1 Year Since Leaving Corporate: How I Left 10+ Years in Software Engineering for Wellness, Astrology & Digital Consulting
One year ago, I shipped my work laptop and badge and officially closed a chapter that had defined my identity for over a decade.
Before — and while — I taught yoga, meditation, and offered Astrology and Human Design readings, I was writing software and code for Disney and LinkedIn.
And for three years before I actually left, I desperately wanted to leave.
But it wasn't until 2025 that the universe sent unmistakable signs — and I intuitively knew it was time.
The Somatic Cues My Body Was Sending Me
Long before my mind was ready to admit it, my body already knew.
If you're someone who has been curious about leaving your corporate job but can't quite name why it feels so wrong, this might sound familiar:
- Heart racing every time I had to log onto a meeting
- Insomnia that wouldn't quit no matter how tired I was
- Left-brain migraines that became a regular visitor
- Stomach in knots at the mere thought of work
These weren't just stress symptoms. These were somatic cues — my nervous system speaking a language my mind wasn't ready to hear yet. The body always knows before the mind catches up. When you're on the path of somatic awareness, yoga, or meditation, you learn to listen to these signals rather than override them. And mine were screaming.
If your body is sending you similar messages, this is your sign to pay attention.
The Astrological Cues That Validated It Was the Right Time
For those of us who use astrology as a personal calendar and decision-making tool, the timing was incredibly validating in this leap into the unknown.
Here's what my transit chart was showing around May 21, 2025 — the day I officially left:
Saturn return beginning in my 10th house of career — Saturn in the 10th is a once-in-29-years restructuring of your entire career identity. It tears down what no longer serves and asks you to build something that is truly yours.
Gemini Sun and Jupiter transiting my 12th house of endings — The 12th house governs closure, release, and the dissolving of old cycles. Jupiter here expanded my capacity to trust the leap.
Saturn indicates a major 29-year cycle of growth and restructuring — This wasn't impulsive. This was cosmically timed.
If you're wondering whether now is your time, looking at your transits — particularly Saturn, Jupiter, and what houses they're activating — can provide a layer of clarity that logic alone simply cannot.
The Moment I Knew I Couldn't Abandon Myself Any Longer
The more I connected to my body and understood my purpose through inward practice, Astrology, and Human Design, the more I realized that I couldn't abandon myself any longer.
Even though leaving felt extremely scary.
Full self-trust is not a destination. It's a practice. And it is built through every meditation, every chart reading, every moment of choosing yourself over the comfort of a steady paycheck.
1 Year Later — What Life on the Other Side Actually Looks Like
I have never felt more in my purpose.
Here's what that looks like in real life:
- Guiding others back into their body through yoga, yoga nidra, and somatic work
- Providing pockets of peace in an increasingly unsteady world
- Unleashing my full creativity — finally, without a sprint deadline or a Jira ticket
- Using my tech skills for soul-giving rather than soul-sucking efforts
- Helping wellness peers with digital literacy to grow their businesses through Salty Moon Digital
- Finally holding space for both sides of myself — my analytical Gemini stellium and my soft, intuitive Cancer Sun and Rising
This is what it looks like when you stop fragmenting yourself to fit a role that was never built for you.
My Advice If You're on the Brink of Leaving Stability for Purpose
If you're standing at that edge — curious, scared, ready, not ready — here is what I would tell you:
1. Do the Money Mindset Work First
Before you hand in your notice, do the inner work around money. Scarcity beliefs will sabotage a purposeful business faster than any market condition. Get clear on what you need, what you can build, and what "enough" actually means to you.
2. Plant the Seed, Then Trust Your Timing
Look at your astrology transits. Understand what cycles are opening and closing for you. You don't have to force the leap — you can plant the seed and let the timing reveal itself. The universe is not random.
3. Understand How You Operate
Use inward tools — meditation, yoga, your birth chart, and Human Design — to understand how you're wired, what you're meant for, and why. Your exit plan should be built around your design, not someone else's blueprint for success.
4. Cultivate Deep Love for Yourself
You are about to become your own boss, your own HR department, your own cheerleader. The relationship you have with yourself is the foundation of everything you're about to build. Tend to it.
5. You Don't Have to Transition Alone
This wasn't just me. I had a powerful support team and I chose to invest in the life I knew I deserved. Community, mentorship, and the right containers can make the difference between spinning in fear and actually moving forward.
Ready to Craft Your Own Exit Plan?
Let's turn you into the version of yourself that is emotionally and spiritually equipped, fearless, and ready to fully step into your purpose.
Practical meets Spiritual — that's the foundation of everything I offer at Awake In Wellness.
Whether you're growing a small wellness business, navigating a career transition, or simply ready to understand yourself more deeply through Astrology and Human Design — I'd love to support you.
👉 Explore the Lunar Sprint — a 2-week intentional container to go from stuck to launched, built around your unique chart.
Limited spots available. DM or reach out to work together.
Ashley Nguyen is an RYT-200 yoga and nidra teacher, somatic astrology and Human Design coach, and former Senior Software Engineer at Disney and LinkedIn. She is the founder of Awake In Wellness and Salty Moon Digital, based on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.
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