This Is The Escapee Insider is a weekly-ish newsletter focused on helping those stuck in corporate take back control of their time, money and most importantly, their future.
Most of you have been kind enough (or at least curious) to read the first few issues. And honestly? I thought I was supposed to follow the template:
Write a teaching section. Share links to other valuable content. Rinse, repeat.
But it's starting to feel forced.
It reminds me of my TikTok journey.
When I started, I didn't have a plan. I just shared my point of view—a lot of rants about corporate America, mostly.
It started to take off.
Then I thought: I better take this seriously. Script it. Edit more. Be more polished.
The result? My views and engagement tanked.
So I went back to what came naturally. No script. Just me. My thoughts. My rants.
My account blew up.
Trusting my instincts was the right call.
So Here's What I'm Going to Do
I'm going to do the same thing with this newsletter.
Not copy TikTok. But trust my instinct.
I'm going to share:
What I'm hearing from people escaping corporate
My point of view on what's working (and what's not)
My own journey as I upend everything I've built as a solopreneur to go all-in on the Escapee Collective
You're going to see what works and what doesn't work. In real time.
Because here's the truth: The bottom line to success outside of corporate is flexibility and experimentation.
You need to unlearn a lot of what corporate hammered into you for years—maybe decades.
And I'm doing that right now. With this newsletter. With the Collective.
Why This Matters (And Why You Should Care)
If you follow me now, you might not know this: If you knew me in corporate, this entire post would shock you.
The vast majority of my career was B2B. Go-to-market. Strategy. Operations.
I left consulting to go solo almost 6 years ago. (Actually, corporate kicked me out—but that's another story.)
In that time, I:
Started with consulting
Migrated to fractional leadership
Eventually found 10 different ways to monetize my corporate experience
On a lark, I started posting on LinkedIn about helping other GenXers "escape" corporate.
It was so freeing.
But there wasn't much traction on LinkedIn. So I pivoted. Changed the name. Refocused the podcast.
And here we are.
Now I'm doing it again.
Going all-in on the Escapee Collective. Building something I believe in. Trusting my instincts.
And I'm going to take you along for the ride.
No more templates.
No more "here's the teaching section, here's some links."
Just:
What I'm learning
What I'm hearing
What's working (and what's not)
My unfiltered point of view
If that sounds good to you—stick around.
If not, I totally get it. No hard feelings.
But if you're here because you want the real, unscripted version of what it takes to escape corporate and build something on your own terms?
This is it.
Last week in the Collective:
I was a guest on two podcasts:
Business Growth Talks (with Mark Hayward): The Corporate Escapee—From Corporate Chains to Entrepreneurial Freedom
Breaking Through the Noise (with Catherine Jelinek): How I Escaped Corporate and Accidentally Became a TikTok Star
Plus a strong new solo episode on my own podcast: The Corporate Escapee: Corporate Is Changing—3 Trends Creating New Opportunities for Escapees in 2026
This upcoming week in the Collective:
It's a big week of sessions—if you haven't joined yet, this is the week to do it.
The week at a glance:
Monday:
Monday Motivation
Expert Office Hours with Anna Ludwinkowski (drop by and ask questions or just say hello)
Tuesday:
All Community Office Hours (I'll answer any questions—corporate to solo and anything in between)
Escapee 101: How to Take Back Control (FREE, open to members and non-members—targeting folks still in corporate)
Wednesday:
Featured Session: Fractional 101 + AMA with the Godfather of Fractional, John Arms
Thursday:
AI Club (anyone interested in personal or business use of AI should drop in)
Friday:
The $10K Peer Group (make sure you sign up for the $10K Peer Group Circle, not just the event—for anyone looking to get more clients consistently and replace your corporate income in fewer hours)
Friday Finish
Let me know what you think. I read all replies personally.
Live Life First
-Brett 🐬✌️