Hardwired For Growth

Join my Substack: https://bretttrainor.substack.com/Episode Overview:Janet Tanguay got spitballed by her own colleagues in a corporate training for going off script. She lasted four days in her next job. Now she helps people build the life they actually want, and she has the most practical approach to it I've come across.Janet Tanguay is a serial entrepreneur who has run a record label and an art business, and now runs Hammock Way of Life, helping people and companies get clear on what they actually want through vision boarding. She's the author of Hammock Way of Life: Leaping Toward Joy, part memoir and part business book, available in print and audio.GUEST LINKShttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jazzyjan/https://hammockwayoflife.com/In this episode:The spitball training, and the ten years she stayed anywayFour days in banking and the sweater vest that ended itThe boss who told her at a book signing that she almost made him quitWhy the questions stop after enough years insideFinding the work by accident at a chamber of commerceThe five whys, and why the fifth one is the real answerThree values as the filter for everything you say no toHow to actually build a board, and the words to keep off itWhat she does with people who have four ideas at onceVision boarding inside companies, and what it turns upTHE METHOD, ASSEMBLEDJanet laid this out across the whole conversation. Here it is in one place.1. Run the five whys. Start with one question. "Why do I want to leave?" Answer it, then ask why again, five times. The fifth answer is usually the real one.2. Pick three values. Start with a list of ten, cut to five, then three. These become your North Star. When something lands in front of you, you check it against the three, and that's how you say no to things that look good but aren't yours.3. Build the board around one center. Put the single most important thing in the middle. Cluster everything else around it. If you scatter it, your dreams come out scattered.4. Get specific. Numbers, timelines, how many people, how much money. "I want to be rich" isn't a goal, it's a mood.5. Watch your words. Nothing with a double meaning. Janet's examples: "nailed it," "crushed it," "a family affair." These things manifest in ways you didn't intend. She put a Buddha in the center of a board because she wanted more yoga and more stillness, and ended up sent to China to the largest Buddha temple in the country.6. If you have four ideas, make four boards. Then talk through each one out loud with somebody. The one where your eyes light up is the one. Janet says it happens every time.7. Take the free step. Not the big step. The free one. Go to the open house. Test drive the car. Send one email. She almost didn't test drive a car because she assumed she couldn't afford it, then drove it off the lot.8. For a business, use the business model canvas as the board. Revenue streams, resources, partners, value proposition. Same exercise, different frame.Questions or guest ideas? bt@bretttrainor.comTIMESTAMPSEstimated from the transcript. Spot-check and shift for cold open and sting.00:00 — Welcome, and where the company name came from01:35 — The spitball training02:33 — Ten years in anyway, then done03:11 — Four days in banking03:29 — Day two: all the ways you could be killed on the job03:46 — The sweater vest, in the parking lot, at ninety nine degrees04:33 — The old boss who showed up at her book signing04:50 — The four column form nobody could explain05:30 — What happens when you stop asking why06:36 — No plan, and what came next06:48 — The chamber of commerce, and finding the work by accident07:47 — Why lenders squash dreams, and why she wanted a room where they couldn't08:11 — Your life experience qualifies you for more than you think08:46 — The ski instructor is only a few lessons ahead09:26 — Getting past the fear of judgment11:14 — Breaking the rut while you're still in it12:05 — The book, and what's in it15:47 — The five whys16:00 — Three values, and how to get to them16:30 — Using the three to say no18:00 — Asking other people how they see you19:25 — Clearing the old stuff out19:54 — Cutting the negative people, and how easy it turned out to be20:55 — The gossip in the office, and the woman who ended it with one sentence22:34 — Asking for a sign, and the fish sign23:50 — Why she asked for eagles25:35 — How to actually build a board26:43 — Numbers, timelines, and specificity27:00 — The words to keep off your board27:40 — The Buddha, and the trip to China28:00 — Using the business model canvas for a company29:30 — Brett's half marathon, and day eleven of 75 Hard30:20 — It isn't about thinking anymore. It's about feeling.30:45 — "That's coming to me now"31:31 — What does joy actually feel like32:29 — Small steps that break the pattern33:27 — Connecting dots across 370 conversations34:07 — Why AI won't connect those dots for you35:22 — Take the free step. The open house. The test drive.36:53 — Four ideas, four boards, and watching which one lights you up38:25 — What happens when you run this inside a company • • 40:49 — Where to find Janet

Join Brett's Substack: Letters from an Escapee: :https://bretttrainor.substack.com/ Hans Weygoldt had everything on paper. Good money, job security, the family business, the life that looks right from the outside. And he was empty.He spent ten years trying to leave. Every time he sat down to build the plan, his mind went blank. As he puts it, the more he thought about it, the more self-doubt showed up, so the planning itself was digging the hole deeper.When he finally went, it took about a second. Something changed at work, he said that's it, and gave notice with no plan B at all. He didn't even tell his wife until days later, halfway to Maine on a camping trip. She was shocked, then she smiled.His only regret is that he waited so long.Getting to that point went through some hard ground. A decade of substance abuse while managing in the corporate world, driven by a void he couldn't name. A trip to Peru that broke the addiction but left the guilt behind. And eventually breathwork, which is now what he does for other people.Two ideas in here I haven't been able to put down.The first is his split on pressure. External pressure eventually crushes you. Pressure you build from the inside is something you can expand through. He spent a career trying to meet expectations other people set for him. Now he sets them himself, and sets them higher than anyone else ever did.The second is from a mentor of his, and it's the best thing said in this episode: it takes a lot of curiosity to find out who you are, and then a lot of courage to be that way.This one pairs with the Geoff Curtis conversation from earlier this week more than I expected. Two guys, completely different paths, both landing on the same thing: the planning is usually the avoidance.In this episode:Golden handcuffs, and the beliefs underneath themThe decade of substance abuse nobody at work knew aboutPeru, and what broke the patternWhat actually happens in a breathwork sessionWhy the planning kept him stuck for ten yearsExternal expectations versus the ones you set yourselfTrust as a practice, not a feelingWhy he never told his wife until after he'd quitSkydiving, piano, and a master's degree at this stage of lifeABOUT THE GUESTHans Weygoldt is a breathwork facilitator and emergence coach. He spent years in a family business before leaving with no plan, and now works with people on breaking the patterns underneath addiction, emotional suppression, and self-sabotage. He runs in-person group sessions and one-on-one sessions online, and is pursuing a master's in consciousness-based leadership and coaching.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hans-andreas-weygoldt-151777356/Facebook: Hans WeygoldtTHE IDEAS WORTH KEEPINGThe plan B was the trap. Ten years of trying to engineer an exit produced nothing but more self-doubt. He left without one and figured it out after.External pressure crushes, internal pressure expands. The same force, two completely different outcomes depending on who's applying it.Trying to be strong made him weak. The mask cost more than it protected.Trust is the first principle. In a session and out of it. He says breathwork reflects life, and learning to trust the process on a mat taught him to trust it everywhere else.Curiosity first, then courage. Finding out who you are is the curious part. Being that person in public is the hard part.What you think of me is none of my business. Not original to him, but it's the line that got him on camera after a lifetime of avoiding it.TIMESTAMPSEstimated from the transcript. Spot-check and shift for cold open and sting.00:00 — Welcome, and how Hans describes what he does now02:07 — The family business, the money, and the empty feeling03:34 — Golden handcuffs, and the beliefs formed in childhood05:28 — Peru, and how he found breathwork06:13 — First session in 2018, out of the job a year later06:59 — Questioning everything he believed about himself08:41 — Awareness as an ongoing practice, not a destination10:44 — The decade of substance abuse while managing in corporate11:09 — The void he was trying to fill12:46 — The first session: "I cannot keep this up any longer"13:20 — An hour gone, and no inner dialogue14:42 — What actually happens in a session16:28 — The physiology, in his words17:04 — In person versus online, and which suits who19:40 — Why Gen X never invests in itself20:09 — How many sessions, and why integration matters more21:34 — Fear of judgment, failure, and criticism22:02 — "You'd never have seen me on a podcast"23:11 — External expectations versus internal ones23:40 — External pressure crushes. Internal pressure expands.24:05 — First generation college and the path that gets installed26:16 — The mask, and how trying to be strong made him weak27:47 — Ten years of trying to quit28:30 — Why the plan B was making it worse29:00 — Trust as the first principle of breathwork31:03 — The relief after, and his only regret31:40 — Telling his wife on the road to Maine32:20 — The year he spent with his kids34:42 — Skydiving, piano, and going back for a master's37:37 — Boredom, curiosity, and what lit the fire38:00 — Curiosity to find out who you are, courage to be that way38:23 — Approaching a session with childlike curiosity40:00 — It's the most fulfilling work he's done, and it's hard41:30 — Where to find HansLINKSConnect with Hans — LinkedIn or Facebook, both under Hans WeygoldtMentioned: The Ultimate Journey: The Mystery of Life and Death by Stanislav Grof, and Grof's work on holotropic breathworkGet the letters — Letters from a Corporate Escapee:https://bretttrainor.substack.com/ The Escapee Collective: https://theescapeecollective.com/ Questions or guest ideas? bt@bretttrainor.comHASHTAGS / KEYWORDSbreathwork, emergence coaching, golden handcuffs, leaving corporate, patterns, emotional suppression, self sabotage, GenX transition, personal development, holotropic breathwork, consciousness

