You are freer than you think

An important story of how a former agency creative director was empowered by prioritising values-led decisions, creativity and wellbeing over corporate compliance.

By Polina Zabrodskaya

When I left my ad agency in a very public way, I felt disoriented. For the first time in years, I had no title, no salary, and no corporate facade to maintain. And that, strangely, seemed to make me a safe person for others to talk to.

CEOs, CCOs, and chairs started reaching out to share their private troubles. Their stories were variations on the same theme:

"I know what I’m doing is pointless and destructive, but I have a mortgage, my kid's nursery is £2k a month, my health insurance is tied to this job, and my parents need care that costs a fortune. If I start rocking the boat, they’ll get rid of me, and if I just leave to do what I really want, I’ll be broke in a year with no guarantee of landing on my feet."

I wish they could all meet at a pub and speak to each other. I think they’d see that these are not individual stories. Our current setup is unlivable for everyone, even the people who managed to climb to the top.

A year into my post-corporate journey, I want to share a few observations. For context, I left with a London mortgage, some savings that were drained by my mother’s terminal cancer treatment, and no dependents. I was also in therapy for job-induced PTSD.

So: privileged in some ways, vulnerable in others. But objectively, I’d climbed pretty high on the corporate ladder.

Here’s what I’ve noticed from the other side of my choices.

1. Professional solitude is priceless

Losing your corporate tribe can feel like social death, but it’s also when you start getting back to yourself. Companies invest heavily in parties, away days, and conferences because these events facilitate compliance. Your sense of self is gradually replaced by a version that better serves corporate needs.

In hindsight, I can trace how my personality was dulled. Here’s an op-ed on sustainability that I wrote in 2022. When I read it today, I wince. And here’s what I write now: without a public relations department standing over my shoulder.

2. Security is a leash

A high salary with private healthcare feels like the ultimate safety net. But if this safety is so wonderful, why are so many of us miserable? Because your access to care, housing, and rest is conditional on obedience to a structure that harms you.

You will feel so much better about yourself once your values are aligned with how you spend your days. And when you start decoupling your livelihood from a single employer, you become much harder to control.

3. Your paycheque is expensive

I won’t give you a spreadsheet. Just know this: a huge portion of your income goes toward coping with the job itself - therapy, alcohol, Ubers, burnout holidays, takeout, childcare, massages, yoga, stress-shopping.

Once you count the cost of pretending you’re fine, you realise there’s a better way to live.

4. Your body hates your job

We don’t talk enough about how capitalism damages our nervous systems. Our productivity requires the constant suppression of authentic feelings. When your body is finally free from that state of fight-or-flight, it begins to heal. You sleep better. Your stress levels drop. You start reconnecting with what you truly desire.

5. Quiet quitting is not the answer

The world doesn’t need more ethical freelancers. It needs more people willing to confront the system of social relations that harms us all.

I can’t count how many times I’ve heard, “There’s nothing I can do. It is what it is.” That’s self-infantilising.

If you are a CEO, a CCO, or a VP, you have power and access. If you hate the machine, it’s your responsibility to jam it.

You are freer than you think.