7 years or so ago, my manager gave me a pay increase (which I happily accepted). She then offered a step up in my job role with yet more cash. Still, no amount of money or fancy job title could bring me the peace I was looking for OR buy my time – the time I was spending away from my family. I am thankful for all the female managers, CEOs, mentors, coaches, and corporate leaders who inspired and invested in me. I will take your business + life lessons and cherish them – but I knew I needed to take my own path. And so, I ditched the fast-paced corporate ladder to embrace a kinder, slower rhythm of life, my entrepreneurial dreams, and a passion for writing. I have zero regrets.

When we had our third and last little boy, during the height of the pandemic, we maximised on quality time. We realised how quickly modern life pushes external demands ahead of the family unit, and we decided we were finished with that pressure. We knew from that moment on we would never return to the humdrum and pressures of modern-day life, where other institutions often come before the institution of family. Priorities shifted; moments I held dear stopped looking like workplace awards and hitting monthly targets. Moments to hold dear now looked like pond dipping at beach school with my little one, quiet grey winter walks on the beach with my husband, and hugging my older two for just a little bit longer during their visits with my grandchildren. From that shift in heart, our home-education journey with our last child began.