Woman’s Dreamy New Life Is All the Proof You Need to Start Over Aged 30

After years of graft in the corporate world, Valerie Valcourt felt burnt out and disenfranchised about life in her thirties. It became clear that this wasn’t the life that she had dreamt of, so she made the brave decision to quit her job and move abroad to start all over again.

While many people might think they should have life sorted out by the time they reach their thirties, Valcourt, 34, wants to show that it doesn’t always work out like that. At the age of 33, she’d had enough of her role as an executive assistant. She told Newsweek that she was reprimanded “for a job [she] didn’t like,” adding that was the switch she needed finally to follow her heart.

Valcourt dreamed of going to pastry school since she was a teenager, and in 2023 she decided to make it a reality. She took the plunge by leaving her job in Seattle, Washington state, and moved to Pont-de-l’Isère in France. It is safe to say that she is “so much happier now.”

“I wasn’t enjoying my career before, especially not by the end. I was feeling burnt out and ready for a change,” Valcourt said.

“Now, I feel so satisfied about being able to work with my hands all day, and getting the opportunity to constantly learn and improve my skills as a pâtissière. France is also a gorgeous country that I love getting to travel around and explore,” Valcourt added.

For a long time, Valcourt felt pressure to have her life figured out and to follow a traditional route, but she knew deep down that wasn’t what she wanted. While she may have made a drastic U-turn, Valcourt wants to show people that it is never too late to chase their dreams. Starting over again isn’t as scary as people might think, as she said people should remember that “there are so many cool adventures still to be had.”

Valcourt added: “I think people are worried about starting over in their thirties partly because society has fed us this idea that we must have everything lined up and figured out, and if you don’t, then there’s something wrong with you. But it’s so much pressure and there are so many different opportunities available to explore if we can open ourselves up to them.”

In January, Valcourt shared her experience in a TikTok video (@val_demort), talking about the lifechanging decision she made last year. The clip was a reply to another content creator asking to hear more stories from people who started over. Valcourt’s response instantly went viral with over 1.1 million views and more than 267,300 likes already.

She wasn’t expecting her video to generate as much attention as it has, but she has been extremely heartened by the positive response.

“I’ve had so many comments from people sharing their stories of starting over in their thirties, forties, and fifties, as well as people saying they felt inspired and encouraged. I love helping people, so the fact that just sharing my experience could make an impact is really rad,” Valcourt told Newsweek.

However, for anyone who thinks this was an instant flip of the switch, Valcourt had been contemplating this shift for quite some time, and she did manage to get into pastry school three years ago. However, she said how her mental health was very poor at the time, and she knew it wasn’t the right time for her.

“What I didn’t account for was the state of my mental health, how low my sense of confidence was at the time and just feeling so paralyzed. I had to put off school, and I think that was the lowest I’ve ever been,” Valcourt added.

“Then, a while later, I found myself in a performance meeting, getting reprimanded and that was the switch where I thought, ‘Screw this, the time is now.’ Only this time I had savings, a better mindset and started taking the necessary steps to not only get into the school but start prepping for the move to France.”

With more than 5,800 comments on the viral TikTok post so far, many users have shared their own experiences with Valcourt and praised her for taking such a lifechanging leap.

One comment reads: “I’m a 29 year old ex corporate girl boss, got fired in October, restarted my ballet career and I’m getting my yoga teacher certification.”

Another person responded: “I’m 34 and just moved abroad to Barcelona and am working on launching my own business.”

“I need this!! In my late 20s and feel like it’s too late to start over,” one TikTok user wrote.

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