At the time (2016), I was working for a US startup whose European office was in Dublin.

My position was Director of Account Management, EMEA.

My salary was a very good one. I would often forget to check my bank account.

I would go out for dinner regularly and spend money at music gigs.

However, similarly to my relationship, this too was a toxic environment, which led me very close to burnout.

I have already mentioned that I had one episode of panic attack while I was doing a presentation in front of my manager.

What I didn’t mention is that my level of stress was so high that I started developing strange symptoms.

I vividly remember getting freaked out on a Lufthansa flight because I felt half of my face numb.

The combination of these “unexplainable” symptoms triggered a sort of extreme anxiety about being seriously ill.

I became hypocondriac. I was afraid I had multiple sclerosis.

Needless to say, I went to several doctors and they all confirmed there was nothing wrong with me other than my anxiety.

I also had an MRI to the head, which should have put my worries to bed, but it didn’t.

So I was in a pretty bad shape and again, similarly to my relationship, I was feeling trapped.

I needed to do something about it.

The idea of leaving my job first crossed my mind nearly a year before I actually did.

However, roughly six months before leaving, I decided that I was not only leaving the job, but I would also start my own company!

I wasn’t ready to leave right away and venture into the unknown. I had to condition myself to believe that I could do it.

The most difficult part was not my finances. Thanks to my salary, I was able to save a bit of money I could live on for about 1-2 years.

The most challenging part was overcoming the fear of failure and being unemployed, which I experienced earlier in my life and before moving to Ireland.

And here it comes Tony Robbins and Les Brown, whose videos and podcast I literally devoured, eventually leading to starting my own business.