A $20,000 Loan Changed His Life Forever | Mark Burke | Ep. 7

A $20,000 Loan Changed His Life Forever | Mark Burke | Ep. 7

What does it take to build a business from scratch, survive decades of change, and leave a legacy that impacts thousands of people? In this episode of Finding North, Nancy Girres sits down with entrepreneur, mentor, and former CEO Mark Burke, founder of Mister Neat's Formalwear. Starting with just a $20,000 loan while still in college, Mark built Mister Neat's Formalwear into one of Colorado's most successful formalwear companies, growing from a single location into a 20-store business that served generations of customers. But this conversation goes far beyond business. Mark shares the lessons he learned about leadership, risk-taking, mentorship, resilience, peer groups, family, entrepreneurship, retirement, and what truly matters after decades of success. This conversation explores: • Building Mister Neat's Formalwear from a college class project • Taking risks when everyone says it won't work • Growing from 1 store to 20 locations • The power of mentorship and believing in people • How peer groups shape better leaders • Navigating divorce, setbacks, and reinvention • Retirement, purpose, and legacy • What success really means after 38 years in business 📸 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. #leadership #entrepreneur #businessowner #successmindset #motivation

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