I've had north of a hundred authors on this show. This one stuck with me differently, and it's because of one word: Purgatory.Geoff Curtis spent nearly thirty years building a career in healthcare communications. Title, expertise, platform, the whole thing. Then the company was acquired, his role went redundant, and all of it disappeared at once. What followed wasn't a reinvention arc. It was the discovery that he'd spent his adult life using work to avoid feeling anything.He picked purgatory on purpose. As he puts it, words like transition imply progress, and he wasn't making any.The other choice that makes this book different: most people write about this from the far side, after they've figured it out. Geoff is writing from inside it. Three years out and still working through it. There's no five step plan in here, and some readers are frustrated by that. I think it's the reason the book works.The idea I keep coming back to is his separation of three things we tend to mash together. Livelihood, identity, and self-worth. Livelihood puts food on the table. That's all it has to be. The trouble starts when livelihood quietly becomes identity, and identity becomes self-worth. Then losing the job isn't a financial event, it's an existential one.We also got into something that isn't in the book. Four weeks before we talked, Geoff did the Hoffman Process. Eight days, completely unplugged, thirty nine strangers, fifteen hours of prep work and days running 7:15 in the morning to 9:30 at night, all aimed at understanding which of your behavior patterns you inherited from your parents. He says he wishes he'd written the book afterward.Fair warning, this one is heavier than most. Depression, grief, his father's death, and a lot of honesty about patterns neither of us is done with.In this episode:Why he chose purgatory over transitionLivelihood versus identity versus self-worthThirty years of running on external validationRunning as emotional suppression, and how to tell it from progressNew metrics for happiness, and why the old ones keep coming backInvesting in yourself, therapy, and the Hoffman ProcessWhy people doubt themselves inside corporate, not just outside itThe imposter syndrome nobody on his team ever mentioned to each otherEverything is a choice, and why we only price the downsideABOUT THE GUESTGeoff Curtis spent nearly thirty years in healthcare communications before an acquisition made his role redundant. He's the author of Embracing Your Own Purgatory, written from inside the transition rather than after it, and he now runs a nonprofit he built with his wife that works with college students.LINKSThe book: Embracing Your Own Purgatory — Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and anywhere books are sold Author site: https://geoffreycurtis.com/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffreycurtis/THE IDEAS WORTH KEEPINGLivelihood is not identity is not self-worth. Three things, and we let them fuse. "Livelihood puts food on the table. If you don't make the livelihood the identity, then you're good."Transition implies progress. Purgatory doesn't. That's why he picked the harder word.Running versus progressing. Both are fine, but you have to evaluate the ending. Why did you leave? Bored, burned out, actually moving toward something? Skip that and you rinse and repeat for thirty years.Closer to right than quick. The nonprofit took two and a half years instead of the five months his old metrics demanded. That gap is where the real work happened.Realism as a Trojan horse. Geoff's admission that he uses "I'm a realist" to smuggle in negativity is the sharpest self-observation in the episode.You're not your patterns. The Hoffman framing: you absorb your parents' patterns as a kid to stay close to them, rebel against them as a teenager, then repeat them under stress for the rest of your life until somebody shows you where they came from.The conversation nobody has. Geoff and a former direct report both had imposter syndrome the whole time and never said a word. "I always thought you had it together, and I wanted to make sure you thought I had it together."TIMESTAMPSEstimated from the transcript. Spot-check and shift for cold open and sting.00:00 — Why this book landed differently01:31 — Why he chose the word purgatory02:46 — Not brave enough to say we're unfinished02:51 — Brett: I think I was in purgatory while still employed03:53 — His wife knew it was going to hit him before he did05:08 — Identity, self-worth, and what work was really providing05:49 — Thirty years of running on external validation06:48 — Why there's no path out in the book, only questions08:30 — Livelihood is not identity is not self-worth09:35 — Separate the money from the mission10:49 — The college senior who wants success and fun12:36 — First generation college, and the expectations that come with it13:49 — Running when things get uncomfortable14:25 — Evaluate the ending, or you'll repeat it15:45 — Running as emotional suppression, and his father16:35 — Love the process and eventually the process loves you17:30 — Three years out, and building new metrics for happiness18:57 — The old metrics never fully stop flashing back20:00 — Brett talked his way back into a full time job because it was comfortable21:18 — Geoff turns it around: how much was external pressure?22:58 — What changes when you finally become value driven24:20 — Following energy as a compass25:17 — Why the nonprofit took two and a half years, and why that was right26:52 — First dollar out versus being methodical29:41 — Why you'd be a better leader now than you were then30:25 — Gen X and the refusal to invest in ourselves31:25 — The Hoffman Process, eight days unplugged33:06 — The patterns you inherited and repeat under stress35:44 — Getting comfortable being uncomfortable36:58 — Doing the uncomfortable thing, and how the podcast started37:41 — The nonprofit as his uncomfortable thing40:17 — People are doubting themselves inside corporate now41:50 — The imposter syndrome nobody admitted to each other43:00 — Everything is a choice, and we only price the downside44:15 — Negativity as an inherited pattern46:15 — The quarterly business review Brett runs with his wife48:11 — Why most of the book's feedback is coming from men QUOTES"Words like transition mean progress. In purgatory, there's a lot less progress." — Geoff"We're too focused on being finished, and not brave enough to say that we're unfinished." — Geoff"Livelihood puts food on the table. If you don't make the livelihood the identity, then you're good." — Geoff"We're tying how we feel to what somebody else thinks about us. That's an interesting psychological juxtaposition when you sit down to think about it." — Geoff"Things don't need to be quick anymore. They need to be closer to right than quick." — Geoff"I use my realism to mask my negativity. It's almost a Trojan horse." — Geoff"He said, I always thought you had it together, and I wanted to make sure that you thought I had it together." — Geoff, on imposter syndrome with a former direct report"I convinced them to hire me full time. In hindsight it made no sense. But it was comfortable." — Brett"You're not being let go because you don't have the skills. Drop you into any situation and you know more than ninety five percent of the people in the room." — BrettQuestions or guest ideas

Megan Collier's first appearance is still one of my most downloaded episodes, so she's back.Quick version if you missed it. UGC is user generated content. Brands pay you to make short videos, and instead of posting them yourself, they use the footage in their own ads. No followers required. No production setup. Megan's been doing it four years and has taught more than 16,000 Gen X and Boomers how to do it, including her mom.Her origin story is the part I keep thinking about. She was on a call trying to sell a footwear brand on hiring her, mentioned her mom in passing, and the brand got noticeably more excited about her mom than about her. Nobody that age was doing this. So she went and built the thing that didn't exist.I keep coming back to UGC because I've been hunting low friction, high value income, and this one lands at the top of the list every single time. You're not applying for a job. You're not competing against five hundred other applicants. You already own the equipment.We got into the money, and Megan gives real numbers instead of vague ones. What a beginner should charge. What the performance-based deals actually pay and why she turns them down. What her students are making, from a few hundred a month up to one who cleared twenty-two thousand last month.Also worth your time: brands are now writing "no AI content" directly into their creative briefs. Megan's read is that the flood of AI has made real human video more valuable, not less. Her phrase for the moment is a trust recession, and it's the most useful thing said in the whole episode.In this episode:What UGC actually is, and why followers don't matterThe brand call that accidentally started her businessWhy brands are banning AI content in their briefsWhat to charge when you're brand newPerformance-based deals and why she passes on themWhat her students actually earn, at every levelWhere the Amazon Influencer program fits, and where it doesn'tWhy she quit TikTok ShopLocal businesses, and trading content for servicesHow to find the right person at a brandHOW TO ACTUALLY START, ASSEMBLEDMegan walked through this across the conversation. Here it is in order.Go look at UGC videos on TikTok or Instagram so you know what you're making. It isn't for everyone and it's better to find that out in ten minutes than ten weeks.Make three or four videos using products already in your house. Megan's first two were cat treats. Basic editing. Nothing fancy.Put them in a portfolio. Canva works. Any simple site works. Brands need proof you can make content, same as any other business.Pick a lane to get hired. Either join the creator platforms, or pitch brands directly. Megan pitches.Start local or start small. Local service businesses, gyms, spas, a fencing company. Many have real marketing budgets and have never worked with a creator. Gifted or traded work counts here.To reach a bigger brand, DM their customer service account and ask who handles content partnerships. They want a quick answer they can check off, and they'll usually give you the name.Treat pitching as volume. Megan's rule of thumb is that roughly one in fifty says yes, and a no often just means not right now.Then chase repeat clients. That's where the margin is, because you stop relearning a new brand every time.TIMESTAMPSEstimated from the transcript. Spot-check and shift for cold open and sting.00:00 — Why Megan's back01:10 — What UGC is, and the 16,000 students02:13 — Why Brett keeps coming back to low friction income03:13 — Why so many people freeze before they start04:24 — She saw it on TikTok while working a corporate job05:00 — Out of that job in fourteen months05:32 — The footwear call where they got excited about her mom06:33 — Nobody that age was doing this07:01 — Why corporate trained us to overthink it08:37 — Who am I to teach this, and why two steps ahead is enough09:26 — A detour into other low friction businesses10:18 — What AI is doing to this market10:37 — Brands writing "no AI content" into the brief11:55 — The trust recession12:32 — Is it too late to start?13:10 — Why it's an ongoing need and not a trend14:18 — What to charge when you're brand new15:00 — Performance based deals, and the math on them16:42 — Why Megan turns those down17:11 — Brett butchering a brand name on camera, and the brand not caring18:24 — The part-timers, and what a summer looks like19:00 — Replacing corporate income19:45 — The student who made $22,000 last month20:48 — Why repeat clients change the economics21:52 — Where the Amazon Influencer program fits23:29 — Income stacking and double dipping24:45 — Why she quit TikTok Shop27:11 — How to start, step one28:39 — Cat treats, and your first videos29:30 — Platforms versus pitching30:27 — Big brands versus local businesses32:00 — Why local wins give you momentum33:13 — What the first fifty dollars does to your head33:20 — Trading content for services34:38 — How to find the right contact at a brand35:30 — Pitching as a volume game36:41 — Getting a fence stained in exchange for content38:30 — The fears that stop people, and why none of them hold40:03 — Belief, action, and the first dollar41:09 — Where to find MeganQUOTES"I happened to mention my mom, and they got way more excited about my mom than me." — Megan"We're all in a trust recession. We don't know what's real and we don't know what's fake. So the more real and raw, the better." — Megan"Brands are literally writing no AI content into the brief. I've seen it several times just in the past couple of weeks." — Megan"She's in her fifties, functional medicine, lab coat. She made twenty-two thousand dollars last month." — Megan"A brand paid me fifty bucks. I'm now a content creator. That carries through everything else." — Megan"It's a volume game. For every fifty that say no, one's probably going to say yes." — Megan"We're not saving lives here. This is not brain surgery. Don't take it so seriously." — Megan"You probably spend a lot of time on social media consuming content, when you could be creating it and getting paid." — Megan"You're not applying for a job. You're not competing against five hundred other people." — BrettLINKSMegan Collier TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube: @megan_ugc Instagram DM is the best place for a specific question.Megan's UGC course — https://stan.store/affiliates/bd030aba-a9a1-4f50-9073-45cc67b073f1 Mentioned in the episode Creator platforms Megan named: Insense, Billo, Cohley, and others. Confirm exact spellings with Megan before publishing, the audio is unclear on a couple. Email lookup: hunter.io AI pitching service she mentioned: confirm the name with Megan.Questions or episode ideas? bt@bretttrainor.comUGC, user generated content, side income, GenX side hustle, content creation, brand deals, making money outside corporate, no followers needed, creator economy, low friction income

