Women Are Walking Away From The Corporate World & The Female Founders Who Saw It Coming

The Cheetah Collective empowers women to leave the corporate grind on their own terms and build thriving businesses

Salt Lake City, UT — In 2025, thousands of women, particularly mothers, are leaving corporate roles, citing inflexible schedules, caregiving pressures, and the increasing stress of AI-driven workplaces. (Time, USA Today, CNBC) Angela Ashurst and Britt Larsen, six-figure female founders and corporate coaches, saw the writing on the wall long before the headlines. Their combined 30+ years helping women navigate corporate challenges revealed a common truth: talented women are ready to take control of their careers and build something of their own. 

Since first launching the Cheetah Collective just a few months ago, they’ve helped launch over 10 small businesses; from yoga studios to design firms, to coaching, consulting and financial advisor firms. Angela, a recently divorced single mother of six, emphasizes financial stability as a tool to create freedom and impact. Britt, a former VP, infertility advocate and mother of two, champions time freedom and designing a career that fits into your life, rather than the other way around.

“You have the power to work on your own terms and you can make potentially more money than you are now,” says Britt Larsen, co-founder of the Cheetah Collective, former VP of Customer Success, and Founder of Livlyhood, a career coaching consultancy she started in 2017. “If you are making $85K–$120K in your current role, your company is likely making double or triple that off your work. It’s time to own your value.

“As an executive I was continually frustrated by the ceiling I hit with my salary and the limitations that intense jobs placed on my life. In January, I saw a major shift in return-to-office mandates that especially restricted mothers. For several years, I’ve felt the push as a corporate coach to help my clients leave similar environments as they’ve been faced with choosing between staying in an inflexible job and the freedom they crave. Now the headlines are confirming what I was worried about; women are quitting work altogether instead of shifting to work on their own terms. That’s why we launched the Cheetah Collective.”

The Cheetah Collective empowers women to turn business dreams into reality through a six-month, Founder-guided program that helps members move from idea to income with clarity, strategy, and community support.

Program Highlights:

• Vision & Brand Clarity: Define mission, ideal client, and their offer

• Launch & Growth Tools: Professional branding, operations, and pricing

• Ongoing Coaching & Community: Accountability pods, mentorship, and peer support

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With AI reshaping corporate expectations and increasing pressure on employees, the Cheetah Collective provides a structured, supported path for women to pivot confidently to entrepreneurship and thrive in the evolving economy on their own terms.

“Women have been doing the heavy lifting in corporate for years, often without the recognition or compensation they deserve,” says Angela Ashurst, co-founder of the Cheetah Collective and CEO of Upword Resume, a career development firm that’s helped thousands of people get better jobs. “We built the Cheetah Collective to give Founders the tools, strategy, and support to take control of their careers and finally get paid what they’re worth. 

“Talented women were ready for something more: a career that fits their life, values, and ambitions,” says Angela Ashurst. “Women are tired of trying to make their lives fit into a traditional 9-to-5. They don’t want to choose between time flexibility, family face-time, and their career ambitions. They’re looking for a path where they can show up the way they want in life AND achieve big career goals, without burning themselves out. Our mission is to make that path a reality, helping women start businesses with clarity, confidence, and freedom.”

Why This Matters — For Individuals, For Business, For Society

• For individuals: Owning your work means you capture more of your value, align with your individual mission, and reclaim autonomy.

• For business: Companies that push rigid models risk losing high performers and are diminishing innovation. The organizations that don’t adapt to the flexibility that people demand today will not see sustainable growth. 

• For society: When women’s workforce participation dips, the economic consequences ripple outward, from household incomes to national productivity. 

  
  

About The Cheetah CollectiveFounded by six-figure female entrepreneurs Angela Ashurst and Britt Larsen, The Cheetah Collective helps people leave restrictive corporate roles and build thriving businesses. Through coaching, strategy, and community support, members move from dream to income with fewer costly mistakes, more clarity, and greater freedom.