Brett Trainor Unplugged

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

🎯 Why Danielle tried to escape corporate for six years before it finally clicked

🎯 The exact moment she realized she was sitting on a business nobody told her to build

🎯 How she landed her first clients using a local networking group — no social media, no ads, no cold outreach

🎯 Why overthinking your offer is the #1 thing keeping corporate escapees stuck

🎯 What human design actually is and why it's not as woo as it sounds

🎯 How she built her business during Tuesday nights at Panera while her husband handled bedtime

🎯 Why confidence comes from doing — not from waiting until you feel ready

🎯 The push that finally got her to put in her notice — and why timing matters less than decision

Key Quotes

"I trusted so deeply that I was going to be caught. And I was." — Danielle Burken

"Business gets to be easy and fun. We just weren't taught that in corporate." — Danielle Burken

"Anybody exiting corporate has the skills to do it. They're overqualified. They just need to go have the conversation." — Brett Trainor

About Danielle Burken

Danielle Burken is a human design-based business coach and marketing strategist who helps solopreneurs build sustainable businesses in alignment with how they're naturally wired to operate. She escaped corporate in September 2023 and built a six-figure business in her first year.

🌐 Website: https://www.danielleburken.com/ 

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielleburken_/ 

Connect With Brett

Ready to stop watching from the sidelines and make your move? The Escapee Collective is the community built for corporate professionals who are done with corporate and ready to build something of their own.

👉 Join the conversation at theescapeecollective.com

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 tools

Key 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 [email protected].

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 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 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:

🔹 Path 1 — Go Solo: Consulting, fractional, advisory, coaching, content. Monetize what you already know. Lowest barrier to entry, no investment required, and you can start while still in corporate. Brett's lane — and the focus of most of this podcast.

🔹 Path 2 — Start a Business: Build something from scratch. A passion, an idea, an agency. Full ownership but requires capital, time, and infrastructure. Often the natural evolution of going solo.

🔹 Path 3 — Buy a Business: Acquire an existing operation with revenue already in place. Faster path to cash flow but requires serious due diligence, capital, and comfort with complexity.

🔹 Path 4 — Buy a Franchise: Get into a proven system with a built-in playbook, training, support, and brand. A business in a box — and the focus of today's episode.

Why Franchising Makes Sense for Corporate Escapees:

Most people picture Subway or McDonald's. That's not the conversation. There are thousands of franchise concepts across senior care, home services, B2B services, fitness, wellness, and more — and many of them map directly to the skills you built in corporate.

What you're actually buying is a proven playbook: operating systems, customer acquisition, marketing support, training, and a network of franchisees who've already solved the problems you'll face.

Brett covers:

Connect with Brett & The Corporate Escapee:

🌐 TheEscapeeCollective.com

If this episode opened your eyes to a path you hadn't seriously considered — share it with someone still sitting in a corporate job wondering what their options are. That's exactly who this is for.

And if you've made it this far — please subscribe. It helps more escapees find the show.

Live Life First. 🐬✌️

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:

About Steve Jaffe

Steve 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:

Connect with Brett & The Corporate Escapee:

1. 🌐 TheEscapeeCollective.com

If this episode resonated, share it with someone who's currently in the middle of a layoff — or someone who should probably start building their Plan B now.

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:

Key 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 success

Notable 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:

Key Quotes:

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:

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:

The 3 trends covered in this episode

Trend #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 escapees

Fractional 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 changing

Why 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 it

If this episode helped you rethink corporate risk or life after it, connect with Brett on LinkedIn or email him at [email protected]. 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 corporate

Key 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 guest

Ashley 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 voice

Key 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 Jelinek

Catherine 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: [email protected]

• Websites: theskinnyplatform.com