What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose

Hosted by Bill Ellis; Brand Architect

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Oct 2026

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Have you ever asked yourself What's the Point? What's the point of your work, your hobbies, your life? What's the point of what you do? What's the Point? is a question that can't be asked too often. It's a question that ultimately uncovers your purpose professionally, personally - in life as a whole. Join Brand Architect Bill Ellis as he pursues the answer to this question, and more, with people who have discovered their purpose, fuel it with their passion, and drive it through persistence. You'll be familiar with many of Bill's guests, while others you won't know but should. Each episode will be filled with learning, laughter, and inspiration which you can incorporate into clarifying your own purpose and moving closer to the success and fulfillment you desire. Listen and subscribe now so that you don't miss a single episode of awesomeness.

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October 21, 20261 hr 1 min

138. Ready to Change Your Life? Navigate the Gap Between Who You Were and What Comes Next | Andrea Mancuso

How do you know when a difficult season will pass—and when it is asking you to change your life? That question stayed with me throughout my conversation with Andrea Mancuso, leadership coach, emotional intelligence strategist, founder of Intentional Healing and Wellness, and author of The Space Between: Navigating the Journey from Dream to Success. Andrea spent 14 years as a school psychologist in New York City. She loved the part of the work that allowed her to truly see and hear students, but over time the role became more about paperwork and compliance than the human connection that had drawn her there. Sometimes a life begins to feel wrong long before the next step becomes clear. Andrea felt that tension for years. Then 2020 intensified everything. Her brother was hospitalized with COVID, old anxiety and panic returned, and for a time even her professional training felt inaccessible. She describes it with a phrase I love: "You can't read the label from inside the bottle." That period helped give birth to Intentional Healing and Wellness. But knowing she wanted to leave her career and actually leaving were two different things. Andrea felt the pull in May 2020. She didn't resign until September 2021. I think that matters. We often tell stories of change as though there was one brave moment when everything became obvious. Andrea never reached a day when she suddenly felt completely ready. There was health insurance, retirement, identity, security, and 14 years of a life she knew. She made the decision scared. And even after doing what she wanted to do, she grieved. Who was she if she was no longer the school psychologist? What happens when a role that gave us purpose and security no longer belongs in the next version of our life? Andrea would rather risk failure than live with the regret of never trying. Courage, for her, is learning to trust herself enough to move while fear is still present. That self-trust became another important part of our conversation. Andrea realized the issue wasn't simply whether she could trust other people. It was whether she trusted herself to notice when something felt wrong and act on it. Healing helped her believe that even if she couldn't see around the next corner, she could trust herself to respond to whatever she found there. That brings us to The Space Between. Andrea describes the "messy middle" between deciding what we want and achieving it—the place where motivation fades, distractions multiply, and we question whether we can keep going. And even after reaching the goal, another space between often appears: I did it. Now what? Maybe the work isn't simply reaching the next destination. Maybe it is becoming who we want to be while moving toward it—and making sure the goal we're chasing actually belongs to us. When I asked Andrea, "What's the point?" she came back to fulfillment, presence, connection, love, and leaving people—and ourselves—better than we found them. So perhaps the question isn't only, "What should I do next?" It may be: Is this part of my life asking for more time—or waiting for the decision I keep postponing? What's The Point? is a podcast hosted by Bill Ellis featuring real conversations with people who've figured out what matters—their purpose. Each episode explores what motivates them and how they find meaning in what they do. Connect with Bill: bill@billellis.com www.billellis.com www.brandingforresults.com IG - @wcellis Facebook - @CoachBillEllis Facebook - @bill.ellis LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/wcellis Book: Women Who Won Links for This Episode: Andrea Mancuso: https://www.iamandreamancuso.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamandreamancuso/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IntentionalHealingAndWellness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamandreamancuso/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5IK-oAGbew0Xdfh1Hh6M_Q Book: The Space Between: Navigating the Journey from Dream to Success https://www.amazon.com/Space-Between-Navigating-Journey-Success/dp/1637555008 Quick Episode Summary: 00:00 – How do you know when it's time to change? 06:00 – Becoming the support she once needed 09:00 – The promise Andrea made to her father 13:00 – Becoming a school psychologist 16:00 – When meaningful work stopped feeling meaningful 20:00 – Some students come to school to be loved 24:00 – The impact we may never know we had 27:00 – Anxiety, uncertainty, and the turning point 29:00 – "You can't read the label from inside the bottle" 32:00 – Security vs. calling 34:00 – Grieving the identity she chose to leave 35:00 – Doing it scared 39:00 – Learning to trust yourself 42:00 – Midlife crisis—or midlife awareness? 44:00 – Photography and learning to notice life 49:00 – The messy middle of The Space Between 52:00 – What happens after you reach the goal? 59:00 – Why we don't have to do it alone 1:00:00 – Andrea answers: "What's the point?"

