Why I Left
Why I Left tells real stories from real people about the bold career moves that changed their lives. Hosted by Brian Aquart, the show goes beyond resignations to uncover courage, clarity, and growth in the face of change. Each episode offers honest reflections, lessons learned, and practical insights for anyone considering a pivot, navigating uncertainty, or seeking inspiration for their next chapter. We don’t talk about resignations enough, this podcast makes sure we do.
Episodes
What happens when the system you helped build no longer reflects the person you have become? Dr. Jessica Herbert knows that question from the inside. She left the same career twice, first to step away from law enforcement, then later to move beyond public safety analytics toward leadership transformation.
Jessica’s path spans law enforcement, federal task force work, data science, entrepreneurship, an...
What happens when the life you built still works, but no longer fits? For Kjell van Zoen, that question became impossible to ignore during a conversation about scaling a business in a direction that looked successful on paper but felt wrong internally.
Kjell is a leadership coach, organizational development practitioner, and guide for people navigating personal and professional inflection points. In this co...
Dana T. Weekes had built the kind of career many people work years to reach. As a lawyer and policy advocate, she worked on complex legislative and regulatory issues, represented major clients, and became known for high-stakes problem solving. But behind the success, she was exhausted, disconnected, and losing touch with her own voice.
In this conversation, Dana shares why 2020 became the culmination point ...
Some careers do more than give you a job. They give you structure, identity, mission, and a sense of belonging. For retired Lieutenant Colonel Oak McCulloch, leaving the Army meant more than stepping away from a role. It meant learning who he was without the uniform.
In this conversation, Brian talks with Oak about his transition out of military service, the grief of leaving behind a deeply rooted identity,...
Money is rarely just about numbers. For Kara Stevens, founder of The Frugal Feminista, money was tied to avoidance, shame, family stories, ambition, risk, and the question of what it really means to have enough.
In this conversation, Kara shares how she moved from debt and financial avoidance to helping women heal their relationship with money. Before building The Frugal Feminista, she worked in education, ...
Geoffrey Roche left corporate healthcare after realizing that professional success could not come at the expense of personal authenticity. His decision to step away from Siemens Healthineers came during a profound period of identity, courage, and recalibration.
Geoffrey is a nationally recognized voice in healthcare leadership, education, workforce strategy, and the future of work. In this conversation, he ...
Gretchen Andrew left Google with just $5,000, no art degree, and no clear roadmap. Years later, her work, Facetune Portraits, now lives inside the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art.
In this episode of Why I Left, Gretchen shares how she walked away from one of the most prestigious jobs in tech, taught herself painting online, and pioneered “Search Engine Art” by manipula...
At the height of a successful career in Hollywood, Steven Puri was working on some of the biggest film franchises in the world. The path forward was clear. Bigger titles. Bigger budgets. More recognition. But something didn’t sit right.
What happens when you realize the system you’re succeeding in no longer reflects your values? For Steven, that moment came when he saw firsthand how success coul...
She had the career people chase. And still chose to leave.
Karlyn Kieffer spent years in television news before realizing the work no longer aligned with how she wanted to live. What followed was a shift away from visibility and toward impact.
Now an executive coach and founder of Pro Tip Partners, Karlyn helps leaders communicate with clarity, think on their feet, and lead with intention. But getting there ...
He had stability, leadership, and influence inside one of the largest healthcare systems in the country. And he still chose to leave.
Dr. Adam Carewe is a practicing physician and clinical informaticist who built a reputation for driving innovation from within. But over time, he realized the system couldn’t move at the pace he believed healthcare needed.
In this episode, Adam shares what led to that de...
Aundrea Cline-Thomas spent 15 years as an Emmy-winning journalist in top markets like New York and Philadelphia before making the decision to walk away. Because she realized she was operating far below her full capacity.
In this episode, Aundrea shares what led to that realization, the internal conflict of leaving something she worked so hard for, and how she approached building a new path through entrepren...
Farah Hussain spent more than a decade building a successful career at PayPal. From the outside, her trajectory looked like momentum. Promotions. Influence. Global impact.
But internally, something had shifted.
In this episode, Farah shares the moment that changed everything. A quiet realization during a coaching session that made the burnout disappear and revealed the work she truly wanted to do.
We talk abo...
Kevin Schmiegel founded Hiring Our Heroes and helped reshape veteran employment in America. At the height of its success, he walked away.
Behind the hiring fairs, White House partnerships, and corporate coalitions was a leader working 80-hour weeks and running on empty. Kevin shares what it cost to build a national movement and what happened after he left. Depression. Identity loss. A search for purpose bey...
When your boss finds your side hustle, what do you do?
Nicaila Matthews Okome received the “We need to talk” email while working at NPR. HR got involved. Screenshots were printed. Her ambition was suddenly under scrutiny. That moment forced a decision: shrink or build.
Nicaila is the founder of Side Hustle Pro, a top-ranked entrepreneurship podcast with over 10 million downloads. But before the H...
Stephen A. Hart left a six-figure corporate leadership role after doctors warned him about the physical toll of chronic stress. What looked like success on paper was quietly becoming unsustainable.
In this conversation, Stephen shares how burnout, high blood pressure, and a cardiologist’s warning forced him to confront what his career was really costing him. He opens up about turning down a six-figure...
Loneliness at work is rising. And it is a structural issue.
In this episode, Tracy Brower, PhD, returns to Why I Left to unpack the growing disconnection inside modern organizations. Fifty percent of people globally report feeling lonely. Leaders feel stretched thin. Teams feel unseen.
Tracy is a sociologist and Vice President of Workplace Insights at Steelcase. She has spent years studying happiness, belong...
Most people think quitting is the story. It isn’t.
Before people leave their jobs, something usually happens first. A pause. A realization. A moment that makes it impossible to keep going the same way. Five years ago, Dr. Anthony Klotz coined The Great Resignation. But the real story was never about quitting. It was about clarity.
In the Season 5 premiere of Why I Left, Anthony returns to unpack what a...
After 100 episodes, one truth stands out. Leaving is rarely about quitting. It is about alignment.
In this season five launch, Brian Aquart reflects on what a hundred conversations with leaders, founders, and operators have revealed about career transitions and identity shifts. What changes when success no longer fits. What it costs to stay too long. And why discipline, not momentum, builds something that l...
On the Season 4 finale of Why I Left, Brian sits down with Craig Whitely, better known as Craig the Barber, who shares his inspiring journey from the world of finance to becoming an award-winning barber and founder of Burke Avenue, a premium mens grooming line. Discover how a passion for barbering, ignited by a simple gif...
Brian sits down with Jordana Cole, founder of Ignited LLC. Jordana shares her courageous decision to leave behind a successful corporate career and follow her passion for igniting leadership and transformation. Discover how her trailblazing path, from breaking barriers in her hometown to leading learning and development i...
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