This is one of the best escape stories you’ll ever hear.Will Mannon walked away from Oracle after realizing he couldn’t find meaning in a 40-billion-dollar company. A single cold email to David Perell opened the door to co-founding *Write of Passage*. In this episode, he shares his escape story, the “secret sauce” of great outreach, and why finding your inner fire can change everything.In this episode, Will shares:

- ✉️ The secret sauce of his cold email that changed everything

- 💼 What it feels like to walk away from corporate

- 🕰️ The joy *and* grind of building your own thing

- 🌏 How a lightning-bolt moment in Shanghai made him fall in love with Mandarin

- 🔥 Why finding your “uncommon inner fire” is the key to designing your second act

If you’ve ever felt stuck in your 9-to-5 and wondered if reinvention is possible — Will’s story shows that sometimes all it takes is one brave message and a door that’s slightly open.

#WillMannon #WriteOfPassage #ColdEmail #CareerChange #Escape9to5 #CreatorEconomy

Connect with Will

:https://x.com/will_mannon

https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-mannon-317748a7/

Chapters:

00:00:00 Who’s Will Mannon

00:02:25 Intro, 2 truths & a lie and

00:07:00 the Write of Passage story

00:22:54 What Now - building ACT Two

00:31:31 The best way to start an online course

00:40:44 Will Learning Chinese & Become a Comedian in China

00:59:04 Vision for Act Two & What’s next

01:01:49 Lightning round

01:06:56 Pass it on

*🎙 Tools Used to Record This Episode*🎙

Record with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?via=lydia-chen

🎥 DJI Camera: https://dji-retail.co.uk/r?id=38ff4g

🎬 Edit with CapCut Pro (7-day free trial): https://www.capcut.com/capcut_pc_web/fission_receive?code=4kGM2e23925838&lng=en

🎵 Epidemic Sound (free music trial): https://www.epidemicsound.com/campaign/invite-a-creator/?_us=Referral&_usx=0glnzs&utm_source=ref_program&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=0glnzs

*🌱 Other Tools I Recommend*

📚 Part-Time YouTuber Academy (PTYA): https://go.aliabdaal.com/ptya?ref=lydiaclinzi

🧠 LifeOS by Ali Abdaal: https://aliabdaal.com/lifeos/ref/lydiaclinzi/

🧘‍♀️ Psycle London Starter Kit: https://psyclelondon.com/pages/register?referral_code=xZpKBB🚲 SoulCycle Invite: https://www.soul-cycle.com/r/7mBwe8c8/

💪 ClassPass (£1 trial + 20 credits): https://classpass.com/refer/STTVGMC528?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=raf_pre_reservation&utm_content=MjU4MTk4MzY%3D*(Some of these are affiliate links — thank you for supporting my channel!)

*---🌍 **Website**: https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/escape-9-to-5

📸 **Instagram**: https://www.instagram.com/escape9to5_pod/?hl=en

🎯 About the PodcastEscape 9 to 5 is for people who’ve left corporate life behind and never looked back. We talk about risk, reinvention, and what it takes to build a life you don’t need a vacation from.

© 2025 Lydia C. Linzi. All Rights Reserved.