Happen To Your Career - Meaningful Work, Career Change, Career Design, & Job Search Navigating Misalignment, Burnout & a Big Career Pivot: When Your Career Path Stops Making Sense
Jan 5, 2026
Hayley Lowe, a communications leader turned startup founder and chief of staff in a scaling AI company. She talks about recognizing career misalignment, stepping away amid burnout and motherhood, founding and winding down a kids resale startup, and co-creating a chief of staff role that matches her strengths and life season.
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Resigning, Burnout, and Building a Startup From a Personal Problem
- Hayley left a senior corporate role after burnout, infertility, postnatal depression, and COVID forced a reset.
- She resigned without another job, then launched a kids resale startup from a personal pain point and grew it to thousands of users and investor interest.
Why The Kids Resale App Ultimately Didn’t Scale
- Hayley launched a marketplace app focused on bulky kids items because existing platforms didn't handle non-shippable goods well.
- As a solo female founder in Europe she faced funding and market challenges and ultimately wound the startup down after learning it wasn't the right fit.
Closing A Startup Can Be A Strategic Gain
- Winding down a startup isn't failure but learning; closing builds resilience and skills for the next step.
- Hayley reframed her startup exit as a gain, not a loss, emphasizing the lessons and networks she acquired.