What happens after you leave the corporate structure behind and suddenly realize you're responsible for creating the structure yourself?

In Episode 18 of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, Stephen Lee-Thomas sits down with internationally award-winning photographer, educator, and speaker Shawn Black to unpack his transition from television and agency work to building a photography business that has lasted more than 16 years.

Shawn shares how losing his agency job became the catalyst for entrepreneurship, why he initially photographed almost anything to build momentum, and how his career eventually evolved from weddings into a specialized boudoir photography business centered on confidence, strength, and helping clients see themselves differently.

But this conversation goes well beyond photography.

Shawn explains why “freedom needs to be managed,” how entrepreneurs can create structure without recreating the corporate environment they left, why continuous learning matters at every stage of business, and how knowing when to delegate can unlock the next stage of growth.

• Why entrepreneurial freedom still requires structure
• How Shawn turned an unexpected career disruption into a 16-year business
• Why finding the right niche can change both your business and your fulfillment
• How to learn from people at every experience level
• Why outside perspectives help uncover business blind spots
• How Shawn manages overwhelm and protects focused work
• When outsourcing starts making financial sense
• How to move from doing everything yourself toward building a scalable business
• Why Shawn is now designing the company to operate beyond his own time behind the camera

[00:00] Meet Shawn Black [01:12] What Boudoir Photography Really Means [03:08] Helping Clients Rediscover Confidence [05:10] From Television and Agency Work to Photography [07:06] Losing His Corporate Job and Taking the Leap [09:02] Building Momentum by Saying Yes to Everything [10:03] Why Shawn Started Moving Away From Weddings [12:45] Finding Purpose Through Boudoir Photography [16:01] The Biggest Surprise After Leaving Corporate [18:55] Why Entrepreneurs Need Their Own Structure [20:13] The Importance of Never Stopping Learning [22:40] Why Outside Perspectives Matter [24:17] Managing Overwhelm as a Business Owner [26:05] Knowing When It's Time to Outsource [28:53] Scaling Beyond the Owner [31:03] How to Connect With Shawn

Shawn's journey is a reminder that leaving corporate isn't the destination. Building a career and business around the life you actually want requires continuous adjustment, learning, and intentional decisions.

If you have a career journey or leadership lesson worth sharing, apply to join us on Beyond the Corporate Ladder: https://beyondthecorporateladder.com/podcast-guest-booking

What would make someone leave a six-figure leadership position and willingly take a two-thirds pay cut?

For Laura Biewer, it was the belief that she could build something of her own.

In Episode 17 of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, Stephen Lee-Thomas sits down with Laura Biewer, a mobile notary with 22 years of experience, educator, author, industry advocate, and co-founder of the Certified Notary Trust Delivery Agent (CNTDA) program.

Laura shares how she transitioned out of a vice president role at a nonprofit, unexpectedly entered the elder-care business, and discovered mobile notary work after struggling to find notaries willing to serve residents at her facility.

That opportunity eventually became a career.

But Laura's journey wasn't linear. When the 2008 financial crisis disrupted the loan-signing business, she had to reinvent herself again. She found a new specialty in trust signings and went on to build expertise in serving attorneys, legal professionals, hospital patients, hospice patients, skilled-nursing residents, and homebound signers.

Today, Laura also teaches and coaches other notaries, helps professionals discover new specialties, and advocates for stronger laws and protections within the industry.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why Laura walked away from a six-figure career
• How an unexpected opportunity led her into entrepreneurship
• Why she was willing to accept a major short-term income reduction
• How the 2008 financial crisis forced her to reinvent her business
• Why specialization can create more valuable opportunities for notaries
• How mobile trust-signing services can increase capacity for attorneys
• Why community matters when you're building a business independently
• How Laura moved from practitioner to educator, coach, author, and advocate
• Why serving others has become central to her definition of success

00:00 — Meet Laura Biewer and the CNTDA 02:20 — Helping Attorneys With Mobile Trust Signings 05:15 — Building a 22-Year Mobile Notary Career 07:20 — Leaving a Six-Figure Leadership Position 09:35 — The Unexpected Business That Changed Laura's Career 11:20 — Becoming a Mobile Notary 12:35 — From Notary to Educator and Coach 15:20 — Moving Into Industry Advocacy 17:40 — Finding Purpose Through Service 19:35 — What Laura Wishes She Knew About Success 21:05 — Why Community Matters in Entrepreneurship 23:00 — Creating Multiple Income Streams as a Notary 24:15 — The Compassionate Notary and Serving Vulnerable Signers 26:00 — How to Connect With Laura

Laura's story is a reminder that leaving the corporate ladder doesn't require having the entire journey mapped out. Sometimes the next opportunity appears because you're willing to solve the problem directly in front of you.

Have a career journey, leadership lesson, or story worth sharing? Apply to be a guest on Beyond the Corporate Ladder: https://beyondthecorporateladder.com/podcast-guest-booking

What happens when achieving the next promotion, building more skills, and reaching another professional milestone no longer feels like enough?

In Episode 16 of Beyond the Corporate Ladder, Stephen Lee-Thomas sits down with Jack Sparling, Co-Founder of Aspire Success, to explore how our definition of success can evolve from personal achievement toward purpose, leadership, and helping other people grow.

After more than 30 years in professional services leading high-performing teams and solving complex problems for major organizations, Jack entered a new chapter focused on executive coaching and leadership development.

He shares why some of his most fulfilling professional moments came not from his own advancement, but from seeing the people around him succeed.

The conversation explores a critical question for anyone responsible for a team:

Are you creating followers or are you creating leaders?

• Why professional achievement doesn't always create lasting fulfillment
• How Jack's definition of success changed throughout his career
• Why leaders need to develop other leaders instead of solving every problem themselves
• How empowering people to fail and learn can strengthen a team
• Why purpose can become a framework for major career decisions
• How self-awareness affects the way you lead
• How the Purpose Factor Assessment helps people articulate what drives them
• Why understanding your team's strengths can improve engagement
• How executives can think differently about their next career chapter

Chapters

[00:00] Meet Jack Sparling [01:42] From Corporate Leadership to Executive Coaching [03:48] Finding Fulfillment Beyond Achievement [06:08] How Jack’s Definition of Success Changed [08:12] Be a River, Not a Reservoir [09:56] Great Leaders Create Leaders [12:03] Empowering Your Team to Learn and Fail [14:02] Who Jack Coaches Today [15:55] From People Pleaser to Purpose Pleaser [18:03] Purpose, Leadership, and Employee Engagement [20:05] Understanding the Purpose Factor Assessment [22:04] Why Self-Awareness Makes You a Better Leader [24:00] Using Purpose to Build Stronger Teams [26:40] Jack’s Purpose Factor Assessment Offer [28:45] Closing Thoughts

Jack also shares an opportunity for listeners: the first three people who connect with him on LinkedIn and send the word “purpose” can receive a Purpose Factor Assessment and a 30-minute debrief with him.

Ready to share your own side of the story on Beyond the Corporate Ladder?

Apply to be a guest: https://beyondthecorporateladder.com/podcast-guest-booking