October 7, 202656 min

137. What Does It Really Mean to Live Well? | Sarah Sims on Stress, Responsibility, and Self-Care

How much of your life is built around being the person everyone can rely on? There is something admirable about being dependable. We praise the person who can handle more, solve the problem, and keep going. But at what point does being responsible for everything become irresponsible toward yourself? That question stayed with me throughout my conversation with Sarah Sims, founder of Destined to Live Well and author of Stress Less: How to Use Self-Care to Redefine Your Wellbeing. Sarah learned responsibility early. She became a mother as a teenager, finished school, went to college, built a career, raised a family, and eventually led major workplace projects. Over time, being capable became part of how she understood herself. Her purpose was often connected to what other people needed from her. Then her body forced her to reconsider the way she was living. In 2015, Sarah woke up unable to properly see through one eye. She still went to work. After a period of medical monitoring, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The diagnosis challenged more than her health; it challenged her relationship with ambition, responsibility, and stress. Sarah told me stress had almost become fuel. Working harder, carrying more, and producing more reinforced the idea that she was succeeding. Now she had to ask whether the lifestyle helping her accomplish so much was also costing her too much. That question applies far beyond a diagnosis. What are we tolerating simply because we have become good at tolerating it? One of Sarah's biggest shifts was learning that responsibility doesn't always mean taking on more. Sometimes it means delegating, asking for help, preserving your energy, setting a boundary, and allowing other people to step up. She also distinguishes between stress that helps us grow and distress that simply wears us down. The better question may be: What is this stress producing? That connects to something else we often misunderstand: self-care. Sarah sees it as much more than exercise, nutrition, or taking a break. It includes physical, mental, occupational, social, nutritional, digital, and spiritual wellbeing. Self-care isn't about escaping responsibility. It is part of responsibility. Sarah's own health journey eventually grew into workplace wellness programs, coaching, her book Stress Less, and Destined to Live Well. Her advice for someone who realizes their current way of living can't continue is simple: start with awareness. Don't try to change everything at once. Identify one or two areas that need attention and make small, consistent changes. Living well may have less to do with perfect health or perfect balance and more to do with paying attention. What is your body telling you? What are your choices costing you? Where are you giving more than you actually have? When I asked Sarah, "What's the point?" her answer came back to legacy. She wants her children and grandchildren to begin where she leaves off instead of learning every lesson the hard way. Maybe part of living well is learning what life has been trying to teach us—and passing those lessons forward. What's The Point? is a podcast hosted by Bill Ellis featuring real conversations with people who've figured out what matters—their purpose. Each episode explores what motivates them and how they find meaning in what they do. Connect with Bill: bill@billellis.com www.billellis.com www.brandingforresults.com IG: @wcellis Facebook: @CoachBillEllis | @bill.ellis LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/wcellis Book: Women Who Won Links for This Episode: Destined to Live Well www.destinedtolivewell.com Autumn & Joy www.autumnandjoy.com LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/destined-to-live-well Instagram https://www.instagram.com/autumnandjoy/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@DestinedToLiveWell Book: Stress Less: How to Use Self-Care to Redefine Your Wellbeing https://www.autumnandjoy.com/product/stress-less-how-to-use-self-care-to-redefine-your-wellbeing-book-/182 Quick Episode Summary: 00:00 – What does it really mean to live well? 02:00 – Sarah's early ambition and responsibility 05:00 – Becoming a mother as a teenager 10:00 – How purpose evolves 12:00 – Waking up unable to see normally 15:00 – Receiving an MS diagnosis 17:00 – When stress becomes fuel 21:00 – Finding a new rhythm 27:00 – Deciding what health information to share 32:00 – Choosing to live with zero regrets 33:00 – Eustress vs. distress 36:00 – Learning to share responsibility 37:00 – Why asking for help is strength 40:00 – How Destined to Live Well began 42:00 – What people misunderstand about self-care 50:00 – Where to begin when your lifestyle isn't working 53:00 – Sarah's seven areas of self-care 55:00 – Sarah answers: "What's the point?"

September 30, 202645 min

136. What Are You Making Room For? | Adi Klevit on Freedom, Structure, and Letting Go

What would you make room for if you had a little more time in your day? In this episode of What's the Point? , Bill Ellis talks with Adi Klevit , industrial engineer, business consultant, and founder of Business Success Consulting Group, about a simple but powerful idea: Structure can create freedom. Adi has spent more than three decades helping businesses take knowledge out of people's heads and turn it into systems others can use. She applied the same philosophy to her own company, growing from a one-person operation to a 17-person team while stepping away from many of the day-to-day decisions that once depended on her. But good systems aren't about controlling everything. They're about creating enough structure to protect what matters. Adi explains why processes only work when people understand their purpose, how leaders can create buy-in, and why the goal isn't perfection. Sometimes success means easier training. Sometimes it means leaving work at five or making it to your child's baseball practice. The system itself is not the point. What the system makes possible is the point. As Adi's team became more independent, she had to learn not to jump in and make every decision herself. Empowerment meant allowing people to think, act, occasionally make mistakes, and improve—while also asking whether a problem belonged to the person or the process. Bill and Adi also explore the balance between structure and creativity. Done well, systems don't restrict creativity; they remove the administrative "time zappers" that steal time away from it. The same idea applies outside business. The better question isn't simply how many hours you work, but whether your work is energizing you or consistently crowding out the things you value most. As her business created more freedom, Adi made more room for health, learning, time outdoors, mentoring, volunteering, and helping others. Her e-book and forthcoming book, Stop Carrying Your Business In Your Head , capture that philosophy: if everything depends on what only you know, everything will continue depending on you. So the bigger question becomes: What are you actually trying to make room for? When Bill asks, "What's the point?" Adi's answer is simple: create an environment where we can all thrive. Make things simpler. Work together. Create structure where it helps—and use the freedom it creates for something that matters. What's The Point? is a podcast hosted by Bill Ellis featuring real conversations with people who've figured out what matters—their purpose. Each episode explores what motivates them and how they find meaning in what they do. Connect with Bill bill@billellis.com www.billellis.com www.brandingforresults.com Instagram: @wcellis Facebook: @CoachBillEllis | @bill.ellis LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/wcellis Book: Women Who Won Links for This Episode Business Success Consulting Group: https://bizsuccesscg.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adiklevit/ Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/BizSuccesscg?_rdc=1&_rdr# X / Twitter: https://x.com/bizsuccesscg Process Guru AI: https://app.coachvox.ai/share/ProcessGuruAI Resources Stop Carrying Your Business In Your Head Email adi@bizsuccesscg.com to request the e-book. Free Process Mapping Session: https://calendly.com/meetwithadi/free-process-mapping-session Process Documentation Quick Start Checklist + Free AI Prompts: https://forms.gle/XZXfZMbUXRx4UUm18 Quick Episode Summary 00:00 – What would you make room for with more time? 02:00 – What freedom and opportunity represented to Adi 05:00 – Choosing industrial engineering 07:00 – Why Adi naturally looks for order 09:00 – What to do when life doesn't go according to plan 12:00 – Why business change starts with people 14:00 – Getting buy-in before building systems 18:00 – Growing from one person to a 17-person company 19:00 – Getting out of the weeds 20:00 – Learning not to make every decision 21:00 – People problem or process problem? 24:00 – Structure vs. empowerment 25:00 – How systems protect creativity 28:00 – When hard work energizes vs. drains you 31:00 – How freedom changed Adi's life 33:00 – What she's glad she delegated 34:00 – What Adi makes room for outside work 37:00 – How order and structure create freedom 38:00 – Stop Carrying Your Business In Your Head 39:00 – AI, humanity, and real connection 43:00 – Adi answers: "What's the point?"

