "Perfect Life" Until It All Fell Apart | Danielle B. Baldwin | Ep. 3

If you’ve built a life that looks successful on the outside but still feel disconnected, overwhelmed, or quietly lost inside it… this conversation will feel uncomfortably familiar. In this episode of Finding North, Nancy Girres sits down with speaker, writer, and coach Danielle B. Baldwin to explore inspiration, identity, grief, and what it really takes to rebuild your life when everything you planned falls apart. Danielle shares how high achievers slowly drift away from themselves, why “aspiration culture” leaves people empty, and how true inspiration is not about striving harder but about reconnecting to something deeper within. This conversation goes deep into: • Why successful people still feel lost • The emotional difference between aspiration and inspiration • How life quietly pulls you off your planned path • What happens when your “future self” no longer exists • Grief, fertility loss, and identity collapse • Why belonging shapes how we see ourselves • How leaders lose themselves in achievement • The conditions required for real inspiration to return This is a conversation for anyone who has ever thought: “I did everything right… so why don’t I feel right?” 📸 Follow behind the scenes: https://www.instagram.com/coachgirres/ 🌐 Nancy’s Website: https://nancygirres.com/ 💼 Connect with Nancy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancygirres Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, identity, healing, burnout, and personal transformation. #findingnorth #nancygirres #daniellebaldwin #leadership #burnout #inspiration #personalgrowth #identity #executivecoaching #selfdiscovery #healingjourney #mindset

From Childhood Trauma to CEO: Jill Simonds’ Unfiltered Story | Ep. 2

If your life looks successful on the outside but internally you still feel overwhelmed, exhausted, or disconnected, this conversation will resonate deeply. In this episode of Finding North, Nancy Girres sits down with entrepreneur, author, and Savvy Strategic Partners founder Jill Simonds for a raw conversation about leadership, trauma, identity, healing, and what truly drives high achievers. Jill opens up about growing up around addiction, losing her father in college, breaking generational cycles, and how overachievement became tied to worthiness. She also shares powerful business insights about why so many companies hit invisible growth ceilings and what leaders must do to create freedom instead of chaos. This conversation goes deep into: • Childhood trauma and emotional survival • Why high achievers struggle with self-worth • Breaking generational cycles • The hidden emotional cost of success • Why most businesses become dependent on the founder • Fractional leadership and scaling sustainably • Healing, recalibration, and finding your true direction This is a conversation for leaders who have achieved success but still feel like something deeper is unresolved. 📸 Follow behind the scenes: https://www.instagram.com/coachgirres/ 🌐 Nancy’s Website: https://nancygirres.com/ 💼 Connect with Nancy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancygirres Connect with Jill Simonds: 🌐 Jill's Website: https://www.savvystrategicpartners.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillcsimonds/ Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, identity, healing, business growth, and personal transformation. #findingnorth #nancygirres #jillsimonds #leadership #entrepreneurship #businessgrowth #healing #selfdiscovery #personaldevelopment #executivecoach #ceomindset #traumahealing #podcast