40-year-old millionaire who retired early only lasted 5 months—here’s what made her go back to work

My entire life used to be about maximizing my time for work. I spent over a decade building a career in New York’s tech scene.

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. I hired a team and bootstrapped the company from $0 to millions in revenue.

I was proud of the mission, but I never exercised or took a vacation, and I rarely saw friends. I didn’t realize how burned out I was. I finally sold my company in 2021, but stayed on for a year to help with the transition.

Since I had seven figures saved, I realized that I could consider leaving the working life behind. So in 2023, I turned 40 and decided to retire early. The funny things is, I only lasted five months.

When I retired, we moved from New York City to New Jersey for my husband’s job. For the first time in years, I had a blank calendar.

I planted a flower garden. I started weightlifting and took long walks with new friends. I volunteered a few hours a week at the local soup kitchen and animal shelter. I fostered dogs and adopted a rescue named Addie.

Five months in, my quality of life had vastly improved. But I had mixed feelings, and at times it felt boring. I knew I couldn’t go back to 80-hour workweeks, but through volunteering at the shelter and spending time with my dog, I had come up with a business idea: an online community for Gen Z and Millennial pet owners.

I missed the creative outlet of entrepreneurship. I’d been in extreme work mode for so long that I thought cutting myself off entirely was the cure to my burnout. While I enjoyed my new hobbies, I didn’t feel challenged like I did when I was running a startup.

The truth is, I never had balance in my work life before, but I owed it to myself now to try.

When I ran Tech Ladies, stealing even a 15-minute break felt impossible. I was obsessed with how much time I didn’t…