September 23, 202656 min

135. How Do We Live Again? | Christopher Dale on Grief, Money, and Finding a Way Forward

What happens to our judgment when grief has shaken our sense of safety? Why can the simplest practical decisions suddenly feel overwhelming? And what does it actually mean to live again when life cannot return to what it was? In this episode of What's the Point?, I sit down with Christopher Dale, a certified financial planner, grief educator, author, and founder of Life After Grief Financial Planning. Chris explains that grief reaches far beyond sadness. It can affect concentration, executive function, confidence, and decision-making. From a financial perspective, that matters because people may be asked to make some of the biggest decisions of their lives at exactly the moment clear thinking is hardest. Money can also become tied to much deeper emotions: guilt, control, fear, safety, and responsibility. Chris knows that intersection personally. In his early twenties, his mother developed Alzheimer's and his father's health was declining. Chris found himself becoming the caregiver and financial problem-solver for both of his parents—learning systems, handling expenses, and trying to make decisions with very little guidance. Then his mother died. His father followed just two and a half months later. The grief was overwhelming. Chris describes turning to alcohol at night simply to escape the physical and emotional pain. Eventually, he recognized that what was helping him get through the evening was beginning to hurt him instead. Support from his priest, counseling, and journaling gave him another outlet. Those journal entries later became the foundation for his book. His grief became even more complicated when, on the day his father died, Chris discovered a decades-long affair and another family. That discovery forced him to grieve someone he loved while also confronting anger, betrayal, and financial consequences that had shaped his childhood. Chris talks candidly about forgiveness—not as an excuse for someone's behavior, but as a way of releasing its hold on your life while still maintaining boundaries. Years later, Chris and his wife experienced another profound loss when one of their twins, Christopher, did not survive. Their surviving son, Eli, became what Chris describes as his first real glimmer of hope in a long time. That experience changed the way he viewed fatherhood, work, and what he wanted his life to become. Eventually, that perspective contributed to Chris leaving the traditional financial world and building his own practice—one that gave him more time with his family and allowed him to combine financial planning with what he had learned about grief. One of the most important ideas in this conversation is that living again does not mean returning to who you were before the loss. Chris describes it as finding a new normal. Grief remains part of the story, but clarity begins to return. Hope begins to return. You start wanting things again. As he puts it, life after grief is different—but it can still be deeply fulfilling. We also talk about what meaningful support actually looks like. Instead of simply telling someone, "Let me know if you need anything," Chris encourages people to make specific, practical offers. One of his closest friends took a week off work to help him clean out his parents' home—exactly the kind of concrete support that can matter when grief has made ordinary tasks feel impossible. And when Bill asks the question at the heart of every episode—What's the point?—Chris' answer is about doing better and remembering that there is a way forward. We do not have to remain only the product of what has happened to us. What's The Point? is a podcast hosted by Bill Ellis featuring real conversations with people who've figured out what matters—their purpose. Each episode explores what motivates them and how they find meaning in what they do. Connect with Bill: bill@billellis.com www.billellis.com www.brandingforresults.com IG - @wcellis Facebook - @CoachBillEllis Facebook - @bill.ellis LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/wcellis Book: Women Who Won Links for This Episode: Life After Grief Financial Planning™ http://Lifeaftergrieffp.com Life After Grief Consulting® http://Lifeaftergriefconsulting.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifeaftergriefchrisdale/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087776514969 Instagram: @cdd2dale Twitter/X: @LifeAfterGChris Current Projects Life After Grief: Holding the Numbers with Shaking Hands—When Money, Trauma, Grief, and Racism CollideChristopher's book exploring money, trauma, grief, race, caregiving, and family through lived experience and the perspective of a financial professional. The Advisor's Guide to Grieving Clients Professional training and continuing education for financial professionals serving clients experiencing grief and loss. Real Talk with Life After Grief Chris A podcast about grief, money, family, caregiving, race, resilience, and life after loss. Life After Grief Collective A community focused on education, conversation, and support around grief and financial transitions. Quick Episode Summary: 00:00 – What grief does to our sense of safety 02:00 – Why clear thinking becomes difficult after loss 05:00 – Money, guilt, and control during grief 07:00 – Knowing when you need more time or outside help 10:00 – Why clients began relying on Christopher differently 12:00 – Becoming a caregiver for both parents 14:00 – Navigating financial and care systems alone 16:00 – Losing both parents within months 18:00 – When coping becomes harmful 20:00 – Finding help, counseling, and spiritual support 22:00 – Replacing alcohol with journaling 23:00 – Grieving someone you're also angry with 24:00 – Forgiveness without excusing behavior 26:00 – The financial consequences of family secrets 29:00 – Forgiveness, boundaries, and responsibility 30:00 – The phone call that revealed another family 33:00 – Protecting grieving clients from financial pressure 35:00 – The role hope plays after devastating loss 36:00 – Losing one of their twin sons 38:00 – The first glimmer of hope 39:00 – How grief changed Christopher's priorities 41:00 – Talking to his sons about their brother 44:00 – How do you know you're starting to live again? 46:00 – Happiness after grief feels different 47:00 – Where someone overwhelmed by grief can begin 48:00 – What meaningful support actually looks like 51:00 – Why trusted mentors and advisors matter 55:00 – Christopher answers: "What's the point?"

