The Exit Interview | On Air

What happens when you're born into baseball royalty, spend 16 years in the majors, win a World Series ring, and still know from age eight exactly how your story ends — not with retirement, but with reinvention? In this episode of The Exit Interview | On Air, hosts Shana Ayabe and Kisha Imani Cameron sit down with Jerry Hairston Jr., 16 season MLB veteran, World Series champion, and current Dodgers broadcaster. From growing up as the third generation in a legendary baseball family to playing for 10 teams across the majors to winning a championship with the Yankees alongside Derek Jeter, Jerry has lived the dream most athletes only imagine. But the most remarkable part? He planned his exit while he was climbing. Jerry breaks down what it actually takes to build a career that lasts beyond the uniform. This conversation goes deep into the uncomfortable truth that most athletes face: you can have the talent, the accolades, and the contract — but without purpose, confidence, discipline, and the willingness to stack days, none of it matters. Whether it's the physical toll of playing multiple positions, the mental shift from player to broadcaster, or the decision to walk away from another year in the league to raise his kids, Jerry proves that the real championship is knowing when to pivot and having the courage to execute. In this episode: Growing up in a three generation MLB family and the legacy of the Negro Leagues Why Jerry knew at eight years old he would become a broadcaster after baseball The leadership lesson Derek Jeter taught him: no king says I am king Why getting to the World Series means nothing if you don't win How injuries forced him to become a utility player and extended his career by nine years The difference between confidence and ego and why leadership is about showing up Why he walked away from another year in the majors to raise his kids How he built a broadcasting reel for six years while still playing The power of delusional confidence Why social media is a highlight reel and kids need to stack days like Kobe Bryant The truth about success: money fixes money problems but purpose creates happiness Whether you're navigating a career pivot, trying to lead with purpose instead of ego, building a legacy beyond your title, teaching the next generation about resilience, or simply exhausted from chasing external validation, this episode proves that champions are built in the grind — and legends are built in the pivot. Because at the end of the day, life is moments. And the best ones come when you're ready. Guest: Jerry Hairston Jr. | 16 Season MLB Veteran | World Series Champion | Dodgers Broadcaster IG: https://www.instagram.com/therealjhair/ Hosts: Shana Ayabe x Kisha Imani Cameron IG: https://www.instagram.com/theexitinterview_onair/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/shana_onair/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/cameroncareercoaching/ Produced by: Grace Media Digital The Exit Interview | On-Air — Real conversations. From the majors to the mic, building a legacy that lasts beyond the uniform. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:02 Growing Up in Baseball: A Family Legacy 00:05:07 The Michael Jordan Connection: When Basketball Called 00:07:01 Life Lessons From a League Legend 00:09:33 Training Like the Elite: The Nomar Garciaparr Approach 00:12:47 The Pivot: From Injury to Versatility 00:14:15 The Mindset of Champions: Learning From Dusty Baker 00:16:53 The World Series Ring: Derek Jeter's Winning Mentality 00:21:51 Leadership Lessons: The Kings Who Never Say They're Kings 00:25:32 The Exit: Choosing Family Over One More Season 00:27:02 Building the Broadcasting Career: Laying the Foundation 00:36:25 The Delulu Factor: Dustin Pedroia and the Power of Belief 00:38:33 Redefining Success: Purpose Over Possessions

