The Success Lie: Chantell Preston on Identity, Trauma, and Rebuilding After the Exit

The Success Lie: Chantell Preston on Identity, Trauma, and Rebuilding After the Exit

Author: Brett Kaufman March 9, 2026 Duration: 56:13

Chantell Preston sold her healthcare company at 41 and thought she'd finally made it. What followed were the two hardest years of her life.

In this episode, Chantell traces the full arc: a childhood defined by divorce, abandonment, and a controlling home in Oklahoma. A teenage relationship that turned physically abusive and why she couldn't leave. The drive to prove herself that became the fuel of her entrepreneurial career, and the price she paid for it in every relationship that mattered.

When the business sold, so did her identity. The title was gone. The family was fracturing. And for the first time, she had to sit with the question she'd been outrunning her whole life: who am I without all of this?

Chantell is now an investor, author, podcast host, and co-owner of a professional volleyball expansion team in San Francisco. But the most meaningful work she's doing today can't be put on a business card.

This is a conversation about what success actually costs and what it takes to finally come home to yourself.


There's a quiet hum beneath the noise of daily life, a place where genuine understanding begins. Innerspace: Deep, Meaningful Conversations with Brett Kaufman tunes into that frequency. Hosted by entrepreneur and philanthropist Brett Kaufman, this podcast creates a grounded environment for exploring the subtle forces that guide us. The discussions move beyond surface-level advice, delving into personal transitions, moments of unexpected clarity, and the inner signals we often learn to ignore. Brett approaches each conversation with a thoughtful curiosity, whether examining setbacks or breakthroughs, to uncover how these lived experiences fundamentally shape our paths. It’s a series for anyone interested in the interconnected realms of mental fitness and spiritual self-improvement, framed not as lectures but as calm, reflective dialogues. Listening feels like gaining a deeper awareness of the quiet mechanics behind our actions and choices in health, relationships, and purpose. This podcast offers a consistent space to pause and consider what truly moves us from within.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Innerspace: Deep, Meaningful Conversations with Brett Kaufman
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