Business Mentorship for Corporate Escapees
Building a business that actually fits your life
You left corporate for more freedom, flexibility and autonomy. Not to recreate the same stress in a different outfit.
The Corporate Escapees Club is for former corporate professionals who are done with cookie-cutter frameworks, hustle culture nonsense and business coaches who've never actually been in the rooms you've been in.
You left. But did corporate leave you?
Here's what I see again and again with smart, capable, experienced people who leave corporate to build their own business:
You turn your client into your new boss
You try to put corporate solutions onto small business problems
You look incredibly successful on the outside, and are quietly stressed about money behind the scenes
You miss the team, the identity and the certainty of knowing what 'good' looks like and what your title really means
You work harder than you ever did in corporate — without sick leave, someone to cover you, or a pay cheque that just arrives
You spend all your time delivering, then hit a wall of crickets while you try to drum up the next thing (and secretly shame spiral about it)
And underneath all of that? You feel lonely in a way you didn't expect, and you're not sure who you can tell or who can really help you.
If you've been nodding, this is for you.
Why most business coaching doesn't work for people like you
Here's the thing about most business coaching: it was built for a very different kind of business owner.
Not for someone who spent a decade in law. Not for someone who led a team of 50. Not for someone who's written a million board reports. Not for someone who's been the corporate client that everyone else is trying to sell to, and knows what actually works and what doesn't for corporate clients.
Most business coaching:
Gives you a cookie-cutter framework and sends you on your way
Sells a lifestyle that requires a stay-at-home partner and three nannies to maintain
Focuses purely on revenue and completely ignores the life you actually want to live
Offers "manifest harder" nonsense when you hit a wall
Is delivered by someone who has never led a team, navigated a redundancy, or sat at a board table
Treats the emotional and identity side of the transition as a nice-to-have
Is obsessed with social media (even though none of your clients are buying anything off Instagram)
You didn't leave corporate to be handed a one-size-fits-all solution. You left because you wanted something that actually worked for you.
Introducing
The Corporate Escapees Club
The Corporate Escapees Club is an intimate mentorship for former corporate professionals who want to build sustainable, profitable businesses, without losing themselves, their life or their house in the process.
It's not a course. It's not a once-a-week Zoom call with 200 people in it. It's a close-knit group mentorship experience, built around the real challenges of transitioning from a career in corporate to running your own show.
Inside Corporate Escapees Club, you get:
Up-close mentorship with me, Ellen Hooper
Weekly live calls during Victorian school term
A community of business owners who actually get it (and have their own valuable advice and networks to share)
Real, practical business support on pricing, business development, AI, structure, and strategy
Leadership and hiring guidance from someone who's been the Chief People Officer
Emotional resilience and mindset support (the stuff no one else talks about)
Access to an expert Board of Advisors across marketing, finance, legal, AI and more
Help building a business that fits your life, not the other way around
And for the spiritually curious: oracle card readings, reiki activations and a safe space to bring your intuition into how you run your business without losing the plot.
This is for you if…
You've left corporate (or you're planning your exit) and you're building a consulting, advisory or service-based business
You're a former HR leader, lawyer, risk professional, recruiter, senior public servant, C-Suite executive or senior manager who is technically excellent but commercially finding your feet
You look successful on the outside but behind the scenes you're not paying yourself enough, you're stressed about cash flow, and you're not sure who you can tell
You're doing well financially, but only because you're working exactly like you did in your corporate job – except now no one's giving you sick leave or paying you superannuation
You're a parent who needs a business that actually fits around your life, not a business that swallows it
You've been trying to "figure it out" alone and you're ready for support from someone who has actually been where you are
You want community, accountability and mentorship — not another online course you'll never finish or an expensive consultant who'll sell you the world and then give you an AI generated Canva deck
This is NOT for you if…
You're looking for a get-rich-quick formula or passive income in 30 days
You run a product-based or purely B2C business
You're working a job and doing this as your side hustle
Your business feels more like a hobby than one of your top priorities
You want someone to do the work for you
You're not willing to be honest about where you're actually at
You want a village, but you don't want to be a villager
What changes when you build your business this way?
You stop feeling lonely — you have a cheer squad who actually gets it and who is all about giving and receiving support
You stop second-guessing every decision
You price your work properly and start making money consistently, goodbye to that lumpy income
You stop recreating the toxic patterns you left behind
You build a BD approach that works for your personality — not someone else's
You stop spending too much on things that don't actually help you or your business thrive
You become commercially confident
You stop burning energy on the wrong things
You restructure your week and actually get time back
You become more present with the people who matter most
You feel proud of your business instead of trapped by it
"It looks like running a business in a way that you feel really confident about and not constantly second-guessing yourself. It looks like actually being present with your family and friends, investing in the relationships that matter and having no regrets."
