Joe Sanok is the author of Thursday is the New Friday: How to work fewer hours, make more money, and spend time doing what you want. It examines how the four-day workweek boosts creativity and productivity. Joe has been featured on Forbes, GOOD Magazine, and The Smart Passive Income Podcast.
He is the host of the popular The Practice of the Practice Podcast, which is recognized as one of the Top 50 Podcasts worldwide with over 100,000 downloads each month.
Bestselling authors, experts, scholars, and business leaders and innovators are featured and interviewed in the 1,000 plus podcasts he has done over the last 10+ years.
Sam Rudowski is a detail-oriented problem solver who enjoys identifying areas for improvement and troubleshooting any immediate concerns while keeping long-term solutions in mind.
Beyond her work desk, she is fueled by her love of chai tea, the outdoors, and travelling. She’s a house plant fanatic and often turns to nature as a source of inspiration and relaxation. You’ll often find her on the beach or exploring nature trails with her young family.
As Head of Projects and People at PoP, Jen is a dedicated leader focused on optimizing internal project workflows and cultivating a cohesive team environment. With a strong background in project management and executive assistance, she provides strategic problem-solving and excels at streamlining processes. Jen’s passion lies in building strong internal connections and empowering her team to achieve their goals.
In her free time, she enjoys family moments, creative furniture refinishing, and finding tranquility through kayaking and her connection to the ocean.
Niranda Hoctor, mom to two boys, lives in Cape Town. She has over 15 years of experience as an Office Manager/ Consultant Support to three top corporate entities in South Africa, namely First National Bank, Discovery, and The South African Gold Coin Exchange.
Niranda has always been the go-to person within the company for help and support.
Kate has a passion for helping people reach their highest potential and achieve their dreams. Her goal is to help individuals become the best version of themselves by partnering with them to offer coaching, accountability, and access to resources.
Through her group coaching sessions, she strives to create a supportive community and inspire individuals to find the motivation that moves them toward their growth and success.
Whether it’s finding the courage to take that next step or having the support to keep going when things get tough, she is here to help groups move forward and reach their goals.
Sara Parry is a warm and dedicated professional who genuinely loves helping people. With a knack for strategic thinking and top-notch customer service skills, she’s always looking for ways to make life better for those around her. Sara’s rich background as a teacher and administrative assistant has given her a wealth of experience in supporting individuals and fostering growth.
Outside of work, Sara is a devoted wife and mom to two wonderful boys. She enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, and cherishing moments with her family and friends. Her passion for learning and personal development shines through in everything she does, making her a cherished member of our PoP Team. Sara’s greatest strength is her ability to form strong, meaningful connections with everyone she meets, adding a personal touch to all her interactions.
Nicole is the owner of Mental Wellness Counseling, a Northern Michigan Counseling Practice. Her practice has three locations throughout the Northern Michigan region.
She is a Licensed Clinical Master Social Worker in the state of Michigan, Member of the National Association of Social Workers, and is on the board of directors for the National Alliance for Mental Illness in Traverse City.
She is also a full time professor at Ferris State University where she teaches undergraduate social work courses, as well as mentors the MSW graduate level students for their capstone research.
Nicole Fix, LMSW-C, owns Eastern Door Counseling, LLC, in Grand Rapids, MI, located within Moonrise Sanctuary, a future integrative mental health collective. She empowers mental health practice owners to build authentic, sustainable businesses, offering intuitive and practical consulting rooted in aligning values and purpose.
Beyond her clinical work, Nicole is a Reiki Master, author, and lecturer, focusing on the sacred feminine and ancestral healing, integrating these principles into her practice. She believes in holistic wellness, incorporating nutritional and integrative health. Nicole helps clients reconnect with their lineage, heal generational trauma, and reclaim personal power.
In her personal life, she values time with loved ones, travel, and embracing life’s simple joys.
Ashley Mielke is a Registered Psychologist, PsyD Candidate, and Founder of The Grief and Trauma Healing Centre; a multi-location, seven-figure group practice based in Alberta, Canada. After 11 years of leadership and serving over 6300 clients, Ashley sold the practice in 2024 to devote her career to coaching women worldwide who have lost loved ones to suicide — work she considers both her calling and her ministry.
In addition to her coaching work, Ashley draws on her experience as a heart-centered group practice owner to help therapists grow their own businesses. Through 1:1 consulting and community-based webinars, she empowers clinicians to start, scale, and eventually exit their practices in ways that are both profitable and deeply meaningful.
When Ashley is not working, she can be found soaking in time with her husband and two sons, playing hockey at the rink, or exploring the places that hold her heart: Hawaii, Arizona, and Michigan.
Doug Polster, PhD, is the COO and Co-Owner of Thriving Center of Psychology, where he specializes in building scalable operations, leadership systems, and EOS-driven infrastructure in mental healthcare. Before stepping fully into executive leadership, Doug founded his own private practice, specialized in performance psychology working with high-performing individuals, and helped launch a cognitive fitness app focused on optimizing brain+body performance. Over the past five years at Thriving Center, he has built company infrastructure from the ground up, developed departments from scratch, expanded the internal team from 4 to 30, and helped grow the organization from 12 to more than 120 providers.
Doug holds a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, where he captained the basketball team, earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology from Nova Southeastern University, and completed his sports neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship at the UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program. Known for his energetic, execution focused style, Doug is passionate about helping leaders get out of their own way, push past self-imposed limits, and succeed at a high level without losing fulfillment or meaning along the way. Outside of work, he’s a husband, father of three, and avid golfer (if he gets the time!).
Melissa Schneider, LCSW is a double group practice founder, consultant, and speaker. She opened Resolution Counseling Center in Jersey City, NJ in 2019, a multi-site insurance practice with 65+ therapists. In 2023, she launched her second practice, Cultivate Therapy, a boutique out-of-network group. In 2026, both brands were successfully acquired by a national mental health platform.
As a consultant with Practice of the Practice, Melissa specializes in strategizing with group practice owners who want to scale and change our industry for the better and with aspiring owners who want to plan a successful, low-risk launch.
Brandon Shurn, Ph.D., LCPC, LMHC, AFC®, NCC is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Maryland and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida. He is the founder of EmPower Me Holistic Counseling a Maryland practice that is completely virtual. He is also a full-time professor at Seattle University where he teaches in the online clinical mental health counseling program. Prior to launching his private practice, he helped launch and was the clinic director for a low-cost university training clinic for counseling students to gain hours during their internship.
Brandon is a proponent of personal growth and development and continues to seek ways to improve his ability to work effectively with his consulting clients. He loves helping individuals design and launch practices that gives them the ability to make an impact in the mental health space while making an income.
In his free time, you will likely find Brandon in his home gym exercising, practicing yoga, or Wing Chun, reading a good book, hanging with his family, working on his golf swing, or taking a walk through his neighborhood with his dogs.
Adam Lewis Walker is the founder of Amplify Your Mission, where he helps experts turn their ideas into authority through speaking, publishing, and podcasting. A TEDx speaker, best-selling author, and award-winning host, Adam is best known for his TalkXcelerator method—guiding clients to secure and deliver TEDx-style talks that expand influence and open doors.
Featured by outlets including The Huffington Post and ESPN, he’s spoken at venues such as the Hollywood Roosevelt and the U.S. Air Force & Space Force Academy.
UK-born and U.S.-based, Adam is a proud husband to Christina and dad to Dylan and Harrison.
