Independent Executive

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  Finding the Courage to Make a Change with Mick Todd 06.10.2026 58Min.

  Mick Todd knows something about making big career decisions. In 2003, with two young children at home, he left the security of his career to build 2b Limitless in Dubai. More than two decades later, he is a globally recognised success and leadership coach who has worked with leaders and organisations around the world.In this episode of Independent Executive, Mick joins Sabine Kühn for a practical conversation about navigating career crossroads.They explore the difference between risk and recklessness, how to distinguish a difficult chapter from a book that has genuinely reached its end, why you should design the landing before you jump, and the questions that can help you move towards something rather than simply running away from what isn’t working.For anyone who knows something needs to change but hasn’t yet worked out what.TAKE OUR FREE QUIZ ➡️ How ready are you for independence? https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/es-lead-magnet Timestamps00:00 Intro00:55 Meet Mick: Founder of 2b Limitless04:13 From rugby coach to a global coaching business06:47 Going all in with no plan B10:55 What would the best version of you do now?15:38 Risk, not recklessness: planning the leap19:43 What keeps executives stuck26:48 Design the landing: moving towards, not away34:29 CliftonStrengths and how Mick coaches44:46 What successful independents get right50:56 How an executive coach can help53:11 Three reflections for anyone feeling stuckAbout Mick ToddMick Todd is the founder of 2b Limitless and a success and leadership coach with more than 25,000 hours of coaching experience. With a background spanning education, psychology and organisational behaviour, he has spent more than 20 years coaching and developing senior leaders, teams and organisations internationally.Connect with MickLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mick-todd-a887b313/ Learn more about 2b Limitless: http://www.2blimitless.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micktodd2b/?hl=en About Independent ExecutiveIndependent Executive is a podcast for accomplished executives who want to build a career with more independence, choice and ownership. Hosted by Executive Strategist Sabine Kühn, each episode features a candid conversation with an executive who has left corporate life to build something of their own.Subscribe wherever you listen.Spotify 🎧 | Apple Podcasts 🎧 | YouTube 🖥️ Follow the show: IE Instagram | IE LinkedInConnect with Sabine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-kuhn/ | @sabinek___ on InstagramWork with Talent & Truth: https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/executive-strategy
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  Turning Corporate Success Into Independent Success with Andre Saade 06.10.2026 49Min.

  Andre Saade had spent 15 years at one of the world’s largest law firms. He was successful, senior and had no particular reason to leave.Except for one question: could he do it for himself?In 2022, Andre walked away. But the decision was far from impulsive. He had spent two years preparing financially, including setting aside two years of family expenses, and made three promises to himself about what he wanted his next chapter to look like.He also started with zero clients.Today, Andre is the Owner and Managing Partner of AS Legal, a disputes-focused law firm with offices in Dubai and London and a team of 12.In this episode, Andre joins Sabine Kühn to talk about what it takes to turn success inside an established organisation into success on your own terms. They discuss the preparation behind the leap, the role of self-belief when there are no guarantees, and the challenge of becoming visible after decades behind a corporate brand.TAKE OUR FREE QUIZ ➡️ How ready are you for independence? https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/es-lead-magnet Timestamps00:00:00 Intro00:00:51 Meet Andre: From Big Law to AS Legal00:04:24 Suffocating After 15 Years in Big Law00:08:39 Why Not Do It for Myself?00:11:07 Six Months Off and Life Outside the Company00:16:00 No Vision, But He Knew It Would Work00:22:16 Entrepreneurship Is a Ship in the Ocean00:25:25 Getting Visible and Doing Law Differently00:31:41 Waiting for Mondays, Not Fridays00:37:03 How Business Constellations Unblocked Growth00:41:18 Getting to Know His Kids00:46:15 Advice for Anyone Who Hates Their JobConnect with AndreAS Legal: https://aslegal.ae/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andre-saade-0665282/About AndreAndre Saade is Owner and Managing Partner of AS Legal, a disputes-focused law firm with offices in Dubai and London and a team of 12. He has practised law for 20 years in the UAE, specialising in dispute resolution for corporate and individual clients. Before going independent he spent 15 years at one of the largest law firms in the world, where he was Legal Director. He left in 2022, took six months off, and founded AS Legal with a colleague. Earlier in his career, in 2001, he co-founded a firm in Lebanon that is still operating more than 20 years on.About Independent ExecutiveIndependent Executive is a podcast for accomplished executives who want to build a career with more independence, choice and ownership. Hosted by Executive Strategist Sabine Kühn, each episode features a candid conversation with an executive who has left corporate life to build something of their own.Subscribe wherever you listen.Spotify 🎧 | Apple Podcasts 🎧 | YouTube 🖥️Follow the show: IE Instagram | IE LinkedInConnect with Sabine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-kuhn/ | @sabinek___ on InstagramWork with Talent & Truth: https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/executive-strategy
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  Preparing Financially for Independence with Carol Glynn 06.10.2026 1Std. 4Min.

