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If you're working a full-time and trying to find the time and energy to build a business on the side, this episode is for you.

Every article online tells you the same generic advice and it's not rooted in reality.

In this episode I walk through what real women actually do when they're building a business on the side, and how to figure out your own starting point based on how much time and energy you've actually got right now. 

And if you need someone to chat about how to make yourself a priority and find the time and energy to build your business, book my Corporate Leap Assessment. 

It’s a simple questionnaire followed by an hour with me 1:1 where we talk through:

• Where you’re at now
• What you might want to build, and
• Whether you're actually ready to move, or what might be in the way.

BreakUpWithCorporate.com by Debbie Mitten, Business Mentor at Virtually Debbie.

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Most corporate women think the reason they haven't left their 9 to 5 yet is because of their finances. Surprisingly, the research shows something else entirely!

In this episode, I break down the real reason that keeps high-achieving women stuck; the identity crisis. 

The familiarity of a toxic corporate structure feels safe, even though it might be draining. Most women don't want to face starting over from scratch and don't know how to translate their skills into a thriving business, so they stay instead of pursuing their dream. They struggle to separate their self worth from the job title.

I walk through why your brain convinces you that staying is logical, when it's actually fear buried in disguise.  

Finally, I cover how to empower yourself by reclaiming your identity so you can  make a successful transition from employee to entrepreneur - and how not to carry over the corporate conditioning into your new business.

Sources referenced in this episode:

• Your Identity After Losing a Job — Psychology Today — https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-next-step/201606/your-identity-after-losing-a-job
• When A Leader Loses Their Job — https://www.mindsopen.co/our-thinking/when-a-leader-loses-their-job
• Professional Identity Transitions: What the Research Says — https://www.ridiculouslyefficient.com/professional-identity-transitions-research-psychology-career-change/
• Coping with Layoffs and Job Insecurity — https://improvinglivescounseling.com/coping-with-layoffs-job-insecurity-mental-health/
• Loss of Identity: How to Reconnect With Your True Self — Positive Psychology — https://positivepsychology.com/loss-of-identity/

BreakUpWithCorporate.com by Debbie Mitten, Business Mentor at Virtually Debbie.

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This week's episode it's about all things corporate burnout.

I discuss: 

• What burnout is
• The three types of corporate burnout, using my own cautionary tale
• The physical and psychological warning signs I ignored for years
• Christina Maslach's six research-backed corporate causes of burnout 
• An exercise to see what's in your control and what's not
• Steps to take if you're on the road to burnout
• How to know when it's time to plan your exit

I hope you find this helpful. 

Share this episode with anyone you think it might help.

Thinking of transitioning out of corporate? Let's talk.

Sources:

https://www.apa.org/members/content/burnout-research

BreakUpWithCorporate.com by Debbie Mitten, Business Mentor at Virtually Debbie.

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The Promotion Trap

You worked your tail off for that promotion. A few weeks in, you realize you hate your life. Good times! 

This happens to more women than you'd think. This week I break down why so many women are quitting within months of getting promoted, and why the math never worked in the first place.

I walk you through what a "promotion" actually does to your hourly rate once you factor in the extra hours nobody warns you about. I get into the ADP research showing 29% of newly promoted workers quit within a month, and why the raise that came with your new title probably won't even stick around once stress spending kicks in.

I also share my own story. The ER visit. The FMLA leave. The system I should have walked away from years before it walked away from me.

Plus four things you can start doing right now, while you're still employed, to build your own exit ramp before your body forces the decision for you.

If a promotion is something you're facing, and something in your gut says wait, listen to this one before you say yes.

Sources:
ADP Research Institute, "The Business Impact of Promotions and Measuring Employee Motivation and Commitment" (2023) 

LendingTree/PYMNTS Paycheck-to-Paycheck Survey (2023)  

Journal of Consumer Research, Durante & Laran, "The Effect of Stress on Consumer Saving and Spending"

New episodes every week. 

Follow Break Up With Corporate so you don't miss the next one.

BreakUpWithCorporate.com by Debbie Mitten, Business Mentor at Virtually Debbie.

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This episode is going to be a little spicy because I am calling out the corporate bullshit we put up with - and crap I personally experienced for 37 years.

You keep working harder just to survive a corporate career, and it still doesn't work. The truth is that it was never built with you in mind.

I break down exactly how the corporate machine works. The hiring process, the workload, the salaried scam, the health insurance leverage, the fake-anonymous surveys, the performance reviews that don't matter. 

None of it is one bad boss or one broken department. It's the system doing exactly what it was built to do.

