From Strategy Decks to Scrubs
This piece was originally written in Aug 24 after walking away from the corporate world and into healthcare. At the time, it felt like a career nosedive. Now I see it as the start of realignment — a moment of clarity after a year of health challenges and honest reflection.
If you're reading this, you might wonder whether you've just stumbled upon the ultimate career nosedive— and honestly, you wouldn’t be wrong. After 15 interviews, over 100 job applications, and more tailored CVs and cover letters than I dare confess to, I’m finally waving the white flag. But instead of landing the next big corporate gig, I’ve made a complete U-turn and accepted a job in a hospital.
Why? Because somewhere between the endless marketing jargon and the constant chase for maximising the next conversion funnel, and pleasing an algorithm rather than real people, I’m asking myself: What if there’s more to life than performance marketing and following the latest industry trends?
Even though I felt fully equipped for the roles I was applying for—backed by 20 years of experience in communications and marketing—I couldn’t shake the sense of being sidelined. What people didn’t see was what I was battling behind the scenes—this year, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Navigating treatment, surgeries, and the emotional toll has completely reshaped my perspective. I’ve started sharing more about this journey on my Substack, Grit, and Lemonade, where my first piece, Know Your Lemons, dives into the reality of my diagnosis and emphasises the importance of early detection. While I was sitting in interviews, ticking off boxes and answering competency-based questions, I was also confronting something much bigger: my health, my future, and what truly matters in life.
The Realisation: Breaking Free from Corporate Coercion
I began to realise that those interviews weren’t just draining—they were subtly pushing me to be someone I no longer wanted to be. In the corporate world, there’s this unspoken expectation to present a polished, professional version of yourself—always "on," the perfect fit. You don’t talk about your struggles because that’s not what’s relevant. But this silent pressure to compartmentalise who I am started to feel uncomfortable.
Something else I don't often speak about on my CV is that I completed 2 years of Adult Nurse training in 2017. It’s a field I walked away from years ago, but now I’m excited to move back into it. It feels grounding to return to a profession where real human connection matters more than convoluted messaging frameworks.
In marketing, we’re losing the human connection. AI, automation, and data-driven insights are making things more efficient, but they’re also pulling us further away from the very real human stories we used to tell. We’re refining systems for algorithms, not people, and in the process, marketing is becoming less about connecting with human needs and more about feeding an automated machine.
During those interviews, I couldn’t help but feel the disconnect. There were questions like, "If you were told to double our profits, how would you do it?" I had a good answer, but it left me wondering: Where does authenticity fit in all of this? We’re asked for resilience in extremely challenging times, but often the ability to endure and bring your true self to work feels unnecessary or unappreciated. Over time, I even started to notice my interviewers seemed burnt out themselves—exhausted by the same corporate grind they were encouraging me to join.
The mismatch is clear: I've been chasing roles that I no longer fit. What if I don’t want to align with the latest marketing buzzwords or predict the next AI trend? What if I just want to show up as myself, be appreciated, and make a real difference?
In a hospital, I don’t have to leave parts of myself behind. I get to be exactly who I am—gathering energy and finding purpose when I’m making a real impact. The authenticity I struggled to find in the marketing industry is what healthcare values. There’s no need to refine systems for an algorithm—just real people, real needs, and a real chance to make a tangible, life-changing impact.
A Purpose-Driven Path Forward
While I’ve chosen to be on the wards, I’m not completely bowing out of writing or creating content. The difference now is that I truly understand what purpose-driven means. This time, everything I create will be authentically aligned with what matters to me—authentic human connection, making an impact, and sharing stories that resonate on a deeper level. It’s no longer about following the latest trend; it’s about creating with intention and staying true to what gives my work meaning.
One year later, I’ve written a follow-up about how that decision changed everything. ➡️ Read: From Diagnosis to Direction: a journey back to what matters
