Way Out #14: Leaving a $200K Salary to Build an Indoor Dog Park with Devon Brown
entrepreneur Vanessa Jupe entrepreneur Vanessa Jupe

Way Out #14: Leaving a $200K Salary to Build an Indoor Dog Park with Devon Brown

“It didn’t start as ‘I want to be an entrepreneur.’ It started as ‘I don’t want to be here anymore.’”

Devon Brown spent 10 years in corporate America, made $200K, and still sat in a bathroom doing the math on how many more years she had until retirement.

The answer? 40 something. Her answer? Nope.

Meet the woman who’s building Chicago’s premier indoor dog park — and living proof that the way out sometimes starts with a medication shortage and a morning walk with your husband. 🐾

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Way Out #6: From Rising Star in Logistics Management to Nomad with Taylor Surdyke
nomad Vanessa Jupe nomad Vanessa Jupe

Way Out #6: From Rising Star in Logistics Management to Nomad with Taylor Surdyke

On paper, Taylor Sordike had the American Dream: a husband, a suburban home, and a rising career in logistics. But deep down, she knew she was settling for "safety" rather than alignment. In this post, Taylor reveals how leaving a "good enough" marriage gave her the muscle memory to walk away from corporate life, buy a camper van, and follow her intuition to the Smokies. Her advice for anyone standing on the edge of a pivot? "Do it scared."

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Way Out #5: From Corporate Art Director to Watercolor Artist with Ken Stanek
artist Vanessa Jupe artist Vanessa Jupe

Way Out #5: From Corporate Art Director to Watercolor Artist with Ken Stanek

Ken Stanek doesn’t have a "career path" in the traditional sense. He has a series of experiments, pivots, and intuitive leaps that eventually landed him exactly where he belongs.

From shivering as a bike messenger in NYC winters to designing PowerPoints for pharmaceutical giants, Ken spent two decades trying to fit his creative square peg into a corporate round hole. Today, he is a full-time artist, muralist, and illustrator who has finally stopped pretending.

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