Chasing freedom led me to a beachside Airbnb, laptop open… the ocean stretching out like a screensaver come to life. Laptop open. Coffee in hand. The supposed dream.
And I felt caged.
The inbox was full. The deadlines were tighter than ever. The pressure to post more, sell more, scale faster—all still there. Only now, I had a nice view while doing it.
That’s when it hit me.
I had built a business that looked like freedom but felt like a prison.
I’d broken free from the 9-to-5.
I was my own boss.
I had “location independence.”
I’d hit income goals I once thought were impossible.
Chasing freedom became the narrative. But the life I created felt more like a beautifully wrapped cage.
But I was more anxious, more exhausted, and more mentally cornered than when I had a job.
Why?
Because I had chased freedom… while designing a life that still kept me trapped.
Table of Contents
The Lie Behind Chasing Freedom Everyone Believes
You’ve seen it.
The ads that say, “Make money in your sleep!”
The coaches who flex their five-figure days.
The laptop lifestyle on a Bali beach.
Here’s what they don’t tell you:
Freedom isn’t about income. It’s about agency.
And agency is about how much control you actually feel over your time, choices, and energy.
You can have the income and still feel shackled.
You can have the calendar and still feel suffocated.
You can be the boss and still feel like the assistant to your own ambition.
Because real freedom is not more money.
It’s less mental noise.
The Prison You Don’t Even Notice
Let’s talk about the hidden trap doors inside your dream life.
- You swapped your boss for 10 demanding clients.
Congrats. You’re free — but also constantly responding to other people’s fires. - You left the 9-to-5 but built a 24/7.
No commute now. Just guilt when you’re not working. - You “work from anywhere” but never stop working.
Time zones blur. Days bleed together. Vacations become content opportunities. - You earn more but enjoy less.
Your nervous system never gets the memo that it’s safe now.
And the worst part?
You don’t slow down to notice this because hustle has been your identity.
Why Chasing Freedom Keeps You Rebuilding the Same Cage
Let’s go deeper.
If you’re constantly moving from offer to offer, funnel to funnel, goal to goal…
It’s not because you’re lazy.
Or unfocused.
Or addicted to starting over.
It’s because there’s a part of you that doesn’t know who you are without the chase.
Freedom? Terrifying.
Slowness? Foreign.
Space? Feels like failure.
So you self-sabotage in disguise:
- Overcomplicate the business
- Overpromise on timelines
- Keep “leveling up” before mastering ease
- Build empires to feel worthy — instead of building systems that give space
Sound familiar?
The American Psychological Association explains how burnout disguises itself as productivity.
I Had to Burn Down the Freedom Façade
That beachside breakdown?
It was my wake-up call.
I realized I had built my dream life from the same beliefs that drove me in corporate:
- That my worth was tied to output
- That rest was earned, not allowed
- That more was always better
- That visibility meant value
So I did something that scared me more than launching anything:
I simplified.
Radically.
What Chasing Freedom Actually Looks Like (Spoiler: It’s Simpler Than You Think)
You know what’s not sexy but feels like actual liberation?
- Clear work hours and unapologetic boundaries
- One signature offer instead of five spinning plates
- A small, loyal audience instead of chasing virality
- Money flowing in from work done months ago
- Time to read, nap, breathe, be
The new definition of freedom?
A calendar with white space.
A business you can ignore for a day.
A nervous system that’s not in survival mode.
But Won’t Things Fall Apart If You Stop?
That’s the lie, isn’t it?
“If I take my foot off the gas, it’ll all collapse.”
“If I’m not in control 24/7, things will break.”
“If I stop chasing growth, I’ll lose momentum.”
But what if…
- You delegated better?
- You trusted the systems you already built?
- You stopped saying yes out of guilt?
- You got clear on what “enough” actually is?
Freedom isn’t about doing nothing.
It’s about having the power to choose when and how you do everything.
A Few Uncomfortable Questions To Ask Yourself:
Be honest. These are the ones that cracked me open:
- If your business made no more money but gave you back your peace — would you keep it the same?
- Where are you using “growth” as a mask for insecurity?
- What are you afraid might happen if you fully stopped performing?
- Do you even want the version of success you’re chasing… or just think you should?
- What does actual freedom look and feel like to you — outside of Instagram aesthetics?
Here’s What Changed Everything for Me
I gave myself permission to make ease a priority — not an afterthought.
I simplified down to:
- One offer
- One core system
- One revenue stream
- One marketing channel
And I stopped apologizing for it.
You want to know the wild part?
My income stayed the same — but my life finally felt mine.
Because I wasn’t chasing anymore.
I was choosing.
From alignment.
From clarity.
From actual freedom.
You Don’t Need To Earn Freedom. You Just Have To Claim It.
Let this sink in.
You don’t have to suffer first.
You don’t need to “deserve” it more.
You don’t have to climb higher to finally feel lighter.
What you need?
- An honest look at what you’ve built
- A willingness to break patterns
- The courage to stop doing what gets you praise — but leaves you empty
Final Truth:
You can’t “freedom” your way out of a business you built from fear.
You have to build from peace — or you’ll just scale your suffering.
So here’s what I’ll leave you with:
A Challenge:
Audit your life and business through the lens of freedom, not just profit.
Ask yourself:
- Does this bring me peace?
- Does this cost me more energy than it gives?
- Is this sustainable for who I want to become?
- Am I building something I’ll still love three years from now?
What if you stopped chasing freedom and started claiming it—on your terms?
If the answers aren’t “yes,” then maybe…
it’s time to stop chasing freedom and start living it.
Need help designing your freedom-first business?
I can break your offer into scalable systems, simplify your strategy, and help you build something you don’t secretly resent.
But first?
You need to stop pretending the current way is working.
The cage doesn’t have to be forever.
Open the door. Step out. And stop just chasing freedom—finally live it.