My mental health has never been so good

Niki French, 53, from Twickenham, left her job as a sales and marketing director to become a dog trainer

In my old life, my day started at 5am. I’d be at my desk by 7am and work through to 7pm, before commuting home, exhausted. For 20 years, I worked for big residential property developers, working on projects such as the Athletes’ Village for the 2012 Olympic Games and the regeneration of the Elephant and Castle area, in London. It was stressful, hard work, but at the same time, I found it hugely rewarding and I loved collaborating with architects and designers.

But everything changed when, in 2014, I was knocked off my bike. I didn’t break anything, but the accident shook me, and afterwards I had problems with my memory and word-muddling.

Feeling less resilient, I started struggling with the demands of my job – where I had once thrived and relished the tough workload, I found myself thinking that there had to be more to life than this.

Over the next four years, I was continually soul-searching and trying to think up a new career. My partner, Ash, had retrained as a sports-massage therapist and pilates instructor and I felt envious of the passion he had for his work. I started to panic, thinking, “Am I ever going to find that?”

Then, in 2018, a chance conversation changed everything when a friend told me she was thinking of becoming a dog trainer. I can only describe it as a lightning-bolt moment; I came away absolutely certain that I was going to become a dog trainer, too. I’ve been animal-mad my whole life and I had always desperately wanted to have a dog, but my working hours had made that impossible.

I started researching courses that same day, and two days later, handed in my notice. The relief was immense.

So, in 2019, at the age of 50, I left my six-figure salary behind and completed a five-month course in dog training. It was a massive pay drop, but I supported myself by dog walking on the side, and that summer, I set up my business, Pup Talk (puptalk.co.uk), and finally got my own dog, a rescue called Bodie. I charge £60 for 45-minute one-to-one training sessions, but I’ve also broadened my income by writing a book and offering a membership scheme.

My lifestyle now is unrecognisable. I get to be outside, doing what I love, and I can decide the shape of my working day. Most mornings, I start with a walk through the woods with Bodie, and it feels incredible. My earnings aren’t what they were, but my mental health has never been so good, and I get huge satisfaction from knowing that I’ve directly helped people and their dogs.

I’d advise anyone to look back at the passions or hobbies they enjoyed as a child and think about whether there’s a way to transform that into a career. It took me four years to find “the One”, but I’m so glad I did.