#331 Kevin Eikenberry: How Great Leaders Flex Without Losing Themselves — Part One
Kevin Eikenberry didn’t start in a leadership lab—he started on a farm where animals had to be fed no matter what else was happening. In Part 1, he shares how early lessons in discipline and systems thinking carried into his leadership work decades later. From his unexpected pivot from fertilizer sales to corporate training, to founding the Kevin Eikenberry Group, Kevin talks about the mistakes, pivots, and realities that shaped his approach to helping others lead better.Key Highlights of Our Interview:Feeding Hogs, Learning Discipline“No matter what else was happening, you had to feed the animals. Non-negotiable.”From Agriculture to Human Systems“I studied mechanical and biological systems. Now I work with human ones.”An Accidental Pivot into Training“I volunteered once at Chevron—and ended up reshaping my whole career.”The Easy Exit, the Harder Lesson“Leaving with projects lined up made it easier—but delayed learning how to market myself.”Keeping the Business Alive“You can’t just be good at the work. You have to keep finding the next work.”____________________________Connect with us:Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Kevin Eikenberry
--Chief Change Officer--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligencefor Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.EdTech Leadership Awards 2025 Finalist.15 Million+ All-Time Downloads.80+ Countries Reached Daily.Global Top 3% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>150,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<
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#330 Gary Bremermann: Clarity Over Comfort—Career Change on Your Own Terms
In Part 2 of his conversation, Tokyo-based American Gary Bremermann moves beyond his own story to share the frameworks and realities that shape career reinvention today. From his Seven Steps to Career Clarity to his candid views on Japan’s ageist hiring market, Gary offers a Gen X blueprint for change: slow, thoughtful, grounded in values, and fiercely human. For anyone tired of chasing titles and ready to build a career worth living on their own terms, this episode delivers both the hard truths and the hope.>>Coaching the Opportunity Seekers“Mid-career professionals weren’t asking what they wanted—they were asking what was available.”Gary explains why so many talented people get trapped following default paths—and how coaching helps them reconnect with what they actually want.>>Your Story Is the Starting Point“Your past holds the clues to your future—you just have to read it differently.”He breaks down why career clarity begins with mining your real life for patterns, strengths, and missed signals.>>Values Before Vision“Forget the mission statement—start with your values.”Gary shares why starting with personal values, not corporate buzzwords, is the foundation for sustainable career growth.>>Practical Dreaming“One dream job without limits. One dream job grounded in reality.”He explains how a two-track dream job exercise helps people balance ambition with achievable moves.>>Japan’s Aging Workforce and Recruiting Reality“The labor pool is shrinking, but the hiring practices haven’t caught up.”Gary shares firsthand insights on ageism, cultural resistance to change, and why Japan remains one of the hardest recruiting markets in the world._____________________Connect with us:Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Gary Bremermann
--Chief Change Officer--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligencefor Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.EdTech Leadership Awards 2025 Finalist.15 Million+ All-Time Downloads.80+ Countries Reached Daily.Global Top 3% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>150,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<
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#329 Gary Bremermann: Hitchhikes, Burnouts, and Building a Career Worth Living
Tokyo-based American Gary Bremermann didn’t stumble into career clarity—he fought for it across countries, careers, and crises. From hitchhiking North America to building and burning out of his first company, Gary’s story is a blueprint for real Gen X reinvention: practical, nonlinear, and painfully honest. In this first of a two-part series, he shares how early travel, entrepreneurial scars, and the brutal experience of misaligned success shaped the recruiter and career coach he is today. For Gen Xers still figuring out their next chapter—or building a life while surviving their own rough drafts—this episode offers both grit and grounded hope.>>The National Geographic Kid“I grew up with every issue ever printed—and a mind wired to explore.”Gary shares how childhood dreams of travel sparked a lifelong hunger for exploration, curiosity, and career experimentation.>>Hitchhiking Lessons You Don’t Learn in Business School“I learned how to talk to anyone, anywhere, about anything.”Gary reflects on how crossing the U.S. and Canada on foot and rail taught him real-world communication skills he still uses as a recruiter and coach.>>Dropping Out—Twice“School couldn’t hold me—but neither could drifting forever.”He talks about his struggles with traditional education, dropping out, traveling the world, and ultimately rebuilding himself on his own terms.>>Entrepreneurial Burnout: The Hidden Cost of Chasing Money“I was expanding globally—and being crushed by my own business.”Gary shares how chasing financial success without personal alignment almost destroyed him—and why selling his first company saved his life.>>Finding Freedom on Different Terms“Money isn’t the goal. Alignment is.”After exiting his business and hiring a life-changing coach, Gary explains how he reframed financial success as a byproduct of purpose, not the point._____________________Connect with us:Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Gary Bremermann
--Chief Change Officer--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligencefor Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.EdTech Leadership Awards 2025 Finalist.15 Million+ All-Time Downloads.80+ Countries Reached Daily.Global Top 3% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>150,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<
