051: Finding Freedom Beyond the Exit with Renee Russo

By Aline Wealth Management on September 3, 2026

In this episode of Find Your Exit, host Mark Kravietz speaks with Renee Russo, founder and CEO of Rise Up Business Coaching and the 2026 Exit Planning Institute Exit Planner of the Year.

Renee shares her deeply personal story of navigating a “double exit”—from both a marriage and a business—and how that experience forced her to reconsider her identity, priorities, and definition of success. Drawing on her background as a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), former EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) Implementer, and business coach, she explains why preparing for an exit requires more than strengthening a company’s financial and operational performance.

The conversation explores how business owners can manage their energy, reconnect with their purpose, and create a clear vision for life beyond the business. Renee also introduces the Ready to Rise Energy Management System, a practical framework designed to help entrepreneurs build the personal structure needed to move confidently into their next chapter.

Key Takeaways:

• Prepare the owner—not just the business: A successful transition requires alignment across personal, financial, and business goals.
• Recognize when achievement is no longer fulfilling: Continually chasing the next milestone can hide a deeper lack of purpose or personal alignment.
• Shift from time management to energy management: Feeling stuck, exhausted, or unable to separate from the business may signal an unsustainable exchange of energy.
• Practice the five mindset rules: Being kind, curious, honest, grateful, and humble—first toward yourself and then toward others—can help change behaviors and outcomes.
• Build habits that restore capacity: Stillness, recognizing progress, focusing on solutions, making room for play, and planning ahead can help owners replenish their energy.
• Create a personal vision before the exit: A clear 10-year outlook, three-year picture, and one-year plan can give owners—and their advisors—a shared understanding of what they are working toward.
• Work in 90-day cycles: Breaking a personal vision into focused, measurable priorities can provide structure before, during, and after a business transition.
• Define what freedom means to you: The ultimate goal of an exit is not simply completing a transaction. It is creating a life that reflects the owner’s values, purpose, and priorities.

Notable Quotes:

• “What happened didn’t happen to me. It happened for me.”
• “What you focus on expands.”
• “If you don’t matter, nothing matters.”

Connect With Us:

• Twitter
• LinkedIn