Our Story
The Beginning: Comeback Cast started in the most unlikely place—three displaced executives commiserating over coffee about technology, transitions, and what comes next. What began as therapeutic venting evolved into something bigger: the realization that thousands of professionals face the same challenges with remarkably little peer support.
We had decades of combined executive experience but found ourselves fumbling through AI tools, retirement calculators, and entrepreneurial ventures like confused ninth graders. Traditional career coaches felt out of touch. Retirement blogs seemed aimed at people planning luxury cruises, not rebuilding income streams. We needed something different—authentic guidance from people actually living the transition.
So we decided to document the journey. The stumbles. The wins. The “how do I unmute myself on Zoom” moments and the “I just landed my first consulting client” victories. Comeback Cast became our laboratory, our therapy session, and our business—all rolled into one.
Today: We’re building a community of professionals who refuse to let career setbacks define their futures. Through weekly live discussions, individual deep-dive episodes, and an engaged Patreon community, we’re proving that the second act doesn’t just have to be good—it can be your best act yet.
Our Founders’ Stories
E. William Podojil
Co-Founder & Leadership Development Specialist
With over three decades of experience in corporate leadership and organizational development, William Podojil built his career guiding executives and teams through complex business transformations. After his own career transition, he recognized the gap between traditional career coaching and what professionals really need—authentic peer guidance from someone actually living the journey.
At Comeback Cast, William focuses on the human side of career transition: identity shifts, relationship changes, and finding purpose beyond the corner office. His background in leadership development provides practical frameworks for navigating uncertainty, rebuilding confidence, and discovering what matters most in the second act—minus the corporate consultant speak.
Outside of Comeback Cast, William is developing leadership programs for professionals in transition, speaking on resilience and reinvention, and documenting every stumble and success for the community to learn from.
The hardest part wasn’t losing the title—it was rebuilding the identity that came with it. That’s the work that matters most. — William Podojil
Brian Slowik
Co-Founder & Business Strategy Specialist
Brian Slowik spent 25+ years building and leading sales organizations across the technology and business services sectors, consistently delivering results in competitive markets. After an unexpected career transition, he discovered that the strategic thinking and relationship-building skills honed in executive roles translated perfectly to entrepreneurial ventures and content creation.
At Comeback Cast, Brian brings expertise in business development, market strategy, and the practical realities of pivoting from corporate executive to independent consultant. His episodes focus on monetizing experience, building client relationships, and navigating the business side of career transitions—all with the self-aware humor of someone learning new technology tools in real-time.
When not recording episodes, Brian is building his consulting practice, mastering AI content tools (sometimes successfully), and proving that getting fired can be the best career move you never planned.
I spent 25 years selling other people’s solutions. Now I’m building my own. Turns out, I should have been fired years ago. — Brian Slowik
Burke Rice
Co-Founder & Entrepreneurial Ventures Specialist
Burke Rice’s career includes strategic roles across multiple industries, where he specialized in driving growth, managing complex relationships, and solving problems others couldn’t crack. After his corporate chapter closed, he saw it not as an ending but as permission to pursue the entrepreneurial ventures he’d always considered “someday” projects.
At Comeback Cast, Burke specializes in helping community members navigate the practical realities of building businesses after 50—from technology adoption to revenue generation to balancing entrepreneurial risk with retirement security. His approach emphasizes taking action over achieving perfection, sharing both wins and failures with equal transparency.
Burke is currently building multiple income streams, experimenting with digital business models, and helping transform Comeback Cast into a thriving community proving that the best business ideas often come from experience, not youth.
Corporate taught me how to manage other people’s businesses. Getting fired taught me how to build my own. Best education I never paid for. — Burke Rice
Channel Overview
Content Format:
Weekly live discussion episodes
Core Values
Authentic Progression
We don’t pretend to have all the answers. We share real struggles, honest mistakes, and genuine victories as they happen. Progress over perfection, always.
Community Over Competition
Your success doesn’t diminish ours. We build each other up, share resources freely, and celebrate wins together. Rising tide lifts all boats.
Resilient Optimism
We acknowledge the difficulty of transition while maintaining belief in better days ahead. Realistic about challenges, hopeful about possibilities.
Practical Wisdom
Every piece of advice is tested in real life first. We share what actually works, not what sounds good in theory. Experience over expertise.
Forward Momentum
We honor the past without dwelling there. Our focus is always on the next step, the next opportunity, the next chapter waiting to be written.