  For many senior executives, the biggest barrier to going independent is financial uncertainty.How much do you actually need before you can leave? How do you replace a senior salary? And how do you separate genuine financial risk from the beliefs about money that may be keeping you in place?Carol Glynn understands both sides of that equation.A Chartered Accountant and former CFO, Carol spent more than two decades in corporate finance before walking away from a career that looked successful on paper but no longer felt right for her.In this episode, Carol shares how to prepare financially for independence - from understanding what your life really costs and building a sufficient cash cushion, to knowing what your future business needs to earn before it can sustainably pay you. She also explores our relationship with money, including how scarcity and limiting beliefs can influence the career decisions we make, with particular relevance for women navigating senior careers and considering what comes next.TAKE OUR FREE QUIZ ➡️ How ready are you for independence? https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/es-lead-magnetTimestamps00:00:00 Intro00:00:36 Meet Carol: from PwC to CFO at 3000:03:35 Why she walked away from being a CFO00:08:14 Career, marriage and COVID all at once00:12:57 Letting herself break to rebuild00:19:20 Build your own walkout fund00:29:20 Her cash cushion and the first two years00:34:31 What money mindset really means00:39:54 Letting go of scarcity: her daily rituals00:49:09 Your 12-month plan to go independent00:53:12 How she grew the business by showing up00:58:31 What success looks like nowConnect with CarolLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-glynn/Consious Finance Coaching: https://www.consciousfinancecoaching.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consciousfinancecoaching/ About CarolCarol Glynn is a Chartered Accountant, finance coach and money mindset expert who helps clients build greater clarity and confidence around both business and personal finances.After training with PwC in Ireland, Carol moved to the UAE and built a senior career in corporate finance, becoming a CFO by the age of 30. She later moved into consulting before leaving corporate life at the end of 2019 to build her own business.Today, her work combines financial expertise across areas including business finance, accounting, tax and compliance with a focus on the beliefs and behaviours that shape how people think about money. She works predominantly with women and is also the creator of Conscious Clarity, an app bringing together financial literacy and money mindset.About Independent ExecutiveIndependent Executive is a podcast for accomplished executives who want to build a career with more independence, choice and ownership. Hosted by Executive Strategist Sabine Kühn, each episode features a candid conversation with an executive who has left corporate life to build something of their own.Subscribe wherever you listen.Spotify 🎧 | Apple Podcasts 🎧 | YouTube 🖥️Follow the show: IE Instagram | IE LinkedInConnect with Sabine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-kuhn/ | @sabinek___ on InstagramWork with Talent & Truth: https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/executive-strategy
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  Choosing Impact Over the Established Path with Marisa Kamall 06.10.2026 51Min.