September 16, 20261 hr 4 min

134. The Life You Learn to Believe Is Possible | Damaris Melo-Gyasi on Possibility, Purpose, and Making Your Way

What makes a life possible before we can even see the route? Sometimes it begins because someone shows us a version of life we never knew existed. For Damaris Melo-Gyasi, that moment came at seven years old when a female architect sat at her family's dining table in São Paulo. Damaris didn't really understand architecture yet, but she understood what she saw: confidence, leadership, strength, and possibility. She decided she would become an architect. The route was anything but simple. Damaris grew up in a low-income family, and the highly competitive University of São Paulo was one of the only realistic paths available to her. She failed the entrance exam badly the first time, narrowly missed it the second, and tried again. On her third attempt, she was accepted—an opportunity that eventually led to Arizona State University and a career in architecture in the United States. Her story is about grit, but it is also about influence. Damaris talks about learning to distinguish between people who are trying to protect us and people who are trying to limit us. She also challenges the idea that another person's success takes something away from our own. Instead of guarding the "pie," why not help make it bigger? That philosophy became increasingly important as her career progressed. After years of success in Phoenix, Damaris moved to Minnesota and found herself in environments where she felt overlooked and unable to contribute at the level she knew she could. Success, for her, was never primarily about salary. It was about impact, influence, and having a seat at the table. When she couldn't find that opportunity, she created it. Damaris founded Design by Melo, building the kind of workplace she had wanted for herself and intentionally giving others room to lead, grow, and develop autonomy. That same philosophy shapes her approach to architecture. Rather than designing for communities, Damaris believes in designing with them. She asks deeper questions: What do families want for their children? What makes people feel safe? What can this building make possible for the neighborhood? That approach can be seen in Opportunity Crossing, an affordable housing development created with Project for Pride in Living. Damaris describes it as a "love letter to community," shaped by listening carefully to the people who would actually live there. And then her story comes full circle. Years after seeing that first architect in her childhood home, a young Somali girl recognized Damaris in a restaurant and asked, "Are you the architect?" The girl had seen Damaris working on Opportunity Crossing. Seeing a Black woman with an accent serving as the architect made something new feel possible for her—just as another woman had done for Damaris decades earlier. That is one of the larger ideas in this episode: We rarely know who is watching us. Sometimes we intentionally mentor, open doors, or create opportunities. Other times, influence happens simply because someone sees us living a life they did not know was available to them. Damaris' book, Making My Way, reflects on that journey and the many people who helped her along the way. She reminds us that while obstacles and unfairness are real, we shouldn't become so focused on the fight that we miss the people trying to open the next door. For Damaris, possibility itself became fuel. Once she saw what could be possible, she couldn't unsee it. And when Bill asks, "What's the point?" Damaris' answer is to fulfill your destiny and not leave anything unlived. We may not receive the same opportunities, but each of us has something unique to offer—and pursuing that potential is worth it. Connect with Bill: bill@billellis.com www.billellis.com www.brandingforresults.com IG - @wcellis Facebook - @CoachBillEllis Facebook - @bill.ellis LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/wcellis Book: Women Who Won What's The Point? is a podcast hosted by Bill Ellis featuring real conversations with people who've figured out what matters—their purpose. Each episode explores what motivates them and how they find meaning in what they do. Links for This Episode: Design by Melo: https://www.designbymelo.com/ Instagram: @damarismelospeaks Facebook: Damaris Melo TikTok: @damaris.melo.speaks Opportunity Crossing Documentary Project for Pride in Living is the nonprofit developer, with Design by Melo serving as architect: https://youtu.be/4nyBhrxAcPs Making My Way Amazon: https://a.co/d/05mvvGlz Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/making-my-way-damaris-melo-gyasi/1149679731?ean=9798218878528 Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/making-my-way-a-story-of-grit-and-grace-damaris-melo-gyasi/020c8b140d42b02f?ean=9798218878528&bkshp-astro=t Quick Episode Summary: 00:00 – What makes a different life feel possible? 02:00 – The woman who changed what Damaris could imagine 06:00 – Growing up low-income in São Paulo 11:00 – Being told architecture school wasn't realistic 13:00 – "I just need to be the one who gets in" 20:00 – Supportive advice vs. limiting advice 26:00 – Why successful people should share what they know 28:00 – Failing twice before getting into architecture school 29:00 – The opportunity that brought Damaris to America 31:00 – When her career stopped giving her room to grow 32:00 – Why success meant influence—not salary 34:00 – Gender and racial barriers in architecture 38:00 – What to do when you still feel overlooked 40:00 – Making your own way 41:00 – Designing with communities instead of for them 44:00 – Opportunity Crossing 47:00 – Helping young people see themselves in architecture 49:00 – The girl who recognized Damaris as "the architect" 50:00 – Why she wrote Making My Way 53:00 – The responsibility that comes with influence 58:00 – Understanding her own story differently 1:00:00 – What kept her going before she had proof 1:02:00 – Damaris answers: "What's the point?"

