Curt Sassak

Curt Sassak's Coaching

So, you’ve got a life and career that looks great on paper, but no longer feels like a win.

If you’ve hit a point where the pressure’s high and the payoff is low, you’re not alone.
 You’ve outgrown the life you built.

That’s exactly who I work with.

If you're thinking you can just grind your way through it—good luck.
 I tried that.
 So did most of my clients.
 We all ended up at the same place: stuck, frustrated, spinning our wheels. 

Enter: The Recipe
 A high-performance framework built for high-achievers who want clarity, and momentum, fast.

It’s inspired by my 27-year chef career—because chefs don’t wing it.
 We follow structure.
 We refine.
 We execute with precision.

That’s what this is.

This isn’t a journal prompt and a pep talk.

 It’s a system—tested by fire—designed to help you:

 → Get clear on what’s next
 → Identify and eliminate the internal drag holding you back
 → Build momentum through customized strategy

This isn’t personal development.
 It’s personal execution.

We extract your core drivers, map them to your next chapter, and build a plan that makes sense for your ambition, standards, and lifestyle.

And I don’t take on everyone.

This is for people who have a track record of making sh*t happen,
 And are ready to channel that same energy into building the next version of themselves.

It requires honesty. Focus. Execution.

 You bring that—I’ll bring the clarity, speed, and accountability.

DM me “RECIPE” when you’re ready to move.

 And just know—I don’t work with spectators. Only builders.

Life and Career Strategist

Winetasters Choice: An Adult Beverage Promotional Agency

Key accomplishments:

👉Spearheaded the strategic growth of a B2B beverage promotion agency, elevating annual revenue from $300,000 to $1.4 million. 

👉Drove the company's revenue-generation engine as the principal revenue officer, by additional $221,000 in revenue within a five-month span in 2023 

👉Expanded operational footprint from 12 employees across four cities in Texas to a team of 250 employees spanning three states

👉Authored and enforced comprehensive standards, processes, and protocols, laying the foundation for scalable growth and operational excellence. 

👉Pioneered a remote work model, adeptly managing a dispersed team, fostering a culture of accountability and high performance. 

👉Spearheaded the development and execution of comprehensive social media campaigns, from conceptualization to content creation and audience engagement. 

👉Achieved a 4.6/5 star rating on Glassdoor, reflecting exceptional leadership and a positive organizational culture. Garnered a 90% approval rating from employees, underscoring effective management and employee satisfaction. 

👉Demonstrated deep understanding of market trends, and consumer behavior, enabling the development of targeted promotional campaigns. 

👉Regulatory Compliance: Ensured all promotional activities complied with industry regulations and standards, maintaining the agency's reputation and operational integrity. 

👉Achieved significant growth with a small team by  implementing new systems, automation and enhancing software utilization.

👉Problem-Solver: Excel at navigating ambiguous situations and making informed decisions with limited information. 

👉Founded and grew a successful YouTube channel, overseeing all aspects of content creation, video production, and editing. Utilized the platform to effectively drive new business opportunities

Company closed by the owner on 3/2/2024.

Testimonials:
https://winetasterschoice.com/testimonials-2/

President and Chief Revenue Officer

Executive Chef

Focused experience working in internationally renowned 5-star establishments.

USA, India, Dubai, Egypt, Australia and the Maldives

Previously employed at: Four Seasons Domestic, Four Seasons International, Hyatt Domestic, Hyatt International, One & Only, Marriott, independent restaurants


Key accomplishments:

👉 Distinguished by two guest chef appearances at the world-renowned James Beard House, a testament to culinary artistry and innovation.

👉 Engaged audiences with charismatic presence through 10 live TV appearances, enhancing brand visibility and personal brand as a culinary expert.

👉 Garnered 24 Best Restaurant/Hotel awards, affirming excellence in culinary delivery and guest satisfaction.

👉 Secured the prestigious Best New Restaurant Award from the iconic Washingtonian Magazine 

👉 Celebrated for exceptional culinary creations and service, reflected in numerous positive critiques and write-ups across esteemed culinary publications.

👉 Spearheaded the pre-opening phases of hotels and restaurants, demonstrating strategic foresight and operational excellence in establishing culinary ventures.

👉 Commanded teams of up to 200, fostering a culture of excellence, creativity, and teamwork in high-pressure environments.

