Your Freedom From The Nine2Five
From Corporate Success to Freedom Architect
Helping Ambitious Women Build Businesses That Set Them Free
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From Corporate Success to Freedom Architect
Hi - My name is Maree and I am the Founder and Freedom Architect of Nine2FiveFree.
With 30+ years of experience in corporate Learning & Development, I’ve spent my career helping people grow and thrive. From leading national training teams to designing capability frameworks for multi-site operations, I’ve built a reputation for turning potential into real-world success.
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Now, I’m bringing that same strategic, people-first approach to help women rewrite their next chapter and build freedom-based businesses that align with their values and vision.
As a certified Learning & Development professional I know what it takes to build systems that work. I’ve trained hundreds, designed enterprise-level programs, and led large-scale adult education initiatives that aligned skills with business outcomes.
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For a period of 10 years I transitioned into my own 'work from home' business where I built and led a successful international team, developing comprehensive training frameworks, systems, and tools, running live and online training, hosting live events, and speaking at conferences.
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Following this period of self-employment, I made the decision to step back into corporate leadership in senior roles to optimise and expand my skillset and take on new challenges.
I’ve recently returned to online business ownership, bringing with me fresh perspective, deeper expertise, and a renewed passion for helping women grow sustainable, freedom-based businesses where they can work from home and realise their dreams.
My Mission
At Nine2Five Free, I support ambitious women who are ready to turn their career experience into personal freedom.
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You’ve spent years succeeding in systems built by others, now it’s time to build something of your own. I help you navigate the shift from employee to entrepreneur with strategic support, practical structure, and the clarity to grow a business that aligns with your values and vision.
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This isn’t about starting over. It’s about evolving into the leader, creator, and business owner you’re meant to be.
Because freedom isn’t a fantasy, it’s a framework. And your next chapter deserves to be designed on purpose
My Story
I will never forget the day my son looked up at me, tears streaming down his face, and said, “I’m not going."​
The Backstory
I’ll never forget the day my young son, tears streaming down his face, looked up at me and said, “I’m not going.”
At the time, I was racing out the door every morning to commute into the city for a corporate job that, from the outside, looked like success. Meetings, projects, performance reviews, I was ticking all the boxes. But every daycare drop-off tore a little more of my heart apart.
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That day, as his little body crumpled in sobs, something inside me broke. I knew without a shadow of doubt that something had to change.
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I didn’t know how I was going to do it. I didn’t know anyone who worked from home, let alone replaced their corporate income doing it.
But I made myself a promise. By the time he started school, I would be there for:
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Morning walks to school
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Afternoon pick-ups
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Every conversation over hot chocolate in between​​​​​​​
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What Happened Next Changed Everything
I took a leap into the unknown, determined to create a life that truly aligned with what mattered most. Within a short time, I had replaced and exceeded my corporate income, building a six-figure business from home while partnering with a leading international wellness brand.
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I led and trained a thriving team across the globe, supporting them to grow businesses that gave them purpose, profit, and personal freedom. Our family travelled internationally, creating memories that no salary package could ever match, exploring new cultures, sharing adventures, and living life on our terms.
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But beyond any income milestone, what mattered most was being there:
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Every school drop-off and pick-up
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Every after-school chat over hot chocolate
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Every moment my son needed me, I was there
That single decision, to back myself and build something of my own, gave me what no corporate role ever could: true freedom and priceless presence.
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My Corporate Years
While my entrepreneurial journey transformed our family’s life, my professional foundation was built over decades of strategic leadership in Learning & Development.
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With 30+ years of experience, I’ve spent my career helping people grow and thrive. I led national training and development teams, designed enterprise-level capability frameworks for multi-site operations, and delivered strategic programs that aligned people development with business outcomes.
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As a certified Learning & Development professional, I’ve trained hundreds, facilitated large-scale adult education initiatives, and held senior management roles across both public and private sectors, including FMCG and manufacturing.
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I became known for my ability to turn potential into real-world results, building systems that worked, creating cultures of growth, and empowering people to step into their highest capability.​​​​​
Another Opportunity Came Knocking
After a decade of success in my 'work from home' business, another corporate opportunity came knocking. Senior management roles, bigger salaries, new challenges, leadership influence.
My son was finishing high school, and part of me thought, “Is it time to return to my profession and keep my skills sharp?” So I did.
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For the next ten years, I climbed the corporate ladder again. Promotions. Bigger teams. Strategy-level work.
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Coming Full Circle
But as the years passed in corporate leadership, the spark that once lit me up began to fade. The politics, restructures, and daily grind felt increasingly misaligned with who I was becoming. Twice, I was made redundant. Each time chipped away at my soul, leaving me questioning the life I was living.
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Living Life On My Terms
Then came the drive home after yet another 'organisational restructure' meeting. It hit me like lightning: When was I truly living life on my terms?
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The answer was instant. It was the years I worked for myself, building something no company could take away overnight, waking up energised and going to bed fulfilled, knowing I had been fully present for my family and deeply aligned with my purpose.
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Of Course The Fears Crept In
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Was I too old to start again?
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Could I build a business in this new digital era?
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Would anyone care about what I had to offer?
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But the fear of staying stuck, of wasting these precious years, was so much greater.
So I chose freedom. Again.
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​That Was My Epiphany
I realised: I could build again. But this time, I’d do it smarter.
I’d leverage everything I had learned in both worlds. In corporate leadership, people development, and strategic business-building skills in the online world. I’d step back into online business freedom with deeper expertise, unstoppable conviction, and a burning mission to empower other women just like me.
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Today...
Today, as the Founder and Freedom Architect of Nine2FiveFree, I help ambitious women transition from corporate to entrepreneurial freedom and leave the 9-5 with strategy, structure, and support that honours their expertise and unlocks their next chapter.
Because freedom isn’t a fantasy...
It’s a framework.
'And your next chapter deserves to be designed on purpose'.
​​​Feeling that quiet pull for something more? Wanting to start your freedom journey?
Email or Message me the word 'FREEDOM' and let’s talk about what’s possible for you too.
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