Many professionals follow the “safe path” — education, corporate career, promotions — only to realize years later they built success but not freedom. They feel stuck in golden handcuffs, working harder every year but living less.

Leaving stability feels terrifying. What if the business fails? What if you choose the wrong niche? Most entrepreneurs either never start… or pivot constantly, chasing trends, platforms, and tactics — and never gain traction. The result? Burnout, confusion, and no clear Freedom Day.

In this episode, Jeff Kikel talks with business coach and former PwC director Lidia Axe, who walked away from a fast-track corporate career after realizing partnership didn’t equal freedom. She shares how courage isn’t the absence of fear — it’s acting despite it — and how building a lifestyle-centric business model, strong habits, and focused execution creates real independence. Lidia explains why most entrepreneurs fail from distraction, how to stay consistent, and why your network — not your niche — may be your most valuable asset.

Key Takeaways:

1. Why corporate success doesn’t always equal personal freedom
2. Courage means acting despite fear — not waiting for confidence
3. The danger of pivoting too quickly instead of improving systems
4. Why solopreneurship still requires a support network
5. How to design a lifestyle-centric business model first — tools second
6. Why execution matters more than ideas in business growth
7. The power of habits in building entrepreneur identity
8. How accountability and focus beat chasing every platform trend
9. Why AI can accelerate creativity instead of replacing it
10. How freedom means choosing what you work on each day

About the Guest:

Lidia Axe helps talented, heart-driven coaches turn inconsistent income into consistent $10K+ months—without sleazy tactics, gimmicks, or cookie-cutter strategies. Instead of telling coaches to “just post more,” they focus on what actually drives results: clear positioning, strong offers, and sales that feel aligned and ethical.

They work with coaches who are stuck juggling a full-time job and a part-time coaching hustle that barely pays the bills, helping them identify the real problem—usually not their skills, but their strategy. Known for honest, constructive tough love, Lidia challenges coaches to stop hiding behind certifications and start building a business that supports the impact they want to make.

Links:

https://www.skool.com/a-zone/about

https://www.youtube.com/@lidiachmel

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lidia-chmel/

Fast Five Questions:

1. If you woke up and your business was gone, you have $500, a laptop, a place to live, and food, what would you do first? “I open my phone book and start...

Entrepreneurs today are drowning in complexity. Endless apps, software subscriptions, automation tools, and “shiny object” technology promise efficiency—but often create confusion, overwhelm, and unnecessary expenses.

Many founders unknowingly build complicated systems that trap them instead of freeing them. They overspend on tools they don’t need, overextend themselves financially, and ignore foundational business basics—like leadership structure, banker relationships, and clear accountability. Add to that hiring mistakes, ignoring gut instincts, and overleveraging during growth cycles… and those battle scars start adding up.

In this episode, Jeff Kikel sits down with serial entrepreneur and founder of Bootstraps & Battle Scars, Chris Shurian, to unpack nearly four decades of real-world entrepreneurial experience. Chris shares how he survived major setbacks, navigated the 2008 financial crash, executed a successful exit, and now helps business owners simplify their operations and build sustainable leadership systems. This conversation is a masterclass in business basics, resilience, and designing your company so it creates freedom—not another prison.

Key Takeaways:

• Why most businesses are overcomplicated by unnecessary tech stacks

• The hidden cost of “$40 to death” subscription overload

• Why simplifying systems often increases profitability

• The power of having a real banker relationship—not just a bank account

• How peer mastermind groups eliminate the loneliness at the top

• Why founders need safe spaces to share both struggles and wins

• The danger of ignoring your gut when hiring or partnering

• Why business owners must define clear roles and accountability structures

• How structuring your company early determines your long-term freedom

• Why you shouldn’t wait until 65 to enjoy your life

About the Guest:

Chris Shurian is a lifelong entrepreneur who has spent more than 39 years building businesses that bring people together and create lasting memories. From leading a $15 million construction company to developing the Water’s Edge Resort in Bear Lake and founding the popular Cody’s Gastro Garage Restaurant, Chris has a proven track record of turning vision into reality. He’s been recognized as a finalist for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, featured in Utah Business Magazine’s Forty Under 40, and honored with multiple industry awards.

Outside of business, Chris is a lucky husband, father of 8-1/2, grandfather, “dog-dad” to a Berne-Doodle named Harley and “dog-granddad” to a fat German Shepherd named Drax, two-time Ironman finisher, and a devoted fan of the Denver Broncos and LA Dodgers.

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/shurian.chris.rachel

https://www.youtube.com/@chrisshurian2025

https://www.instagram.com/shurianchrisandrachel/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisshurian/

Fast Five Questions:

1. If you woke up and your business was gone, you have $500, a laptop, a place to live, and food, what would you do first? “You circle yourself with your inner circle. You bring your people together and say, ‘Okay, what’s next?’ You circle the wagons, talk about it, and get after it.”

2. What is the biggest mistake that you have made in business? “Not going with my gut. I made some very big decisions—hiring certain people, aligning with certain...

Many people believe that if they lose their job later in life, it’s game over. At 60+, finding new work feels impossible, savings feel fragile, and retirement suddenly looks like a financial cliff instead of a finish line.

That fear keeps people stuck in panic, poor financial decisions, and “hope-based” investing. Some take reckless risks trying to catch up, while others become so conservative they quietly fall behind inflation—draining their future month by month. Without clarity, even hard work can turn into decades of running in financial circles.

In this powerful episode, Jeff Kikel sits down with David Nassief, author and creator of the One Page Wealth Compass, who was fired at 63 after 18 years with the same company. Facing the very real possibility of being broke by 65, David reinvented himself, rebuilt his income, and—within six years—created a seven-figure portfolio using a simple, disciplined, “set-it-and-forget-it” investing approach. David shares how understanding incentives, avoiding expensive traps, and following clear principles helped him turn a late-life crisis into true financial freedom—and why it’s never too late to rewrite your story.

Key Takeaways:

1. What it feels like to be fired at 63 and face running out of money by 65
2. Why David chose commission-only sales as a last-ditch reinvention—and how it paid off
3. The danger of working hard while still “walking in financial circles”
4. How the One Page Wealth Compass was inspired by a real scientific experiment
5. Why understanding how advisors get paid can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars
6. How David avoided a costly life-insurance retirement plan by following incentives
7. Why boring, disciplined investing often beats exciting strategies
8. How volatility can be used for you, not against you
9. Why saving rate, behavior, and consistency matter more than chasing returns
10. The difference between retirement and FIGNA: Financial Independence, Graduate to the Next Adventure
11. Why freedom means choosing work you love—not being forced to work

About the Guest:

David Nassief, whose real life financial turnaround experience is as much of a Rocky type story as it is a personal finance discussion. He was fired at 63 from an 18 year corporate position with virtually no retirement savings, no job prospects, and the chilling realization that his career was effectively over. Out of desperation he charted a completely new direction in both his career and personal finances. His unique and simple “one page wealth compass” guided him to seven figure financial freedom in under six years.

Now, in his book, One-Page Wealth Compass, he shares that exact compass along with the hope and practical steps he wished he had known decades earlier. He's here to show us how it's never too late to navigate safely to financial freedom.

Links:

https://onepagewealthcompass.com/

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