September 9, 202656 min

133. What We Carry, What We Choose | Nahum Vizakis on Fear, Survival, and Surrender

What does fear look like when it doesn't look frightened? Sometimes it looks like toughness, control, self-reliance, stubbornness, or the need to keep moving no matter what is happening underneath. In this episode of What's the Point?, Bill Ellis sits down with Nahum Vizakis, whose life has taken him through foster care, military bomb disposal, bodybuilding, addiction, recovery, family reconciliation, faith, and a continuing search for a different way to live. Nahum grew up surrounded by instability and fear, moving through difficult home circumstances, foster homes, homelessness, and unfamiliar schools. Chaos became familiar, and many of the habits he developed were ways of coping with a world that rarely felt safe. After September 11, 2001, Nahum joined the military and eventually entered Explosive Ordnance Disposal—military bomb disposal. In Iraq, his first mission forced him to confront the possibility of death in a way training never could. That moment planted a deeper question: how much of what he had called strength was actually fear and a need for control? After losing a close friend, leaving the military, and struggling with the emotional impact of his experiences, bodybuilding became another outlet for his intensity. What began constructively eventually became tied to obsession, external validation, substance use, and another identity he felt compelled to maintain. Nahum describes addiction as a response to emotional overwhelm. Fatherhood and a painful custody battle eventually forced him to confront fears about repeating his own father's mistakes and question what strength, leadership, and identity really meant. A major turning point came when he returned home and began reconnecting with his family. Through difficult conversations, forgiveness, and vulnerability, he began letting go of his need to understand and control everything. One of the central ideas in this conversation is that acceptance does not require agreement. Nahum shares how moving from control toward surrender changed the way he approaches family, conflict, faith, and himself. He also discusses journaling and writing as tools that helped him revisit his story without blame, victimhood, or projection and instead ask what his experiences had taught him. Toward the end of the episode, Bill and Nahum discuss the bodywork, fitness, and biohacking practices that are now part of Nahum's work and personal philosophy. These portions reflect Nahum's own experiences and views and are not medical advice. Underneath it all is a simpler question: What are we carrying because it once helped us survive—and what are we now willing to choose differently? For Nahum, the point is evolution: continuing to move through pain and fear toward greater love, acceptance, and alignment rather than allowing old survival patterns to dictate the rest of the story. CONNECT WITH BILL bill@billellis.com www.billellis.com www.brandingforresults.com Instagram: @wcellis Facebook: @CoachBillEllis | @bill.ellis LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/wcellis Book: Women Who Won LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE Websites: www.optimizinghuman.com www.spiritualbodybuiler.com Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551701597490 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spiritual_bodybuilder/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBmmf1OpYLL7JrD2ExMQLA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nahum-vizakis-596092266/ Books: https://a.co/d/05v2e9kW https://a.co/d/0epfv42G What's The Point? is a podcast hosted by Bill Ellis featuring real conversations with people who've figured out what matters—their purpose. Each episode explores what motivates them and how they find meaning in what they do. QUICK EPISODE SUMMARY 00:00 – What does fear look like when it doesn't look frightened? 03:00 – When chaos starts to feel normal 07:00 – Why Nahum joined the military after 9/11 10:00 – Entering EOD: military bomb disposal 11:30 – His first mission and confronting death 13:00 – How fear became a need for control 14:00 – Losing a friend and unraveling in Iraq 19:00 – Bodybuilding, obsession, and external validation 23:00 – Fatherhood, fear, and questioning his identity 25:00 – Returning home and reconnecting with family 27:00 – How family healing began 29:00 – Letting go of the need to know everything 30:00 – Vulnerability, forgiveness, and acceptance 32:00 – Moving from control toward surrender 36:00 – The bodybuilding moment that forced an identity shift 38:00 – Realizing the armor was hiding insecurity 41:00 – Writing his story and seeing it differently 42:00 – Journaling as a tool for self-reflection 46:00 – Nahum's current bodywork and wellness philosophy 48:00 – What he means by "biohacking" 54:00 – Nahum answers: "What's the point?"

