The Interview That’ll Make You Rethink Risk — Breanne Kennedy on Choosing “More”
Here’s the thing nobody talks about: the scariest career story isn’t the leap—it’s the one where you stay.
Meet Breanne Kennedy, founder of Thrive Consulting and one of my 1:1 clients. She didn’t rage-quit. She didn’t do a “catch me if you can” sprint out of corporate. She planned her exit, honored what was working, and still chose more.
Because when you know who the hell you are, everything gets easier.
The “Stay” That’s Truly Scary
If you’ve ever felt your stomach drop at the thought of staying where you are for one more year, this one’s for you. Breanne is living proof that the “safe” choice can be the riskiest—especially when your future is screaming for more.
“Can you imagine if you’d stayed?”
Nope. I literally can’t.
From Idea (2020) to Exit (2024): The Calculated Leap
Breanne started mapping her future in 2020—business plan, trainings, conversations with entrepreneurs, and (this matters) savings. She took the long runway and used it.
No reckless leap. No panic quit. A deliberate, well-resourced transition.
Her timeline:
2020: Drafted the business plan + started saving
2023: Spark moment—“We need an exit plan”
January 2024: Officially launched Thrive Consulting
2025: Owning it—and expanding it
Rule book rewritten.
Run Toward, Not Away
Breanne’s exit wasn’t an escape hatch from a bad job. It was a doorway into more—more flexibility, more impact, more alignment.
COVID-era work flexibility gave her a taste of life designed on her terms (hello, commuting less and living more). Once she felt it, she didn’t want to hand it back.
“I had supportive leaders and a good role… and I still needed more.”
That’s not ingratitude—that’s growth.
Gratitude × Expansion (The Yin & Yang of a Powerful Exit)
This is your gentle tough-love nudge: gratitude and expansion are not opposites. They’re dance partners.
You can love your job and want a bigger life.
You can be thankful and ask for more.
You can honor what got you here and choose what gets you there.
If you’ve been waiting for “hating it” to be your permission slip—no, babe. Your desire is enough.
The Identity Shift: From Title to Owner
The sneaky-hard part of quitting isn’t logistics—it’s identity.
Breanne named it: letting go of the job title, the salary predictability, the “who am I without this ladder?” wobble. Even if you do the same work as a consultant, the identity changes. That’s real.
Pro tip from my Exit Plan playbook: start shifting your identity before you resign.
Walk into the room as the business owner. Introduce yourself as the expert. Let the results catch up to your decision.
Indecision is exhausting. Decide who you are first—the outcomes follow.
Owning Your Authenticity (Especially in “Serious Rooms”)
Breanne’s zone of genius? City councils.
Persuasion, presence, and succinct storytelling—delivered with integrity and clarity. (Yes, persuasion is a good word. Let’s stop pretending it isn’t happening at public meetings.)
“Nobody does it like me. Trying to do it like someone else is a disservice to the market.”
Read that again. That’s your differentiation strategy.
Take Up More Space (Literally)
Breanne’s coaching to women is simple and wildly effective:
Sit at the head of the table.
Plant your feet.
Elbows out on the dais.
Speak up and ask for the work: “Can I send a proposal?” “Let me model next year’s scope.”
Start with the body—because your nervous system learns confidence by doing.
You are your stability. Not your job. Not your paycheck. You.
Risk Math Women Need to Redo
Women are conditioned to overestimate risk and underestimate reward. Which is why we “wait to be ready” while opportunities walk past.
Try this instead:
What’s the risk if I do it?
What’s the risk if I don’t? (lost time, missed presence with your kids, capped income, stagnant growth)
Breanne’s real-life receipt: she didn’t realize how much that long commute was costing until she owned her schedule—and now school pickup is a favorite part of her day. You can’t miss what you’ve never allowed yourself to have.
Abundance > Competition (And a Nerdy Econ Gem)
Breanne dropped a concept I love: localization of economies. Think Chipotle next to Noodles, Target by Walmart. Grouping “competitors” creates more demand.
Coaching, planning, Pilates—more players = more normalization = more clients overall. There’s enough. Be the one who shines as you.
Ownership Builds Community Wealth (And Why Her Work Matters)
Thrive Consulting connects communities—especially historically excluded ones—to economic abundance. That looks like:
Funding and incentives for development
Strategic city planning and policy
Getting deals across the finish line at council
And championing ownership (because wealth that stays local multiplies local)
Also: women’s ownership in commercial real estate is still tiny. When women own, communities strengthen. Period.
What Breanne Has Come to Own
Authenticity: The market needs you, not your best impression of someone else.
Entrepreneurship: Ownership of your time, value, and upside.
Real Estate: From home to duplexes to a co-work franchise—assets that work while you live.
Legacy: Raising fierce, grounded daughters by modeling what’s possible.
If You’re Standing at Your Own Crossroads
Here’s your roadmap—no drama, all traction:
Name the Next Identity. Who are you walking into your next room as?
Design the Exit Plan. Savings, runway, clients-in-progress, dates. Adulting is sexy.
Practice Taking Space. Body first. Voice next. Proposals last.
Do the Risk Math (Both Sides). Include the cost of staying.
Act in Abundance. There’s room. Your lane is you-shaped.
Want Support?
Exit Plan — For the woman who wants a calculated transition without burning the bridge.
Unplanned Exit — Lost a role or got disrupted? I built a fast-stabilization path just for this season.
Industry Icon — When you’re ready to stop performing and start leading as you.
🎧 Listen to the episode: Simply Own It x Breanne: The Calculated Exit & Owning Your Identity
🔗 Connect with Breanne: thrive-llc.com • LinkedIn: Breanne Kennedy
Because life is too short to hate your job—and too long to stay small.
Simply own it.