What happens if nothing changes?
I'll be honest with you. Staying stuck in the same patterns is expensive, and not just financially.
You keep undercharging, or over-delivering and wondering why you're working so hard but not making more money
You keep solving every problem by working harder
You keep trying to figure it out alone, because you don't want anyone to know it's not as good as it looks
You keep spending money on the wrong things and underspending on the right ones
You drift further and further from the reason you left
And in the worst case? The business never becomes sustainable and you go back to corporate — not because you failed, but because you never had the right support
You didn't leave your impressive job to be here in two years, still stuck in the same cycle.
What's included in Corporate Escapees Club
Mentorship & Calls
- •Weekly live calls with Ellen during Victorian school term
- •Up-close personal mentorship, you are not a number here
- •The Escape Hatch — bring a specific problem to the group and we’ll find a way out together
- •Monthly challenges to keep you moving forward
Community & Connection
- •Community chat — your business besties, available when you need them
- •Access to a curated group of former corporate professionals building real businesses
- •Strategic networking — tap into an instant network of senior leaders and corporate clients
Practical Business Support
- •Pricing support — price and re-price with confidence
- •BD framework — your signature business development style, built around your personality preferences
- •AI strategy — structured, practical AI integration for your business
- •Provider recommendations — the best small business suppliers, vetted
- •Leadership and hiring guidance — from hiring to firing, from an ex-employment lawyer and Chief People Officer
Board of Advisors
Expert guidance from specialists who’ve been where you are.
Mia Fileman
Campaign Del Mar
Mia spent more than a decade working on global consumer brands including Maybelline, Kraft, Vegemite and BIC across Australia and Europe.
She helps you with a marketing plan that's the right size for your business.
Visit website
Nick Gearen
Shift HR
An MBA graduate and 2022 Rising Stars Award recipient, Nick has spent 12 years designing people forward thinking for organisations.
Nick helps you set up systems that make your business hum.
Visit website
Shauna Ryan
222 Media
Shauna has been working in social media since 2016—partnering with brands big and small and going viral (more than once).
She helps you take the stress out of your socials.
Visit website
Francesca Molina
Her Legal Edge
Francesca has built a modern legal practice built for businesses that are scaling fast and need law on their side, not in their way.
Francesca helps you know when you need a contract and how to get one without mortgaging your house.
Visit website
Kate Merryweather
That red-headed LinkedIn™ coach
Kate has built her business to its highest-earning years through organic LinkedIn strategy.
She is ready to help you get visible and grow your business.
Visit websiteThe Woo (Without Losing the Plot)
- •Oracle card and tarot readings
- •Reiki activations and energetic block clearing
- •Spirituality integrated into business without spiritually bypassing reality
Membership
Choose the level that fits your stage
Every tier includes the full Corporate Escapees Club experience. Choose the level of support that matches where you are right now.
All tiers have a one-off $200 + GST joining fee. Pay annually and get 2 months free — plus we waive the joining fee entirely.
What would it be worth to you to...
Get more referrals?
Do business development consistently?
Be supported to continually review and raise your prices?
Properly scope your work so that you get paid when the project becomes bigger than anticipated?
Save money on things you thought you needed but actually didn't?
That's what the membership looks like in financial terms, and a monetary return on your investment is just the beginning of what you get out of Corporate Escapees Club.
Escapee
What you’ll get as an Escapee:
Plus $200 + GST one-off joining fee
Choose monthly or pay upfront: 6 months $3,000 + GST · 12 months $6,000 + GST
View Escapee OptionsCoached
Everything in Escapee, plus a dedicated monthly 1:1 coaching session with Ellen. For when you want personalised strategic support alongside the group.
Plus $200 + GST one-off joining fee
Choose monthly or pay upfront: 6 months $4,750 + GST · 12 months $9,500 + GST
View Coached OptionsLuxury
Everything in Coached, plus three curated Urban Escapes per year in Melbourne CBD or surrounds and the annual Corporate Escapees Christmas Party — for corporate escapees who want deep connection, strategy and restoration in person.
Paid in full upfront
Only available as a 12-month membership paid in full upfront
Join LuxuryNot sure which tier is right for you? Book a free call and we'll work it out together. All memberships are a legitimate tax deduction.
Spirituality in business — without losing the plot
Ellen is a Reiki master, crystal lover and an oracle card reader. She's also been a lawyer, a CPO and run multiple businesses.
Some people might think those things are in conflict of each other – but they're not.
