Why I Just Gave My Boss a 59-Month Notice (And How I’m Avoiding Burnout)
- Heather Wentz
- Jul 1
- 8 min read
On Thursday, I gave my boss my 59-month notice.
Tonight, I am sitting in an unheated, blow-up bubble tub in my backyard, trying to salvage what's left of my sanity.
Welcome to the messy, unglamorous middle of building a bridge to freedom. If you’ve ever sat in your car a few minutes too long before walking into your day job, or stared at a screen wondering how your big dreams got buried under a mountain of daily routines, I see you. I am you, and this article is for you. Because deciding you want a different life is the easy part. Surviving the transition without losing your mind is where the real work happens.
It happened during a team meeting. We were doing one of those icebreakers where everyone shares something they are currently proud of. Usually, the safe play is to talk about a streamlined spreadsheet, a cleared inbox, or a successful audit.
But lately, my exit strategy has become so omnipresent in my brain that I couldn't give a safe, generic answer if I tried.
I looked the HR Director in the eye and told her flat out that I am incredibly proud of myself for doing the quiet, daily work toward a long-term plan—and that I plan... is to "retire" in exactly 59 months.
Yes, I used the word retire. Saying "I'm quitting" felt a little too aggressive for a weekday morning, even for me.
Was it a foolish move to speak my expiration date out loud? Maybe. But here is the reality: I have to act as if. This cannot be a "pipe dream" or a comforting thought I pull out of my pocket when office life gets heavy. I have to believe this career exit is an absolute, immutable certainty and act accordingly. If I treat my dreams like options, they will be. I refuse to let the comfort of a steady routine be an indefinite anchor.
The Reality of Planning a 5-Year Career Exit Strategy
But let’s be completely real. Logically, I know exactly what phase of business growth I am in.
I’m in the building phase. I am laying bricks. This part of the timeline isn’t about high-rolling execution or flashy sales pitches; it’s about putting my head down and aggressively building a content library and an organic audience from scratch. I’ve yet to spend a single dollar on advertising, so every milestone is fueled entirely by my own steam.
But knowing you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be doesn’t make the daily grind any lighter.
Right now, I am essentially working two full-time jobs, and to be completely blunt, I'm friggin' tired. When you are pouring your heart, soul, and early morning hours into something with very little immediate feedback, that invisibility is exhausting.
I’m not looking for a pity party, and I refuse to whine about how nobody liked my page today. (Um, I’m not above shameless groveling—please go subscribe at the bottom of the page, thank you very much, LOL) But building a life of freedom in the dark, while the rest of the world is sleeping... it catches up to you.
How the "Side Hustle Grind" Becomes a Toxic Distraction
When your energy is at an absolute zero, even relaxing takes too much effort. It’s significantly easier to just plop into bed, stare at a screen, and let your brain go completely numb. That’s the level of solo-parent, corporate-job exhaustion I’ve been operating at. So when I bought a blow-up hot tub, filled it with unheated water, and turned on the bubbles, it wasn’t part of a grand strategy. It was a desperate attempt to create a physical barrier between myself and my phone.
Because if I'm being radically honest? I’ve been using this business alcoholically.
In recovery, we talk about substituting addictions—using one thing to hide from another. Lately, I’ve been using "the business grind" to hide from my unpreferred tasks. Household chores? Working out? Socializing? Attending recovery meetings? It is so much easier to mask avoidance as "hustling." I can easily justify skipping real life by telling myself, "I can't right now, I'm building an empire." But that empire-building easily devolves into obsessively checking metrics and doom-scrolling. Stepping into that bubbly "not hot" tub wasn't about luxury; it was a forced tech circuit-breaker. It turns out, you can be actively changing your life and using that very progress to hide from your responsibilities, or as I like to call them "u preferred tasks," at the exact same time. The two aren't mutually exclusive. But when the hustle becomes a shield to avoid the rest of your reality, burnout isn't far behind.
Finding a Healthy Dopamine Swap for Burnout and Stress
The mental health bump was instant, and it wasn't a placebo. There is real science behind why a cool bubble bath bailed out my brainfog.
First: the temperature. Between July humidity and the delightful internal furnace of menopause, the last thing I needed was to be poached alive. I needed to cool down.
When you immerse your body in cool water, the buoyancy drops your cortisol (stress hormone) levels, and the tactile rush of the bubbles triggers endorphins. Even better? Stepping out of a cool soak lowers your core temperature, naturally cueing your brain for deep sleep.
For anyone in recovery, or anyone navigating mid-life hormonal hellscape, finding a clean dopamine swap is everything. My ADHD brain was desperately seeking a reward after a heavy week. Instead of finding it in a screen, a sugary craving, or a doom-scroll, it found it in the bubbles. Once that natural dopamine hit landed, the urge to self-soothe with garbage habits just evaporated.