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#328 Collin Plume: Ownership, Not Optics—Teaching Real Wealth to the Next Generation
In the second half of his conversation, Collin Plume moves beyond financial products into financial legacy—sharing how Gen Xers can teach resilience, ownership, and critical thinking to the next generation. From diversifying income streams to protecting family futures with real assets, Collin reveals why wealth isn’t about a flashy portfolio—it’s about building something that lasts, even when systems shift. For Gen Xers tired of flashy advice and ready to raise wiser, stronger humans, this episode delivers the quiet tools for lifelong financial independence.>>Inflation, Instability, and the Fight for Financial Control“Gold has kept up with the cost of living for over 150 years.”Collin explains why owning tangible assets isn’t just smart investing—it’s a fight for personal freedom and future-proofing your life against system shocks.>>Diversification Isn’t Optional Anymore“The mistake isn’t just losing—it’s being stuck in one idea forever.”He shares why today’s market demands diversified thinking, constant learning, and rejecting loyalty to any one asset class—including real estate.>>Retirement Will Never Look the Same“People aren’t retiring—they’re reworking life.”Collin talks about the shifting realities of work, aging, and how side gigs, flexible income, and purpose-driven work are rewriting retirement for Gen X and beyond.>>The Rise—and Risk—of Finfluencers“Algorithms reward appeal, not expertise.”He calls out the dangers of taking financial advice from unverified influencers, and why critical thinking is the real currency in today’s information economy.>>Teaching Kids the Real Value of Money“Experience and education over stuff.”Collin shares how he’s raising his three kids to value assets over toys, experiences over things, and knowledge over hype—with gold and silver as real-world teaching tools.______________________Connect with us:Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Collin Plume
--Chief Change Officer--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligencefor Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.EdTech Leadership Awards 2025 Finalist.15 Million+ All-Time Downloads.80+ Countries Reached Daily.Global Top 3% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>150,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<
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#327 Collin Plume: Golden Rules for People-First Wealth Building
Collin Plume didn’t build Noble Gold to chase hype—he built it to restore trust in a system Gen X knows can break. In this first of a two-part series, Collin shares how early lessons from insurance sales, real estate, and recession-era survival shaped his people-first approach to wealth building. He explains why real assets like gold and silver aren’t just investments—they’re anchors of ownership in a world increasingly built on debt and paper. For Gen Xers who value resilience over rhetoric, and control over hype, this episode delivers the human side of financial security.>>Learning the Hard Way“Customer service wasn’t a department—it was survival.”Collin reflects on early lessons selling insurance and real estate, where trust and loyalty mattered more than shiny marketing.>>Why People Stay—and Why They Leave“Employees don’t stay because of ping-pong tables. They stay because they’re seen.”He shares how mentorship and genuine relationship-building shaped his leadership style at Noble Gold.>>Selling Without the Sleaze“I don’t care what you’re selling—if you don’t care about people, you lose.”Collin talks about why prioritizing people over products isn’t soft—it’s the only strategy that survives downturns.>>Precious Metals: The Ownership Play“When everything else feels intangible, gold and silver are still yours.”He explains why real assets like precious metals offer Gen Xers a hedge—not just against inflation, but against an unstable system.>>Family, Fear, and Financial Freedom“You’re not just buying an asset—you’re buying options.”Collin connects gold ownership to a deeper human need: protecting family, future, and dignity through real, controllable wealth.______________________Connect with us:Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Collin Plume
--Chief Change Officer--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligencefor Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.EdTech Leadership Awards 2025 Finalist.15 Million+ All-Time Downloads.80+ Countries Reached Daily.Global Top 3% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>150,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<
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Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.
Chief Change Officer isn’t just another podcast. It ranks in the Top 3% globally, hit #1 in Careers (US), and cracked the Top 10 in Business (US)—because it offers what others don’t: expansive human intelligence, shared by the world’s most extraordinary thinkers and doers.
This is the space for transformation gurus, bold hearts, black sheep, and unsung visionaries. We go beyond digitized tips and AI-smooth talk. Here, you get real, time-tested, experience-driven wisdom—the kind that blends logic and love, art and science, hindsight and foresight.
For me, this show marks career transition #18. Across 17 transitions, I’ve been mentored by global changemakers who helped me emerge stronger and freer. Now, I’m passing that power forward—through raw, unfiltered conversations with extraordinary people across cultures, industries, and identities.
If you’re a growth progressive, a black horse, a visionary underdog, or someone boldly rewriting the rules—you’re already one of us. Because you are the Chief Change Officer.
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A better you is already unfolding.
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