Shelley McIntyre is back on the show, and her first appearance is still one of the most downloaded episodes I've done.She was a grief counselor before she was a coach, which is why she talks about layoffs differently than anyone else I know. We opened on the Oracle news, because the math on it is ugly. Twenty years in, fifty or sixty hour weeks, and what shows up is an automated email at 6 a.m. that doesn't say thank you.Her point stuck with me: you spend a career radiating loyalty outward, and at the very end, when it matters most, you don't get any of it back.Then we get into the trap almost nobody sees coming. You leave, you go independent, and because you're wired for comfort and you just absorbed six losses at once, you rebuild the exact role you escaped. Director of sales, but fractional. Same work, same frustrations, now with no benefits. As Shelley put it, you built the same box you just got out of, and you can't figure out how you ended up back inside it.I did a version of this myself. I had a good contract gig that paid well doing work I liked. Instead of building on it, I talked the company into hiring me full time, because the title felt safer. I was miserable within months.The back half is her method for getting unstuck, and it's the opposite of what most people do. You don't sit down and list your skills. You don't mine your performance reviews. When you've just been laid off, you are the least qualified person in your own life to describe how good you are, because you're operating from doubt.So you go gather evidence instead.In this episode:Why the coldness of a modern layoff lands harder than people admitIdentity, job titles, and the shorthand you loseThe comfort trap, and why rebuilding the old job is a normal human response, not a failureThe physical toll nobody talks aboutWhy performance reviews are useless for thisHow to ask people who know you what you're like at your bestTurning what comes back into five words, and using them as a filterThe portfolio approach when one opportunity only delivers part of what you needThe guilt of not being busy, and why you were never productive nine hours a day anywayTHE EXERCISE, ASSEMBLEDWe covered this across the conversation but never laid it out in one piece. Here it is.Pick five to ten people who know you well and who you genuinely trust. Mix of personal and professional. The trust part matters more than the title.Ask one question: "Can you describe what I'm like when I'm operating at my best?"Let them go long. Most people won't give you adjectives, they'll tell you a story about a specific time you showed up. Those stories are the useful part.Read all of it together. If you find yourself doubting it, notice what that means. You'd be calling people who love you liars.Synthesize it down to five words that describe how you show up at your best.Use the five as a filter. For any opportunity, job or client or project, ask whether it not only allows but requires you to show up that way. If it only hits three, go find the other two somewhere else in your life.ABOUT THE GUESTShelley McIntyre is a coach for Gen X professionals in transition, and a former grief counselor, which is where a lot of her perspective on identity loss comes from. She hosts Burn the Map, a podcast built around short episodes, and works with clients on figuring out who they are outside a job title.Podcast: Burn the MapSite: https://burnthemapcoaching.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelley-mcintyre/TIMESTAMPSEstimated from the transcript. Spot-check and shift for cold open and sting.00:00 — Welcome back, and why her first episode still gets downloads01:00 — The Oracle layoffs, and the severance math02:08 — Getting numb to the coldness of it02:40 — You radiate loyalty your whole career and don't get it back03:41 — The 6 a.m. automated email that doesn't say thank you04:22 — Why identity and job title get intertwined05:08 — "I'm a VP of marketing" as shorthand for who you are06:11 — Title, industry, company. The trifecta.07:18 — The trap: going independent and rebuilding the same role08:16 — "I built the same box I just escaped"09:29 — Brett talked his way back into a full time job and hated it10:26 — We are wired for comfort, and that's not a character flaw11:38 — The losses stack up all at once12:17 — Remembering who you are underneath all of it14:02 — Why skills lists and performance reviews don't work here14:58 — When the doubt spreads to things you were always good at15:50 — The physical toll: illness, accidents, the hospital16:32 — Usefulness, and being told you're not needed17:25 — You're not the most qualified person to say how great you are18:23 — Becoming a detective of your best self19:16 — Why corporate feedback is performative20:00 — What actually happens when you ask21:07 — "Let me tell you a story"23:00 — The surprise birthday party nobody would have predicted24:00 — If you don't believe it, you're calling them liars24:51 — What to do with it: five words26:08 — Using the five as a filter for every opportunity27:00 — But what if nobody has anything good to say?28:19 — The portfolio: when one thing only delivers three of five29:01 — Separate the mission from the money29:55 — "What do you do for fun?" "Fun?"32:15 — What if you could do something you're good at and it's fun33:11 — Ideas need space. You can't rest and be busy at the same time.34:38 — Nine hours in the chair, maybe four of real work35:41 — It nets out the same. You're just doing it on your terms.36:33 — A walk in the park beats a useless meeting40:00 — The former client who'd never go back40:28 — Take a part-time job and watch all your time disappear40:43 — The real hourly math on a hundred thousand dollar salary43:03 — Burn the Map, and where to find ShelleyKEY QUOTES"You're radiating this love and loyalty out throughout your career, and then you don't get it back. At the very end, when it matters the absolute most, you don't get it back." — Shelley"I have built the same box for myself that I just escaped. And how is it that I'm back inside of it?" — Shelley"You're not actually the most qualified person to talk about how great you are. Because you're in a world of doubt." — Shelley"If you don't believe that, then you're calling these people liars and you're out of integrity." — Shelley"You can't rest and be busy at the same time. It doesn't work." — Shelley"You might have been in the chair for nine hours a day, but you did not do productive work for nine hours a day. So why are we beating ourselves up when we're being equally productive? We're just doing it on our terms." — Shelley"Instead of going to a useless meeting, what if you could go for a walk in the park?" — Shelley"I had a good contract gig. Instead of building off of that, I convinced the company to bring me back full time, because it was the title and it was more comfortable. I was absolutely miserable." — Brett

Somebody commented on one of my TikToks. He'd started his own solo business a couple years back, it's working, he's happy. Then he said "but it's not for everyone."I'd been repeating that exact line for years and never once dug into it.So this episode is two things. Why people still say entrepreneurship isn't for everyone, and why I think it's true about something almost nobody is actually doing.When people hear "entrepreneur" they picture the same movie. Raise money, hire a team, sign a lease, bet the house. That version is brutal and it isn't for most people, me included. But in 2023 roughly 117,000 one-person businesses cleared a million dollars in revenue. No employees. No payroll. Nobody to manage.The four myths I go after:You need a business planYou need a website, a brand, an LLC, a logoYou need to be a salespersonIt's riskyThat last one is backwards. Your corporate job is one customer providing one hundred percent of your income, and they can end it for reasons that have nothing to do with how good you are. Attach a W-2 to it and we call it stability.The second half is the part I didn't get into in the LinkedIn article: finding clients is closer to a job search than to building a company. I've had seven or eight corporate roles and seven of them came from a referral or somebody in my network. Not one came from a blind posting. That's the same channel that brings in solo work.I also walk through how I'd structure a first offer. Good, better, best, and why people almost always take the middle one.In this episode:Where the stereotype came from, and why it was true about a different thingThe four myths, one at a timeWhy corporate politics skills don't transfer, and why that's good newsYour job is one customer with one hundred percent concentrationThe interview and the discovery call are the same conversationGood, better, best, and pricing your first engagementOwning your own calendar, which took me longer than I want to admitTIMESTAMPS00:00 — The LinkedIn article, and what this episode adds to it01:30 — The TikTok comment that started it01:55 — I'd been saying the same line for years02:20 — Hundreds worked with, thousands talked to, and almost none were prototypical entrepreneurs03:00 — Where the stereotype came from03:45 — 117,000 one-person businesses over a million in revenue04:10 — Stop thinking customers. Think micro jobs.04:25 — Myth 1: you need a business plan04:41 — Myth 2: you need a website, a brand, an LLC05:15 — Myth 3: you need to be a salesperson05:50 — Why corporate politics skills don't help you out here06:20 — Myth 4: it's risky07:15 — Your corporate job is your one customer08:00 — What a diversified solo practice actually looks like08:30 — If it takes six months to find your next customer, you're running it wrong08:50 — Put a tenth of your job hunt effort into finding clients09:55 — Finding clients looks a lot like looking for a job10:25 — Seven of my eight roles came from referrals. None from a posting.11:00 — Think of it as mini job applications11:36 — The interview process, walked through step by step12:15 — Same conversation, but with a business owner12:45 — Good, better, best13:35 — They take the middle option nine times out of ten14:20 — Nobody's judging you14:55 — You'll probably underprice the first one. It doesn't matter.15:30 — You'll work fewer hours than you do now15:50 — Owning your own calendar, and why it took me so long16:11 — Don't feel guilty when you're not busy16:40 — The few who go back, and why they go back with a plan17:20 — Reallocate some of those job hunting hours17:45 — It's relationships, not postings18:15 — Don't chase shiny objects. Pick one or two.18:30 — Maybe the word itself is the problem19:00 — Corporate ends either way. Take control.Key Quotes"Seven of my eight corporate roles came from a referral or somebody in my network. I honestly can't think of a single job I got from a blind posting.""Your corporate job is one customer. One revenue stream. If that customer goes away, you've got nothing.""One bad quarter, or even a good one with a new VP, and you're gone.""If it takes you six months to find your next customer, you're not running that business very well.""Put a tenth of the effort you put into a job hunt into finding problems to solve, and you'd have more customers than you'd know what to do with.""The people who got ahead in corporate because they knew how to play the games, that doesn't work out here. These people just want their problem solved.""Nobody's judging you except you.""Corporate's going to end whether you choose it or not. You might as well take control."LINKSQuestions, or an episode idea? bt@bretttrainor.com

