Paths Less Traveled: Paul Earle, Kellogg MBA, Kellogg Faculty Member and GOODLES Cofounder: B-Schooled episode 280

For years, MBA applicants have asked some version of the same question: "What job will I get after graduation?" It's understandable. Recruiting is a visible and important part of the MBA experience. But after decades working with business school graduates, Stacy Blackman has noticed something more interesting: the most meaningful MBA outcomes rarely follow a straight line. That's the premise behind Paths Less Traveled, a new B-Schooled podcast series launching this week. Each episode features conversations with MBA alumni whose careers evolved in unexpected directions over time. These aren't "first job after school" stories. They're about optionality, reinvention, and what happens when you treat the MBA as a long-term foundation rather than a short-term placement service. The series kicks off with Paul Earle, a Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management alum and Stacy's former classmate, who went on to found one of the fastest-growing emerging consumer brands in the U.S. His company, GOODLES, reimagines mac and cheese as a better-for-you product, and his current obsession is the Thrilled Cheese variety. But the conversation goes deeper than product launches. Paul reflects on what business school actually gave him: "I barely remember the technical classroom frameworks and methods and models. I vividly remember the friends I made and perspectives I gained and world I discovered. One of the best things I have ever done." It's a perspective that reframes what ROI on an MBA can actually look like, and one that applicants don't always encounter early in the process. If you've been thinking about the MBA primarily in terms of your first post-graduation role, this series is worth your time.