September 2, 202654 min

132. Starting Again Without Starting Over | Dr. Ann Marie Peters on Returning to Work After a Career Pause

What happens when you step away from a career you worked hard to build? And when you're ready to return, are you truly starting over—or are you bringing years of experience, growth, caregiving, problem-solving, and perspective with you? In this episode of What's the Point?, I sit down with Dr. Ann Marie Peters, executive coach, leadership strategist, and author of the forthcoming book We'll Be Right Back. Ann Marie stepped away from paid work for five years before finding her way back through entrepreneurship and eventually researching the experiences of other women navigating similar career pauses. Her story begins with a successful corporate career and an unusual work arrangement that was decades ahead of its time. When her first daughter was born in 1995, Ann Marie expected she might have to choose between full-time work and staying home. Instead, her manager asked what it would take to keep her—and agreed to let her work part-time and from home, long before remote work became commonplace. For years, that flexibility allowed her to keep growing professionally while spending meaningful time with her family. But eventually, with three children, increasing travel, relocations, and growing responsibilities at home, the balancing act stopped working. Ann Marie made the difficult decision to step away completely—a choice that brought relief, but also an unexpected loss of professional identity. She describes the discomfort of being asked, "What do you do?" and realizing how much of her sense of self had been connected to her career. Without performance reviews, professional feedback, promotions, or even the simple recognition that comes with being valued at work, confidence can begin to erode. And as the years pass, people may begin to question whether their skills are still relevant—or even forget how accomplished they once were. But a career pause is not empty time. Ann Marie explains that caregiving, parenting, community involvement, volunteering, and managing a household can develop significant skills—time management, negotiation, budgeting, mediation, leadership, delegation, event planning, fundraising, and more. One of the most important parts of returning is learning how to recognize those experiences and translate them into language that employers understand. We also discuss what employers need to understand about people returning after a pause. Some barriers are structural, including résumé systems that may automatically filter out applicants with employment gaps. Others are cultural, including assumptions about mothers, caregivers, or candidates whose careers haven't followed a traditional linear path. Ann Marie argues that employers who look beyond the gap may find highly experienced, motivated people with proven track records and valuable new skills. For anyone considering a return, Ann Marie offers practical advice: remember what you accomplished before the pause, identify what you learned during it, get support updating your résumé, reconnect with career resources and your network, identify the real barriers standing in your way, and begin taking small steps. Returning does not have to mean immediately jumping back into a 50-hour workweek. A part-time role, volunteer position, returnship, or entrepreneurial project can become an experiment—and an important first step. The larger lesson extends beyond career pauses. Starting again does not mean erasing everything that came before. It means remembering who you were, recognizing who you became during the pause, and deciding what fits the person you are now. As Ann Marie says at the end of the episode: your story is never over. Connect with Bill: bill@billellis.com www.billellis.com www.brandingforresults.com IG - @wcellis Facebook - @CoachBillEllis Facebook - @bill.ellis LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/wcellis Book: Women Who Won Links for This Episode: Website: https://www.annmariepeters.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annmariepeters Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576489996830 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amp_is_back Pre-order We'll Be Right Back: https://www.annmariepeters.com/book-well-be-right-back What's The Point? is a podcast hosted by Bill Ellis featuring real conversations with people who've figured out what matters—their purpose. Each episode explores what motivates them and how they find meaning in what they do. Quick Episode Summary: 00:00 – Are you starting over or picking up where you left off? 01:00 – Meet Dr. Ann Marie Peters 02:00 – Building a career and professional identity 03:00 – Confidence, mentorship, and early career development 05:00 – Working remotely and part-time in 1995 10:00 – The career risk of flexible work before it was normal 15:00 – When the balancing act became too much 16:00 – Making the scary decision to step away 17:00 – Losing part of your professional identity 18:00 – What happens when professional feedback disappears? 20:00 – Can you love staying home and still miss your career? 23:00 – Why previous experience still matters 24:00 – Mentorship and becoming the mentor yourself 26:00 – Rebuilding confidence when you don't feel ready 32:00 – Who this conversation applies to beyond corporate careers 33:00 – Remembering who you were before the pause 35:00 – How to reconnect with your professional confidence 36:00 – What happened during the career pause matters too 39:00 – The pushes and pulls behind leaving work 41:00 – What employers misunderstand about career gaps 43:00 – The hidden skills employers may overlook 46:00 – Three places to start when you're ready to return 48:00 – Why small steps count 49:00 – Treating your return as an experiment 52:00 – Dr. Peters answers: "What's the point?"