Wes Wheless got laid off twice inside a few years. COVID, then the tech downturn. He wasn't angry about the second one. He just didn't have the energy to go attach himself to somebody else's mission again and wait for it to get taken away.He didn't have a plan. He took a couple months, picked up some contract work to hold him over, and then a light bulb went off: if he could find enough of these, he might never need a full-time job again.Four years later he's got a practice serving independent consultants and a book, The Expert's Privilege, that I told him he should have written before I left corporate.The core idea is three stacked pieces:You've built real, transferable expertise over your decades in corporate.That expertise has been inefficiently deployed inside the corporate machine.You can deploy it far better on your own.His metaphor for point two is the one that stuck with me. Imagine running a cruise line with a hundred ships and fifty of them permanently tied up in port. That's what corporate does with what you know.We also get into the stuff nobody tells you. Why hourly pricing punishes you for being good. What happens when a client pigeonholes you before you open your mouth. How he figured out which part of his own service people actually valued, and then sold only that. And the thing I keep running into with Gen Xers: deeply experienced people who sit down, look at twenty-five years of work, and say "I don't know what I know."In this episode:Two layoffs, and the one that changed his mind about going backClient zero, and why hourly was the wrong modelGetting pigeonholed as "a writer" and the pricing that comes with itThe coach question that triggered his pivot: do you actually like doing this work?Writing daily for two years before there was a bookWhy he deliberately left AI out of the bookThe Expert's Privilege, definedIntellectual headshots, and how asking former clients one question reshaped his businessInvesting in yourself when corporate always paid for it beforeTIMESTAMPS00:00 — Intro01:43 — Two layoffs, and why he didn't want another corporate role03:26 — Why almost nobody who gets out wants to go back04:32 — He didn't know solo consulting was even an option06:43 — What the work actually was: executive ghostwriting and content strategy08:22 — Client zero, and the first lesson about hourly rates09:18 — Project fees, and putting guardrails on your availability10:44 — Getting pigeonholed as "a writer" before the conversation starts12:14 — When the business model started breaking13:11 — The coach's question: do you actually like doing this work?13:41 — The pivot to serving independent consultants14:59 — Brett's own winding path out of corporate15:53 — The three-tier offer, and why clients almost always pick the middle16:50 — Helping people map their lane while they're still employed17:47 — "I never gave serious thought that I could take the reins myself"20:18 — Building authority from zero, and writing daily for two years21:44 — You turn around and there's a library there22:34 — The self-doubt going into the book23:10 — Not the book. A book. Your first book.26:11 — Brett's stuck manuscript problem26:33 — The North Star workshop and the parachute metaphor27:44 — Why he left AI out on purpose30:04 — The Expert's Privilege, the three stacked ideas30:53 — A hundred ships and fifty of them tied up in port32:10 — In the corner four months ago, desperate for his brain today34:00 — Most businesses need level one help, not level three36:28 — "I don't know what I know," and why that trap is so common37:34 — Start with the problem, not with yourself38:48 — Need-to-solve versus nice-to-solve39:26 — Brett on chasing energy as the compass40:31 — Intellectual headshots, and the one question that created them42:08 — Saying no, and the add-on that killed Brett's margin43:18 — Investing in yourself when corporate always covered it45:39 — Laid off tomorrow: square one, or a head start?48:05 — You're a business with one client. Is that a good deal?49:28 — Where to find Wes and the bookQUOTES"I wasn't angry. I just didn't have the energy to attach myself to someone else's mission again, just for it to get taken away in a couple of years." — Wes"Imagine you had a cruise line with a hundred ships and fifty of them were tied up in port permanently. That's how we are in corporate." — Wes"I was that person four months ago that was getting put in the corner. And here, in a different context, they're desperate to know what I know." — Wes"If you're good at something, an hourly rate doesn't do you any favors." — Wes"Don't think of it as the book. Think of it as a book. Even easier, your first book." — Wes, on the advice that unstuck him"I don't know what I know. I've done so many things that I feel like I can't do any of them." — Wes, on what he hears constantly"Think of your current job like you're a small business owner with one client. Is that a good deal for you?" — Brett"If you were laid off tomorrow, do you want to start from square one, or do you want to feel like you had a head start?" — WesABOUT THE GUESTWes Wheless is the author of The Expert's Privilege: A Self-Deployment Guide to Leaving Corporate and Going Solo (July 2026). After two layoffs, including one from the tech education company Reforge, he built an independent practice helping solo consultants pull their expertise out of their heads and turn it into visual frameworks, something he calls intellectual headshots. He now also works with people still inside corporate who want to map and pressure-test a consulting lane before they need one.LINKSThe book The Expert's Privilege: A Self-Deployment Guide to Leaving Corporate and Going Solo https://theexpertsprivilege.com/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Experts-Privilege-Self-Deployment-Leaving-Corporate/dp/1788464028Wes's site and services https://bio.site/weswhelessWes on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/wwheless/The Collective https://trp-collective.circle.soQuestions or guest ideas? bt@bretttrainor.com

This one's a step back to look at the big picture, because a lot of the Gen Xers I talk to are too busy living life to see it.Three things are colliding at once.Corporate is chaos. It's not your age, it's your expense. Somebody can do half your job for half the price, and that's who gets picked. Getting laid off is one thing. Getting back in is the real problem. Look around your own network if you don't believe me.The savings math. The generation before us had pensions. We got a 401k and a how-to video. Roughly half of Gen X has nothing put away, and the typical household isn't close to what 30 years actually costs.Longevity. This is the good news. If you take care of yourself there's a real chance you're looking at 30 or 40 more years, healthy and active.Put those three together and it doesn't add up.I'm not doing this to scare anybody. It's not a prediction, it's already happening. But there are two ways to react. You can treat it as a sunset and ride it out. Or you can treat it as the start of a second adult lifetime, which is the way I'm choosing to look at it.The back half of this episode is the part that matters: you already have everything you need to generate income on your own. The skills, the experience, the problem solving. What's in the way is unlearning what corporate taught you, and the fact that we make making money way more complicated than it needs to be.In this episode:Why it's your expense, not your ageThe musical chairs problem, and why the chairs aren't coming backPensions versus the 401k handoffWhat 30 or 40 more years actually costsWhy gig work is the wrong answerLow friction, high margin income, and what that actually looks likeWhy the first dollar outside corporate changes everythingTIMESTAMPS00:00 — Welcome, and why I'm zooming out this week01:20 — Naming it: Gen X has a math problem01:42 — Two ways to react: sunset, or jumpstart02:05 — Musical chairs, and why they're pulling five at a time02:25 — Part 1: It's not your age, it's your expense03:40 — Getting laid off isn't the problem. Getting back in is.04:20 — The professional athlete parallel04:46 — Part 2: How prepared are we, really05:05 — They got pensions. We got a how-to video.06:00 — The savings numbers nobody wants to look at07:05 — How few of us actually have a pension07:45 — Part 3: Longevity, and why it's genuinely good news08:45 — Putting all three together09:15 — This isn't a prediction. It's happening now.09:55 — The good news: you already have what you need10:30 — Seventeen income streams, and why I'm not special11:05 — Why it's not Uber and it's not DoorDash11:45 — The real blocker: unlearning corporate12:45 — Low friction, high margin income13:40 — Go sell that first dollar14:05 — Don't bet on another 20 years in corporate14:45 — The opportunity sitting in your own backyard15:05 — Don't replace your job with a worse version of it16:00 — What changed inside the community16:25 — Nobody's judging you (my TikTok debut says hi)17:35 — The better you are, the more at risk you are18:20 — What the 20-somethings figured out that we didn't18:45 — How to reach meLINKS AND CTAThe Collective Now focused entirely on the thing most people are stuck on: making money outside of corporate. A group of Gen Xers figuring it out together. https://trp-collective.circle.soEverything else https://BrettTrainor.comQuestions or episode ideas? Email me: bt@bretttrainor.comIf the show's useful to you, hit follow wherever you listen.GenX, laid off over 50, ageism at work, corporate layoffs, retirement math, 401k, longevity, second act, making money outside corporate, career change over 50, side income, Gen X retirement crisis

Corporate quit on me just over six years ago. At the time I thought this was about one thing: replacing my income. Six years, 350 episodes, and a whole lot of experiments later, I've figured out it was never really about the money. This is the first so...

Brett Trainor Unplugged is for Gen Xers who want to get one step closer to living the life they want—on their terms. After six years of building life beyond the default corporate playbook, thousands of conversations with Gen Xers, entrepreneurs, and ex...

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Episode Description Megan Collier (@megan_ugc, 300K+ on TikTok) is back on The Corporate Escapee for a Round 2 conversation, and the market has shifted under our feet. UGC, user-generated content, is now a real path to $2K to $15K a month for people wh...

Episode description: GenX is elite at overcomplicating making money. A Millennial gets a side hustle idea and is live by Sunday. A Gen Z is already filming the TikTok. A GenXer opens a Google Doc, then a spreadsheet, then researches LLC structure, then...

No one is coming to save you. Not your company. Not HR. Not the next reorg, promotion, or administration. That's not doom and gloom. That's actually the good news. Because once you accept it, you stop waiting. You stop hoping. And you start doing somet...

The Setup Six-plus years ago, when corporate quit on Brett, the goal was simple: make more money than corporate was paying him. That was it. Money, money, money. It took two years to realize money was never the real prize. What he was actually chasing ...

This one is personal. Brett flies solo to deliver the one thing he wishes someone had told him when he was still inside corporate grinding it out and telling himself it was the responsible thing to do. You already have permission. Permission to want so...

Most people leave corporate and immediately chase the familiar paths — consulting, coaching, fractional work. Those are valid. But they take time, runway, and a warm network. In this episode Brett breaks down three unexpected ways GenXers are generating real income right now, using skills they already have, without needing a big audience or startup capital.The backdrop is an AI world that most people are reading completely wrong. AI didn't shrink the opportunity for skilled humans — it exploded it. Because now there's an entire population of people who are aware of their problems, have access to the information, and will still pay someone else to just handle it.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN✅ Why AI makes YOUR corporate skills more valuable, not less✅ The "skill flip" model — how to charge for what you already know✅ What UGC is, why GenX is uniquely positioned for it, and how to start✅ How to turn what you know into paying clients without building a course empire✅ Why your first dollar outside corporate changes everythingTHE 3 PATHS01 — The skill flipTomi Mikula spent 10 years on the dealer side of car sales. He now runs Delivrd — charging consumers $1,000 flat to negotiate car deals on their behalf. 300 customers a month. $300K in monthly revenue. His customers could use AI to do what he does. They pay him anyway. Because the problem was never information — it was execution, accountability, and not wanting to deal with it. That's the model. Find a high-stress transaction, one side has information the other side doesn't, and charge to be the expert in the room. HR disputes, salary negotiation, medical billing, contractor bids — it's everywhere.02 — UGC (User Generated Content)Brands are paying real people — not influencers — to record short videos about products they actually use. No following required. Platforms like Billo and JoinBrands connect brands with creators, paying $150–$500 per video. GenX is ideal for this: authentic, credible, and speaks to a demographic most brands can't reach. Brett just signed two deals in one week for just under $1,000 combined. You don't need an audience. You need a phone, a face, and something real to say.03 — Teaching what you knowNot a course empire — just solving one specific problem for one specific person who's standing exactly where you were. The AI translation angle is huge right now: small business owners know they're falling behind and will pay someone who speaks both business AND AI to help them catch up. And you don't need to be far ahead — you just need to be far enough ahead. The people in Brett's community who are winning fastest are teaching hyper-specific things to people one or two steps behind them on the journey.MEMORABLE QUOTE"The problem was never information. It's about execution, accountability, and people just not wanting to deal with it. Your 20 to 30 years of corporate experience puts you right in the middle of that opportunity."

Kristen Hamborg is six weeks out of a 25-year corporate interior design career — and she's never looked back. In this episode Kristen shares how burnout, a pandemic pivot, and a coaching certification she pursued on the side slowly shifted everything. Unlike most escapees who get pushed out Kristen made the decision herself — and she'll tell you exactly what it took to get there.This one is for anyone still in corporate feeling the slow fade of work that used to light them up.What You'll Learn

Danielle Burken escaped corporate in September 2023 — but her journey started six years before that. In this episode Danielle shares how she went from a full-time agency job with two kids under two, to building a six-figure solopreneur business in under 90 days by doing one thing most corporate professionals never do: listening to what people were already asking her for and charging for it.She also breaks down human design — what it is, why it works, and how she uses it to help entrepreneurs build businesses that are aligned with how they naturally operate. If you've ever felt like you're forcing something that should feel easier, this episode is for you.What You'll Learn

Corporate is using AI to eliminate jobs. Escapees get to use it to multiply themselves. In this solo episode Brett pulls back the curtain on exactly how he runs his entire business with AI — the tools, the use cases, and the honest truth about what it can and can't do.He also covers the single biggest opportunity most escapees are missing right now — helping small and midsize businesses actually leverage AI. Not programming. Not building agents. Bringing the business judgment that 20+ years of corporate experience gives you and marrying it with the right tools. That's the superpower. And right now, the market is wide open.What You'll Learn• How Brett uses AI daily — content editing, research, strategy, operations and more• Why AI is a content editor not a content creator — and why that distinction matters• The SMB opportunity — 88% of small business owners know they need AI, only 14% are doing something about it• Why the real value is pairing business judgment with AI — not programming• The EAD framework — Eliminate, Automate, Delegate• Brett's current AI stack and exactly what each tool is used for• Why he switched from ChatGPT to Claude — and what that decision taught him about auditing your toolsKey Timestamps• 00:00 — Intro: Corporate is using AI against you. Here's how to flip it.• 01:00 — How Brett uses AI in his own business every day• 02:00 — AI as content editor not content creator — keeping your voice• 03:30 — Podcast production: from a full day to under an hour• 05:00 — AI as strategy and thought partner• 07:00 — The SMB opportunity — the 74% gap nobody is filling• 09:00 — Flex staffing + AI — why small businesses don't need full-time hires• 11:00 — The EAD framework: Eliminate, Automate, Delegate• 14:00 — Brett's AI stack: Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Canva, Riverside• 16:30 — Close: The one-person army is here. Are you using it?Brett's AI Stack• Claude — Primary thinking partner, content editor, strategy, writing, business frameworks• Perplexity — Deep research, stats validation, sourced intel• Gemini — Currently testing; Google ecosystem integration• Riverside.fm — Podcast recording, editing, transcription, show notes• Canva — AI-assisted graphics and visuals• Durable — AI website builder (used for Small Business Hotline landing page)Enjoyed This Episode?If you're using AI in an interesting way as a solopreneur or escapee Brett would love to hear from you — and potentially have you on the podcast. Drop him a note at BT@BrettTrainor.com.Please share this episode with someone who needs to hear it — and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. The old school way still works.

The 4 Real Paths to Replace Your Corporate IncomeMost corporate escapees think they only have two options: find another job or figure out how to start a business from scratch. But there are actually four legitimate paths to replacing your corporate income — and one of them is seriously underrated.In this solo episode, Brett breaks down all four paths and then goes deep on the one he doesn't talk about nearly enough: franchising.If you've been thinking about leaving corporate but the blank page feels too risky, this episode is for you.The 4 Paths:

750 layoffs a day. No, that's not a typo — and it's not slowing down.Brett sits down with Steve Jaffe, marketing veteran and author of The Layoff Journey: From Dismissal to Discovery, to talk about what most career books completely skip: the emotional and psychological toll of losing a job — and why processing that first is the key to what comes next.Steve was laid off four times over a 30-year career. His first layoff took him years to recover from. His last one in 2023? Water off a duck's back. The difference? He finally understood what he was actually experiencing: grief.This one is for anyone who's been laid off, is worried about being laid off, or is watching colleagues get cut and wondering when it's their turn.In this episode:Why January 2026 had the highest single-month layoffs since 2009 — and why the job market isn't bouncing backHow layoffs became a business strategy instead of a last resort (and what that means for your career security)The stages of grief that apply to job loss — and why skipping them is costing people months of their job searchWhy the "myth of meritocracy" is one of the most dangerous things to believe in corporateThe identity crisis that hits when your job title is your identity — and how to separate the twoWhat Gen Z is getting right about corporate that older generations sacrificedSteve's pivot from laid-off marketing exec to published author — without a Plan B in place firstWhy having a side hustle isn't just a trend — it's now a survival strategyAbout Steve JaffeSteve spent 30 years in marketing and advertising — from West Coast ad agencies to in-house brand roles, including work on the iconic What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas campaign. After being laid off four times, he channeled those 10,000 hours of experience into his book, The Layoff Journey: From Dismissal to Discovery — a practical, grief-informed guide to navigating job loss without losing yourself in the process.Resources mentioned:

There's a Lit song that's been stuck in my head for weeks: "My Own Worst Enemy." And it's the perfect metaphor for my entire solo journey.I've blocked myself at every stage—consulting, fractional leadership, and now with The Escapee Collective. Not intentionally, but by doing what corporate trained me to do: overanalyze, overstructure, and wait for perfection before taking action.In this episode, I walk you through the three times I made the same mistake—and what I'm doing differently now.If you're overthinking, over-structuring, or waiting for the "perfect" website, pitch deck, or system before you start—this one's for you.In This Episode:The consulting mistake: Building the perfect website, pitch deck, and pricing before having a single conversation with a client (and why it led to zero wins)The fractional repeat: Doing the EXACT same thing again—new methodology, new deck, same lack of resultsThe Escapee Collective lesson: How TikTok took off with zero plan, then how I complicated it again with masterminds, classes, and modules—and why I had to simplifyWhy corporate trains us backwards: Plan first, act second works in corporate—but solo requires the oppositeWhat actually works: Conversations, experimentation, messy wins FIRST—then structureThe 79% reality: Why most burned-out corporate workers won't take action (and how to be in the 35% who do)How to catch yourself: Recognizing when you're building systems before you have proofKey Takeaway:Action beats planning. Momentum beats perfection. Get early wins first—THEN build the structure around what's working.

Fractional work is exploding — and it's still confusing for a lot of corporate escapees. In this Featured Speaker session inside the Escapee Collective, John Arms breaks down Fractional 101 in plain English: what fractional really is, who it's for, how to get clients (spoiler: it's not campaigns), and what you can realistically charge.If you're still in corporate, recently laid off, or already freelancing and want more stability, this is the clearest “how it works” primer you'll hear.What you'll learn • The “W2 → 1099 bridge” and why more people are getting pushed across it • Why fractional is mostly a referral-based business (and what to do with that) • The mindset shift: conversations, not campaigns • John's simple relationship model: the “10-person circle” (fractionals, independents, super-connectors) • What companies actually care about (hint: pain, not the definition of fractional) • Typical pricing and why fractional often lands in the $8K–$10K/month retainer range • Why fractional is proactive leadership, not “wait to be told what to do” • The “project first” entry strategy — and why it usually turns into ongoing leadership • How to reconnect with old contacts without being weird or salesy • The core principle: get involved with other people's successNotable moments / lines you'll remember • “You'll work for the people you get referred to.” • “Referrals come from conversations, not campaigns.” • “Fractional is leadership — solve it and keep it solved.” • “Most barriers are fear and assumptions… it's hard work, but it's not complicated.”Resources mentioned • The Go-Giver (Bob Burg) • The NCG Factor (Larry Kaufman — Network, Connect, Give)

Jon the Escapee Collective!What keeps 79% of corporate professionals stuck isn't lack of skills or opportunity—it's something deeper. In this solo episode, Brett shares the story of landing his first client, making good money, and then doing something that still makes him cringe: convincing that company to hire him full-time. Nobody forced him back. He walked himself in.This mistake cost him 18 months and taught him the hard truth: leaving corporate is tactical, but breaking your dependency on it is psychological. Brett breaks down what corporate dependency actually is (hint: it's not just the paycheck), why going solo alone reinforces that dependency, and the two critical milestones that finally sever the tie.If you're still in corporate and thinking about making a move—or you've already left but still feel the pull—this episode will help you understand what you're really up against and how to break free for good.What You'll Learn:Why corporate dependency is psychological, not financialThe three things you're actually dependent on (and it's not what you think)Why isolation amplifies doubt and keeps you stuckThe two milestones that break corporate relianceHow to avoid the mistake that sent Brett back 18 monthsWhy community matters more than tactics when going soloKey Quotes:"I hadn't really thought about why I did it, but it was really my dependence and my reliance on corporate.""What I really broke it down into three areas: I wanted control of my future, control of my money, and control of my time.""When you go alone, you have nothing else except yourself to talk you in or out of what you're doing.""Once you get to the point where you're confident that you can bring in that next deal, you know you're never going back.""I wasn't escaping corporate per se. I didn't have to stay there. I had options."Resources Mentioned:The Escapee Collective: Join Brett's community Subscribe & Connect: If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to The Corporate Escapee Podcast on your favorite platform. New episodes drop multiple times per week featuring guest interviews and solo deep-dives like this one.Looking to break your corporate dependency? Visit TheEscapeeCollective.com to connect with others on the same journey.

Corporate isn't stabilizing—and that matters if your income still depends on it.In this solo episode, Brett breaks down three trends shaping the Escapee economy in 2026:a corporate metric that's quietly driving layoffs,the rapid expansion of revenue streams outside corporate,and why small businesses are moving away from full-time hires in favor of fractional and specialist talent.If you're still in corporate, this episode helps you see what's coming.If you've already escaped, it explains why demand for your experience is only growing.This episode is for you if:You're questioning whether corporate is still a safe long-term betYou want practical ways to monetize your experience outside a jobYou're curious how small businesses are really hiring and growing nowThe 3 trends covered in this episodeTrend #1: The metric driving modern layoffs — Revenue Per Employee (RPE)Why boards and executives are fixated on RPE, how it incentivizes headcount reduction, and why even “healthy” companies continue cutting roles.Trend #2: The explosion of revenue streams for escapeesFractional leadership, consulting, advisory, UGC, content creation, mentoring, and more—why monetizing what you already know is the fastest, lowest-friction path to income.Trend #3: The small business go-to-market model is changingWhy businesses are ditching traditional silos, hiring specialists instead of full-time staff, and how this shift creates long-term opportunity for experienced operators.Key takeaways • Corporate risk is structural, not cyclical • Escapees have more income options than they think • Small businesses want outcomes, not headcount • Your experience is often more valuable outside corporate than inside itIf this episode helped you rethink corporate risk or life after it, connect with Brett on LinkedIn or email him at bt@bretttrainor.com. And if there's a topic you want covered in a future solo episode, let him know.

Ashley Evenson returns for her third appearance on The Corporate Escapee Podcast — and this time it's a real update from the field. Two years into her escape, she breaks down what actually helped her land fractional work, what surprised her, and the biggest mistake most new escapees make once they get busy.This is a practical conversation about network-first business development, creating momentum without feeling “salesy,” and why the long game matters more than the perfect plan.What you'll learn • How Ashley landed her first fractional roles through her existing network • Why “pick your brain” beats cold outreach for most escapees • The content → connection flywheel: using LinkedIn engagement to reopen relationships • What fractional work can feel like behind the scenes (and why it can get lonely) • How Ashley uses frameworks + a single grounding slide to lead discovery conversations • Why you must keep “breadcrumbing” even when client work gets busy • The reality of income volatility — and how to reduce the “oh crap” moments • Portfolio career thinking: experimenting with speaking, books, and new revenue streams • A fun (and honest) AI/TikTok viral experiment — and what it taught her about unit economics • The mindset truth: escaping requires hustle — but it's a better “hard” than corporateKey quotes • “You're in here for the long game.” • “People are sick of being sold to on LinkedIn.” • “Always be top of mind… keep breadcrumbing.” • “Both paths are hard. Choose which hard you want.”Resources & mentions • Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyevenson/ • Ashley's site: AE Marketing Collective: aemarketingcollective.com • AI slide tool mentioned: Gamma (export to Google Slides / PowerPoint)If this episode hit home…If you're still in corporate and thinking about an exit strategy: • Start with one conversation this week. • Don't pitch. Ask for perspective. • Keep one weekly “breadcrumb” habit so you don't disappear when you get busy.About the guestAshley is a fractional marketing leader with experience across agency, brand, and consul

Corporate gives you an easy identity: your title, your company, your lane. But once you start building something outside corporate—consulting, fractional, content, a book, a business—that identity disappears fast. And that's where most people get stuck.In this episode, Brett sits down with Catherine Jelinek, founder of The Skinny Platform, to talk about the shift from being “defined by your role” to being known for your thinking, your story, and the outcomes you create.Catherine shares why so many high-performing corporate pros struggle in the “formless” world outside corporate, how to create structure without recreating corporate, and why the fastest way to clarify your thought leadership is often talking it out—not trying to write it alone. They also get into “skinny books” (short, high-impact nonfiction) and how to use AI and conversation-based drafts to accelerate publishing and content creation.What You'll Learn • Why corporate identity feels safe—even when corporate is miserable • How to replace “job title identity” with outcome-based positioning • Catherine's framework for navigating change: Forming → Storming → Norming → Performing • How Brett created structure outside corporate (without turning life into a calendar prison) • Why most people can't “see” their own differentiators—and how a mirror helps • Why conversation + transcripts can be the fastest path to content (and even a book) • The “skinny book” approach: short, readable, practical nonfiction that people actually finish • How to use AI to generate multiple story arcs and content angles—without losing your voiceKey Takeaways • You don't need to reinvent yourself. You need to reframe yourself. • Progress outside corporate isn't linear—so you need your own way to measure wins. • If you want thought leadership, stop trying to “perfect-write” it. Talk it out first. • Your story isn't just for a book. It can power your LinkedIn, website, offers, and messaging.About Catherine JelinekCatherine is the founder of The Skinny Platform, an alternative to ghostwriting for entrepreneurs and thought leaders. The Skinny Platform helps people clarify their story, shape it into a compelling narrative, and turn it into a short, high-impact book—faster than the traditional publishing process.Connect with Catherine • https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjelinek/ • Email: catherine@theskinnyplatform.com • Websites: theskinnyplatform.com

Post Corporate Life with Brett Trainor & John ArmsI recently had the chance to join John Arms on his podcast: Fractional Unfiltered Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0z9pQOOMZEVI4T2NvoOiqP?si=uJoycF4LRGyZQNB4MofrtQJohn was kind enough to allow me to share this with my audience.Corporate has done a number on people. A bad one. For 30 minutes we bitch about what is and was, and then we spend 30 minutes on how to thrive in the post corporate world.This episode also includes real-time audience coaching around “job hugging,” starting from zero, and how to simplify your entry point so you can land your first client.What you'll hear in this episodeWhy corporate feels colder now (profits over people, layoffs as strategy)The “solo employee” mindset: treat your employer like your first customerWhy job searches after 45 can feel like PTSD — and how to reframe itHow Brett monetized his corporate experience in 10 different waysWhy chasing “big deals” first can slow you down (and what to do instead)The good / better / best ladder to get in the door with business ownersWhy community and relationships beat lone-wolf executionThe difference between being capable and being confident (and how corporate crushes confidence)The simplest success ingredients: take action, build relationships, stay curiousLive coaching: why “starting from zero” is hard — and how to find your “entry problem” so you can get tractionKey frameworks + concepts mentionedCorporate is a transaction (not a family): loyalty is gone, act accordinglyStart before you hit the breaking point: build an exit strategy while you still have incomeSmall wins stack: don't wait for the home runThe 3 revenue levers every business cares about:Problem-solving > selling: discovery conversations look a lot like job interviews“Done is better than perfect”: unlearn corporate perfectionismCommunity as leverage: don't do this aloneJob hugging: holding on until you're forced out — and why you still need a planMemorable lines / moments

Most people believe the ones who succeed after escaping corporate are the smartest, most experienced, or most credentialed.They're not.In this solo episode, Brett breaks down a pattern he's seen across hundreds—if not thousands—of conversations with corporate escapees: success outside corporate has far less to do with talent and far more to do with action.This episode is for anyone still in corporate, recently laid off, or quietly wondering if there's another path—but feeling stuck, underqualified, or unsure where to start.What You'll Learn in This Episode • Why the most talented corporate professionals often struggle after leaving • The real traits shared by people who successfully escape—and stay out • Why overthinking your offer is one of the biggest mistakes escapees make • How job interviews and client conversations are essentially the same thing • Why “sales” after corporate is really just problem-solving • How small wins (not big plans) create momentum • Why redefining success becomes inevitable once you regain control of your time • How to safely test a solo path while still in corporate—or during a job searchKey Takeaways • You don't need more experience to get started—you need movement • Confidence comes after action, not before • Business owners care about outcomes, not job titles • Your network is your greatest advantage if you're willing to use it • The biggest risk isn't trying—it's never testing what's possibleIf You're Still in Corporate (or Recently Laid Off)You're not behind.You're not underqualified.And you already have skills people will pay for.The fastest way forward isn't a perfect plan—it's one conversation.Join the Escapee CollectiveIf you're tired of figuring this out alone, the Escapee Collective is a community for corporate castaways and escapees at every stage—still in corporate, newly out, or building momentum.Peer groups. Live sessions. Real conversations. Real progress.You can find the link in the show notes or visit TheEscapeeCollective.com to learn more.

Michelle Warner took the “escapee avoidance” route — she planned to do the traditional MBA-to-consulting path… then graduated straight into the Great Recession (the day Lehman fell). That curveball pushed her into entrepreneurship early: a founder-for-hire role turning a multi-billion-dollar foundation asset into a business, followed by a mission-driven tech startup, and eventually her current work helping small business owners design the next iteration of their business.This is a tactical episode about what actually works when you're leaving corporate: why you should “throw spaghetti at the wall” early, how to stop doing random coffee chats, and how to use relationship marketing and audience borrowing to land clients faster — without turning into a sales robot.What you'll learn • Why “sequence over strategy” matters more than the perfect plan • The hidden risk of being too strict and narrow early on (and why it creates regret later) • How Michelle built her business through relationship marketing, not content churn • “Audience borrowing” as the fastest way to build trust and pipeline • How to approach connector conversations vs. client conversations • Why your early goal is simple: learn how to make money and stack wins • A practical way to think about packaging: repeatable frameworks, flexible middleKey moments / highlights • Graduating into chaos: the day Lehman fell and what it changed • Founder-for-hire: getting a salary while living the startup founder life • Affordable internet in inner cities — and what customers actually did with it • “Fractional CEO” before fractional was trendy • The rule: don't build with blinders on for too long • The shift from “networking for jobs” to networking as a long-term business asset • The line that matters: say something that people can't “unsee” after the callMichelle's core concepts (worth stealing) • Sequence over strategy: the order of moves beats the elegance of the plan • Throw spaghetti first: test offers, clients, and problems before you commit • Connection avatar: define who's worth meeting so networking doesn't waste your life • Trust transfer: get introduced through people/places your audience already trusts • Audience borrowing: build relationships with people who “own the room” your clients are inBest quote energy • “Learn all the rules so you can go break them.” • “It's more important the order you do things than how good you are at it.” • “I'm totally unemployable.” (Escapee anthem)Connect with Michelle • Website: themichellewarner.com • Podcast: Sequence Over Strategy (short, practical episodes; curated playlists on her site)Connect with Brett / The Escapee ecosystem • If corporate is broken and you're looking at an exit strategy, this is your sign. • Join the community: TheEscapeeCollective.com

If you've been thinking about leaving corporate but the risk feels too big, this episode gives you a smarter way to look at it.Brett sits down with Alex Smereczniak, a former EY consultant who left corporate early, built a high-growth business in the laundry space, and later launched Franzy—a platform designed to make franchising easier to research and navigate.This conversation covers the mindset shift that helps people stop overestimating the risk of leaving, plus why franchising can be an underrated “business with guardrails” path for escapees who want ownership without building from scratch.What we cover • Alex's escape story: college entrepreneurship → EY → leaving after a year and change • The moment that validated his decision: an EY partner's biggest career regret • Why fear is often self-created—and how to get past it • A practical worst-case scenario exercise to reset your risk tolerance • Why franchising is a business model, not an industry • Franzy's concept: “Zillow for buying and selling franchise businesses” • How AI + coaching can narrow thousands of franchise options into a realistic short list • Underrated franchise categories and trends (senior care, home services, turf, and more) • The “corporate is one customer” reframe—and why ownership builds equityKey timestamps (approx.) • 00:00–03:30 – Alex's corporate stint + why he left fast • 03:30–08:30 – The EY exit interview story: “It wasn't my ladder” • 08:30–12:30 – Why making money outside corporate is more possible than people think • 12:30–20:30 – The worst-case scenario exercise (the fear-killer) • 20:30–28:30 – Alex's journey building a scaled laundry business + why franchising clicked • 28:30–33:30 – What franchising actually is (and what most people misunderstand) • 33:30–40:30 – Franchise categories you probably haven't considered • 40:30–46:30 – Equity, control, and why “owning” beats “leasing” your careerBig takeaways • Most people overestimate the risk of leaving corporate. The real risk is staying dependent on one employer. • You don't need a perfect plan. You need small wins and momentum—then you adjust. • Franchising can be a fast path to ownership because you start with a proven playbook, support, and guardrails. • Ownership builds equity. A job pays you, but it doesn't typically create an asset you can sell.Who this episode is for • Corporate pros who want out but feel stuck because of risk, family, or finances • Escapees who want a “business with guardrails” instead of starting from scratch • Anyone curious about franchising beyond the usual fast-food stereotypesResources + links • Franzy https://franzy.com/ • Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-smereczniak-40310329/

Tom Mirabella left corporate at 30 and never looked back. Seventeen years later, he's built Wingman into a 25-person business by doing what corporate rarely rewards: solving problems fast, betting on relationships, and staying obsessively close to customers.In this conversation, Tom breaks down his escape story, why “local + in-person” is making a comeback, and how Wingman's franchise model flips the typical franchise script — where the franchisee focuses on relationships and sales while the central team handles fulfillment and delivery.If you're stuck in corporate and can't see a path out, this episode gives you a practical look at what “building your own lane” can really look like — without pretending it's easy.Join the Escapee Collective: TheEscapeeCollective.com What You'll Learn• Why Tom left corporate early (and what corporate policies taught him about ceilings)• The side-hustle-to-business path: how one small project turned into real clients• How to think about risk when leaving: your monthly “number” vs. replacing a salary• Why entrepreneurship can swing from best day to worst day in 30 minutes — and how to handle it• The “digital mayor” concept: becoming the trusted local hub in your town• Why Tom believes physical locations + community presence still win in a digital world• A modern franchise approach: franchisee sells + builds relationships, HQ team delivers• Why customer service and trust are the real differentiators in crowded marketsKey Quotes• “The problem's now. Two weeks from now, it's worse.”• “As an entrepreneur, you can have the best and worst day within a half hour.”• “I want you to be the digital mayor of your town.”• “If you do what you love, the money follows.”Mentioned in This Episode• COBRA and how Tom thought about early-stage risk• Networking groups, chambers, community events, and “planting seeds”• Using a podcast as a lead generator (and why it worked)Connect with Tom• Email: Tom at wingmanplanning.com• Website: WingmanPlanning.com• Social: Instagram / Facebook / TikTok / LinkedIn (search “Wingman Planning”)

What if scaling your business didn't require hiring, hustling harder, or stacking endless clients?In this episode, Brett sits down with Pia Silva (No BS Mastery) to break down a simple model for building a highly profitable solo (or two-person) business — built around intensives, clear boundaries, and pricing for outcomes (not hours).Pia shares how she and her husband went from $40K in debt to $500K in revenue by shifting from long, drawn-out projects to a focused, high-value intensive model. Then she explains her signature framework — the 50-25-25 Rule — and how to reverse-engineer your pricing based on the life you actually want.If you're a corporate escapee (or future one) trying to make real money without recreating the corporate grind… this is the blueprint.Join the Escapee Collective!What you'll learn • Why most “big ticket” projects are often the least profitable • Pia's 50-25-25 Rule for profit + freedom (and how to use it to price your offers) • How to design offers so you make your monthly revenue in 50% of your client hours • The two levers to grow profit without working more: • Increase value (real + perceived) • Decrease time (intensify delivery) • A smarter version of “good / better / best” packaging (without selling deliverables) • How to use a Lead Product (paid) instead of free proposals to build trust fast • Why warm networks beat websites and content in the early stages • How to build boundaries that prevent scope creep (without sounding rigid) • The mindset shift escapees must make: sell outcomes, not timeKey frameworks + concepts mentioned • The Intensives Model: Focused delivery in a compressed timeframe vs. dragging projects out for months • 50-25-25 Rule: Make your total revenue in 50% (or less) of your client-working hours so you have time for life • Lead Product Method: A paid diagnostic/strategy step that replaces proposals and tees up an easy upsell • Boundaries via Process: Clear steps + expectations reduce pushback and scope creepResources from Pia • Scale Solo Playbook: NoBSMastery.com/playbook • Price to Freedom CalculatorConnect with Pia • Instagram: @pialovesyourbiz • LinkedIn: Pia Silva

Why do so many people leave corporate… only to end up going back?In this solo episode, Brett breaks down the two core reasons most corporate escapees fail—and more importantly, how to avoid them.Failure here doesn't mean experimenting and choosing corporate again. It means wanting out, trying to go solo, and giving up before momentum ever takes hold.If you're thinking about leaving corporate—or you've already made the leap—this episode will help you understand what really trips people up and how to build a path that actually sticks.Resources Mentioned The Escapee Collective – A milestone-based community designed to help corporate escapees get out and stay out: Link: https://escapee-collective.circle.so/checkout/the-escapee-collective What You'll Learn in This Episode • Why not getting an early win is the fastest way to lose confidence • How long gaps without income create doubt, panic, and backtracking • Why most escapees don't lack skills—they lack momentum • The hidden cost of isolation and loneliness when you go solo • Why “doing it alone” dramatically increases emotional swings • How peer support and feedback shorten the learning curve • Why community works better when people are at similar stages • The difference between education, theory, and applied learning • What successful long-term escapees all have in commonKey TakeawayGoing solo doesn't fail because you're not smart enough or experienced enough.It fails when: • You don't get a win early • You try to figure everything out aloneMomentum and connection matter more than perfection.Resources Mentioned The Escapee Collective – A milestone-based community designed to help corporate escapees get out and stay out: Link: https://escapee-collective.circle.so/checkout/the-escapee-collective You can also reach out directly to Brett on LinkedIn with questions about the community or your escape path.

What if podcasting wasn't just content—but a bridge out of corporate?In this episode, Brett sits down with Mark Hayward, former PwC and KPMG consultant turned podcast host and podcast guesting entrepreneur, to break down his escape from corporate—and how podcasting quietly became one of his most powerful tools.Mark shares how he started a podcast while still in corporate, not to make money, but to build confidence, find his voice, and explore what life outside the corporate box could look like. That passion project eventually opened doors to consulting, coaching, real estate experimentation—and ultimately a business built around helping others grow through podcast guesting.This is a real, honest conversation about experimentation, false starts, energy, and why podcasting works differently than most people expect.What We Cover • Leaving PwC and KPMG after a 14-year corporate career • Why Mark started a podcast before leaving corporate • The role experimentation plays in finding your escape path • Why not every revenue stream is worth keeping • Coaching vs. consulting vs. creative work (and the energy test) • Podcast hosting vs. podcast guesting — and how each actually works • Why guests often get more business than hosts • How podcasting builds confidence, clarity, and opportunity • Practical advice for corporate professionals who know they want out—but don't know what's nextKey TakeawayYou don't need a perfect plan to escape corporate. You need momentum, experimentation, and a way to get into conversations that open doors. Podcasting can be one of those doors.Connect with Mark • Website: podcastintroduction.com • Podcast: Business Growth Talks • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-hayward-163721a0/ Listen, subscribe, and shareIf corporate feels off—but you can't see the exit yet—this episode will help you think differently about your options.

If you know corporate isn't for you but you can't see a clean exit, this episode is your roadmap. Brett sits down with Sam Lee (Indie Collective) to break down how experienced professionals can build a “portfolio career” — consulting, coaching, fractional work, and productized services — without quitting their full-time job first. Sam shares the simple frameworks that helped him build $1M+ in annual revenue through independent work for over a decade, and he explains why most people get stuck trading time for money. You'll walk away with a practical way to tell your story, activate your network, and design an exit strategy with less risk.In this episode, you'll learn: • Why the “side hustle first” approach builds confidence and reduces risk • The simple sales story that unlocks referrals: Client → Problem → Outcome • How to activate your network without sounding awkward or salesy • Why “fractional” isn't always the fastest path to revenue — and what is • The real goal: stop trading time for money and start selling outcomes • Sam's 3-part productization path: 1. Niche down to best-fit clients 2. Solve painkiller problems (not vitamins) 3. Build a portfolio of offers, including productized work • The two killers of the independent path: no early wins + isolation • Why productizing your expertise helps both client work and job searchesKey quotes / soundbites: • “The most pernicious trade independent builders make is trading time for money.” • “Your sales story is three things: who you serve, their problem, and the outcome.” • “Nobody is hiring a generalist right now. They want been-there-done-that experts.” • “Trial and error at this stage of your career is expensive.”Resources mentioned: • Indie Collective: IndieCollective.co

Get the New Escapee Starter Kit HereIf you know corporate is broken—but you're not ready to quit—this episode is for you.In this year-end solo episode, Brett walks through 7 practical steps to help you rethink your relationship with work, assess how happy you actually are, and explore whether there's a path outside corporate—without making a risky leap.This isn't about quitting your job.It's about getting prepared, taking back control, and testing what's possible using the experience you already have.Whether you're 25 or 65, this episode helps you stop being reactionary and start designing what comes next.What You'll LearnWhy most people stay stuck—even when they're miserableHow to reframe yourself from “employee” to “business owner”The 5-factor scorecard to measure your real happinessWhy you're already a solopreneur with one bad clientHow to inventory your skills without thinking in job titlesA simple way to calculate your real market valueHow to design a future that integrates work into your life—not the other way aroundThe 7 Steps Covered in This EpisodeReframe Your Reality – You don't need new skills or a new degreeEstablish Your Happiness Baseline – Money isn't the whole storySee Yourself as a Solopreneur – You already have one client (corporate)Define What You Really Want and Need – Financially, personally, realisticallyTake Inventory of Your Skills and Energy – Focus on problems you like solvingCalculate Your Value – A simple formula to find your hourly baselineDesign Your Ideal Future – Work backward from the life you wantKey TakeawaysIt's easier to find your first customer than your next jobSmall wins build confidence faster than big, risky betsYou don't need permission to start testing a new pathDone is better than perfectControl comes from action, not planningFinal ThoughtYou don't have to leave corporate to take back control.But if you don't start preparing, another year will pass—and you'll be having the same conversation...

