This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nuala O’Hanlon, who quit her marketing role at Primark in Dublin to backpack through Asia. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I’ve been in the fashion merchandising and marketing industry for my decadelong career. I started taking on visual merchandising gigs in college and began working for major retailers, including Primark, after graduation.
I genuinely loved the work, my colleagues, and the fast pace. But over the last year, there was a small voice in the back of my head asking, “What else?”
It wasn’t burnout or a breaking point that made me question this. It was more that I was being presented with a crossroad: New opportunities for promotions were opening up at work, and I could see a clear path forward if I wanted it.
But I’d also fallen deeply in love with Pilates. I was spending all my spare time practicing it in the studio. Teaching wasn’t even on my radar at first — I just loved how it made me feel. I also couldn’t shake the thought of travel. I had used my annual leave well and had seen bits of the world, but I’d never taken extended time to explore. I kept thinking: If I don’t do it now, when will I? If I keep progressing to the next role, taking the next promotion, what does it mean for both those things I wanted to pursue?
Learning to pick tea and surf
After a three-week trip to Mexico, I came home and started saving seriously. I worked backward, figuring out how much I’d need and how long it would take to get there. In June, I handed in my notice.
Before I left to backpack full time, I trained as a Pilates instructor. It felt completely opposite to what I’d been doing. Instead of creative brainstorms and campaign decks, I was learning anatomy and sitting written exams for the first time in years. It was really challenging but enjoyable. I loved sharing the practice with more people and seeing them progress in the classes.
Then in September, I packed everything into a backpack and flew to Sri Lanka. From there, I traveled through Singapore, Vietnam, China, Korea, and Indonesia. I tried to fill my days as much as possible. I love lying on a beach, but I also discovered I love being active and trying new things, which was also a great way to meet people.
In China, I went tea picking and hiked through the mountains. In Korea, I was blown away by the scale of retail experiences — massive pop-ups and immersive brand events that actually reignited my excitement for fashion and marketing. I took Pilates classes everywhere I went, observing how different studios ran their businesses.
In December, I even attended a surf camp in Bali. Even though I was coming from the fitness industry, I found it really physically rigorous. It made me want to work on becoming a stronger swimmer and on my balance and reflexes. Being thrown around on these huge waves and being battered by the surfboard gave me a lot of confidence. It made me feel like everything was easy from here, and I could do anything.
Best of both worlds
I came back home to Dublin at the end of December. Since then, I’ve been teaching Pilates on Fridays and Saturdays and freelancing in fashion during the week.
I’m not earning what I was in my corporate role. But right now, that feels OK. Having the best of both worlds matters more to me than climbing the ladder.
The biggest realization from all of this is that it was never about escaping corporate life. I still love marketing. I still love fashion. If I go back into a full-time role, I’d do it happily — as long as I can keep doing Pilates alongside it.
I’d done some freelance work when I was in college, but I never had the confidence to go all in and do it full time. Traveling alone and being by myself for four months is what gave me an “I’ve done that, I can do anything” mindset.
It taught me that if it all goes wrong, it’s not the end of the world, and I can pick back up with something else.
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