A carefully planned CEO exit unraveled and what came next reshaped how one founder leads for good.

When Chris Schwalbach stepped away from the CEO seat at AVL Growth Partners, he had a clear plan, a strong successor, and years of preparation behind him. But even with all that in place, something didn’t sit right. The business started to wobble, and Chris found himself wondering if he’d made a mistake. What do you do when the leadership transition you spent years building starts to crack? How do you know when it’s time to step back in?

Joining Sarah Lockwood, Chris shares the real story behind his succession planning journey, from the slow handoff to the unexpected return, and what he learned about himself in the process. He talks openly about the shame he felt stepping back in, the inner work that helped him move through it, and the version of leadership he brings to the table now. If you’re thinking about founder exit planning or wrestling with what it means to let go, this episode offers a thoughtful look at what happens when plans shift and perspective deepens.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Chris Schwalbach’s CEO Exit and Return

02:06 Founding AVL Growth Partners and the Original Vision

04:07 Hitting Growth Ceilings and Planning a Leadership Transition

10:05 The Inner Journey: Failure, Trust, and Self-Doubt

17:12 Becoming CEO 2.0: Leading with Clarity and Confidence

22:00 Managing Team Expectations During a Leadership Transition

28:10 Reflecting on Progress: Using the Gap and the Gain

30:07 Personal Habits That Support Founder Mental Health

37:47 Lessons in Succession Planning and Self-Trust

Links

Conscious Entrepreneur Previous Episode with Chris Schwalbach:

https://consciousentrepreneur.us/chris-schwalbach-the-conscious-handover-embracing-change-at-the-top

Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur:

Website: http://www.consciousentrepreneur.us

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscious-entrepreneur/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conscious_entrepreneur_summit/

Connect with Chris Schwalbach:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cschwalbach/

Website: https://avlgrowth.com/

Connect with Sarah Lockwood:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lockwoodsarah/

Website: https://hivecast.fm

HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Jesse Pujji reveals how he builds wildly successful companies from scratch by doubling down on talent, distribution, and the power of bootstrapping.

In this episode, Sarah Lockwood sits down with the serial founder and investor behind Gateway X, a venture studio that launches and scales high-performing companies without venture capital. Jesse shares how he went from Goldman Sachs and McKinsey to building Ampush, one of Facebook’s earliest and most effective performance marketing agencies, which grew to manage over $1 billion in ad spend for top brands like Uber, Peloton, and Dollar Shave Club. That experience became the foundation for how he now builds high-performance teams and scalable businesses through bootstrapping.

Jesse breaks down the core principles that drive his companies: hiring exceptional talent, obsessing over sales and distribution, and staying rooted in profitability from day one. He shares the origin stories of ventures like GrowthAssistant, which connects startups with offshore marketing talent, and explains how each business at Gateway X is shaped by a unique unfair advantage and the right operating partner, not a VC-funded roadmap. From his two-farm model for sourcing ideas and people to his frameworks for knowing when to walk away from a failing project, Jesse offers a rare look into what it really takes to scale without VC.

This is a must-listen for founders ready to trade the unicorn myth for real traction, culture-driven leadership, and sustainable growth on their own terms.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Jesse Pujji’s Entrepreneurial Journey from Ampush to Gateway X

05:01 Core Principles for Bootstrapping and Scaling Without VC

08:48 How GrowthAssistant Scaled to $20M in Revenue

13:32 The Two-Farm Model: Matching Ideas with the Right People

15:00 Knowing When to Kill an Idea and Move On

16:02 Inside Aux: Translating Marketing for Private Equity

21:09 Why Sales and Distribution Matter More Than Product

22:14 The Power of High Performance Teams

27:02 Building Profitable Companies with Operational Rigor

34:30 Managing Attention, Energy, and Leadership Across Startups

38:48 Conscious Leadership and the Value of Coaching

Links

Dave Kashen - Startup CEO Coach

Book - The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: https://a.co/d/j4uKz9A

Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscious-entrepreneur/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conscious_entrepreneur_summit/

Website: http://www.consciousentrepreneur.us

Connect with Jesse Pujji:

Website Gateway X: https://www.gateway.xyz/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessepujji/

Connect with Sarah Lockwood:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lockwoodsarah/

Website: https://hivecast.fm

HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.

Most entrepreneurs aren’t drowning in work because they lack ambition. They’re stuck doing too much of the wrong kind of work.

Sarah Lockwood talks with Julie Johnston, the founder of Rhino Squad, about what it looks like to operate from your zone of genius. They unpack the mindset traps that keep founders stuck in the weeds and walk through how small shifts in delegation can lead to major changes in time management and business growth.

Julie shares what she’s learned helping leaders hire and work with virtual assistants, especially from the Philippines, and how a global workforce can unlock more freedom, better output, and stronger team culture. Are your top people doing high-value work? What could your business look like if they were?

Julie encourages founders to think big and recognize where VAs can support every part of your organization from revenue driving activities to business operations - VAs can do much more than confirm appointments, reschedule meetings or manage your inbox (although that ‘s a great place to start if you haven’t yet)! If you’ve been hesitant to delegate or unsure where to start, Sarah and Julie’s conversation will help you rethink how you’re spending your time and what it’s really costing you.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Meet Julie Johnston and Rhino Squad

02:03 Mindset Shifts for Effective Delegation

06:53 Maximizing Time with Virtual Assistants

10:50 Building a Supportive Team Culture

14:01 10X Thinking and Global Workforce Strategy

24:17 Julie’s Conscious Entrepreneurial Journey

29:49 Core Values Behind Rhino Squad

Links

Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur:

Website: http://www.consciousentrepreneur.us

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscious-entrepreneur/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conscious_entrepreneur_summit/

Connect with Julie Johnston:

Website: www.rhinosquad.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhinosquad_virtualassistants/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhinojulie/

Connect with Sarah Lockwood:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lockwoodsarah/

Website: https://hivecast.fm

HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm