The Corporate Escapee: Sometimes You Gotta Say WTF

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 generatin...

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. ...

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 unde...

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 ...

The 4 Real Paths to Replace Your Corporate Income Most 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 in...

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...

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 in...

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...

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...

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...

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 bi...

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...

Post Corporate Life with Brett Trainor & John Arms I recently had the chance to join John Arms on his podcast: Fractional Unfiltered Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0z9pQOOMZEVI4T2NvoOiqP?si=uJoycF4LRGyZQNB4MofrtQ John was kind enough to allow m...

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 ...

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-...

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 ...

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 cust...

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) busine...

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 co...

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 ...

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, fractio...

Get the New Escapee Starter Kit Here If 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 ...

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 b...

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...

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 wi...

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 b...

Freebie from Michael: 20% off: https://www.clym.io/p/bretttrainor 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 d...

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 Ti...

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 b...

Download the FREE Escapee Starter Kit Episode Summary After 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 ...

Guest: Bob Burg, co-author of The Go-Giver Note from Brett: This Greatest Hits episode is one of the most shared conversations we’ve ever had — and for good reason. If you’re trying to land your first clients or grow your solo business, Bob’s Go-Giver ...

Healthcare is the #1 concern from wannabe escapees DM Brett about. Today, benefits veteran and fellow escapee Tom Morrissey breaks down a solo-friendly health plan designed for one-person companies: Solo Health Collective. We cover who qualifies, how u...

What happens after you escape corporate? How do you make your solo business work long-term—without burning out or losing the freedom you left for? In this episode, Brett sits down with Jenni Gritters, author of The Sustainable Solopreneur and coach to ...

GenX built the systems everyone’s now trying to automate — and that’s exactly why we’re built for what’s next. In this episode, I’m joined by Michael Himmelfarb, one of the original corporate escapees, to talk about why the real opportunity with AI isn...

About this episode In this solo “CliffsNotes” episode, Brett breaks down how to actually make money from your corporate experience — not theory, not startup fantasy — just 17 real ways GenXers are doing it (plus 2 bonus options if you’ve got some capit...

Paul Durelli returns to The Corporate Escapee Podcast one year after his first appearance to share what’s changed, what’s working, and where he sees the biggest opportunities for corporate and medical professionals looking to escape traditional systems...

If your “great job” feels increasingly empty, this one’s for you. Former corporate leader Lisa Petrilli (Medline/Baxter) shares a practical approach to discovering your Life Quest —the next chapter where purpose, agency, and freedom replace autopilot. ...

Robert Lock went from corporate sales leadership to running supply chain during COVID—then used that “between lanes” moment to launch his own firm, Buffalo Mountain Sales Strategies. In this episode, he and Brett dig into how GenX escapees can win clie...

When I first interviewed Jesse Cole—the man in the yellow tux and founder of the Savannah Bananas—the team had just started selling out games in Savannah. Fast forward to today, and the Bananas are a global sports and entertainment phenomenon: • A tick...

What GenXers stuck in corporate can learn from a 22-year-old former D1 athlete who walked away from the easy path, found his purpose, and chose to serve others—even when it was uncomfortable. I like to connect the dots and showcase what's possible if w...

Brett and Naveen break down how GenX escapees can use AI to work faster, earn more, and de-risk the leap from corporate. You’ll learn where AI actually helps (and where it doesn’t), how to turn your experience into simple, repeatable, AI-enabled servic...

We’re launching a new recurring segment with Lee Ann Pepper focused on real-world revenue ideas for corporate escapees. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How would I actually make money if I left corporate?” this episode is for you. Lee Ann and I break d...

For most corporate escapees, networking and sales feel like the biggest hurdles to building a solo business. With hundreds of LinkedIn connections and decades of contacts, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed—or worse, to avoid networking altogether. Enter Da...

Fractional, Defined: How to Lead (Not Freelance) with Karina Mikhli What does “fractional” really mean—and is it the right next step after corporate? In this episode, I sit down with Karina Mikhli, founder of Fractionals United, Fractional COO, and COO...

One of the biggest challenges GenX escapees face after leaving corporate isn’t expertise—it’s business development. How do you find customers, create clarity in your message, and grow without getting stuck in trial-and-error mode? In this episode, I si...

Dual Takeaway: This episode is a two-for-one: inspiration for escaping corporate and practical fitness guidance for living longer, stronger, and on your own terms. What happens when you realize corporate life just isn’t for you—before it consumes decad...

After 27 years in corporate—including an executive role— Thea Watkins never imagined she’d end up running her own business. A layoff forced her to pause, reflect, and rethink what she really wanted. Instead of jumping back into another corporate job, T...