“My work has changed the lives of my clients for the better — it fills them with light and gives them the strength to keep working.” The story of a designer who left a high-paying IT job for yoga

How it all began

To gain minimal experience in design, Marina did not disdain to take on unpaid work. Over time, the specialist began to gain a lot of experience in IT thanks to the recommendations of friends and colleagues from previous places of work. Combining studies and work, the girl at one point almost got a job at Google.

I started as a graphic designer, and in 2019 I got a job at a Polish company that organized events (probably the largest one was a conference with Tony Robbins). At first, I worked there for free, helping designers build a website. Over time, I was hired, I started learning UI, and I took on free projects to fill my hands.

During Covid, I was laid off and went freelance. All my projects were through acquaintances, I was recommended by friends and former colleagues - and that's how I got my first projects and experience. In particular, I managed to design landing pages for a Polish clothing brand, a superfood manufacturer, and a marketing agency.

Then, on the recommendation of a friend, I got a full-time job as a UI designer, where I stayed for 2 years and moved to the role of UX. There was a lot of work, and I quickly burned out in that place, although I also grew the most. In parallel, I studied online at the Irish University of UX Design, which gave me a kind of "crust" that employers really liked. And I was lured by the company Avanade, where I worked for another three years, until I was fired.

In the winter of 2025, I reached the final interview with Google (interviews at this company lasted three months), there was only one call left to tell me the committee's decision - and I heard a NO, which I was really hoping for. This became the final push to leave the IT world, a kind of sign that I did not belong here.

The most difficult job, which is not ashamed

My first year at Avanade, I had very ambitious projects and was part of a team improving a complex application for engineers working at mining companies.

There was a lot of complex information, tables, and work in general. You had to immerse yourself in this world, understand all the indicators, and actually become a junior engineer and fully understand the scheme of the enterprise.) It was the most complex project I have ever had, and hearing feedback from employees about how it makes their work easier was invaluable.

Exiting IT into a new field

I think I always had the feeling that it was temporary. In all my five years in IT, I constantly asked myself: what else can I do, and how can I enjoy my work? So there was no such point of change in thinking - I just "matured" to a different role all five years)

Yoga has taken me through the darkest moments of my life, but has also always been present in the happiest ones. I started doing it nine years ago, just out of sports interest. But it influenced my consciousness, taught me patience, kindness, and peace. I changed a lot thanks to the practices, and I felt happier. I wanted to share this with people. I wanted others to experience what I managed to feel. Namely, my place in this world, the freedom to be myself and live the way I really want to.

New profession — new challenges

The hardest part was selling myself. To declare myself that I do these things, and that I don't do it for free, was very difficult, and it's still difficult. I'm learning this. My journey began relatively recently and there are a lot of unknowns. Also, there are a lot of stereotypes about yoga now, if I received five UAH for every time I hear a joke about "breathing with your uterus", I would have already bought a few drones for the army.

I practiced every day, with different teachers — for years. I read books, went to different master classes, etc. And that was back when I didn't consider myself a teacher. Just for myself. Later, I started teaching yoga for free. For friends, colleagues — and then online for anyone who wanted to. I started a YouTube channel where I recorded practices that I created for myself. And when the community started to grow, I started receiving a lot of warm feedback — this pushed me to complete teacher training.

I went to Tenerife, to the Ravi Marga school, which I still remember with warmth. This experience divided my life into before and after. I changed a lot there, my principles, my vision of the world, myself — everything underwent a kind of transformation. There I gained a lot of knowledge, including sound healing, where I learned to play Tibetan bowls, gongs, handpans, and discovered a penchant for instruments. It came very easily, quickly, and I got involved in working with sound, which I brought with me, along with a certificate of completion of RYT 200 studies (this is a certification of the American Yoga Society, which is recognized in European countries and many other countries of the world, so in the world of yoga teachers it is a kind of school leaving certificate).

I don't feel any competition at all. Every yoga teacher and yoga blog is my colleague, another person who brings light to this world. And I think we have similar missions and work more as a team. Every teacher is unique and has their own vision, and I always emphasize to students that it's worth going to different teachers and taking knowledge from everyone. My yoga channel is not the only one, that's for sure, but the style of conducting, the energy, is unique to each one.

Money and Finance

At my last company, I received PLN 12,000 gross per month (approximately UAH 130,000), plus I had two bonuses per year, bonuses, share in shares, etc. A good salary, I had enough for everything.

Now I haven't reached that level of income yet. In the studio, I have a rate of 110-120 PLN per hour, from time to time I conduct online classes, receive some small donations on YouTube , and manage social networks for the studio. My income is growing a little, but I haven't reached some stable high figure yet. Although, to be honest, I have much more luck.

At this stage, I am faced with the problem that the amount of effort invested does not equal the earnings. At my last job, it seems to me, I worked less, but earned a lot. Now, filming YouTube , teaching in three studios, leading an online group, a blog on Instagram, creating a product for sale — I work a lot. And I earn little from it. The world is oversaturated with information, there are a lot of blogs, a lot of YouTube channels with yoga. People who live in Ukraine are definitely spending money differently now. And in all this, it is very difficult to get income for my services. Therefore, for now, I am in search of this golden mean — what is so useful and unique that I can give people and at the same time have something to pay my bills.

— Do you have any ideas to combine IT experience and yoga in one project?

To be honest, I didn't think about it. Although the question itself gave rise to the idea of ​​making a course for the back, for people who work at a computer. Because the IT experience, which is universal for almost everyone - sitting hunched over in various poses over a project, and then a crooked posture, a sore neck, lower back) I know, I went through it, and I know that even five minutes a day can change this story for the better.

Advice for IT professionals who want change

If I don't like being a teacher or a blogger, I'll try something else. Maybe I'll write a book or bake bread. The world is wide and I always have the right to choose. I also have a strong support team in the form of my husband, friends, and parents who believe in me, probably more than I do, and don't let the seeds of doubt sprout. For now, I want to develop in this and have many ideas and plans. And then we'll see where life takes me.

Currently, Marina loves her job, which has become her calling. The plans are to launch a paid subscription to YouTube in Exativica, and teach full-fledged, one-hour classes there, thematic ones - for a monthly fee. The plans also include establishing cooperation with the brand, creating content for social networks. Marina wants to expand her knowledge of sound therapy, and invest in new tools.

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