I quit my job at 29 and traveled solo. I didn’t tell my parents until I’d finished my business plan.

• At 29, Cassi Zheng felt drained and quit her job as a brand director in Shanghai.
• She spent time traveling across Asia with friends and explored Japan and Italy on her own.
• Now, she’s changed career paths and sees the value in slowing down.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Cassi Zheng, 31, the founder of Aurawell, an aromatherapy brand. Her words have been edited for length and clarity.

As a brand director at a sports-drink startup in Shanghai, I spoke to more than 30 people a day — from members of the sports community to suppliers and colleagues seeking sign-offs.

I was drained. I felt chronic pain, constant fatigue, and even had panic attacks.

In February 2023, at 29, I quit. I wanted to head into my 30s with a clearer sense of purpose. I didn’t tell my parents, but my friends and colleagues were supportive.

Suddenly, I had nothing to do, and that early idleness felt panic-inducing. I was so used to running around, talking to people, and being needed. I felt completely lost for a few days.

This story is part of our Adult Gap Year series, which highlights stories from people who have taken extended breaks to reset, explore, and reimagine their lives.

Read more:

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• My husband and I left our jobs to travel full-time in our 30s. Transitioning back into the workforce has been hard.

Then I started trying different things. I biked across the city from one end to the other, covering more than 10 kilometers. Another time, I biked 30 kilometers just to go kayaking.

I felt exhausted, but also energized.

Embracing friendships

I spent the first year traveling across Asia. Because I’d been practicing Reiki, Japan felt like a natural first stop.

On a trip to Tokyo and Kyoto with friends, temples and traditional inns sparked something within me. I knew I wanted to go back again on my own.

I kept moving. Bangkok’s flea markets and Chinatown reminded me of Guangzhou, where I grew up, in the ’90s.

In South Korea, I rang in the new year on Jeju Island with old friends, racing to find a taxi minutes before midnight.

Time to fly solo

On New Year’s Day, I flew to Kyoto for my first true solo trip. I’d lived on my own before — college and grad school in the US, travel through Mexico, Kenya, Nepal — but Japan felt different. It was the perfect place to be an introvert.

I spent my birthday alone in Tokyo, sick with the flu, wandering the Nezu Museum’s gardens. The quiet design reminded me to notice what’s present, instead of what’s missing.

I returned to Japan twice more that year, spending days meditating alone in the mountains.

A year and a half after quitting, I spent three weeks in Europe. On a hike in Sicily, I met a man climbing beside me. He spoke Italian, I spoke English, but we managed. He told me his father had paved the mountain road. Afterward, I visited his café.

Sicily felt open and passionate — a contrast to Shanghai’s intensity.

Finding emotional freedom

By late last year, I’d already started work on a new project. Still, a friend convinced me to join a five-day water-immersion course in Bali. It was brief but intense — somatic dance in the ocean, learning to let the body speak.

I began crying without knowing why and felt ashamed. I tried to step away, but the teacher told me I didn’t need to hide. With an East Asian upbringing, that was incredibly freeing. I cried for two days, overwhelmed by release.

I’d long relied on external validation from bosses, parents, and goal-driven metrics. My gap year loosened that grip. I could count the trips or the solo days, but none of that defines me.

Back to work

On my 30th birthday, I finally told my parents about my gap year and the aromatherapy brand I was starting with a friend. They were shocked — it was far outside their comfort zone — but showing them my business plan and prototypes helped. Even now, when I visit them a few hours outside Shanghai, they enjoy talking about metrics and the future of my company.

My friend and I launched Aurawell in May 2024, just over a year after I left my job. I first got the word out by leading a public meditation in an underground performance space.

Taking a gap year was one of the wisest decisions I’ve made. It gave me time to slow down, reflect on my choices, and discover what I actually enjoy, without pressure from the outside world.

Do you have a story about taking a gap year that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor: [email protected].

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