This Is The Escapee Insider is a weekly-ish newsletter focused on helping folks transition from corporate to Living Their Best Lives

Brett's Note: This week's newsletter is longer than usual—and for good reason. I'm sharing the framework that fundamentally changed how I think about success. It took me three years to figure this out, and I wish someone had shown me this on day one.

Grab coffee, take 5 minutes, and actually fill out the scorecard. I think it might be a game changer for you too.

For the first three years after leaving corporate, I chased one thing: money.

Make as much as possible. Replace my salary. Build multiple revenue streams. Hit the next income milestone. Prove I could do this.

And I did it. On paper, I was crushing it.

But something was off.

I had escaped corporate, working for myself, and was making good money. So why didn't it feel like I thought it would?

Because I was still measuring success the way corporate taught me to measure it: by the paycheck (or even worse, the title).

I had escaped the job but not the mindset.

That's when I realized: I never actually defined what success meant to me. I just assumed "make a lot of money" was the goal. But money for what? Freedom to do what? Build what kind of life?

I needed a new scorecard. Not just "Am I making money?" but "Am I actually Living My Best Life?"

So I created the 5Fs Framework—and it was a game changer for me.

If you're reading this, you probably already know something's off. Maybe you're still in corporate and the trade-offs aren't adding up anymore. Maybe you've already left but haven't quite found your footing. Maybe you're doing fine financially but something still feels... missing.

Here's what was missing for me: a clear definition of what success actually looks like.

Let me show you the framework that changed everything.

I want you to do something right now. Rate yourself 1-10 (be honest) in these five areas:

Financial (Independence)
Are you at a financial level you're comfortable with? Not "Am I making a lot?" but "Do I have the financial freedom I want?" Do you have control of your financial future?

Your score: ___/10

Friends & Family (Relationships)
How important are family and friends to you, and do you have enough quality time to spend with them?

Your score: ___/10

Fitness (Mental & Physical)
Are you healthy? If you freed up time tomorrow, would you be healthy enough to actually enjoy it? This is both physical AND mental health.

Your score: ___/10

Fulfillment (Purpose)
Are you finding a reason to get up in the morning that actually matters to you? Is your life fulfilled? Or are you just going through the motions?

Your score: ___/10

Fun
Are you having enough of it?

Your score: ___/10

Total: ___/50

Now look at that number. Be honest about it.

More importantly, look at the breakdown. Where are you strong? Where are you weak?

This is your baseline. This is what you're actually optimizing for right now.

And here's what I realized when I first did this exercise myself: I was optimizing for what corporate taught me to optimize for, even though I had left corporate.

Want the full 5Fs Scorecard as a downloadable PDF (plus other frameworks to help you plan your escape)?

I put together a FREE Starter Kit with the 5Fs Framework, a video walkthrough, and the other tools I use to help Corporate Castaways build their escape plan.

[Download the Free Starter Kit →]

Here's what changed for me when I started using the 5Fs:

Success isn't a number. It's a balance.

Not perfect balance (that doesn't exist). But intentional balance.

That's Living My Best Life. Your version might look different—and that's the point.

The 5Fs Framework isn't about hitting 10/10 on everything. It's about defining what success means to YOU and then measuring whether you're building toward that or away from it.

Money is still important. Financial independence is F1 for a reason—you need revenue to sustain freedom.

But Financial isn't the ONLY thing that matters. And it's definitely not worth sacrificing the other four for.

Here's the thing about corporate conditioning: it doesn't end when you leave.

Corporate teaches you to measure success one way: Financial.

More revenue = winning. Higher salary = success. Bigger numbers = better life.

And even after you escape, that scorecard follows you.

You build your business. You chase revenue. You optimize for Financial. And before you know it, you're working just as hard, just as stressed, with just as little time for everything else.

The other four Fs are still on the back burner. You just don't have a boss to blame anymore.

That's when I realized: I needed to define success for myself. Not adopt corporate's definition with my name on it.

Here's what I see over and over:

People escape corporate with one goal: replace the income.

Makes sense, right? You need money to live. Financial independence matters.

But then what happens?

They replace the income... and keep working the same hours. They're still stressed. They still don't have time for what matters. They've traded the corporate boss for 10 client bosses.

They escaped the job but brought the corporate scorecard with them.

Success = how much money you make.

But here's the question I had to ask myself (and you should ask too):

What's the point of freedom if you're still living by someone else's definition of success?

Here's what's different about how we think about this:

We're not anti-Financial. Revenue matters. Financial independence is F1 for a reason—you need it to sustain freedom.

But Financial isn't the ONLY thing that matters. And it's definitely not the first thing you optimize for at the expense of everything else.

The goal is simple: Optimize the 5Fs. That align to YOUR definition of success

Use the scorecard to measure progress and not an outcome. I still review this on a quarterly basis. I want to make sure I am focused on what makes me happy and that I am not out alignment with my goals. The beauty is everyone’s is different. My scorecard and goals may not align with yours and that is okay.

A new mom that is looking to replace part of her corporate salary so she can stay home looks very different than a 40 something with three kids that is prepping for college. That is the point of this exercise.

You don't have to score 10/10 on everything. But you can't keep scoring 8/10 on Financial while failing at the other four.

The hippies in the '60s looked at the corporate system—the suits, the cubicles, the suburbs, the 9-to-5—and said "No thanks."

They rejected a life optimized for Financial at the expense of everything else.

They built communes because they understood: humans need community, purpose, connection, and freedom to actually thrive.

Corporate Escapees in 2026 are doing the exact same thing—just with better Wi-Fi.

We're rejecting the broken trade-off. We're building work that supports life (not the other way around). We're doing it together because isolation kills more dreams than failure ever will.

I wrote an entire LinkedIn article on this: Check it out here!

Same rebellion. Different decade. Better tools.

Look at your 5Fs scores again.

What would it look like if all five were in a place where you felt good?

Not perfect. Not 10/10 across the board. Just... good.

What would need to change? What would you need to build? What would you need to let go of?

This is how you define what "Living Your Best Life" actually means for you.

Not corporate's definition. Not some guru's framework. Yours.

And once you have that clarity, you can start building toward it—with people who are doing the same thing.

Fill out your 5Fs scorecard. Be honest. Look at where you are.

Then ask yourself: Is this what Living My Best Life looks like? Or am I still optimizing for what someone else taught me to optimize for?

This framework was a game changer for me. It might be for you too.

And if you want to build toward all 5Fs with people who are doing the same thing? There's a village of modern hippies out here doing exactly that—together.

Want to optimize all 5Fs with people who get it?

The Escapee Collective is where Corporate Castaways plan their escape and Corporate Escapees Live Their Best Life—with a village of people who actually show up for each other.

Join while you're still in corporate. Build your plan. Leave when YOU'RE ready. Thrive together.

[Join The Collective - First 30 Days for $1 →]

Go and Live Your Best Life

Brett ✌️

P.S. — If this resonated, hit reply and tell me: What's your 5Fs score? Where are you winning? Where are you struggling? I read every response.