Behind the Highlight Reel: What It’s Taken to Transform My Life

In the midst of your doom scrolling do you ever stop and wonder how people manage to live these highlight-reel lives?

Moving to new cities, constantly traveling, buying the newest cars, building their businesses. It seems constant. The people around us are continuously leveling up and reaching milestones we feel like we don’t even have time to dream about.

And then there’s you, working long hours, trying to make rent, wondering if you’re falling behind. Maybe it’s money, time, mental energy… or all of the above.

Or maybe you do have some of those things, and still feel stuck. Unsure of how to transform your life. That’s real, too.

It can be difficult to pinpoint where to begin, or maybe you feel like you’re already too late.

Unfortunately, I have no answers for you. 

But what I can tell you is what I have done for myself over the last several months to make my six-month trip abroad come true.

It’s not glamorous, it hasn’t been easy, and it definitely isn’t a one-size-fits-all.

But, maybe, just maybe, it will give you some inspiration for how to approach these types of big changes within your own life. 

Step One: Pack Up Your Shit (Literally and Emotionally)

March 31, 2025 was the day my lease ended and my tiny one-bedroom condo in Gatineau, Quebec, ceased to be my safe space. With a mixture of exhaustion and anticipation, I packed up every last thing I owned, knowing I was leaving behind more than just a space.

I was closing a chapter of my life.

I moved in with my older sister and her family, trying to steady myself as I waited for safer roads and better driving conditions. It was an uncertain pause between what was familiar and everything I was about to face next. (For the full saga on saying goodbye to Quebec, see my road trip across Canada story [here]).

I stayed with my sister for a couple of months and paid what I like to call “Tatie support rent,” not market value, but enough to feel like less of a freeloader.

I was planning to move across the country, back to the West Coast, which meant I’d be separated from my sister and niece. That made this time together feel especially meaningful.

Not everyone has a family to stay with. I recognize how lucky I was to have that option, and even more, that it was time we genuinely valued.

After the whirlwind of packing up my condo, moving in with my sister, living with them through a massive home renovation, and saying my goodbyes to each and every important person to me in Quebec, I headed back to Ladysmith, British Columbia.

Back to live with…

My mother and her fiancé.

As a 26-year-old woman.

Step Two: Swallow Your Pride (and Expectations)

I’ll be honest, I’ve always been judgmental of people who live at home as adults. I moved out right after turning 18 and never looked back. I just couldn’t understand why anyone would choose to stay.

Don’t get me wrong, my mother is my best friend, but I was beyond excited to go out and start my life independently. She had taught me so much, and I trusted myself to put everything I’d learned from her to the test. And in the eight years I lived away from the island, I truly evolved as a person. I became more empathetic, I found new hobbies, I met people that are now long-term friends.

So, with my tail between my legs, I moved back into her basement suite. The plan: live there for six-months and save as much as I can.

Again, my cash contributions for rent were more like a recurring thank-you for tolerating my quarter-life crisis under your roof, rather than an actual mortgage payment.

Step Three: Hustle

During my time back home, I’ve been working my social work job from 5:30am-1:30pm remotely (Ontario hours) and serve in the evenings at a local pub. All while networking and landing myself a casual remote position to do a few hours a week, which I will continue while traveling (the 10 hours per week will be the only employment I engage in during my six-months abroad).

It’s been a lot.

I get home late. I wake up very early.

But through it all, I’ve been feeling an overwhelming sense of empowerment.

I know not everyone has the ability or capacity to work 60–80 hour weeks. I was fortunate that my health allowed it, and that I had access to flexible remote work. But even within that, I had to stretch further than I thought I could.

Step Four: Be Grateful (Even When it Sucks)

How lucky am I, that I can work 60, 70, even 80 hours a week?

How lucky am I to have such a supportive family?

All that to say, it’s a lot of work and an incredible amount of relying on others, which makes me feel both grateful and shameful.

I’ve felt guilty leaning on my family so much. But then I remind myself: we’re not meant to do everything alone. And when people want to support you, accepting that love is part of the journey, too.

Step Five: Commit

Not everyone is willing to make a definitive decision and say, ‘I am going to dedicate the next eight-months of my life to one single adventure.’

Not everyone can (or wants to) save and then spend $30,000 on a trip (see budget travel tips [here]).

Did anyone audibly gasp?

It’s a lot of money. But so is traveling the world for six-months.

Every dream has a price. For some people, it’s money. For others, it’s time, comfort, stability, or identity.

And when I really think about it, some people in my life are spending that kind of money (or more) on their wedding day. 

So who’s to say what’s worth it and what’s not?

Both are dreams. Both are priceless. Both deserve to come true.

After all, I was never the girl playing house or dressing up in my mom’s wedding gown. I was too busy making potions in the bathroom like the true witch I am.

Step Six: Don’t Give Up

I wish there were clear formulas on how to make our wildest dreams come true. I wish that everyone had the type of supportive family that I do.

But I realize that isn’t the case.

What I can say is this. Every step forward I’ve taken over the past several months has presented more unknowns, a lot of exhaustion and has completely humbled me. And still, it’s been so worth it. Not because it was glamorous or easy or impressive to anyone, but because it was mine.

And maybe that’s the point.

Behind every “highlight reel life” is someone who packed up their shit, swallowed their pride, hustled, asked for help, and chose to believe, even when it would be easier to stay the same. To stay comfortable.

So no, I don’t have all the answers (or any).

But I do know this: you are not behind. You are not too late. And you are not alone.

Your story has many chapters left. And it’s allowed to look nothing like theirs.

Get uncomfortable. Be messy. And take a step toward the version of your life you’ve only let yourself dream about.