Former Google employee says burnout forced rethink of career and success

A former Google employee has spoken about how the pursuit of multiple high-intensity roles affected her health and led her to reassess what success means beyond income and professional status.

Tia Lee, who graduated from Michigan State University in 2020, said she entered the workforce with a singular focus on maximising earnings. By late 2023, she was simultaneously working as a technical program manager at Google in California, freelancing as a website designer, and running her own clothing business.

In an interview with CNBC Make It, Lee said the workload and constant travel began to take a visible toll on her physical health. She experienced frequent illness, which she initially attributed to extensive work-related travel between California, Michigan and Texas.

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“I was getting sick almost every other month,” Lee said, adding that she later began to question whether stress and overwork were contributing factors. After repeated episodes, a doctor suggested that chronic stress could be playing a role in her condition, prompting Lee to reconsider the sustainability of her routine.

To prioritise her health, Lee decided to significantly scale back her professional commitments. She reduced freelance work, lowered her expenses and began saving with the intention of stepping away from full-time employment for an extended period.

As part of this transition, she moved back to her parents’ home in Michigan, sold her Tesla and replaced it with a lower-cost vehicle. She also found ways to cut day-to-day expenses, including exchanging web design services for prepared meals to reduce grocery spending.

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The experience led Lee to question how she had previously defined success. She said that earlier in her career, professional advancement, financial growth and workplace recognition were her primary measures of achievement.

That perspective has since shifted. Lee now places greater value on personal autonomy, health and time, saying the ability to control her schedule and wellbeing has become central to how she evaluates progress in her life.

After saving enough to cover two years of living expenses, Lee resigned from Google in June and relocated to Brooklyn, New York. She has since adopted a slower pace of life, focusing on habits such as mindful eating, journaling and daily reflection. She said she does not currently have plans to return to corporate employment.