A former Google employee has opened up about the toll that hard work took on her health, and how she came to redefine success instead of equating it with money.
When Tia Lee graduated from Michigan State University in 2020, she had one agenda on her mind – make as much money as possible. By late 2023, she was juggling three roles at once: technical program manager at Google in California, freelance website designer, and owner of her own clothing line.
Tia Lee spoke to CNBC Make I about how working multiple high-profile roles left her burnt out, sick and questioning what success really means.
Constant bouts of sickness
“I was getting sick like every other month,” Lee said. “I would just be bouncing back and forth between California, Michigan, Texas [for work]. But every time I traveled, I would get sick. So I associated my sickness with just traveling.”
After months of recurring illness, a doctor suggested stress might be a major factor — “And then I [thought], maybe it might be all the different hats that I’m trying to wear,” Lee admitted.
To reclaim her health and time, Lee devised a plan to pause her professional life. She scaled back freelance work, cut expenses, and saved enough to take a multi-year break from the workforce.
“I moved back in with my parents [in Michigan]. I downsized my car,” she says. “I initially had a Tesla, sold it and got the cheapest Chevrolet I could get … I even went as far as to negotiate a deal with a private chef so that I could build her website and she would meal prep for me throughout the week. That way, I wasn’t spending any money on groceries.”
A new definition of success
Lee’s experience prompted her to rethink what success means. Money and career accolades were once her main goals, but she now values autonomy and wellbeing just as much.
“When I was wearing all of those hats, what success looked like for me was money … Success, for me, was to be promoted and kind of have that [respect] within the workplace,” she said.
“Now, I have complete autonomy over my health and my time … I’m spending this time now to really get to know myself and get to know what my next step is going to be,” the former Google employee added.
After saving two years’ worth of living expenses, Lee quit Google in June and moved to Brooklyn, New York, adopting a slower lifestyle focused on whole foods, journaling, and mindfulness. She says she does not yet have plans to return to corporate work.