This episode is a live mini-workshop recorded with members of the Escapee Collective (and released here because it was too useful to keep inside the community).My guest Diane Kennedy (CPA) breaks down what most new escapees get wrong about taxes and business structure — and why the real first question isn't “LLC or S-Corp?”It's: Are you building a business… or replacing a paycheck?From there, we get into the most common setup for solopreneurs (LLC + S-Corp election), how to think about deductions without getting cute, and why “keeping it small and keeping it all” is the solopreneur cheat code.We also bring in Lisa Dini from Lettuce, who explains how they help solos run the S-Corp model without turning you into an accountant.Heads up: This is educational, not legal/tax advice. Talk to your pro for your situation.What you'll learnThe real first question for escapees: build a business vs replace a paycheckWhy “LLC vs S-Corp” is usually the wrong framing (and what Diane recommends instead)Why Diane believes you should set up an LLC early (asset protection + flexibility)The 3 “buckets” of income for solopreneurs: Earned, Leveraged, & Passive (the holy grail)A simple way to think about deductions: ordinary + necessary (and how to find write-offs you already have)How S-Corps can help you keep more of what you earn (salary vs distributions, plus other benefits discussed)Real-world Q&A on: partners, joint ventures, and multi-state setups, California “special rules” , Schedule C vs S-Corp timing, Solo 401(k) and related retirement ideasResources Mentioned:Lettuce.co: https://hubs.ly/Q03Yz8KX0Tax Calc: https://hubs.ly/Q03Yz8Rf0Tax Prep: https://hubs.ly/Q03Yz8JY0GuestsDiane KennedyCPA and long-time solopreneur. Diane helps business owners structure their business and income in smarter ways so they can keep more of what they earn and operate like a real business.Lisa Dini (Lettuce)Lettuce helps solopreneurs run an S-Corp model efficiently, without drowning in admin and accounting work.

If you know corporate is broken but jumping straight into solopreneur life feels like too big a leap, this episode is for you.Brett breaks down how to treat your “escape plan” like an insurance policy—not a dramatic leap off a cliff. You don't have to quit your job tomorrow. But you do owe it to yourself to be prepared for the moment corporate quits on you… or you finally hit your breaking point.Instead of trying to convince you to go all-in on a solo business, this episode walks you through how to build a plan you can keep in your back pocket—so you're not starting from zero if things go sideways.Download the FREE Starter KitJoin the CollectiveIn this episode, you'll learn:Why the gap is so big between people who know corporate is broken and those who actually take actionHow to think like a “prepper” (without going full doomsday): planning so you don't have to plan in the middle of chaosStep 1 – Define what you actually wantStep 2 – Get clear on your financial realityStep 3 – Take inventory of your skills and energyStep 4 – Shift from job title to problem-solvingStep 5 – Reframe your current employer as just one clientAlso: • A simple formula to value your time • Annual salary × 1.25, then drop three zeros → a shockingly accurate baseline hourly rate •. Why many escapees replace their corporate income in ~20–25 hours per week • Why you don't need 100 customers • How 2–5 good clients can replace (or exceed) your corporate pay • Why most of those opportunities will come from networking and referrals, not job boardsWho this episode is forYou're still in corporate, you know the system isn't built for you, but you don't see a clear path outYou feel stuck between “I hate this” and “I don't know what else I'd do”You're curious about going solo, but the idea of just quitting and “figuring it out” feels recklessYou want a practical, low-risk way to prepare now, so you're not scrambling later

If you've ever walked out of a meeting thinking, “Why didn't that land?”Or if you've ever felt invisible in corporate…Or if you're building a life outside of corporate and wondering why some conversations connect and others fall flat…This episode will hit you hard.Today, Brett welcomes back Jake Stahl — author of the brand-new book Own the Room and creator of the STRATA framework, a system for reading people, decoding signals, and communicating with true presence instead of performance.Twelve years ago, Jake lost everything to opioid addiction — his marriage, his home, his reputation, and the identity he'd spent decades building. But his path back didn't begin with a new job or a second chance.It began with learning how to read people.Jake realized that most communication has nothing to do with the words being spoken. It's the signals beneath them — the micro-expressions, the posture shifts, the emotional triggers — that determine whether someone trusts you, connects with you, or shuts down entirely.Today, Jake breaks down STRATA, the six-part framework you can use to own every room you enter: • Signal: What you broadcast before you say a word • Trigger: The moment resistance appears • Reframe: How you shift someone's lens without force • Anchor: Making the insight stick • Transfer: Turning your idea into their idea • Action: Where the next step becomes inevitableWe talk about how STRATA applies to sales, relationships, leadership, marriage, friendships — and most importantly, the escapee journey. Because leaving corporate and building your own path requires one core skill:

What happens when corporate stress gets so bad you literally can't swallow solid food?That's where Claire Sullivan found herself.On December 1st, 2023, corporate quit on her — and she took what most people would call the riskiest step possible:She built a business… the same day.Filed an LLCRegistered everything needed to operatePosted on LinkedIn that she was going out on her ownListened to what the market actually wantedAnd replaced her former salary by the end of the weekIs that typical? No.Is it possible? Absolutely.And more importantly — the steps she took are repeatable for anyone stuck in a corporate job that no longer works for them.This is one of the most real and honest conversations we've had on what it actually looks like to escape corporate — emotionally, financially, mentally, and practically.Who This Episode Is ForThis one is for you if:Corporate has stopped making senseEvery job application feels like it goes into a black holeYou're burned out but can't “just quit”You want control over your time, income, and healthYou don't think you have “enough” experience to go out on your ownYou just need one real example of someone who actually did itConnect with ClaireMaven Course: How to Layoff-Proof Your Career by Becoming a Solopreneur: https://maven.com/clair-sullivan-associates/launch-your-solopreneur-business?promoCode=ESCAPELinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-clair-sullivan/

Most solo businesses are focused on getting clients—but ignore the compliance risks that can quietly wreck everything.Former tax attorney and CFO Michael Williams joins Brett to break down the ADA, privacy, and regulatory issues small businesses face—and how a $100K GDPR mistake pushed him to finally build Clym.io, an all-in-one website compliance platform.Michael also shares the remarkable story of raising a seven-figure VC round… then paying it back to regain control and stay true to his vision.In This Episode:• The hidden ADA & privacy risks solopreneurs overlook• Why most accessibility lawsuits hit small businesses• How AI-powered scans fuel compliance lawsuits• How Clym.io uses one snippet to manage 150+ regulations• Why Michael left a cushy CFO role at 38• The identity shift from employee → builder• What it's really like to take VC money—then give it back• Why taking action beats waiting for the “right” timeConnect with Michael & ClymWebsite: https://clym.ioMore From BrettEscapee Starter Kit, resources & links → https://linktr.ee/bretttrainor

This episode is a little different. I was a guest on Catherine Jelinek's podcast, Breaking Through the Noise — and she generously allowed me to share the full conversation with you.We talk about leaving corporate, taking action, finding traction on TikTok, and the honest story behind building the Corporate Escapee movement. If you're stuck, burned out, or thinking about going solo, this one will hit home.In this episode, we cover:Why taking action is the #1 skill corporate trains out of youMy path from 25 years in corporate → consulting → fractional → building 10+ income streamsHow TikTok unexpectedly became the platform that changed everythingWhy 80% of my 76K TikTok followers are over 40The moment one video brought in 300+ strategy call requests in 48 hoursThe three stages of an escapee: Curious, Motivated, and LiberatedWhy your path out of corporate isn't a leap — it's a shiftThe reality of layoffs, RTO mandates, and the “profits over people” eraWhy authenticity beats production quality every timeThe mindset shift corporate doesn't prepare you forWhy this conversation mattersA lot of people want out of corporate, but they overthink the first step. This episode breaks down what actually works — and why you already have more than enough experience to start.Connect With CatherineCheck out Catherine Jelinek's podcast:

Today I'm joined by Neil K. Carroll, founder of vidwheel, who took the long way out of corporate: video agency → higher-ed job → rebuilding as a lean solo business.Neil shares how a simple testimonial project for a startup turned into something much bigger—a repeatable, productized service that helps founders uncover the stories and insights hidden inside their customer relationships.If you're stuck in corporate and wondering what you would even sell, this episode will help you see the path: start with what you already know, listen for the real problem, and bet on yourself.What You'll LearnNeil's escape path: agency burnout → COVID pivots → higher-ed → soloThe “Root Thread” deep testimonial approach and why it delivers strategic customer insightHow to productize what you already do without boxing yourself inWhy referrals and local networks are enough for a one-person businessHow Neil priced his offer and why undercharging early is part of the processThe 4 levers every offer should hit: save time, save money, make money, reduce riskWhy betting on yourself beats betting on corporate stabilityKey TakeawaysYour corporate title doesn't matter—your ability to solve problems doesProductized services make selling and delivery easierCustomer conversations reveal the real value you offerSolopreneurs don't need 100 clients—you need a few right-fit onesYou can always go back to corporate… but very few people want to once they leaveAbout Neil K. CarrollNeil is the founder of vidwheel, helping startups and small businesses capture deep customer stories through Root Thread testimonial interviews and his hardware-enabled Mini Studio (VidKit 3).He combines interviewing skill, remote production, and AI-assisted analysis to help companies extract messaging, proof, and product insight directly from their customers.Connect with Neil:LinkedIn: Neil K. CarrollWebsite: vidwheel.com

Download the FREE Escapee Starter KitEpisode SummaryAfter nearly 30 years in corporate communications, Ed Patterson didn't just leave corporate—he left the country. He and his partner planned their move to Portugal, secured residency, and designed a new life where work no longer sits at the center. We cover what it really takes to prepare (financial, legal, lifestyle), what he'd do sooner, how he reframed success to “quality of my day,” and practical advice for anyone considering a similar shift—whether you move abroad or simply want more control at home.Chapter markers • 00:00 Intro: Why Ed left corporate and the U.S. • 00:45 Ed's background: PR/Comms, crisis, agency + in-house • 03:00 The Portugal plan: residency, D7 visa, timelines, consultants • 05:35 How they prepared: roles, finances, finish lines, advisor sign-off • 10:50 Healthcare and costs: private insurance, day-to-day expenses • 14:40 Redefining happiness: “quality of my day,” health, sleep, energy • 20:13 Advice to 30- and 40-somethings: plan for when you want to—and when you have to • 26:14 Do an inventory: skills, network, gaps, use corporate to upskill • 30:11 Action over waiting: fractional, contracts, bridge income • 33:06 The “adventure years” mindset and inviting questions • 35:23 CloseKey takeawaysPlan with intent: set a finish line, pressure-test with a financial advisor, and define roles at home.Consider geo-arbitrage: lower costs can pull your finish line forward by years.Optimize your day: sleep, movement, and mental space beat title-chasing.Treat corporate like your one client: extract skills, network, and education while you're there.Build optionality: fractional work and short contracts can bridge income during transitions.Do the inventory: skills, network, marketable experiences, and gaps to close before you jump.Prepare for both scenarios: when you choose to leave—and if corporate chooses for you.Health matters: design a life you can actually enjoy.GuestEd Patterson:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edpatterson1/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twoguysinportugal Callout quotes“We hit our finish line sooner because our costs dropped by a third to a half.”“I sleep better, eat better, and feel more creative. That was impossible when work ran my day.”“Plan for your choice—and for the day you may not have one.”