Here’s a story that genuinely made me pause this week.
There’s a tiny island off Japan that used to manufacture poison gas for war.
Today? It’s famous for… rabbits. 🐰
Hundreds of them. Families visit, kids feed them, people go there to slow down.
Same island.
Completely different purpose.
It’s called Okunoshima — once a secret weapons site, now a “Rabbit Island” people travel hours to experience. The contrast is unreal (I’ll link the article near the end).
And while I was reading it, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.
Because for a lot of working professionals, corporate life can feel like the island’s old identity:
- You show up
- You deliver
- You “play the game”
…and yet the air still feels weirdly toxic.
Politics.
Hidden agendas.
Credit taken, effort ignored.
You go home drained—not because you’re lazy, but because the environment keeps quietly leaking your energy and potential.
Here’s what hit me the hardest:
Okunoshima didn’t transform by pretending the gas factory was “not that bad.”
It changed because the old story ended… and a new one was built.
Your version of that doesn’t have to be “rage quit and move to a farm” (unless you want to 😅).
It starts smaller—and smarter:
- Deciding your job won’t be your only income source
- Building skills and assets that live outside office politics
- Creating a path where your life feels more like bunny island than poison plant
That’s what this issue of Beyond Paycheck is about:
- what freedom looks like in real life
- how to build an investing edge (without jargon)
- how to quietly build your exit from toxic environments—one smart move at a time
🚀 Freedom in Action
From comfortable 9–5 to a “Freedom Roadmap”: How one couple built 3 income streams in 10 months
I usually scroll past “passive income” videos too—most are hype.
But this Singaporean couple is worth your attention: they left six-figure corporate roles and built three income streams from scratch in just 10 months.
What stood out wasn’t the hustle. It was the leverage: content, a digital product, and brand partnerships—systems that can keep paying them back even when they’re not actively “clocked in.”
As you watch, keep this question in mind: How does this move me closer to investing?
Because leveraged income does something underrated: it creates surplus cashflow and—just as importantly—confidence. You start making money moves from a place of choice, not pressure. And that’s the mindset you want before you invest seriously.
Watch for how they:
- Used content to understand their audience, then packaged it into a sellable toolkit
- Treated compounding as skills + trust + opportunities, not just money
- Followed a “freedom roadmap” so they knew when it was safe enough to quit
Ready to see how a regular couple used media + money skills to buy back time?
👉🏻 Watch their story—then ask yourself: What’s one leveraged income stream I can build alongside my 9–5?
✨ Your Investing Edge
💡 The “3-Fund Portfolio” Cheat Code: Invest Like a Pro (With Just 3 Index Funds)
If investing feels overwhelming—too many ETFs, too many opinions, too much noise—this is one of the cleanest “start here” playbooks I know.
The Bogleheads three-fund portfolio keeps it simple:
- Total U.S. stock index fund
- Total international stock index fund
- Total bond index fund
It’s designed for broad diversification without needing to pick stocks or time the market.
🎯 My take:
Most working professionals don’t need another complicated strategy—they need a default system they can automate and stick to while they’re busy earning, parenting, and surviving corporate life.
This is the kind of setup that turns “I should invest…” into “It’s handled.”
🔗 Access the guide here
🧠 Mindset Shift
🚀 The 10-Second Mindset Switch That Can Raise Your Income (Without Working More Hours)
If you’re stuck trading time for money, the biggest leverage might not be a new side hustle.
It might be the way you think about skills, setbacks, feedback—and your next move.
This quick read/watch breaks down growth mindset vs. fixed mindset, and how to use that shift to expand your earning power and investing confidence.
Here’s what you’ll take away:
- How to spot fixed-mindset patterns quietly capping your growth, income, and risk tolerance
- Simple reframes that turn mistakes and feedback into faster skill-building (and higher-value opportunities)
- Why a growth mindset makes investing easier—because it changes how you interpret volatility, learning curves, and long-term compounding
🔗 Click to read it now
💬 Let’s Talk
That same island still exists today—a peaceful place full of rabbits, layered on top of a very dark past.
If a literal chemical weapons site can be rewritten into a soft, gentle sanctuary… your career and money story can absolutely be rewritten too.
So as you go through Freedom in Action, Your Investing Edge, and this week’s mindset shift, don’t treat them as “nice reads.” Treat them as tools.
Tools that help you slowly shut down your own poison factory—and build a life where income, investing, and time feel cleaner, lighter, and actually yours.
If you want to read the original story that sparked this email, it’s here.
Let it be a reminder:
Your past may feel heavy.
Your workplace may feel political.
But your future? That’s still wide open.
You’re allowed to design your own Rabbit Island life—one decision, one investment, one boundary at a time. 🌅
You got this! 💪🏻
- Anne
Founder, Beyond Paycheck
P.S. Just for fun: if you could teleport out of your current office and straight onto your version of “Rabbit Island”… what would a normal Tuesday look like there? 🐰
Hit reply and tell me. I read every response—and your vision might inspire a future issue.
❤️ Did You Enjoy This Issue?
🫶🏻 Share it with a friend who’s also breaking free from paycheck life!