Curt Sassak is a career strategist who helps experienced leaders make smarter career decisions, communicate their value more effectively, and create momentum during periods of transition.
A former award-winning chef who lived and worked in seven countries, Curt brings an unconventional perspective to career growth. His philosophy is simple:
Most people treat their career like a series of transactions.
The most successful professionals treat it like an investment portfolio.
After 25 years as a chef he lost the passion for what he did. This was a curve ball, like, through him that he wasn’t expecting. Being the innovative thinker that he is, he tried a number of approaches to figure out what was next, such as excessive alcohol intake. (That didn’t work, BTW)
This led to a complete reinvention at 40. From that, Curt developed a practical framework for helping professionals identify career bottlenecks, avoid costly mistakes, and make decisions that create greater opportunities over time.
Drawing on his culinary background, Curt teaches that career success is much like a recipe. Positioning, networking, communication, interviewing, and strategy are ingredients that work together. When one ingredient breaks down, the entire outcome suffers.
Through this lens, Curt helps professionals uncover what is holding them back, translate their experience into future value, and create more opportunity in an increasingly competitive market.

Host Siebe Van Der Zee interviews Annet Monster, a Dutch former government and embassy professional with over two decades of international experience who later became a certified health coach and national certified personal trainer after a burnout and personal health journey. She shares 10 lessons: respond rather than react; don’t judge—be curious; when nothing goes right, go left (changing plans and moving to Bali to start her online business); when you learn, teach and when you receive, give (including her book “From Overwhelm to Freedom: Seven Steps to Protect Your Inner Peace” and volunteering); grow by stepping outside your comfort zone; travel to gain perspective and connection; become like those you surround yourself with; cravings often reflect deeper emotional needs; detach from possessions and identity tied to titles; and improve life by improving thoughts, including limiting negative news and practicing gratitude. She also describes unlearning self-worth based on job titles and degrees.

Host Robert Hossary interviews Matt Formston, a blind Australian surfer, cyclist, author and Order of Australia recipient, about his book “Why Not?” and 10 lessons learned. Matt recounts being diagnosed at age five with macular dystrophy and later struggling through bullying, illness, losing sport, a friend’s suicide, and a decade of rebuilding his identity. He explains key frameworks: using “why not” to break down problems; shifting consciously between strategy and execution; treating values as standards with clear consequences; conducting a confronting “bullshit audit” of unfiltered behaviour; building capacity by choosing the hard way; making the future “already real” through sensory visualization and self-identity; using empathy to understand people without lowering standards; “owning every hat” with focused time and context-specific behaviours anchored by consistent values; separating diversity from inclusion and avoiding quotas; and a trust formula—trust = standards × consistency × time—as both foundation and amplifier of performance.