What happens when you've climbed to the top, proven yourself a hundred times over, and still find yourself fighting the same battles — until one day you realize you're just done? In this episode of The Exit Interview | On Air, hosts Shana Ayabe and Kisha Imani Cameron sit down with Katie Naughton, founder of Drive Her Forward, former dealership owner, and one of the less than 1% of women who have owned automotive dealerships. From elite gymnast to co-owning a Kia dealership in Canada to navigating the cutthroat world of mergers and acquisitions, Katie has spent her career in one of the most male dominated industries in America. And she's done fighting. Katie opens up about the moment she realized the Iron Fist leadership style she inherited wasn't working, the painful pivot to leading with empathy instead of ego, and why she walked away from M&A to build a community for ambitious women who are tired of proving their worth. She gets honest on negotiating watching a male competitor get offered 100% more for the same role, Katie breaks down what it actually takes to navigate ambition, competitiveness, and boundaries as a woman in a space that wasn't built for you. This conversation goes deep into the uncomfortable truth that most women face: you can be successful, capable, and respected — and still hit a wall where you're just exhausted from the fight. Whether it's the constant proving, the lack of female role models, the emotional labor of being the only woman in the room, or the realization that the career ladder you climbed is no longer worth the climb, this episode is for every woman who has ever thought, I'm done. In this episode: The truth about ambitious women The leadership shift from Iron Fist to empathy and why it transformed her dealership overnight How to navigate being competitive without being threatening in male dominated industries The brutal reality of negotiating as a woman and why she bombed her own contract negotiation Why male colleagues openly share salary numbers while women stay silent The emotional cost of selling a family business and feeling like you abandoned your team Why automotive still sits at 20% female representation after a decade of advocacy efforts How to build confidence by tracking your wins and responding to imposter syndrome The power of unlocking the golden handcuffs and asking for what you're worth Why success today means helping others become better instead of fighting to stay on top Whether you're navigating a male dominated industry, trying to lead with empathy in a cutthroat environment, negotiating your worth, building confidence after years of proving yourself, or simply exhausted from the fight, this episode proves that sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is stop fighting and start building something new. Because when you're successful but done fighting, it's time. Time to pivot. Guest: Katie Naughton | Founder, Drive Her Forward | Former Dealership Owner | Leadership Coach for Women in Automotive LinkedIn: Katie Naughton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/katienaughton/) Web: https://driveherforward.com/ Hosts: Shana Ayabe x Kisha Imani Cameron IG: https://www.instagram.com/theexitinterview_onair/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/shana_onair/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/cameroncareercoaching/ Produced by: Grace Media Digital The Exit Interview | On-Air — Real conversations. When you're successful but done fighting, it's time. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:23 Done Fighting: The Breaking Point for Ambitious Women 00:06:50 Balancing Toughness and Femininity in Male-Dominated Spaces 00:07:27 From One of the Guys to Authentic Leadership 00:10:49 Growing Up in Automotive: A Family Legacy 00:13:11 The Lightbulb Moment: I Can Run Circles Around You 00:13:49 All Chips In: Buying Their First Dealership 00:14:16 The Reformed Leader: From Iron Fist to Empathy 00:20:41 The Leadership Shift: How Can I Help You? 00:23:06 The Emotional Side of Selling: Saying Goodbye to a Legacy 00:25:23 Mergers and Acquisitions: The Cutthroat World 00:29:50 Birth of Drive Her Forward: Building the Network She Never Had 00:33:37 Done Fighting: The Universal Exhaustion of Women in Business 00:34:49 Unlocking the Golden Handcuffs: Confidence and Negotiation 00:36:45 The 100 Percent Pay Gap: Katie's Negotiation Failure 00:44:48 Write Down Your Wins: Building Confidence Through Proof 00:48:23 Embracing the Process: Speed, Success, and the Overachiever Trap 00:52:07 Women Competing Against Women: The Scarcity Mindset 00:56:31 Changing Automotive: Why More Women Would Transform the Industry 01:06:07 Current Definition of Success: Helping Others Become Better

Carol Lin - Official Site & Book (https://www.carollinnow.com/) CNN anchor Carol Lin broke the news of 9/11 live. 25 years later, she reveals what happened when the teleprompter went blank — and why she walked away to reinvent her life. Emmy-winning journalist Carol Lin was at the anchor desk in Atlanta on September 11, 2001, when she had to tell the world what was happening with no script and no context. In this episode of The Exit Interview | On Air, Carol shares what that morning was really like inside the CNN newsroom, how 9/11 became the inflection point that led through widowhood, single motherhood, and leaving broadcast journalism, and how she rebuilt identity after success. If you're navigating career reinvention, burnout, grief, or asking what's actually worth it after achievement — this conversation is for you. In this episode: Breaking 9/11 live when the teleprompter went blank Inside the CNN newsroom as the second plane hit The cost of detachment for women in journalism Leaving the anchor desk and navigating identity Windowhood and single motherhood Grief, ego, and rebuilding identity 25 years later Featuring: Carol Lin, Emmy award-winning former CNN anchor and author Subscribe for weekly conversations on career pivots, identity, and the future of work. New long-form every Sunday + daily Shorts from each episode. #911Anniversary #CareerReinvention #WomenInJournalism Guest: Carol Lin | Emmy Award-Winning Journalist | Former CNN & ABC News Anchor | Author, When News Breaks IG: https://www.instagram.com/carollinnow/ Hosts: Shana Ayabe x Kisha Imani Cameron IG: https://www.instagram.com/theexitinterview_onair/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/shana_onair/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/cameroncareercoaching/ Produced by: Grace Media Digital The Exit Interview | On-Air — Real conversations. 25 years after 9/11, the anchor who broke the news breaks her own story. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:47 9/11: Breaking the News That Changed Everything 00:09:16 The Personal Cost: Loss, Grief, and New Motherhood 00:17:53 Discovering Innocence: Motherhood After Loss 00:20:08 The Swimming Pool Moment: Confronting Failure and Fear 00:22:07 The Career That Defined Her: Journalism as Identity 00:24:50 Early Messaging: The Immigrant Daughter's Burden 00:32:21 The Exit: Leaving CNN and Letting Go of the Anchor Desk 00:38:57 Getting Over Herself: Teaching, Entrepreneurship, and Reinvention 00:47:28 Finding Meaning in Grief: The Biology and Spirituality of Healing 00:55:11 Being Asian in the Newsroom: The Connie Chung Effect 01:05:10 Redefining Success: Risk, Curiosity, and Liberation