June 24, 202651 min

131. The Hidden Stories Behind How We Spend, Save, and Struggle | Tari Vickery the Emotional Side of Money

Why can someone earn well, save responsibly, and still feel anxious every time they open their bank account? That question is at the heart of this conversation with Tari Vickery, financial wellness coach, founder of Life Matters Financial Group, and author of The Emotional Side of Money. We aren't talking primarily about budgets, investments, or how to earn more. We're exploring the memories, fears, relationships, and inherited beliefs that shape how we spend, save, and struggle. Tari's own money story began with fear. Her mother was only 19 when Tari was born, had limited education, and was left to raise two children without financial support from their father. Tari describes growing up in a family where generations of women became the providers and survivors. The message wasn't simply that money was scarce. It was that they were people who would always have to struggle—but would somehow find a way through. Those lessons reached Tari long before she had money of her own. She remembers being four years old, hearing an advertisement for a loan company, and asking why her mother couldn't simply call and borrow the money they needed. Her mother explained the realities of debt and repayment, giving Tari an unusually early awareness of financial pressure. It was one of many experiences that connected money with survival, security, and fear. Tari's adult life brought dramatic financial extremes. She and her husband built a successful wholesale carpet business and achieved significant wealth at a young age. Then economic forces beyond their control caused them to lose the business, their home, their retirement, and the life they had created. Tari went from living in a 6,000-square-foot home to cleaning houses for income before making the unexpected decision to apply to Stanford. Her story shows that rebuilding after financial loss is rarely just about rebuilding a bank account. It is also about rebuilding identity, confidence, and trust in yourself. Tari explains that the financial recovery often follows the personal recovery—not the other way around. We also explore why reaching a certain number rarely makes anxiety disappear. Tari shares the story of a friend who believed having $100,000 would finally make her feel safe. Once she had it, the money suddenly "didn't count," and the target moved again. When we are chasing a feeling of safety rather than a specific financial need, there may never be a number that feels like enough. The same hidden stories often surface in relationships. Tari describes couples who believe they are fighting over credit cards, furniture, or spending decisions when they are really arguing about the completely different financial worlds in which they were raised. One person may believe money must be earned through effort, while another grew up with easy access to a parent's credit card. One may believe in buying the best and keeping it forever, while the other believes in stretching limited money across everything the household needs. Money becomes the surface-level disagreement, but underneath it are beliefs about safety, responsibility, control, love, worth, and what a successful life should look like. Ultimately, this conversation is about the difference between having enough and believing you have enough. Tari's journey from scarcity toward abundance did not mean pretending that financial hardship wasn't real. It meant developing the confidence that whatever happened, she could respond, adapt, and find a way forward. Financial freedom may not begin with a number. It may begin with understanding the stories we inherited, deciding which ones still serve us, and learning to trust that we can create a life aligned with who we are and what we value. What's The Point? is a podcast hosted by Bill Ellis featuring real conversations with people who've figured out what matters - their purpose. Each episode explores what motivates them and how they find meaning in what they do. Connect with Bill: bill@billellis.com www.billellis.com www.brandingforresults.com IG - @wcellis Facebook - @CoachBillEllis Facebook - @bill.ellis LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/wcellis Book: Women Who Won Links for This Episode: CONTACT INFO: Name - Tari K. Vickery Email - tari@tarikvickeryauthor.com Website(s) - https://www.tarikvickeryauthor.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA INFO: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tari-k-vickery-09027a2/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561349842621 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tarikvickeryauthor/ Threads - https://bsky.app/profile/tarikvickeryauthor.bsky.social BOOK: "The Emotional Side of Money" Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242974806-the-emotional-side-of-money Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Side-Money-Financial-Wellness/dp/B0FWZY5J8H/ Bookshop - https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-emotional-side-of-money-a-roadmap-to-financial-wellness-tari-k-vickery/9fb9475edf7fe89f Quick Episode Summary: 00:00 – Why money is rarely just about money 01:00 – Meet Tari Vickery and The Emotional Side of Money 02:00 – Growing up with money, fear, and survival 03:00 – Three generations of women, work, and financial struggle 04:00 – Do we inherit a financial mindset? 06:30 – Asking for a loan at four years old 08:00 – Understanding her mother and releasing the past 09:30 – What financial instability really threatens 11:00 – Tari's first childhood business 12:00 – Working through high school and becoming a high achiever 14:00 – Building wealth through a family business 15:00 – Losing the business, home, retirement, and lifestyle 17:00 – Cleaning houses and deciding to apply to Harvard 18:00 – Applying to Stanford and changing the family's future 20:00 – From a 6,000-square-foot house to campus housing 21:00 – Reinvention driven by survival 22:00 – How different childhoods affect financial hardship 24:00 – Rebuilding personally before rebuilding financially 25:00 – Why reaching a financial goal doesn't always bring safety 27:00 – Feeling financially secure but emotionally unsafe 28:00 – What children learn by watching their parents 30:00 – Why the goalpost of "enough" keeps moving 31:00 – Spending $1,000 and feeling nothing 34:00 – Why money is so difficult to talk about 35:00 – Two completely different childhood money stories 37:00 – What couples are really fighting about when they fight over money 40:00 – Why successful people still avoid opening bills 42:00 – How to begin changing a painful relationship with money 44:00 – The difference between having enough and believing it 45:00 – Scarcity versus abundance 46:00 – What financial freedom really means 48:00 – Money, identity, gratitude, and loving your life 49:30 – Tari answers: "What's the point?" What's The Point? is a podcast hosted by Bill Ellis featuring real conversations with people who've figured out what matters - their purpose. Each episode explores what motivates them and how they find meaning in what they do.

June 10, 202655 min

130. Why Getting Organized Isn't Really About Being Tidy | Lisa Woodruff on Overwhelm, Systems, and Self-Trust

Most people think getting organized means having a cleaner house, a tidier desk, or a color-coded planner. But what if organization isn't really about tidiness at all? In this episode of What's the Point?, I sit down with Lisa Woodruff, founder of Organize 365 and author of The Paper Solution and the upcoming book Escaping Quicksand. Our conversation explores a question that resonates with almost everyone: Why do capable people feel so overwhelmed by ordinary life? Lisa argues that the problem isn't laziness, lack of discipline, or personal failure. The real issue is that most of us were never taught how to manage the operating system of everyday life. We learn how to do jobs, earn degrees, and build careers, but very few people ever learn how to manage the invisible work of running a household. From bills and calendars to appointments, paperwork, meals, planning, and decision-making, there's far more happening beneath the surface than most of us realize. One of the most eye-opening moments in the conversation is Lisa's estimate that maintaining a household requires roughly 28 hours of work each week—and much of that work is invisible. Because we don't see it, we often fail to account for it, which creates guilt and frustration when we inevitably feel behind. We also explore the difference between organizing visible clutter and organizing life itself. Lisa explains that piles of paper, overflowing inboxes, and unfinished tasks aren't usually the real problem. More often, they're symptoms of larger systems that haven't been designed to handle the ongoing projects and responsibilities of everyday living. The conversation also dives into executive function, ADHD, procrastination, discipline, and why systems create freedom rather than restriction. Lisa shares her own late-in-life ADHD diagnosis and explains how creating structures that fit her strengths allowed her to build a successful business while managing a complex household. Rather than viewing organization as a personality trait, she sees it as a learnable skill that helps people trust themselves more. Perhaps most importantly, this episode reframes organization as something much bigger than keeping things neat. It's about reducing overwhelm, reclaiming mental bandwidth, and creating enough space to focus on what truly matters. In other words, getting organized isn't about becoming perfect. It's about building a life that works for you. What's The Point? is a podcast hosted by Bill Ellis featuring real conversations with people who've figured out what matters - their purpose. Each episode explores what motivates them and how they find meaning in what they do. Connect with Bill: bill@billellis.com www.billellis.com www.brandingforresults.com IG - @wcellis Facebook - @CoachBillEllis Facebook - @bill.ellis LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/wcellis Book: Women Who Won Links for This Episode: Email: customerservice@organize365.com Website(s) http://organize365.com SOCIAL MEDIA INFO: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisawoodruff Instagram http://instagram.com/organize365 BOOK: https://organize365.com/escapingquicksand Quick Episode Summary: 00:00 – Why getting organized isn't really about being tidy 01:00 – Meet Lisa Woodruff and Organize 365 02:30 – The invisible work of running a household 04:00 – Why organizing your pantry isn't enough 06:00 – What people think organization is vs. what it actually is 07:30 – Why piles of paper become emotional burdens 10:00 – The hidden projects behind everyday clutter 11:00 – Running a household like a business 13:00 – The surprising economic power of households 14:30 – Planning, supply chains, and invisible labor 16:00 – Lisa's entrepreneurial upbringing and early lessons 19:00 – Is overwhelm caused by invisible work? 20:00 – Digital overwhelm vs. paper systems 23:00 – A forgotten $123,000 account and why paper still matters 26:00 – Why households need systems too 28:00 – The grocery shopping story that changed everything 30:00 – Executive function explained simply 32:00 – Why knowing what to do isn't enough 33:00 – Productive procrastination and small tasks 35:00 – Why organization isn't about willpower 37:00 – Systems for different personalities and learning styles 39:00 – Lisa's ADHD diagnosis and what it changed 43:00 – ADHD, entrepreneurship, and adapting to life 46:00 – Why structure creates freedom 47:00 – Ownership, responsibility, and self-trust 48:00 – Feeling permanently behind? Start here. 50:00 – Discipline, habits, and consistency 52:00 – Escaping Quicksand: the idea behind the new book 53:00 – What's the Point? Lisa's answer

