Conquering Addiction and Choosing Family: Ian McCready's Path from Declining His Dream Job to a Fulfilling Entrepreneurship

For the past twenty-two episodes, we have had front-row seats into the lives and careers of incredible leaders as they shared what made them decide to push go. Whether it was pursuing a new business venture, choosing family over career, or learning to be a leader, each of these amazing individuals shared significant wisdom and insight for us to learn from. Don't miss out on this inspiring finale of the Push Go podcast!Rick West Leslie Godwin Leslie Godwin | Episode 7Ben Kirksey Ben Kirksey | Episode 6Brian Stormes Brian Stormes | Episode 1Erin Campbell Erin Campbell | Episode 14

Hannah Hickman's plan to become one of the few female athletic directors in the area was cut short when she became pregnant. This prompted Hannah to pivot her life’s trajectory, but little did she know, she would have to change it yet again when she and her son received some unexpected news. Throughout this episode, Rick and Hannah discuss how her experience being a lifelong teacher, athlete, and coach helped her become her son’s primary educator as they navigated his medical diagnosis.

From a young age, Andrew Denysov had every intention of being a soccer player when he grew up. However, after a trip to the United States and seeing a commercial with Steve Jobs, Andrew became one of the first individuals to sell iPhones in Ukraine. This venture was only the beginning of Andrew’s exploration into the tech world, but years later the future of his entrepreneurial journey was put into question when Russia invaded Ukraine. Throughout this episode, Andrew and Rick discuss how he made the decision to use his company to help the economy and other families in need during his country’s conflict with Russia. Tune in to hear about Andrew’s defining moments!

After coming to the realization that she couldn’t be the only adoptive mother feeling alone in her journey, Alex Fittin sought to connect with other moms who had adopted by way of a podcast. Alex launched the Adoptive Mom Podcast (AMP) and grew her following to surpass over one hundred thousand downloads from all over the world. However, Alex realized that it was the engagement with podcast guests, not the process of running a successful podcast that was fulfilling. So, after much reflection on what she wanted to focus on, she hung up her podcasting microphone and became a certified Enneagram coach to work with individuals in a counseling setting and help businesses build stronger teams. Throughout this episode, Alex and Rick discuss how Alex made the decision to sunset a successful podcast in order to launch her coaching practice.Rick West Alex FittinGap Relief

Ian’s career played out almost exactly like his multi-step college-to-Fortune-500 vision, however, there was one unexpected component: Ian realized that he wanted to spend more time with his family (wife and children) and he realized that he struggled with an addiction to video games. Throughout this episode, Ian and Rick discuss how Ian made the decision to decline his dream job, which led him down an entrepreneurial path to consulting and eventually to launching SelfCtrl.Rick West Ian McCreadyMcCready Consultingselfctrl

Carter and Rick discuss how a conversation about cryptocurrency with his dad led to combining Carter’s passions of agriculture and investing to build AcreTrader. “Here was this interesting investment product in a world with information asymmetry that’s favorable to the educated investor. And here’s this real market need. People want alternatives in their portfolio. They want to invest in things other than cryptocurrencies and stocks and bonds.” - Carter Malloy, (11:19)LinksRick West Carter MalloyAcreTrader

Following in the footsteps of an aunt who loved her job, Lori Brooks began her career as an accountant. Everything changed when a medical diagnosis forced her to take a step back from work and find alternative ways to support herself and her child.  In this episode, Lori talks with Rick about how being a single mom with Crohn’s disease challenged her to find financial stability and use her experience to help others do the same.LinksRick West Lori BrooksLoriBrooks.net

Garrett Peters started his career with a plan to climb the corporate ladder but was drawn to entrepreneurship. Eventually, he teamed up with his wife and a friend to grow an Etsy store into a successful stationery business that uses handwritten storytelling to capture meaningful moments. In this episode, Garrett and Rick talk about how Garrett made the leap from corporate life to entrepreneurship and how he's navigating the journey.LinksRick West Garrett PetersDuncan & Stone Paper Co.

Omid Moghadam's career began in corporate America, but below the surface, he has always been an inventor and entrepreneur. With almost thirty years of experience and eleven companies founded, Omid's inventions have helped solve considerable problems in the medical field. Throughout this episode, Omid and Rick discuss how he’s working to make cancer screening more accessible to the masses.LinksRick West Omid MoghadamNamida Lab, Inc.Auria Breast Cancer ScreeningConnect with Namida Lab on Social MediaTwitterFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

Brands are Erin's business, and people are her fascination. She’s spent the better part of the past two decades uncovering the human side of commerce in an agency setting, but when presented with the opportunity to leave her position and launch a new brand from scratch, she eagerly stepped into the unknown. Months later, COVID-19 swept the globe. Throughout this episode, Erin and Rick discuss the unique opportunities Erin took advantage of in order to build a brand during the pandemic. Tune in to hear about Erin’s defining moments!