I was a working mom at Amazon who struggled to relax. After I was laid off, I went all in on wellness.

This as-told-to effort is based connected a speech pinch Rania Zheng, a 34-year-old erstwhile elder method merchandise head astatine Amazon surviving successful Bellevue, Washington. Zheng was laid disconnected from Amazon successful October 2025 and now runs her ain wellness-travel business. The pursuing has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

When I learned past October that I was being laid disconnected from Amazon aft astir six years, I was surprised. However, it didn't consciousness for illustration the extremity of the world.

Layoffs had go communal crossed the tech industry. I'd heard stories from friends who had been impacted astatine different companies. I besides didn't consciousness for illustration I was being targeted aliases that the determination was astir my performance.

My charismatic separation from the institution only took effect successful January, truthful I had clip to region and deliberation astir what I wanted astatine this shape of my life.

I could look for different job. Or, instead, I could walk much clip connected the broadside task I'd already started while working astatine Amazon. Losing my occupation gave maine a push to spot whether I could attraction full-time connected turning that early thought into an existent business.

I enjoyed my activity astatine Amazon, but struggled to relax

I joined Amazon successful 2020 arsenic a business intelligence engineer, soon earlier the pandemic began. About a twelvemonth later, I was promoted to a elder engineer.

I'd taken merchandise guidance classes astatine the University of Washington and fto my managers cognize I wanted to research much activity successful that area. They were supportive, and successful 2022, I transitioned into a elder merchandise head role.

Overall, my experience astatine Amazon was very positive. I felt for illustration I could proceed challenging myself and exploring what I wanted to do.

However, arsenic a female successful a competitive workplace, it could beryllium difficult to equilibrium work, my husband, my children, and the invisible intelligence load. People would show maine that I should relax more, but I didn't really cognize how.

My liking successful wellness became a broadside hustle

My efforts to relax much yet led maine to research holistic wellness, including traditional Chinese medicine, beverage practices, and Qigong. I recovered it very helpful, and thought much group should cognize astir them.

So, early past year, I cofounded my wellness-travel business, Puyu Retreat, which offers curated trips of astir 5 to 7 days successful China. Depending connected the destination, the trips screen different wellness themes.

One trip, for example, focuses connected beverage and accepted Chinese medicine, while different destination focuses much connected imaginative mindfulness.

At first, the business was much of an thought I was testing pinch my cofounder, who is based successful China. I mostly worked connected things for illustration our societal media posts astir our destinations and the taste broadside of the business. I spent astir 2 to 3 hours a week connected the business alongside my Amazon job.

My layoff gave maine much clip to move the thought into an existent business

Our first retreat ran successful November 2025 — the period aft I was laid off.

We've since tally immoderate tours, are generating revenue, and the business is increasing steadily. Our Instagram relationship has grown to complete 20,000 followers. My cofounder and a founding personnel now lead our operations connected the crushed successful China. Overall, I'm optimistic astir our progress.

Still, I'm not paying myself from the business yet. We're not yet profitable, and we're reinvesting everything into the trips themselves. Each retreat is designed for a mini group and is hand-curated, truthful a important magnitude of clip and attraction goes into each one. Our adjacent attraction is connected increasing successful the US market.

One of the reasons I felt comfortable pursuing the business is that my hubby works, we person savings to autumn backmost on, and our family isn't spending a batch correct now. That gives america immoderate financial runway, but I cognize this mightiness not make consciousness forever.

When I decided to attraction much earnestly connected the business, I gave myself astir a twelvemonth from erstwhile I was laid disconnected to spot whether it kept showing promise. If not, I could see returning to the occupation market.

As the one-year people gets closer, I find myself much and much drawn to activity that leans into my strengths, specified arsenic creativity, crisp business instinct, and translating information into actionable insights.

Building the business draws connected each of these skills, but I cognize different roles could arsenic well. While I'm not actively looking for work correct now, I've kept an oculus connected the market. I wouldn't norm retired interviewing if the correct opportunity came on and aligned pinch what I do best.

I still person stress, but it feels different now

When I started exploring wellness practices, my extremity was to relax more. Since leaving Amazon, building a wellness business has been stressful successful its ain ways — but erstwhile you're moving connected thing you genuinely attraction about, that changes the value of the stress.

Working connected the business has besides helped maine support up pinch my wellness practices because I person to believe what I'm selling. I've gotten deeper into accepted Chinese medicine and person really travel to admit its holistic position of health.

Overall, I'm focused connected building a equilibrium betwixt activity and life that really holds.

One of the biggest things I've learned astir building a business is not to build successful silence. There are a batch of ways to validate whether your thought is promising; you tin talk to group you trust, stock connected societal media, and spot whether group respond.

I'd besides show group who've been laid disconnected not to return it personally. A layoff isn't the extremity of the story, and everything you accumulated successful your erstwhile roles is still valuable.

I admit each the acquisition I gained successful merchandise analytics, business intelligence, and merchandise management. It taught maine astir technology, really to scale, and really to prioritize things.

Those skills don't vanish aft a layoff. They tin thief you fig retired what comes next.

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