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Indian woman goes from earning ₹1 crore in London to cleaning flats in Melbourne: ‘I’ve realised that money is freedom’
Shweta Desai discusses her identity crisis after leaving a high-paying job in London for cleaning Airbnb apartments in Melbourne
An Indian woman who once held a high-paying leadership role in London has opened up about the identity crisis she experienced after moving to Australia and taking up work cleaning Airbnb apartments in Melbourne. Shweta Desai spoke about the importance of financial independence for women in an Instagram video that has resonated with thousands online.
The Indian woman, who previously worked as Head of Product for a major commercial business website in London, told HT.com that switching careers made her realise that no job is big or small, and that she is so much more than the work she does.
From corporate job to cleaning apartments
Shweta, 37, gave up her big salary and high-flying job in London to move to Melbourne with her husband and two children in late 2023. The move brought with it a sense of identity crisis as Shweta could not find a job in Melbourne.
“The job market in Melbourne is very different, so I couldn’t find what I wanted,” she explained.
With few options, she chose to take up the first job she was offered, which was managing Airbnb apartments. This included cleaning the apartments, doing the laundry and answering guest queries.
“I went from Head of Product in London to cleaning apartments in Melbourne,” she said in her Instagram post. “And for a long time I thought I’d lost myself completely.”
‘The title. The salary. Gone’
Born and raised in Mumbai, Shweta had moved to London for higher studies in 2008. She spent the next 15 years building a home and life in the British capital.
By 2023, she was earning close to £100,000 at the boutique wedding registry where she worked in London. That comes to approximately ₹1 crore a year. And then she gave it all up when her husband found a job in Melbourne.
(Also read: Delhi couple quits corporate jobs, moves to the hills and opens a cafe, taking pay cut for happiness)
The move naturally forced her to downgrade her lifestyle. In London, Shweta had designer bags, fancy makeup and financial freedom. In Melbourne, she did not have access to the same standard of living.
“I went from a big job, a big title, and a pretty big salary to cleaning apartments in Melbourne,” she said.
“So Shweta who lived in London always had clothes in her wardrobe. She had six or seven pairs of shoes, branded makeup, handbags. She lived life queen size,” said the Indian woman. “The title. The salary. The wardrobe. It was all gone.”
The identity crisis
Shweta said the move left her emotionally drained and disconnected from herself.
“The person who remained was like a shell,” she recalled. “She was bending over backwards for everyone, making sure that any needs that she had didn’t really get done, were not prioritised, were not asked. And it was bad.”
“When nothing was working out in the job market, I picked up the first job that I found which was managing Airbnb apartments. This includes cleaning them, doing the linens, answering questions on their platform,” she said.
But unexpectedly, the work helped her reconnect with herself. “It’s a functional job. It gave me a small part of myself back, so I do it.”
Today, besides managing apartments, Shweta Desai also teaches English to children and is building her own business and coaching practice.
She is candid about the effect that being unemployed had on her.
“Everywhere we went, people would ask me, so what do you do? I didn't really have an answer. I would say stuff like, I'm figuring it out, I'm a housewife. And no disrespect to housewives, but I felt like I was putting on a mask. I just didn't feel like I was living my life anymore,” she said.
But being unemployed also allowed her to reconnect with herself. “But here’s what nobody tells you about losing a career you worked fifteen years to build. When the title goes — you find out who you actually are underneath it. And I found someone I really like,” she said.
“Money is freedom”
At the heart of Shweta Desai’s story is a quieter reflection on what money once represented in her life. While many may claim that money does not matter, she is more pragmatic.
For her, being financially independent means having the freedom to live life on her own terms.
“I’ve realised that money equals freedom,” said Shweta. “It means not having to explain why a lip balm costs as much as it does!” she joked.
“Jokes apart, money means options, freedom and sometimes happiness too. I’ve also realised that I put too much value into what the job title meant for my identity and my ego and how I cuddled my sadness and pain. Now I do 3 different jobs- one cleaning apartments for an Airbnb,” said Shweta.
(Also read: Kanpur girl leaves ₹4 LPA job at TCS to make nearly ₹14 LPA on her own terms: ‘Couldn’t afford expensive education’)
Following the success of her Instagram reels, she said she also launched “The Rebuild Room”, a WhatsApp community for women navigating major life transitions.
“It grew organically from my Instagram content,” she said. “Women started reaching out saying they were living similar experiences — career loss, relocation, identity shifts — and wanted connection.
“I’m also building a coaching practice specifically for women navigating these transitions. The community and the coaching work hand in hand,” said Shweta.
