We spend our entire lives avoiding "goodbye." We trade Instagram handles, promise to "catch up soon," and say "until next time"—all to protect ourselves from the discomfort of a finished chapter. But what happens when you lean into the finality instead?

In this reflective solo episode, Jess Ekstrom breaks down a chance encounter at a Colorado campground that changed her entire perspective on presence. When an older traveler told her, "You kids have a nice life," it didn't feel like a well-wish—it felt like a gut punch.

Jess explores the beauty of impermanence and why acknowledging that a moment will never happen again is actually the secret to enjoying it.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The "Until Next Time" Trap: Why our digital age makes it impossible to have true closure and how that prevents us from being fully present.
• The Japanese Tea Tradition: A lesson from a matcha bowl about noticing the "foam at the bottom"—the unique shapes that only happen once.
• Hurry Up and Relax: Jess’s struggle with "sprinting" through the day to get to the "good part," only to find her brain won't shut off once she gets there.
• The Turtle Pace: How walking with toddlers (who stop for every sidewalk flower and power-line bird) is the ultimate masterclass in noticing the extraordinary in the ordinary.
• Don’t Miss It: Why we shouldn't get so focused on creating a "good life" that we forget to actually have a "good day."

Key Quotes:
"The reality is, a 'next time' is never guaranteed. But the comfort in saying next time makes it easier to move on because there's a chance the story isn't over."

"Impermanence isn't a sad thing. In fact, it's the opposite. It's a reminder that all we have is now. So we might as well just enjoy it."

"Sometimes relaxing isn't the reward. It's the work itself."

Featured in this Episode:

• John Acuff: Author and friend who provided the "Don't Miss It" mantra.
• Andy Bernard (The Office): For the bittersweet reminder about knowing you're in the "good old days."

A Challenge for Your Week:

Next time you're in a conversation or a beautiful moment, try to find your "matcha foam." Identify one tiny, specific detail about this exact moment that will never be replicated again.

Visit walkwest.com to see more!

Have you ever had a dream job—the kind people tell you is the "coolest job in the world"—only to realize that your identity has become so wrapped up in it that you don’t know who you are without the title? How do you walk away from a legacy to build something entirely your own?

Welcome to Making It with Jess Ekstrom. This week, Jess sits down with Lindsey Shookus, the legendary former producer and head of the talent department at Saturday Night Live. After 20 years of discovering stars and managing the chaos of live television, Lindsey made the "wobbly" decision to leave 30 Rock and redefine what success looks like on her own terms.

In this candid conversation, Lindsey opens up about the grit required to survive 20-hour days, the lonely reality of hyper-fame, and the epiphany that led her to co-found Women Work Fing Hard*—a community built on active support rather than just "mentorship."

Tune in for:

• The SNL Hustle: How a girl from Buffalo with "Southern-adjacent" roots at UNC-Chapel Hill landed a job at SNL and worked her way from assistant to talent mogul.
• The Fame Pedestal: What Lindsey learned about success by watching the world’s most famous people up close, and why "street cred" isn't all it's cracked up to be.
• The "Wobbly" Transition: The identity crisis that follows leaving a high-profile career and how to navigate the "data" of who stays in your life when the power of your position is gone.
• Receive the Motherfing Data:* Lindsey’s viral-ready advice on relationships and business—how to stop "waiting to be chosen" and start looking at people's actions as objective information.
• Women Work Fing Hard:* The accidental origin story of her women’s community and why the goal is always "How can I help you?" rather than "Who can help me?"
• The Curse of the Good Girl: Why Lindsey normalizes "bombing" for her 12-year-old daughter and the importance of being uncomfortable to get better.
• Building a Boat: What it’s like for an ambitious woman to find a partner who asks, "How can I best support you?"
• The Art of the Question: Why being a curious mind is the most undervalued skill in networking and life.

About Lindsey Shookus:

Lindsey Shookus is an Emmy Award-winning producer, speaker, and coach. Best known for her two-decade career at Saturday Night Live, she now uses her expertise in talent and trust to advise hedge funds, produce documentaries, and empower women through her community, Women Work F***ing Hard.

Resources & Links:

• Lindsey Shookus’s Website: https://lindseyshookus.com
• Women Work Fing Hard:*
• Follow Lindsey on Instagram: @lindseyshookus
• The Curse of the Good Girl by Rachel Simmons:
• Making It with Jess Ekstrom is produced by Walk West and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

How to "Receive the Data" in Your Career

Lindsey talks about treating feedback-and even rejection-as objective data. This shift moves you from an emotional participant to a strategic scientist of your own life.

Visit walkwest.com to see more!

Have you ever felt like you had to mute your personality, change your style, or "fit the mold" just to be taken seriously in business? What if the very things people told you to tone down were actually your greatest superpowers for building a $100M empire?

Welcome to the premiere episode of Making It with Jess Ekstrom. This week, Jess sits down with Anne Mahlum, the visionary founder of [Solidcore] and Back on My Feet. Anne famously raised $210 million from private equity while wearing see-through crop tops, proving that authenticity isn't just a buzzword—it’s a high-stakes competitive advantage.

In this raw and uncensored conversation, Anne pulls back the curtain on her $100 million exit, why she refuses to be a "one-hit wonder," and how she transitioned from a "starving founder" to a fitness mogul. They dive deep into the "hustle muscle" fueled by early pain, the importance of "happy endings" in business, and the biological shifts of entering her next big chapter: motherhood.

Tune in for:

• The story behind the see-through crop tops and why Anne refused to change her hair or style for private equity partners.
• Why "fake it till you make it" is bad advice and how trying to fit in actually makes you feel smaller and less confident.
• Anne’s three core values—Authenticity, Transparency, and Winning—and how they guided her through $100M negotiations.
• The "Chip on the Shoulder": Why many high-performing entrepreneurs are fueled by a need to prove themselves and the realization that achievement doesn't equal love.
• The $100 Million Exit: How Anne planned her last day years in advance to ensure a celebratory, "non-messy" transition.
• Financial Leverage: Why Anne advises founders to take money off the table early so they aren't "starving" when it's time to negotiate an exit.
• Radical Responsibility: Why claiming "it's my fault" for everything from low energy to a stalled career is the ultimate power move to regain control.
• Relationships and Polarity: Anne’s take on settling into a partnership with her husband as an ambitious, breadwinning woman.
• How to find a "game you can win" by sharpening your unique 8, 9, and 10-level skill sets.

About Anne Mahlum:

Anne Mahlum is a speaker, investor, and the founder of [Solidcore], a boutique fitness powerhouse she scaled to 100+ locations before a massive exit. She is also the founder of the non-profit Back on My Feet. Anne is a dedicated advocate for financial literacy and empowers founders to build businesses that reflect their truest selves.

Resources & Links:

• Anne Mahlum’s Website: https://annemahlum.com
• Follow Anne on Instagram: @annemahlum
• Brene Brown’s Values Exercise:
• Making It with Jess Ekstrom is produced by Walk West and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

A Note on Radical Responsibility & Starting Blocks

In this episode, Anne and Jess discuss the reality of "starting blocks." While Anne emphasizes taking radical responsibility, she also acknowledges the statistical realities of the business world. For context, women-led startups received only about 2% of total venture capital funding in recent years, and for Black and Latina founders, that number often drops below 1%.

As Anne notes, recognizing privilege or systemic hurdles doesn't mean you stop working; it means you use your position to "lift others up" and change the statistics for the next generation of founders.

Visit walkwest.com to see more!