For many workers around the world, the dream may be to earn enough to retire early.
One early retiree shared their story of lasting only five months before heading back into the workforce.
What Happened: Allison Esposito Medina sold her company Tech Ladies in 2021, which came after a decade working in the New York tech scene, and ultimately led to her retirement from the workforce.
"I worked at Foursquare and Google, and in 2014, I started my business, Tech Ladies. My goal was to help women in the industry find jobs, negotiate and network," Medina wrote for CNBC.
After the sale of the company, helping with the transition and realizing she had enough saved, Medina decided to retire early at the age of 40.
Medina's retirement lasted only five months. During retirement, Medina worked on a flower garden, started exercising, did volunteer work and went for walks with new friends made during a move from New York City to New Jersey.
"Five months in, my quality of life had vastly improved. But I had mixed feelings, and at time it felt boring."
Medina decided to re-join the workforce with her business idea to launch an online community for Gen Z and Millenial pet owners.
Related Link: Gen Z Plans On Retiring Early, There Might Be A Key Reason Why
Why It's Important: Medina's trip back to the workforce this time around has been different, putting an emphasis on work-life balance while founding Juniper.
"I was proud of the mission, but I never exercised or took a vacation, and I rarely saw friends," Medina recalled of her previous time working before retirement.
Medina shared the most valuable lesson she has learned, thanks to previously having an obsession with time and energy while running Tech Ladies.
"The most valuable lesson I learned is that you shouldn't wait to do the things you dream about in retirement."
Medina's three questions she asked herself before founding Juniper were:
- If you didn't have to work, what is on your list of things you'd do that brings you joy?
- How many hours a week would it take to actually do it?
- What can you take off your plate to give yourself more time and energy to do it?
Medina said it's important to "push yourself to be honest" about how much time you have.
Juniper was launched by Media in November after she started working on it in August.
Today, Medina works 40 hours instead of 80 in her past life. Her non-negotiables for work-life balance include having time to walk her dog, exercising and cooking every day, not skipping vacations and having weekends off.
"I want to build another successful company, but my definition of success now is accomplishing my goals without sacrificing my health, or the things that bring me joy and purpose."
Image Generated With AI Using DALL-E
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