May 27, 202653 min

129. The Versions of Ourselves We Learn to Become | Femi Corazon on Identity, Adaptation, and Change

How much of who we become is actually ours? That question sits underneath this deeply thoughtful conversation with Femi Corazon, a senior creative leader whose life has moved across cultures, industries, storytelling, leadership, and behavior change. Her story begins in Iowa, stretches through the Philippines and Nigeria, and eventually lands in New York advertising, technology, and creative strategy. But underneath all of it is a deeper thread: identity. Femi talks openly about growing up feeling visibly different in every environment she entered. In the Philippines, her Blackness stood out. In Nigeria, her mixed identity made her feel foreign. Returning to the United States as a teenager brought another layer of cultural adaptation. Yet what stands out most in her story is the distinction she makes between difference and rejection. She never felt unloved by her family or communities, but she became deeply aware of how much human beings adapt in order to belong. That lifelong process of adaptation eventually became the foundation of her work. Femi explains that storytelling wasn't simply creative expression for her — it was survival. Stories helped her understand people, navigate unfamiliar environments, and make meaning out of change. That same curiosity later shaped her career in advertising, coding, user experience, and behavioral strategy. Whether she was building software systems at BBDO or leading creative teams years later, the underlying question remained the same: What makes people move? One of the strongest themes in this episode is that information alone does not change people. Human beings change when a new version of themselves feels emotionally survivable. Femi describes behavior through the lens of narrative: the unhealthy habits, fears, or limitations people hold onto are often rooted in stories that once kept them safe. Meaningful change only happens when people can imagine a different story that feels possible for them. We also spend time discussing leadership, empathy, creativity, and the emotional burden leaders sometimes carry. Femi speaks candidly about learning boundaries, avoiding burnout, and understanding that leadership is not about sacrificing yourself for others, but about creating environments where people can safely do their best work. Again, the conversation keeps returning to meaning, purpose, and the stories human beings live inside every day. Toward the end of our discussion, Femi reflects on technology, artificial intelligence, and the fear that humanity may slowly lose touch with what makes us human in the first place. But she also shares what gives her hope: the belief that despite all our flaws, people are still driven by connection, meaning, and the desire to understand one another. Ultimately, this episode is about identity — not as something fixed, but as something continually shaped through story, culture, adaptation, and choice. And maybe the most important question isn't simply Who am I? but Is the story I'm living still helping me become who I'm meant to be? What's The Point? is a podcast hosted by Bill Ellis featuring real conversations with people who've figured out what matters — their purpose. Each episode explores what motivates them and how they find meaning in what they do. Connect with Bill: bill@billellis.com www.billellis.com www.brandingforresults.com IG - @wcellis Facebook - @CoachBillEllis Facebook - @bill.ellis LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/wcellis Book: Women Who Won Links for This Episode: CONTACT INFO: Name: Femi Corazon Email: femi@femicorazon.com Website(s): femicorazon.com SOCIAL MEDIA INFO: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/femicorazon Instagram: @‌femicorazon Quick Episode Summary: 00:00 – Introduction + "The Versions of Ourselves We Learn to Become" 01:00 – Growing up between Iowa, the Philippines, and Nigeria 03:00 – Feeling different in every culture 05:00 – Difference vs. rejection: an important distinction 07:00 – Being visibly "other" and adapting to survive 10:00 – Family, belonging, and multigenerational influence 13:00 – Learning English and adapting in Nigeria 15:00 – Creativity, imagination, and storytelling as survival 17:00 – The stories we inherit vs. the stories we choose 18:00 – Why acting and advertising both mattered to Femi 20:00 – Moving to New York to become an actress 21:00 – Coding at BBDO and learning human behavior 24:00 – Storytelling, software, and influencing adoption 26:00 – Why behavior change starts with curiosity 29:00 – Understanding the stories people tell themselves 31:00 – What actually makes people change? 33:00 – Safety, fear, and emotionally survivable change 36:00 – Leadership, meaning, and motivating teams 40:00 – Leadership boundaries and avoiding burnout 42:00 – Pitching ideas and understanding human psychology 46:00 – Why information alone doesn't change people 48:00 – Curiosity, learning, and stepping into uncertainty 49:00 – What worries Femi most about the world today 51:00 – Humanity, connection, and what gives her hope 52:00 – "What's the point?" + Femi's final answer