The Physics of Personal Momentum
Newton’s first law is real: bodies in motion stay in motion.
Living with arthritis and a knee needing surgery is a vicious cycle: I hurt because I don't move, and I don't move because it friggin' hurts. The buoyancy of the water broke that cycle. By taking the weight off my joints and cooling my internal thermostat, the dominoes started falling in the right direction.
The best part? None of this was intentional. I didn't white-knuckle a single rule. My body simply stopped craving sweets because its dopamine tank was already full. I didn't force myself to shut down my phone; I was just finally relaxed enough to intuitively listen when my body said it was time for bed. For the first time in way too many months, I didn’t feel that frantic sense of "I didn't get a break today," which usually leads to midnight reality TV marathons.
Once that mental space opened, the momentum snowballed. I rode my recumbent bike for the first time in 14 months. I hit the pavement and went to in-person recovery meetings, started reconnecting with friends and carved out some family time.
You don’t need a backyard tub to trigger this reset. You just need a forced, tech-free circuit breaker for your physical stress. Try a cold shower after work, a weighted blanket in a dark room, or ten minutes of stretching without a screen in sight. Anything that calms your nervous system allows you to actually hear what your body needs.
My sanity didn’t require a luxury spa. It required one small, unheated routine that snowballed. (And trust me, regulating your energy on the go is a survival skill—stay tuned, because we are diving into menopause travel very soon).
The Official Month 59 Progress Report
All of this—the backyard circuit breakers, the tech boundaries, the sudden bursts of momentum—is part of the messy process of Becoming Heather Untethered. I’m no longer just dreaming about a different life; I am actively restructuring my days to support it.
So, when I looked the HR Director in the eye on Thursday, what exactly was I so proud of?
As of July 1, 2026, my targeted exit date of June 2031 is exactly 59 months away. Today marks Day 1 of Month 59. And while I might not have the instant thrill of booking a massive group cruise or selling out product yet, the data tells me the data tells me that protecting my energy allows me to protect my consistency.
I set realistic, ad-free benchmarks for myself, and under my own steam, I’ve officially hit them:
The Publishing Schedule: I’ve strictly stuck to my guns with a fresh blog post every single Weds, even throwing in a few bonus Sunday articles when the inspiration hit.
The Socials: I’ve shown up every single day, dropping a reel a day for the last few weeks, alongside photo posts and grinding away on comments to build real relationships.
The Digital Products: Since my last update, I’ve launched three brand-new digital products from scratch. Two of them—the Niagara Budget Blueprint and the Bermuda Dining & Mocktail Guide—are currently free, and my Ultimate Florida Keys Road trip map Guide is officially live for just $2.99.
The Milestones: Because of that consistency, I officially exceeded my organic growth goals for June and crossed my member target for Suitcases & Sobriety.
Thats all well and good but the biggest win by far was picking up 5 new blog subscribers this month. When you pour your heart and hours into writing these pieces, it can easily feel like you're just shouting into a dark, empty void. Seeing a notification that a real human being read a teaser, connected with my words, and actively chose to subscribe... that means everything to me. It is tangible proof that the message is landing, and I am incredibly grateful you are here.
But honestly, the thing I am most proud of is that this entire journey is happening right in front of my son. During that team meeting, I made sure to mention him, because he isn't just watching from the sidelines—he is the ultimate teammate. Not only does he hold things down around the house while I'm working two full-time jobs, but he acts as my fiercely realistic, albeight deadpan cheerleader. Whenever I start to despair-dive into the overwhelming exhaustion of the hustle, he’ll look at me, completely unfazed, and casually chime in: "You'll be alright." He's right. I will be.
When you're growing organically, nobody throws you a party when you cross a minor metric benchmark. It’s not flashy. But it is tangible evidence that showing up in the dark works.
You can't survive a 59-month exit strategy on sheer, white-knuckled determination alone. You have to find ways to make the middle feel lighter right now. For me, that meant stepping away from the screen, letting a backyard bubble tub clear the wreckage of a long week.
Hello Month 59, what mischief shall we manage this month? The countdown continues. One small, consistent step—and one bubble—at a time.
Let’s Wander Together
Ready to escape your own daily grind? Whether you are dreaming of a sober cruise, planning an accessible getaway, or just need someone to handle the overwhelming logistics of your next vacation so you can actually rest—I’m here to take the weight off.
Want to watch the empire rise (or just munch on some popcorn while the train threatens to derail)? I’m down for either. If you want to follow the chaos, grab my new travel guides, or join a community that gets the daily struggle, let's connect:
Suitcases & Sobriety: A sober travel collective - A sober travel collective for the sober and sober-curious.
Friends of Bill W Cruising - 12 step Cruise community
Friends of Bill W Travel - 12 step travel community
The Connected Compass - A trauma-informed travel collective for families who need a different kind of map.
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