​Brooke Koeninger is a fractional CFO for consultants, coaches and creative services founders.

As someone who also serves soloists, I was excited to join her podcast, Scale With Clarity, to talk about — as cliché as it sounds — designing the work life you want.

After all, that’s the overarching umbrella, right? The dream?

Across the board, I hear from those who have made the leap solo to those who are just testing the water that they (we!) are simply seeking to make a living with freedom, flexibility, agency, and (counterintuitively) security at the forefront.

But what does that actually look like in practical terms?

What does it mean to rethink what you need vs. what you want vs. what you think you deserve?

How could you think responsibly yet bravely about your financial runway?

When do satisfaction and happiness truly show up in all of this? (Hint: it’s earlier than you think.)

And how can you catch yourself if you start reverting to the old constricting model you fought so hard to escape?

I cover my take on life/work design in my book, but it was refreshing to talk to Brooke in particular about this because she helps soloists balance these desires with financial reality every day.

And fun fact: this was my first interview about The Expert’s Privilege, recorded just days after the July launch, so it was fun to dive deep with someone who had intently read the book, with the Post-its and bookmarks to prove it.

Give it a listen here on Spotify or YouTube — and enjoy her other episodes while you’re at it!

I think you’ll enjoy the reflective tone of the conversations as you ponder where you are on your solo journey.

And if you know someone who’s feeling burned out, but on the fence about independent work, forward along the episode or this email. They’ll thank you as much as me and Brooke :)

💡

-Wes