Today's episode is about something that hits a lot of high performers. You can make a decision, commit, do your part, and then someone else's business decision changes the entire trajectory. So what do you do next? I am gonna tell you what happened to me, how this podcast even exists, and then i'll give you simple action and reflection items to help you move toward your next success.

This is the Your Next Success podcast, and I'm your host, Dr. Caroline Sangal. I'm a life first career coach and strategist on a mission to normalize questioning your career because I believe each of us is made on purpose for a purpose only we can fulfill. The longer we live out of alignment with who we are, what we do best, and why we're here, the more we miss out. And the more the world misses out on what only we can give. The Your Next Success Podcast is where we explore how to build a career that truly fuels your life. We talk about self-discovery, smart job, search strategies, professional growth, and you'll hear stories from people who've navigated big career transitions themselves so you can see what it's really like to make bold changes and feel inspired to create your own version of authentic success, one that is aligned, meaningful, and truly yours.

Before I jump in. Thank you to the listeners who reached out this past year who messaged me shared episodes and asked for more. I heard you. So going forward, you're going to be getting more weekly episodes and I'm also adding shorter solo episodes like this one quick, practical and built around clear actions you can take immediately. Alright, here we go. My podcast host platform, Buzzsprout just sent me my 2025 podcast recap and it made me smile because the numbers are fun. Then it made me pause because numbers don't tell the whole story. Last year I published 31 episodes, had 1,336 minutes. The show reached 47 countries, 376 cities, and had 2081 audio downloads. And that's only part of the reach because many people listen without downloading. And some watch the video versions that we have on YouTube and those numbers were not counted. There's even more to the story. A few of you know this already, many of you don't. In 2025, I wasn't planning to have a podcast. In late 2024, I had been approached to have an internet radio show with a company that had over 20 years of success helping many show hosts go from start to something respectable. The expense was significant, especially for a business just starting out. And actually that charge was the first thing I charged on my business credit card from Chase. In fact, I had to pay in two installments because my credit limit was lower than the amount I needed and I signed up anyway. It was like I had Tony Robbins and Dean Graziosi in my ear. Success leaves clues. And I was willing to pay for the shortcut and to invest in myself and in my business, and to learn best practices from those who knew so many things I didn't know yet. I signed up for the pilot series and I got 13 guests lined up. I worked with an executive producer for several weeks of the planning phase, and he helped me with selecting equipment and logistics. And in preparing for that show, I had reached out to some of the current network hosts to learn about their experiences and get their input on what they wish they knew from my vantage point. And then it didn't happen how I planned. Those current hosts told me about some significant changes to the network as that business was being sold. Communication with me somehow had slipped through the cracks. They were moving from an internet radio to a podcast format, starting with zero listeners, no longer leveraging the established distribution that they had built over two decades. And aside from being pushed out by their podcast host, they would publish on their own YouTube, which had three subscribers. I was one of them. In fact, the network had already transitioned to the new format, and so I listened to some of the officially produced shows and I could hear 3, 2, 1, wait, let, let's start the countdown again. Okay. Go. 4, 3, 2, 1. No way. That wasn't something professional. That should have been edited out, and it wasn't. So I tried to solve the problem and I went to the source, and I spoke to the new owner of the company. Yes, there were changes. They weren't able to honor the terms of the contract, and they weren't willing to return the investment I made. I felt a huge pit in my stomach, and I was so angry and disappointed at myself for making such a terrible investment and was nearly certain. I had paid a$10,000 idiot tax. I wallowed in that for a couple hours. Then my mental fitness resilience practice that I had been working on daily for months kicked in. I did a massive PQ gym session where I did sets and reps of mental exercises to calm, get present, and command my mind to flip from negative thoughts, sabotaging my success to a more positive outlook. Everything is a gift and an opportunity, and I remembered I paid with my credit card. And I contacted Chase and their consumer protection team got to work. Of course, I had all the documents. I mean, I am a trained PhD scientist. Yes, I have the notes, I have the receipts, the records, their team fought on my behalf. And in the meantime, I figured if I was gonna start from zero listeners in a podcast format, I'd rather do it on my own. So I signed up with Buzzsprout as my podcast host, and I contacted those 13 guests and nine of them took the journey with me, and I did it scared, and I did it anyway. I released before I was ready. I learned a lot of lessons and I kept trying. Somewhere along the way, GoodPods ranked Your Next Success as the number one independently produced leadership podcast for the month of July. And today it continues to show up on multiple all time charts. And this still makes me do a double take. Number three in the top 100 Indie chemistry all time chart, number 13 in the top 100 Indie coaching all time chart, number 14 in the top 100 chemistry all time chart, number 28 in the top 100 Indie leadership all time chart, number 45 in the top 100 coaching all time chart, and I can tell you with certainty, I am so glad the thing I wanted and planned for didn't happen. Pivoting to a podcast was indeed a gift and opportunity. What I thought I was paying for was a shortcut. What I gained was ownership of the platform, the process, the relationships, and the mission. I learned all about podcasting. Built new skills, created something completely authentic, more aligned, and more me. I've met incredible people, built genuine relationships, and watched listeners take brave steps toward clarity, confidence, and work that actually fuels the life they want. So what about you? As you reflect on last year, what didn't work out but created space for something better aligned to emerge? If you stopped treating the reroute as a setback and started treating it as information, what is it telling you and what is one next right thing you can do in the next 24 hours that restores momentum? Keep moving forward. Keep taking action. One next right thing at a time. And this time next year, you may be surprised at what you're able to accomplish. If you're still listening. Thank you. If you're in a reroute right now and you want clarity on your next move, I would love to support you. You can book a call with me and we will get grounded, get clear and map out your next right steps. If this episode helped you follow or subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next, and if this made you think of someone, share it. That's how these conversations reach the people who need them. Thank you for listening to Your Next Success. I'm Dr. Caroline Sangal. See you next time.