Diary: Changing My Life in a Year
May 2025: A shot from my post recent trip to London, in the Belgravia area (one of my favourite spots!)
Author’s Note:
One of the main themes of this blog is that you can change your life, and with that comes a before and after. I think I do a good job of articulating my “after” but sometimes shy away from talking about my “before.”
Spring 2024 was not fun. Today, in 2025, my life is entirely different and just about euphoric. I think what has made this spring so amazing is how different it is from last spring. Here is how my life has transformed over the past year:
Spring 2024
February 2024: En route to work. If it is going to be hectic, you have to have a good outfit.
At the time, I was working my first full-time job in corporate event planning in America — a role that was technically 9-to-5, but in reality looked more like Excel on Saturdays and inbox chaos by sunrise.
People who are good at corporate event planning are their own breed (I am not one of them) and it’s so impressive. But, with all stress, I walked away from the job feeling like I could handle absolutely any challenge.
I was also going through a rough heartbreak, to be honest.
The type of heartbreak where you will do pretty much anything to distract yourself, like taking a salsa dancing class, somehow ending up behind the DJ booth in a club in Miami (long story) and listening to self-esteem podcasts so much that you are in the top 1% of most frequent listeners on Spotify…not me, though. LOL.
Because the British university system is three years instead of four, my American friends were all still away at university. I was confused because I suddenly didn’t want this career I had spent three years working toward. I had no idea where I wanted to live. And, I felt like I had lost a bit of my identity from no longer being in the UK.
First full-time job + heartbreak + living at home + no social life = recipe for a quarter-life-crisis.
Spring 2024: I am so thankful for my friends and my Mom. I could not have gotten through this really challenging time without them, seriously! This is me and my best friend, Charlotte who is visiting me this summer!
But, I think everything bad that Spring 2024 was (and winter 2023, to be honest) made me all the more appreciative for how complete my life in Durham is.
12 Months In Between
In the 12 months in between, I saved up my paychecks from my chaotic job and spent it on visas, applications, rent deposits, moving supplies and a one-way ticket to Newcastle. I then gave my job a month’s notice and finished by August with a way better understanding of what career I wanted to pursue (tourism marketing and development: read here).
Then in August, I was lucky enough to go on a trip with my British girls through Croatia, Slovenia and Austria (with two surprise stops in Amsterdam). Come September, I not only launched a blog but did an over-the-top photoshoot to announce it. LOL.
I then moved to Durham, met some incredible people, picked back up on my travel addiction, admittedly picked up a tiny bit of a Geordie accent, and now am gearing up for an amazing summer.
Spring 2025
May 2025: A picnic I had with my Durham friendship group on Observatory Hill, just heavenly.
Today, I am the happiest, most confident version of myself. And arguably, the funniest version of myself too, because I think “going through it” has that effect on people. LOL.
From Spring 2024 to Spring 2025, I have traded…
Crying every three hours (I’m exaggerating, people) to crying once every three months, if that
Weekends spent on Excel to weekends spent with the girls in Soho
Stressing out over a heartbreak to stressing out about how to fit everything into my calendar (stark change but one I’m grateful for)
May 2024: OK, my life wasn’t all bad. This is me and my friend Emma before going on a really fun road-trip to see our friend Lindsay! While not everything was awful, it just took a lot more effort to feel happy.
I get that my story isn’t a universal blueprint. I recognize how fortunate I am not to have had to worry about things like rent, bills, or car payments during this period. I know that this made my situation more manageable, and I don’t take that for granted. So when I share my “before and after,” it’s not coming from a place of bragging, but more from a place of things can get better. Everyone’s situation is different, but I really believe there’s always a solution, even if it looks completely different than mine.
Looking back, the heartbreak, the job, the confusion — all of it pushed me to take a leap. And I hope I never have to, but I’d do it all over again.
May 2025: My “after”: happy without needing to try. These are two of my best friends from Nottingham, Sarah and Arohi. Read more about our antics here.
