Brian Dean: What Happens After You Get Freedom?

I Was Wrong About Escaping the 9–5 | 36 Conversations Later

I used to think escaping the 9–5 happened in one brave moment. You quit. You leap. You start a completely different life. After 36 conversations with founders, authors, creators, and people who stepped away from the default path, I no longer think that is how it usually happens. Most people build a bridge long before they quit. A bridge made from private clues, tiny experiments, uncomfortable asks, money fears, and enough small proof to trust themselves with the next step. This is a special solo episode of Escape 9 to 5, looking back at what the first 36 conversations changed for me. I share five lessons: 1. The escape starts before you quit. 2. Proof matters more than confidence. 3. Money fear does not magically disappear. 4. Sometimes you have to ask anyway. 5. There is no arrival. Freedom means choosing the pressure you are willing to live with. The episode includes moments and ideas from conversations with Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Gillian Liu, Erin Wade, Paul Millerd, Andrew Wilkinson, Michia Rohrssen, and other guests who have generously shared the honest, unresolved parts of building a different life. One line from Michia stayed with me long after we stopped recording: “The whole world is waiting for you.” Not necessarily waiting for you to quit tomorrow. But perhaps waiting for you to send the message, run the experiment, follow the curiosity, or begin building the bridge. I’m deeply grateful to every guest who has given their time to this podcast. These conversations have changed how I understand work, risk, freedom, and what it means to build a life that feels more like your own. Explore Escape 9 to 5: https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/escape-9-to-5 Watch the full podcast archive: https://www.youtube.com/@LydiaCLinzi/podcasts About the show: Escape 9 to 5 is a podcast about people who leave default paths and build more deliberate, self-directed lives. Hosted by Lydia Linzi, a former investment banker turned climate-tech founder and creator. Connect with Lydia: https://www.dayzeroproduction.com https://www.instagram.com/lydiachenlinzi

Brian Dean: What Happens After You Get Freedom?

Most people know Brian Dean as the founder of Backlinko and co-founder of Exploding Topics. He built his life from his dad’s basement into selling two companies. But this conversation isn’t just about how he did it. It’s about what came after: the strange, quiet, surprisingly stressful question of what freedom is actually for once you finally have it. We get into the first business that failed, the years of trial and error before anything worked, building an audience before earning a cent, geo-arbitrage, Portugal, tennis, why passive income is never really passive, and how AI is reshaping search. But underneath all of it is the question I kept coming back to: Is happiness about having more, or about learning to want less? Find Brian: Programs.com: https://programs.com/ [https://programs.com/] Backlinko: https://backlinko.com/ [https://backlinko.com/] Exploding Topics: https://explodingtopics.com/ [https://explodingtopics.com/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BrianDean/videos [https://www.youtube.com/@BrianDean/videos] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianedean/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianedean/] Escape 9 to 5 is a long-form podcast about people who stepped away from the conventional path to build more deliberate, self-directed lives. Listen and subscribe: https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/escape-9-to-5 [https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/escape-9-to-5] Follow Lydia: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lydiachenlinzi/ [https://www.instagram.com/lydiachenlinzi/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lichenlydia/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lichenlydia/] Website: https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/ [https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/] Newsletter: Sunday Not Blue: https://www.lydia-c-linzi.kit.com/ [https://www.lydia-c-linzi.kit.com/] The First 60 Days: https://lydiaclinzi.substack.com/ [https://lydiaclinzi.substack.com/]

Stop Negotiating Like a Candidate | Jacob Warwick

Jacob Warwick has helped leaders secure over $1 billion in compensation across tech, Hollywood, private equity, and large companies. But this conversation goes far beyond negotiation tactics. We talk about the mindset shift from candidate to consultant, why so many people struggle to stand up for their own value, and what it takes to enter the room with dignity, safety, and self-trust. Jacob also shares the personal experiences that shaped his approach to negotiation, and why learning to speak for yourself is about more than money. This is a conversation about negotiation, but also about knowing your value before someone else decides it for you. Connect with Jacob: Website: https://www.thinkwarwick.com/ Newsletter: https://execsandthecity.com/ YouTube: @ExecsandtheCity Hosted by Lydia. Escape 9 to 5 explores unconventional career paths, reinvention, and building meaningful lives on your own terms. 🎙 About Escape 9 to 5Escape 9 to 5 is a long-form podcast about people leaving default paths and building lives of freedom, agency, and meaning. New episodes monthly.More episodes:https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/escape-9-to-5If this conversation resonated, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.📍 About MeHi I'm Lydia, I'm a banker turned Climate Tech EntrepreneurBuilding something to connect people and funding.

What Happens After You Make It? He Retired at 31 and Started Building Again | Michia Rhossen

He sold his company for $110 million at 31. Retired. Traveled to Antarctica twice. Visited Richard Branson's private island. Then came back to build again.This is a conversation I've been trying to have for two years. Michia Rhossen and I first connected through the Part-Time YouTuber Academy in London, and we finally sat down on my last day in Hong Kong before flying back to London. No script, no preparation.What we ended up talking about wasn't the grinding stories or the exit mechanics. It was what happens after. What success means when money is no longer the goal. Why comfort was the scariest part of his journey. And how he's now building three companies, not because he has to, but because he realized that not building was the selfish choice.If you take one thing from this episode, let it be this: "If I'm still excited about what I'm doing, then I think I've won. And if we have 100 million users and I'm not excited, then I've lost."Find Michia: @askmichia on Instagram and YouTubeThis is Episode 34 of Escape 9 to 5. Connect with Michia Instagram / YouTube: @askmichia Explore more from Escape 9 to 5 Podcast archive: https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/escape-9-to-5 Escape 9 to 5 is a podcast by https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/ and hosted by Lydia Chen — real conversations with people who left the traditional path and built something of their own. New episodes monthly. Connect with Lydia: @lydiachenlinzi on Instagram | lydiaclinzi.substack.com

He Bought a Business at 18 With $2,000 | Alex Smereczniak (CEO of Franzy)

At eighteen, Alex Smereczniak bought a college laundry business with $2,000 and a seller-financing deal. Three years later, he exited. In this episode, we talk about:• Buying a business at 18• Why “unsexy” paths can teach you more than prestige• Leaving corporate when it doesn’t fit• Building Franzy, a platform helping people access franchise ownership• And the question that still lingers with me:“Are you happy doing what you’re doing?” Alex is the founder and CEO of Franzy, an AI-powered platform helping people discover and acquire franchise businesses. Before Franzy, he built and scaled 2ULaundry and LaundroLab. Connect with Alex:Franzy — ⁠https://www.franzy.com⁠ [https://www.franzy.com]LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-smereczniak-40310329/ Hosted by Lydia .Escape 9 to 5 explores unconventional career paths and building meaningful lives on your own terms.