Brett Trainor Unplugged · Dec 24, 2025 · 24:55
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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 happy you actually are, and explore whether there’s a path outside corporate—without making a risky leap.
This isn’t about quitting your job.
It’s about getting prepared, taking back control, and testing what’s possible using the experience you already have.
Whether you’re 25 or 65, this episode helps you stop being reactionary and start designing what comes next.
What You’ll LearnWhy most people stay stuck—even when they’re miserable
How to reframe yourself from “employee” to “business owner”
The 5-factor scorecard to measure your real happiness
Why you’re already a solopreneur with one bad client
How to inventory your skills without thinking in job titles
A simple way to calculate your real market value
How to design a future that integrates work into your life—not the other way around
Reframe Your Reality – You don’t need new skills or a new degree
Establish Your Happiness Baseline – Money isn’t the whole story
See Yourself as a Solopreneur – You already have one client (corporate)
Define What You Really Want and Need – Financially, personally, realistically
Take Inventory of Your Skills and Energy – Focus on problems you like solving
Calculate Your Value – A simple formula to find your hourly baseline
Design Your Ideal Future – Work backward from the life you want
It’s easier to find your first customer than your next job
Small wins build confidence faster than big, risky bets
You don’t need permission to start testing a new path
Done is better than perfect
Control comes from action, not planning
You don’t have to leave corporate to take back control.
But if you don’t start preparing, another year will pass—and you’ll be having the same conversation again.
If you’re still in corporate… good luck.
And if you’re ready to take the first step—this is it.
Episodes: Brett Trainor Unplugged