18% vs 80%: The Hidden Truth Inside The Music Business | Marc E. Bassy What does a $1.5M major record deal really cost? Hit songwriter turned independent label owner Marc E. Bassy breaks down the real music business, music royalties, and why owning your masters beats chasing a major label. On this episode of The Exit Interview | On Air with Shana Aya, Marc reveals the code behind the music industry — from how a record deal actually pays, to how he walked away from a major and kept 80% of 170M streams instead of 18%. If you’re an independent artist, creator, or entrepreneur navigating ownership vs. access, this is the blueprint for understanding the through line between creative and business that runs on politics. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN: ✓ The real math behind a record deal: 18% vs 80% and how music royalties work ✓ Why Marc E. Bassy left a $1.5M major label deal to go independent ✓ The hidden code of the music business most artists never learn ✓ How to think like a label head: “client services” and building around the artist ✓ Ownership, leverage and longevity — from songwriter to CEO and father ABOUT MARC E. BASSY: Bay Area singer-songwriter Marc E. Bassy with hit songs Morning and You & Me ft. G-Eazy. He has co-written on hits for CeeLo Green, Sean Kingston, and more. Marc built his career on major labels before betting on independence. As founder of New Gold Medal, he’s amassed 170M+ independent streams — and kept the ownership. Listen to Marc E. Bassy: Spotify Follow Marc: Instagram ABOUT THE SHOW: The Exit Interview | On Air with Shana Aya unpacks career reinvention, identity shifts, and the future of work. From boardrooms to creative industries, we go behind the pivot with leaders who chose purpose over title. Hosts: Shana Ayabe x Kisha Imani Cameron SUBSCRIBE for weekly deep dives on bold career moves. #musicbusiness #musicindustry #marcebassy #theexitinterview #careerreinvention

He had everything Wall Street could buy — money, status, a seat at the table. It still wasn't enough. Something was missing. Sam Polk was a millionaire trader on wall street by his late twenties. On paper, he'd won the game. But the more he earned, the emptier it felt — until one moment forced him to ask the question so many professionals are afraid to ask: if I have everything and I'm still not fulfilled, what am I actually chasing? This is a career pivot story told from the inside. Sam walked away from the golden handcuffs to build Everytable, a company feeding underserved communities — and in the process, redefined what success means for himself. In this episode we unpack: Why money and status stop delivering fulfillment — and what replaces them The psychological cost of the golden handcuffs, and how to break them How Sam turned a personal exit into a mission-driven business model Generating financial success creating a business with impact The uncomfortable question every high-achiever eventually faces: what's actually worth it? If you're mid-pivot — or just wondering whether the ladder you're climbing is the right one — this conversation is for you. 📌 Have a career pivot question? Drop it in the comments. Guest: Sam Polk | Ex- Wall Street Trader | CEO & Founder, Everytable LinkedIn: Sam Polk (https://www.linkedin.com/in/polksam/) Everytable Web: https://everytable.com/ Hosts: Shana Ayabe x Kisha Imani Cameron IG: https://www.instagram.com/theexitinterview_onair/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/shana_onair/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/cameroncareercoaching/ Produced by: Grace Media Digital The Exit Interview | On-Air — Real conversations. Giving up a successful financial career for entrepreneurship anchored in purpose. Chapters 00:00:00 Intro - The trader who left Wall Street 00:01:24 Why he walked away from the money 00:05:54 The golden handcuffs dilemma 00:07:41 When money stops making you happy 00:10:13 Why he felt lonely at the top 00:12:54 Why not just volunteer instead? 00:17:47 The year-long exit & first nonprofit 00:19:26 Building Everytable: mission + scale 00:24:19 Handling criticism for leaving 00:31:50 Resilience as his superpower 00:40:29 What an authentic successful life looks like 00:45:50 Learning to trust his own decisions 00:47:04 Lesson from Elon Musk 00:48:08 Why he never went back 00:53:33 Everytable's COVID-19 pivot & growth 00:57:00 How he's raising his kids differently 01:00:45 45 The real fear: walking away from status 01:01:44 His definition of success today