If you've been wondering what's wrong with you, nothing is. You're reading the system correctly.

Whether you're staying for now or ready to build something of your own, I'll walk you through what smart actually looks like either way.

BreakUpWithCorporate.com by Debbie Mitten, Business Mentor at Virtually Debbie.

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Episode 5: Should You Quit Your Job, or Quit Corporate Entirely?

If you're a corporate woman wondering whether to quit your job or leave the corporate world for good, this episode is your gut-check. 

I break down how to tell the difference between a job that's wrong for you and a system you're done playing along with.

If you've already decided corporate isn't for you anymore, I'm talking straight to you. Here are some questions for you to consider before you make the leap:

• What's your financial runway before you can quit your job? 
• Is the stress affecting your health? 
• Have you told your partner you want to leave your corporate career? 
• What does life look like once you leave corporate for good? 

I lay out exactly what to sit with before you make such a life changing transition.

You don't need answers today, but I'd like you to start being radically honest about the questions.

If you're ready to talk about leaving your corporate job, and you'd like a guide to help you with the transition and build the business, book a free consultation and let's figure out your next step.

BreakUpWithCorporate.com by Debbie Mitten, Business Mentor at Virtually Debbie.

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Why does leaving your 9 to 5 job feel like breaking free from a cult? 

Because corporate uses the same playbook to keep you trapped.

In this episode I cover:

• The similarities of corporate and cults
• Why performance reviews are a control ritual
• Why overachievers burn out faster than anyone else
• The real reason you stay: economic coercion
• What a safe, strategic exit plan looks like 
• The cult de-conditioning nobody warns you about
• How to start thinking like the CEO you already are

If you're a burned out corporate woman planning your exit, or making the leap from employee to entrepreneur, this episode is for you.

Check out BreakUpWithCorporate.com for more information and grab the free Corporate Leap guide.

BreakUpWithCorporate.com by Debbie Mitten, Business Mentor at Virtually Debbie.

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When you’re miserable in corporate, starting your own business feels like the ultimate escape, but if you don't address your corporate survival habits first, you're going to drag them straight into your new venture. You will literally trade one bad boss for five difficult clients.

In this episode, we break down the 10 corporate habits that quietly sabotage new entrepreneurs, and how to spot them before they tank your business.

The 10 corporate habits we cover:

1. Low self-worth
2. Fear of visibility
3. Asking for permission
4. Poor boundaries
5. Lack of trust
6. Over-delivering
7. Hyper-independence
8. Perfectionism
9. Feeling guilty
10. Not giving yourself grace

You don't have to carry this baggage into your new future.

Ready to see where you stand? 

Take the Corporate Leap Assessment at BreakUpWithCorporate.com to identify your habits and build a clean exit on your own terms.

BreakUpWithCorporate.com by Debbie Mitten, Business Mentor at Virtually Debbie.

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If you are trying to leave a toxic corporate job to start a business, you probably think working for yourself is the ultimate escape. 

Changing your surroundings won’t fix your problems if you keep using the same old rules to run your life.

A toxic workplace operates exactly like a bad relationship. The gaslighting, the broken promises, and the constant feeling that you're never doing enough force you straight into survival mode. The things you had to do to keep the peace and stay safe when you were a kid become the exact ways you handle work today.

If you don't look at what's really going on right now, you will walk straight into entrepreneurship and build the exact same prison you just escaped. You’ll just be letting a difficult client push you around instead of a bad boss.

Whether you are plotting your escape or already struggling to build your business, survival habits like people-pleasing, perfectionism, and deep trust issues tag along for the ride. You didn't risk everything to work for yourself just to build a different version of a miserable job.

In this episode, we are looking in the mirror and getting radically honest about why we really struggle at work and how to finally break the cycle.

Connect with Debbie and book a strategy session:

Website: BreakUpWithCorporate.com

BreakUpWithCorporate.com by Debbie Mitten, Business Mentor at Virtually Debbie.

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If you're a woman who has ever fantasized about quitting your job and building something of your own, this show is for you.

Welcome to Break Up With Corporate. I'm Debbie Mitten, a business mentor and recovering corporate survivor with 37 years inside the machine. I started this podcast for the woman who's exhausted, undervalued, and quietly planning her exit.

We cover how to plan your escape, how to build a sustainable business and how to make sure the burnout, perfectionism, and people-pleasing you learned in corporate doesn't follow you straight into entrepreneurship. 

Short episodes. Real talk. The occasional f-bomb.

Find me at BreakUpWithCorporate.com and let's get you out.

BreakUpWithCorporate.com by Debbie Mitten, Business Mentor at Virtually Debbie.