This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Hayet Yasmine Chebbi, a 26-year-old content creator and podcaster based in Montreal. It’s been edited for length and clarity.
I lived in New York City for the first 24 years of my life. It was all I’d ever known, and as a kid, I thought I’d never leave.
When the pandemic hit, my college went remote, I got laid off from my contract fashion job at Chanel, and I felt like the US’s response to the pandemic was inconsistent. People dream of coming to New York, but I wanted to dream somewhere else.
In 2023, I left my corporate marketing job and moved to Montreal to live with my husband and start my own business. Although my income has been unsteady and there have been some culture shocks, I feel a lot less on edge, and my nervous system appreciates the change of pace.
I initially thought Dubai was the answer
After graduating from college in 2021, I went to Dubai for a month to get out of the city, and I absolutely loved it. I remember thinking, “This is the place I want to build my career in.” The city was efficient, organized, and clean, while still having the sensational sense of opportunity that I felt in New York.
On that trip, I met a friend who introduced me to my now-husband, who was living in Montreal. We started dating right away, and I spent the next two years traveling between New York City and Montreal. However, I was still determined to move to Dubai and was looking for job opportunities. My husband was supportive of me pursuing whatever path was best for my career.
Climbing the corporate ladder made me tired
In the meantime, I got a job at Christian Dior in NYC as an e-commerce client advisor and later transitioned into my marketing role at a media company.
I was doing the whole “climbing the corporate ladder” — working long hours, sacrificing sleep, working through lunch breaks, and carrying the mental workload home on weekends — all in an effort to prove myself. I prioritized my career and placed my physical and mental health second.
Over time, that lifestyle caught up with me. Despite my dedication and strong performance, I began to feel drained, disconnected, and unfulfilled. In time, I realized that no amount of career success was worth sacrificing my well-being. The “survival of the fittest” lifestyle was all too much for me, and I felt deeply unfulfilled.
I realized living in Dubai would be very expensive, and the entry-level jobs I found didn’t pay enough to offset that cost, but I still wanted to live in a place that could offer me an affordable, well-balanced lifestyle. Montreal checked all those boxes.
I left my job, moved to Montreal, and started my own business
In late 2023, I married my husband and officially moved to Montreal by applying for a work permit under his name. I created my own LLC, which is technically registered in the US, to do content creation and a podcast. I haven’t made an income from it yet.
Babysitting has allowed me to earn an income while maintaining flexibility in my schedule, but to be transparent, my income has been unsteady. I’ve been relying on my husband for the majority of our bills, but I’ve been seeing some slow growth for my business.
Still, Montreal is the perfect place for me as someone working in the creative space. There’s a deep cultural appreciation for modern and contemporary art, and the music scene is amazing. I’ve built a circle of artists and musicians who’ve helped me see a whole new life outside corporate, and they’ve motivated me to create.
The language and weather have been a big change
The language barrier has been an adjustment. My husband and his friends are more French-speaking, so there are times I just can’t keep up, and my husband will have to translate for me.
I took an amazing three-month, government-funded class to learn the language and integrate with Quebec culture, and I can now comfortably navigate day-to-day interactions.
In Montreal, about six months of the year are winter, so I’ve really had to adapt to the weather. In New York, a snow day was a miracle; it meant schools would close, and you were going to meet up with your friends to make snow angels. The snow would have to be insane in Montreal for something to be canceled.
Life is so much more relaxed in Montreal
Montreal has a good balance between the European way of life — long lunches, calm days, sitting at the coffee shop for hours — and the energy of New York City.
People seem to be a lot more present here. For example, people in Montreal stand still on the escalator, while people in New York City walk on it.
One time, I was jogging on the street in Montreal to get to a hair appointment, and I felt like people were staring at me like there was something wrong with me. That moment was small but made me realize that I’m not in New York City anymore. I don’t need to run, I’m going to get there.
I miss the spark of NYC, but I don’t have plans to go back
When I first moved to Montreal, I thought I’d never leave; however, my husband and I have decided to relocate to Toronto in 2026 to allow for a smoother immigration process
New York will always hold a special place in my heart and will always feel like home. If the right opportunities open up and it feels like the best decision for my family and my career, I’d consider moving back.
I sacrificed myself in corporate America to make my bank account happy, but now I’m making my soul happy. I’ve always been ambitious, but since moving, I’ve realized that success isn’t only made through hustle. It can be made through slowness, steadiness, and even rest.
Do you have a story to share about moving from the US to Canada? If so, please reach out to the reporter at tmartinelli@businessinsider.com.
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