  If you’ve reached a point in your career where success alone no longer feels like enough, this is a conversation for you.Marisa Kamall spent almost two decades in banking, including ten years and six different roles at HSBC across the UK, Europe, Brazil and the UAE, ultimately becoming Regional COO for the UAE and Middle East.But as her career progressed, so did her desire to use her experience to create a different kind of impact.In this episode, Marisa shares her experience of leaving a successful corporate career in search of something more meaningful, and the journey that followed.After leaving banking, Marisa explored executive coaching, joined a startup and built a technology product before eventually founding GAIA, a women’s leadership community designed to create the confidence, connection and sense of belonging she knew could make a difference to women’s careers.Marisa also discusses themes of belonging, identity and what happens when the desire to make a greater impact becomes stronger than the security of staying on a well-established path.TAKE OUR FREE QUIZ ➡️ How ready are you for independence? https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/es-lead-magnetTimestamps00:00:00 Intro00:00:38 Meet Marisa: from HSBC to founding GAIA00:02:29 Earning a seat at tables not built for you00:09:19 What success looked like vs how it felt00:12:09 The three signs it was time to leave00:20:28 Never working for another organisation again00:22:39 Letting go of the "I used to be" identity00:25:39 Ambition or proving yourself?00:31:16 Coaching, a startup and finding GAIA00:36:29 Why she isn't scared: options over assets00:41:26 Inside GAIA: confidence and boundaries00:45:11 You are enough: advice to her former SelfConnect with MarisaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisakamall/GAIA: www.gaiarises.comAbout MarisaMarisa Kamall is the founder of GAIA, a women’s leadership community and leadership development platform based in Dubai and online.Before founding GAIA, Marisa spent almost two decades in finance and banking, including ten years at HSBC. Her international career took her across the UK, Europe, Brazil and the UAE and spanned compliance, risk, product management, finance, performance management and group strategy. She ultimately served as Regional COO for the UAE and Middle East. After leaving banking, Marisa trained as an executive coach and explored several different paths before founding GAIA, through which she now works to help women build confidence, strengthen boundaries and progress as leaders - both through its community and leadership programmes within organisations.About Independent ExecutiveIndependent Executive is a podcast for accomplished executives who want to build a career with more independence, choice and ownership. Hosted by Executive Strategist Sabine Kühn, each episode features a candid conversation with an executive who has left corporate life to build something of their own.Subscribe wherever you listen.Spotify 🎧 | Apple Podcasts 🎧 | YouTube 🖥️Follow the show: IE Instagram | IE LinkedInConnect with Sabine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-kuhn/ | @sabinek___ on InstagramWork with Talent & Truth: https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/executive-strategy
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  Rebuilding After Business Failure with Emaan Abbass 06.10.2026 51Min.

  What happens if you take the leap - and it doesn’t work out?It’s one of the questions that can keep even the most accomplished executives in careers they’ve outgrown.Emaan Abbass has lived the answer.After building her career at Target, Sephora and Huda Beauty, Emaan founded Ketish, a feminine and sexual wellness brand that went on to reach Sephora shelves across two continents and was named Most Promising Brand of the Year by Entrepreneur Magazine.And then it closed suddenly.In this episode of Independent Executive, Emaan joins Sabine Kühn for a candid conversation about what happens when something you’ve poured your ambition, identity and energy into comes to an end - and how you begin again.They explore the reality of rebuilding after professional failure, separating your identity from what you built, rediscovering the value of your experience, and the decisions Emaan made differently the second time around.Today, Emaan leads The Calling Collective, bringing senior expertise to founders and brands without the traditional full-time model.Her story is an important reminder for anyone contemplating a move beyond corporate life: what you build might fail. That doesn’t mean you have.TAKE OUR FREE QUIZ ➡️ How ready are you for independence? https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/es-lead-magnet Timestamps00:00:00 Intro00:01:22 Meet Emaan: from target to Sephora to Huda Beauty00:05:28 The early days at Huda Beauty00:10:31 Building someone else's dream00:15:05 From Huda Beauty to founding Ketish00:19:36 Launching Ketish: Vogue, Sephora and an award00:23:23 When Ketish was shut down overnight00:30:53 Picking herself back up00:34:44 Building The Calling Collective00:41:19 Advice for new independents: know your worth00:45:49 Her next calling00:47:36 How she defines success nowAbout EmaanEmaan Abbass is the Founder and Lead Creative Consultant at The Calling Collective, an agency and network of specialists helping founders and established brands build and grow.Originally from California, she began her career at Target before moving to Sephora and later relocating to Dubai to join Huda Beauty during a significant period of the brand’s growth.She went on to found Ketish, which became one of the first feminine wellness brands in Sephora Europe and the first in Sephora Middle East before closing in 2023. Today, through The Calling Collective, Emaan applies that experience to helping other founders and brands build their businesses.Connect with EmaanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emaan-abbass-150b1b22/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theycallme_emaan/?hl=en About Independent ExecutiveIndependent Executive is a podcast for accomplished executives who want to build a career with more independence, choice and ownership. Hosted by Executive Strategist Sabine Kühn, each episode features a candid conversation with an executive who has left corporate life to build something of their own.Subscribe wherever you listen.Spotify 🎧 | Apple Podcasts 🎧 | YouTube 🖥️Follow the show: IE Instagram | IE LinkedInConnect with Sabine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-kuhn/ | @sabinek___ on InstagramWork with Talent & Truth: https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/executive-strategy
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  When Your Career No Longer Fits Who You Are with Luca Allam 06.10.2026 59Min.

