Was it easy? Absolutely not. There were tears. There were existential crises. There were moments when I stared at verb conjugations like they had personally wronged me. But there was also coffee. So. Much. Coffee.
Once upon a time, I was the girl who knew how to insert IVs before I could walk confidently in heels. I studied nursing in high school, mastered vitals, and could tell you what muscle you pulled just by how dramatically you complained about it. Then I started an associate degree in anesthesia—because what’s more glamorous than scrubs and night shifts, right?
But somewhere between memorizing drug dosages and learning how to literally put people to sleep, I realized something: I wanted to wake up. I wanted more than hospital halls and latex gloves—I wanted language, creativity, and let’s be honest… a solid excuse to wear statement blazers on weekdays.
So I took a risk. A big one. I dropped everything to study for the English teaching exam. No backup plan. No guarantee. Just me, my books, my coffee, and a dream.
Fast forward to now: I’m a primary school English teacher. A happy, slightly chaotic, grammar-loving teacher who lives for storytelling, sticker charts, and correcting “their/there/they’re” like it’s a sacred duty. I spend my mornings teaching phonics and my evenings planning outfits that say, “Yes I’m the teacher, but I could also be walking a Paris runway if recess duty didn’t exist.”
Trading syringes for sentence structure wasn’t just a career shift—it was a personal style evolution. Now my classroom has as much personality as my closet. Dresses and high-knee boots? A power combo. Bright cardigans, midi skirts, a little sparkle on casual Fridays? Mais oui. Just because I’m teaching the alphabet doesn’t mean I can’t serve looks doing it.
And the best part? I don’t regret any of it.
This risk changed everything. Nursing taught me discipline. Fashion taught me expression. Teaching taught me joy. I didn’t just change careers—I rewrote my story with better dialogue, stronger main character energy, and a lot more color.
So if you’re stuck in a storyline that doesn’t feel like you, here’s your reminder: it’s okay to pivot. It’s okay to want something different. And it’s definitely okay to chase a life that feels more you—even if that includes grammar lessons and a killer shoe collection.
Take the risk. Rewrite your plot. And don’t forget to wear something fabulous while doing it.
RETRO CHIC REVIVAL 