Episode Description
Corporate quit on me just over six years ago.
At the time I thought this was about one thing: replacing my income. Six years, 350 episodes, and a whole lot of experiments later, I've figured out it was never really about the money.
This is the first solo episode under the new name, and I wanted to start by sharing the nine things I've learned on this quest so far. Not a playbook. Not a system. Just the stuff that turned out to be true, whether you're still in corporate, recently laid off, or already out and still trying to piece it together.
I don't have it all figured out. I'm a lot closer to where I want to be than I was six years ago, and I'm bringing you along for the rest of it.
The nine:
I wasn't running from corporate. I was running toward control.
Time is the currency. Grinding is just rationalizing giving it away.
Without your health, none of the time means much.
We overcomplicate everything. Especially making money.
Stop building your life around a job. Fund the life you want instead.
Stop asking permission. Nobody's coming.
Action beats planning. Every time.
Doing less is the whole skill.
It comes down to four buckets: relationships, health, purpose, and fun.
The Collective Now focused on the thing most people are actually stuck on: making money outside of corporate. https://trp-collective.circle.so/checkout/the-time-rich-project-collective
Got a question, or know a Gen Xer doing something interesting? Email me: bt@bretttrainor.com
If you're getting something out of the show, hit follow or subscribe wherever you're listening. Still moves the needle.
TIMESTAMPS
Estimated from the transcript. Spot-check against the final cut, and shift everything by the length of your cold open plus sting.
00:00 — Six years in, and why I'm doing this podcast with more intention
01:55 — #1: I wasn't running from corporate, I was running toward control
03:00 — #2: Time is the currency (and the 90-minute commute that broke me)
05:05 — #3: Prioritize your health now, not later
06:00 — #4: We overcomplicate everything, especially making money
07:30 — #5: Stop building your life around work, fund the life instead
09:10 — #6: Stop asking for permission
10:25 — #7: Action beats planning, every single time
11:30 — #8: Doing less is the whole skill
13:55 — #9: The four buckets (relationships, health, purpose, fun)
17:50 — Quick recap of all nine
19:20 — There is no one path. Don't follow somebody else's plan.
20:05 — What's changed inside The Collective
21:05 — How to reach me