  What if going independent gave you the freedom to become more yourself?Luca Allam spent almost two decades building a successful career in media and advertising, eventually reaching regional CEO. But the more senior he became, the more conscious he was of how he was expected to show up - what to say, how to behave and which parts of himself belonged at work. Then he stepped away from the CEO path to focus on what matters most to him: how people think, communicate, and show up when it counts.In this episode of Independent Executive, Luca joins the show to talk about leaving corporate without another job lined up, rediscovering who he was outside the expectations of senior leadership, and building a career as a Public Speaking and Communication Coach that has allowed him to show up more authentically.This is a conversation about courage and the unexpected journey of self-discovery that can begin when you choose to go independent.TAKE OUR FREE QUIZ ➡️ How ready are you for independence? https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/es-lead-magnetTimestamps00:00:00 Intro00:00:51 Meet Luca: media agency CEO turned communication expert00:04:44 Why he left at the peak of his career00:09:32 The pain of resigning with no plan00:18:22 Therapy and letting go of limiting beliefs00:20:26 Who am I without the title?00:26:18 MasterPitch: how to be yourself on stage00:34:34 Finding yourself in an AI world00:41:17 How a neighbour's question started his business00:46:01 The guilt of choosing yourself00:51:32 Advice to his younger self: back yourself00:56:54 What success looks like nowConnect with LucaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucaallam/Website: https://lucaallam.com/Order TALK HUMAN: https://www.amazon.ae/Talk-Human-Communication-Confidence-Conversation/dp/9953576904/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0About LucaLuca Allam is Founder and Executive Communication Coach at MasterPitch. He coaches senior leaders, speaks on stages around the world, hosts Luca’s Insight Track, and is the author of Talk Human—all driven by one purpose: helping people find their authentic voice and lead more fulfilling lives. About Independent ExecutiveIndependent Executive is a podcast for accomplished executives who want to build a career with more independence, choice and ownership. Hosted by Executive Strategist Sabine Kühn, each episode features a candid conversation with an executive who has left corporate life to build something of their own.Subscribe wherever you listen.Spotify 🎧 | Apple Podcasts 🎧 | YouTube 🖥️Follow the show: IE Instagram | IE LinkedInConnect with Sabine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-kuhn/ | @sabinek___ on InstagramWork with Talent & Truth: https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/executive-strategy
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  The Psychology of Going Independent with Gaj Ravichandra 06.10.2026 50Min.

  How do you prepare for the moment when the job title, organisation and professional identity you’ve spent decades building are suddenly gone?Gaj Ravichandra is a psychologist and executive coach with 25 years of experience - and the coach who helped Sabine Kühn navigate her own transition out of corporate life.In this episode of Independent Executive, Gaj and Sabine explore one of the most underestimated parts of going independent: the identity and mindset transition that comes with it.They unpack why leaving a senior role can feel surprisingly like grief, why your relationships may matter more than the reputation you think you’ve built, and what happens when you move from an environment where success is externally defined to one where you have to define it for yourself.Gaj also shares the practical steps he took before making his own move into independence 13 years ago and what he would do differently today.TAKE OUR FREE QUIZ ➡️ How ready are you for independence? https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/es-lead-magnetTimestamps00:00:00 Intro00:00:53 Meet Gaj: Psychologist and Executive Coach00:03:04 Why your reputation isn't enough00:04:30 Grieving your corporate identity00:14:59 Herminia Ibarra and the provisional self00:19:11 From a socialised to a self-authoring mind00:23:14 The board members in your head00:26:59 You at your best and at your worst00:30:57 Where fear really comes from00:40:03 Independent is external, freedom is internal00:41:45 Gaj's own leap 13 years ago00:47:57 What he would do differentlyConnect with GajLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaj-ravichandra/ Kompass - The Coaching Company: https://kompassconsultancy.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gajravichandra/?hl=en About GajGaj Ravichandra is a Registered Psychologist, executive coach and co-founder of Kompass – The Coaching Company. For more than two decades, he has worked with senior leaders navigating high-performance environments, leadership transitions and moments where the margin for error is small.His work sits at the intersection of psychology and performance, helping leaders strengthen how they think, decide and lead under pressure. He works with global organisations, sporting teams, multi-generational family businesses and executive education institutions including INSEAD, London Business School and Hult International Business School. Before co-founding Kompass, Gaj held senior roles across strategy, performance and executive development. He has now spent 13 years working independently — giving him both the psychological expertise and lived experience to understand the identity, mindset and practical shifts involved in leaving an established career behind.About Independent ExecutiveIndependent Executive is a podcast for accomplished executives who want to build a career with more independence, choice and ownership. Hosted by Executive Strategist Sabine Kühn, each episode features a candid conversation with an executive who has left corporate life to build something of their own.Subscribe wherever you listen.Spotify 🎧 | Apple Podcasts 🎧 | YouTube 🖥️Follow the show: IE Instagram | IE LinkedInConnect with Sabine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-kuhn/ | @sabinek___ on InstagramWork with Talent & Truth: https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/executive-strategy
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  Build Your Exit Before You Need It with Julián Hernández 06.10.2026 1Std.