👉 Managed multi-million dollar food and beverage operations, showcasing adept financial acumen and operational management to drive profitability and culinary excellence.

👉 Lowered food cost by $70,000 and increased the guest satisfaction rating for food quality by 1.4 points from 2 to 3.4 on a scale of 1-5 in my first year as Executive Chef

Teaching Mid-Career Leaders how to navigate life & career transitions using my Proven Recipe / Improve the quality of your life / Create your next chapter by design, not default / Former Chef

𝙎𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙃𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝘾𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙡 𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙤𝙧.

You work your ass off, climb the ladder, got everything you want on paper, but feel empty. 

You ask yourself, "Is this it? What's next?"

You tell yourself it’s just a phase. That the feeling will pass.

It won’t.

At first, it’s a nagging thought. Then it’s an ache. 

You're wondering how you went from feeling like a confident badass knocking out your goals to just tolerating your life and career. 

Now, you dread waking up and you're just going through the motions daydreaming about the way things used to be. 

You know you want a change. You have something more to offer the world. 

But fear is holding you back. 

I know this feeling. It cost me 4 years of my life. I was depressed, and it cost me my confidence, my drive, and over $250,000.

Until I decided to take back control.

𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐈 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 & 𝐇𝐎𝐖

I work with career-driven, successful professionals 40 and up who feel stuck and want more out of life.

You’re not lost. You’re not broken. You’re just at a crossroads.

Your problem isn’t knowing you need a change. 

Your problem is knowing HOW to do it—without wasting years stuck in limbo like I did.

Your clarity is just like a five-star dish—if you’re missing key ingredients or following the wrong process, it won’t turn out right.

That’s where I come in.

I help high-performers get the exact recipe they need to figure out what’s next.

Here’s the recipe:

𝙄𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨:

🔥 Sharpen Your Mindset: REGAIN your CONFIDENCE and break free from self-doubt and second-guessing.
🔥 Regain Balance: Stop just surviving—start actually living.
🔥 Get Crystal Clear Clarity: Know exactly where you're headed and how to get there.
🔥 Remove Mental Roadblocks: Identify and eliminate what’s keeping you stuck.
🔥 Design Your Next Chapter: Not by accident. Not by default. But with intention.
 
𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙚:

Follow a proven and tested real-world process built on precise ingredients that puts you back in control.

𝘾𝙇𝙄𝙀𝙉𝙏 𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙐𝙇𝙏𝙎

The real success stories? My clients.

"Curt didn’t just help my career—he helped me take back my life. His approach forced me to get real about what I wanted. The clarity I gained was priceless."
— Matt Lunny

𝙉𝙀𝙓𝙏 𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙋𝙎

If you're done settling and want to wake up excited about your life again, let’s talk.

Message me: "I want the Recipe" to learn more. 

That’s it. No fluff. No B.S. Just results.

— Curt

Founder

So, you’re career driven, have had success, and now you feel like there are no more mountains to climb.

You got to the top of the “mountain,” and achieving your goals only to find you don’t feel fulfilled or happy. It’s like, WTF?

Your life/career no longer serves you. All you know is that you feel stuck and see no way out. You need to make a change. But doing what?

Then fear creeps in. You have questions.  “What do I do now?”  “I don’t know what else to do” 

“If I change careers how will I make enough to pay my bills?” and so on

These are the same questions (and more) I asked myself when I did a career change after 27 years as a chef and started over at 41 from zero.

Did you know a New York Times study found that 75% of Americans don’t have a clear sense of purpose?

And, there are serious health risks associated with a lack of purpose

A lack of purpose affects your self-worth, self-confidence, and self-esteem.
Which, in turn, can lead to depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other health issues.
I experienced all of those.

The good news is this: You’re only 5 steps away from finding the purpose, fulfillment, and new career you so desperately want.

They are the same 5 steps I used to go from feeling lost/stuck and finding a purpose and fulfillment

All it requires from you is self-honesty and a commitment to change

I coach people through one-to-one sessions

You think asking for help is equivalent to failure? Yep, I used to think the same, but that’s your ego talking

Consider: If you’ve been stuck, and the steps you’ve taken have not yielded results, what makes you think anything will change by repeating what you’ve done?

What got you here will not get you THERE.

