Escape 9 to 5

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.

You Don't Need a Dream Job to Build a Great Life | Simon Stolzoff

What if you don’t need the perfect job to live a meaningful life? In this episode, I talk with Simone Stolzoff, author of The Good Enough Job and the upcoming How Not To Know, about permission, uncertainty, and designing a life that can change with you. We discuss the moment Simone quit his job after buying a $220 plane ticket, how that decision shaped his relationship with work, and what it looks like to build a portfolio life with family, community, and flexibility at the center. This is an honest conversation about optionality, evolving identities, and learning to trust yourself in an uncertain world. Books by Simone Stolzoff:- 📘 *How Not To Know* (new book): https://simonestolzoff.com/how-to-not-know- 📕 *The Good Enough Job*Find Simone online: https://simonestolzoff.com/