Corporate Escapees Club is one of the few places where you can bring your whole self — including the part of you that knows there's more to good decisions than a spreadsheet — without anyone raising an eyebrow.
We integrate spirituality and intuition into how you run your business. We do not use it to bypass the hard stuff, ignore the numbers, or blame our "energy" when something isn't working.
Think of it as spirituality without the spiritual bypassing.
What entrepreneurs say
"Ellen is my guardian angel and big sister in business. When I have a hard question or situation to approach, she understands me and exactly how to pinpoint the emotional spots I need to examine, challenge and unlearn when stepping into the decision and actioning change. I never feel stuck after a session with Ellen."
— Hannah Ferguson, CEO of Cheek Media
"Ellen is my secret weapon."
— Taryn Brumfitt, Film Director and 2023 Australian of the Year
"Ellen is so kind and supportive, that you sometimes don't expect the moments where you come face to face with exactly how you're holding yourself back. She truly does get results, help you step back to see the wood from the trees, and make the changes you didn't know you needed to make."
— Frances Cook, Host of NZ's #1 Business Podcast, Making Cents
Real stories from inside the work
Sandra
runs a risk consulting business. When she worked with Ellen, she had a block around speaking on stage that was costing her visibility and revenue. We cleared it. She has since presented multiple times at the Risk Management Conference, was named Risk Consultant of the Year, and launched a new arm of her business off the back of that confidence.
Alex
quit her job after a difficult return from parental leave. She wanted to build a B2C coaching business for mums returning to work, which she will. But we got realistic about the numbers first. Ellen introduced her to four companies she now subcontracts for, giving her a stable income stream while she builds her passion business. She goes for a walk at 9am and picks her kids up from school every afternoon.
Susan
was made redundant and seriously considering going back into a CEO role. When we got clear about what she actually wanted, she wanted to be her own boss. We designed her consulting offering, got her website up cost-effectively, and she started her BD before she felt 'ready'. She's now running her own consulting business.
Sam
left his corporate HR role and came to Ellen knowing he had broad HR skills but not sure where to focus. We identified his niche, translating between HR and technology, the skill least available in the market. He tripled his income. We refer him clients constantly because he's the best in the biz.
Your Business Mentor
About Ellen
Ellen spent seven years in law, a decade in HR and people leadership, and the last five years building and running businesses of her own.
In that time, she's been a solo consultant, a business partner, an executive coach to CEOs and board chairs, a B2C founder, and someone who has exited and sold a business.
She's also been the corporate and government client that most corporate escapees are trying to sell to. She knows exactly what actually lands, what the decision-maker in that room is really thinking and what it takes to build something that lasts.
As an executive coach, a former employment lawyer, a Chief People Officer, a Reiki master, a community builder and a parent, she knows what it takes to take the hustle out of business.
Conversations with Ellen make your life better, not in a surface way but in a deep shifts in how you operate kind of way.
Plan ahead
For those who like the details
Here’s the indicative focus for each month and the in-person calendar so you can see what we’ll work on — and what you can plan for.
Indicative schedule
Monthly Focuses & Challenges
July
Business Development Your Own Way
August
Work-life Design
September
Business Infrastructure
October
Visibility
November
Holding Boundaries
December
2027 Pricing
January
Rest & Reset
February
Pipeline Planning
March
Work-life Design
April
Tapping Into Your Intuition
In person
Urban Escapes Schedule
All Urban Escapes are held in Melbourne CBD or surrounds.
2026
14 October · Urban Escape
7 December · Corporate Escapees Christmas Party
2027
18 March · The Escape Shoot
Get new headshots, group photos and shoot some content.
23 July · New Financial Year, Relaxed You
A day of connection and relaxing — you deserve to pamper yourself.
13 October · Get Sh*t Done Day
It’s a marketing day. Update your website, plan your content, connect with like-minded business owners and get expert advice.
3 December · Corporate Escapees Christmas Party
Our annual celebration with the community.
Luxury includes three curated Urban Escapes per year in Melbourne CBD or surrounds, valued at $650 + GST each, plus the annual Corporate Escapees Christmas Party, valued at $275 + GST. Dates and details may change; as much notice as possible will be provided.
Read the membership terms
Live sessions, cancellations, refunds, community support and in-person event conditions.
Frequently asked questions
Ready to stop figuring it out alone?
You've built a career on backing yourself. You know how to do hard things. You just don't have to do this one alone.
Corporate Escapees Club is the mentorship, community and strategic support you've been looking for — built specifically for people who've been where you've been and want to build something that actually fits their life.
Join NowQuestions? Reach out at ellenhooper.com