The Vision That Changed Everything: How I Left Corporate Life and Built My Dream in Corfu

There was a time—not that long ago—when I used to wake up at 4 a.m., already behind.

Emails. Deadlines. Projects stacked on top of projects. And me, dragging myself out of bed, still exhausted from working until 11 p.m. the night before. That was corporate life. High pressure. High performance. And completely unsustainable.

And through it all, I kept thinking: This isn’t my life. Somewhere else, the real one is waiting for me.

The Vague Dream That Wouldn’t Let Go

For years, I held onto this half-formed vision. I’d be living in the sunshine, wearing flip-flops, no makeup, no bra—just me, outdoors, calm, and free. I didn’t need much. Just space. Peace. A simple, happy life.

I used to watch A Place in the Sun like it was research. Every night. I could probably recite episodes by heart. And every time, I thought: How do I get that?

But instead of starting from the business I should build or the steps I should take, I asked a better question: What kind of life do I want?

That changed everything.

The Burnout and the Realisation

I never planned to stay in corporate forever. But I was good at it. Too good, apparently, because they couldn’t move me from my role—I was “too valuable.”

I’d done the talent development programmes. The psychometrics. One HR woman even told me, straight-faced, “You’d make the perfect beach bum.” And I thought, Yes. That’s exactly it. Except my dad raised me to work hard, so I had to find a way to balance both—freedom and focus.

And then came the project. A massive one. Three years. Multiple departments. A million-pound investment. I was given full autonomy and built a brilliant team. I loved that project. I loved that team.

But even then, I knew—I was still living someone else’s version of success.

The Split-Second Decision

Then everything shifted. Redundancies were rolling in. The company was in chaos. I was offered a choice: stay for more money and more stress… or take the package and walk away.

I paused. Wrote out the pros and cons. Asked myself: What’s the worst that could happen?

I might have to get another job. I’ve done that before.

I might fail in Corfu. Maybe I’d buy a ruin and end up drawing water from a well as a hobbly old woman in black. But even as I imagined that, I laughed. That’s never been me. I always find a way.

And when no one could give me advice—when every friend and family member said, “You have to decide this for yourself”—I realised: This is it.

I knew what I wanted. I wanted to live in my shorts. I didn’t want to wear makeup or straighten my hair or pretend to fit into a version of work that didn’t fit me anymore.

So I said yes. I walked away.

The Start of Everything

With thirty-five grand and a deep sense of freedom, I started to build the life I’d imagined. My partner was a carpenter. My family were builders. I’d started saving. I booked viewings. I didn’t know how it would all work—but I knew I would figure it out.

And when I started telling people, I got my first contract.

Not from a website. Not from a pitch. From simply saying out loud, This is what I’m doing. That first “yes” led to more. And it confirmed what I’d suspected all along: clarity creates momentum.

And that’s the real power of vision.

It’s not about manifesting. It’s about deciding. Getting clear on the life you want to live—and letting that guide the steps you take. The offers you create. The work you do.

I live in Corfu now. I sit outside most days. I wear what I want. And yes, my house is probably bigger than I need—but it’s beautiful, and I made it happen.

Because I stopped asking “what should I do?” and started asking what do I actually want?

And then I did the work to bring it to life—one clear step at a time.