Free Agent with Meg Schmitz

Hosted by Meg Schmitz

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Episodes

225

Latest episode

Jul 2026

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About the show

Inspiring conversations with real people who took the leap into business ownership, franchising, and freedom. Hosted by franchise guru, consultant and trusted small business advisor, Meg Schmitz. If you're looking to make the next phase of your life the best phase, this podcast is for you. From corporate refugees and executives tired of the desk job life, to entrepreneurs and investors looking for more support in their business journey, you'll hear from real people who stepped into the unknown, took control of their destiny and became their own boss.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 29, 2026Episode 148 min

9.1 Buying a Business: Opportunity or Liability?

A steady paycheck may support your lifestyle today, but what happens when your employer no longer needs you? Business advisor Bob Paden joins Meg Schmitz to explore the realities of buying a business, what makes it valuable, and why purchasing revenue doesn't necessarily mean purchasing financial security. Before you invest your savings in your next chapter, discover what separates a business that builds wealth from one that becomes another demanding job.

July 16, 2026Episode 1939 min

Ep. 8.20 Gary Nelson Saw The Shift Before Most Leaders Did

For years, people were taught that success meant pushing harder, carrying more, and never letting anything drop. But in this conversation, Gary Nelson offers something different: permission to rethink what a meaningful life and career can actually look like. Together, Gary and I explore reinvention, freedom, and why so many high performers are finally choosing peace, flexibility, and alignment over proving themselves to everyone else.

July 2, 2026Episode 2446 min

Ep 8.25 Building a Business That Doesn't Trap You

Most business owners don't realize they're building a job they can never leave. Jane Tereba explains why planning your exit starts long before you're ready to sell—and how creating a business that can thrive without you is the ultimate measure of success. If freedom is the goal, this conversation will change how you think about ownership.

June 25, 2026Episode 2443 min

Ep 8.24 The Career Was Safe. The Life Wasn't.

Stacy Harris did everything she was supposed to do. She built a career in education, followed the responsible path, and checked all the right boxes—until life forced her to start over. In this conversation, Stacy shares how divorce, health challenges, and unexpected opportunities led her from the classroom into entrepreneurship, where she discovered that the relationships she built—not the credentials she earned—became her greatest asset. If you're questioning what's next, this episode is a reminder that sometimes the life you didn't plan for becomes the one you were meant to build.

June 18, 2026Episode 2346 min

Ep 8.23 The Freedom Trap: What Happens After You Buy the Business

Owning a business can create opportunity, freedom, and wealth—but it can also expose every weakness in your thinking. Zac Jennings shares what he's learned about leadership, ownership, and the realities that don't show up in the sales brochure. If you're considering entrepreneurship, this conversation may save you from chasing the wrong thing for the right reasons.

June 11, 2026Episode 2253 min

Ep 8.22 The Long Bet

Most people wait until they have certainty before making a move. Bob Dalton's story is a reminder that the biggest opportunities often appear long before the rest of the world recognizes them—and the people who benefit most are those willing to act before the outcome is guaranteed. If you're questioning what's next in your career, your investments, or your future, this conversation will challenge how you think about risk, timing, and the power of betting on a vision before everyone else sees it.

June 4, 2026Episode 1949 min

Ep 8.21 The Money Conversation Most Families Never Have

Money touches every part of life—our relationships, our confidence, our choices, and sometimes even our deepest fears. In this conversation, Jeannie Dougherty shares how personal loss, family dynamics, and hard-earned financial lessons shaped her understanding of what true financial independence really means. If you've ever avoided a money conversation, inherited financial stress, or wondered whether you're truly prepared for what's next, this episode is for you.

May 21, 2026Episode 1950 min

Ep 8.19 She Had The Title But Lost Herself

Sara Bell spent years doing what high performers are taught to do: achieve more, carry more, push through more. From the outside, the title looked impressive. But underneath the success was exhaustion, pressure, and the quiet realization that constantly holding it all together was costing her more than she wanted to admit. In this episode of the Free Agent Podcast, Sara and I unpack the invisible weight so many strong women carry — identity, ambition, burnout, reinvention, and the complicated truth that sometimes the life you worked hard to build no longer feels like home.

May 14, 2026Episode 1847 min

Ep 8.18 Burnout Woke Her Up

For years, Kate Lewis did everything right on paper—career, responsibility, success. But beneath the surface, the pressure of holding everything together led to a deeper realization: burnout wasn't the problem... it was the warning sign. In this episode of the Free Agent Podcast, Kate shares the honest conversation more high-achieving women are starting to have about identity, exhaustion, reinvention, and what it means to finally choose a life that can hold you too.

May 7, 202645 min

Ep 8.17 Women, Money, and What's Changing

Money is changing—and women are at the center of it. In this episode, Barbara Provost joins Meg to unpack the Great Wealth Transfer and what it means for how women think about income, control, and long-term security in today's economy. If you're reconsidering how your current path fits into that shift, this conversation will help you see your options more clearly.