How My Side Hustle Changed Everything for Me
For years, I parked in the same spot, next to the same brick wall outside my 9-to-5 job. I’d open my car door, glance left, and see that same wall of white bricks. Nothing special. Just routine. But one day, that wall wasn’t just a wall. It was the wall—both literal and mental. I couldn’t get out of the car. I couldn’t make myself walk into work. That’s when everything changed for me.
From the Legal Life to a Life-Altering Burnout
I’d worked in the legal field for most of my adult life—this job was no different. Good pay, decent benefits, and the plan was to retire there. But unlike my previous jobs, this one was heavy on the public-facing customer service. Every day brought emotionally charged interactions with people going through major life events.
As a paralegal, I couldn’t offer legal advice, and that made things harder. I’d been able to push through several rounds of burnout over the years, bouncing back with vacations or sheer will. But the gaps between the burnouts were shrinking and I was just running out of steam.
A Cake Blog was Born
About five years before I hit my breaking point, I started a cake blog. At first, it was just a fun and creative outlet with cake decorating tutorials, recipes and buttercream. It was something just for me during the quiet times when my partner was traveling and our blended-family teens were off doing their own thing.
If I had known how much work blogging really is, then I might not have started. I did though and I loved it. I spend my nights and weekends trying to grow it. I’d learn about building websites, creating content, SEO, getting traffic and social media. Eventually, that little blog started to earn a tiny amount of income, then a stream, then it started to match what I was making full time. I was astounded. I’d almost quit loads of times because it was SO SLOW, but I just kept hanging in there.
The Worst Burn Out
The final straw wasn’t dramatic. I noticed a flickering light in my vision one day while paying bills. Then came floaters, wobbly vision, and a terrifying sense that something was very, very wrong. Multiple doctor visits, eye specialists, laser procedures—it turned out I had a hemorrhage and a retinal tear. And suddenly, even seeing my work at my day job was a real challenge.
The mental toll was terrible. I was trying to get through my day job with these vision problems AND dealing with burnout at the same time. It just broke me. That brick wall I stared at in the parking lot each morning, became a metaphor I just couldn’t ignore.
FMLA, Freedom, and the Flip to Plan B
I took FMLA to deal with my health. While I was resting and recovering, that baking blog I’d slowly built up over the years, through blood, sweat, and buttercream, well it saved me. It definitely wasn’t effortless, but I was able to depend on that while I figured out what I was going to do.
When FMLA ended, I still couldn’t go back to work. I knew I had at least one more eye surgery ahead and a mental wall I just couldn’t get past. I resigned and I felt like failure. I felt weak, but my partner reminded me: This was what I’d built the blog for. It wasn’t just a creative outlet, it was a lifeline. My Plan B had become my Plan A.
Living Off the Blog (And Living Differently)
That little side hustle sustained us. Not just me, but my partner too, who had since become disabled. I lost the job title I thought I’d retire with, but I gained something more important: flexibility. I could breath again a little. I had bought myself some time to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my life.
Eventually, my vision improved after surgery. Not perfect, but it’s still good. I also learned that quitting something that no longer fits isn’t failure, it’s self-preservation. That cake blog saved me and it continues to give me a sense of pride.
So, Should You Start a Side Hustle?
This isn’t a pitch for you to start a side hustle. I don’t think everyone HAS to do that and I’m not here to convince anyone to take on more. Life is already A LOT. But if you’ve got a creative itch or a little spark of an idea? Explore it. Maybe it’s a blog, a YouTube channel, a craft shop, or even journaling on the side. It doesn’t have to be income-generating either to be valuable.
Having something that is yours, something you love, can make all the difference, especially when life throws the unexpected at you.
What My Life Looks Like Now
These days, the cake blog is still going. It’s not my only job anymore though. I now work from home full-time and I’ve added another YouTube channel and this website into the mix. (Apparently, I don’t know how to sit still.)
The blog is back to being Plan B though, and that’s okay. I like having a few irons in the fire. I don’t expect any of them to last forever, but they don’t have to. I’m just glad I’ve found work that fits me so much better.
Final Thoughts
If you’re facing a burnout or a brick wall moment, I see you. Maybe it’s not time to quit everything, but it is okay to pause and reassess. Maybe to build something on the side, not because you “should,” but because you can and maybe you need something just for yourself.
Thanks for being here and reading my story. If you’ve got a side hustle, I’d love to hear about it. If you’re curious about how I started my blog or found a work-from-home job, ask away. I’m an open book, just don’t ask me to parallel park next to a brick wall ever again.