  Build Your Exit Before You Need It with Julián HernándezWhat should you be doing before you’re ready to leave corporate?For Julián Hernández, the answer started years before his final day.After more than 30 years in advertising across Latin America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East, followed by five years consulting for governments and national champions, Julián had built a successful corporate career. But alongside it, he had also been quietly building something else: optionality.In this conversation with Independent Executive host Sabine Kühn, Julián shares how he prepared for independence while he was still employed - from investing in his own development and building a presence on LinkedIn, to separating his identity from his job title and rethinking where responsibility for his career really sat.He also talks candidly about what happens once you actually leave: pricing your own work, setting up a company, losing the infrastructure you once took for granted and discovering which parts of corporate life you unexpectedly miss.This episode is for anyone who is successful in corporate today, but knows they may not want - or be able - to stay there forever.TAKE OUR FREE QUIZ ➡️ How ready are you for independence? https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/es-lead-magnetTimestamps00:00 Introduction01:22 Julián’s 30-year global advertising career03:52 Why we treat employment as the default07:49 Building options and a lesson from his father14:50 Becoming “Julián Inc.”22:15 Why your job title is rented24:58 How LinkedIn became a source of paid work28:08 Ageing at work and leading across cultures34:23 Taking responsibility for your own growth42:56 What life actually looks like after leaving51:08 What to do five years before going independent56:05 Letting go of your old identityAbout Julián HernándezJulián Hernández has spent more than 30 years in communications, primarily in advertising, working across Latin America, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. After three decades in agencies, he spent five years consulting for governments, corporates and national champions before moving into independent work. Today, he is a Partner at Unthinkable Creative Co. and works with organisations internationally.Connect with Julián:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianhernandezr/ About Independent ExecutiveIndependent Executive is a podcast for accomplished executives who want to build a career with more independence, choice and ownership. Hosted by Executive Strategist Sabine Kühn, each episode features a candid conversation with an executive who has left corporate life to build something of their own.Subscribe wherever you listen.Spotify 🎧 | Apple Podcasts 🎧 | YouTube 🖥️Follow the show: IE Instagram | IE LinkedInConnect with Sabine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-kuhn/ | @sabinek___ on InstagramWork with Talent & Truth: https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/executive-strategy
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  Independent Executive 22.09.2026 1Min.

  Independent Executive is a podcast for accomplished executives who want to build a career with more independence, choice and ownership.Hosted by Executive Strategist Sabine Kühn, each episode features a candid conversation with an executive who has left corporate life to build something of their own. From advisors and consultants to founders, board members and portfolio executives, Sabine gets behind the polished version of going independent to understand how they actually did it: why they made the move, how they decided what to offer, how they built a reputation beyond the company name and title, the mistakes they made, and what they wish they’d known before they started.You’ll hear practical lessons on positioning, building relationships, creating credibility and navigating the identity shift that comes with leaving an established executive career behind.Whether you’re already independent, actively considering the move, or simply want to create more choice in your career, Independent Executive offers an honest look at what it takes to build a successful professional life on your own terms.TAKE OUR FREE QUIZ ➡️ How ready are you for independence?Subscribe wherever you listen.Spotify 🎧 | Apple Podcasts 🎧 | YouTube 🖥️Follow the show: IE Instagram | IE LinkedInConnect with Sabine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-kuhn/ | @sabinek___ on InstagramWork with Talent & Truth: https://talentandtruth.beehiiv.com/executive-strategy