Just like a car needs realignment from time to time, our personal and professional vision needs realignment from time to time

So, you can remain stuck and lost, or you can send me a DM

Dennis Geelen

Coaching and mentoring to help you start and scale your one-person business.

Zero In

The mission of Zero In is to help as many businesses and leaders build a brand customers love and a company people are passionate to work for.  

So where do you need to focus (or Zero In)?
Solve the problem of INDIFFERENCE!

Indifferent customers have no compelling reason to purchase your product or service rather than your competitors' product or service. 

Indifferent employees are complacent because they are not passionate about coming to work each day.

Utilize the resources, books, and courses from Zero In to increase your customer retention, improve your customer experience, and build a passionate culture of innovation giving your team the ability to find new and better ways to serve your customers.

"Customers DO NOT buy your product or service, they buy what it can DO FOR THEM"
Customer-centricity means knowing your customers and giving them what they crave.  This helps you to build trust and loyalty, but also a solid reputation.  Loyal customers become fans of your brand and refer other customers to you.

"If you don't find new and better ways to serve your customers, SOMEONE ELSE WILL!"
Being Innovative brings new ideas, which is crucial to a business being able to find new and better ways to add value for your customers.  With innovation comes creative new products and services, increases in efficiency and, as a result, improved profitability.

BE THE BRAND CUSTOMERS LOVE AND THE COMPANY PEOPLE ARE PASSIONATE TO WORK FOR

Founder and Chief Difference Maker

The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group

About the Commonwell
We are committed to profitable growth, team development, ingenuity, while having fun at work.  We offer a complete range of insurance products including residential, automobile, commercial, farm and watercraft. We encourage a work-life balance and we are serious about what we do!

About my Role
As Manager of the PMO, I lead a group project managers and business analysts to implement the project management office from the ground up.

About the PMO
Projects at the Commonwell are measured against timelines, budget, delivery of scope, but most importantly the realization of the intended benefits of each project.  Over 85% of projects at the Commonwell were consistantly green throughout 2018.

Manager, Project and Portfolio Management Office

As Manager of Application Services, I am responsible for planning, coordinating and managing the activities of the Application Services team within the Information Systems (IS) Department. This includes leadership and development of the IS team members, as well as providing direction and support for IS solutions to meet the present and future needs of the organization.

Manager of Application Services

Kawartha Lakes Food Source

Kawartha Lakes Food Source is a community effort to reduce hunger in the City of Kawartha Lakes by:

1. Maintaining a central warehouse to supply food to organizations that provide food to individuals in need,
2. Raising public awareness, and
3. Working in concert with other local not-for-profit organizations.

Board Of Directors

Operitel Corporation (An OpenText Company) 

ABout OpenText
OpenText, The Information Company™, a market leader in Enterprise Information Management software and solutions, enables intelligent and connected enterprises by managing, leveraging, securing and gaining insight into enterprise information, on-premises or in the cloud. 

About my Role
Directed a team of PS and R&D resources to develop and implement the LearnFlex LMS platform for over 40 clients.

Director of R&D and Professional Services

TELUS

Manager - Payment Solutions Development and Support

Emergis - A Telus Company

Manager

Emergis Inc

Business Coach | Keynote Speaker | Author of The Happy Accidents newsletter and The Accidental Solopreneur book

What I Do
I help teams, organizations, and solopreneurs flourish by focusing on what really matters: people.

As a speaker, author, and consultant, I equip audiences with practical, human-centered strategies to thrive in uncertain times, build meaningful businesses, and create lasting impact.

Who I Work With
• Event organizers seeking keynote speakers on serendipity, growth, and personal transformation
• Businesses and nonprofits looking to create stronger cultures, customer experiences, and leadership teams
• Solopreneurs who want to design businesses that give them both income and freedom


What I’ve Created
• Author of The Zero In Formula and The Accidental Solopreneur (bestseller)
• Creator of top-rated online courses for solopreneurs and authors
• Host of the Happy Accidents podcast and newsletter
• Keynote talks including 'The Power of Serendipity', 'Start Before You’re Ready', and 'Rooted in Humans'


Want to Work Together?
Let’s talk if you’re looking for:
✅ A keynote speaker for your next event
✅ A workshop or webinar for your team
✅ A course to help you grow as a solopreneur or author


DM me if you’d like to connect about speaking, workshops, or collaborations.

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The Battle

Curt Sassak

Dennis Geelen

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