With department budgets squeezed and a work–life balance that was difficult to manage, Dawn Morse decided to change direction. But rather than making a 180-degree shift, she used her existing skills to launch her own business. Here's how she did it.

Siobhan Partridge was tired of working for someone else. She needed to know if she could build something of her own, so she set out to make it happen. Here's how she's created a work arrangement that, despite the ups and downs, she wouldn't change for anything.

Nick O'Sullivan was looking for greater freedom and work–life balance. He discovered it in a completely different field than he thought he would. But making the transition was no easy task. Here's how he overcame difficult logistics, a long notice period and a salary cut to create work that gives him everything he was hoping to find.

Becky Mackenzie was trapped in her own belief that financial responsibility meant pursuing a conventional career path. But that meant ignoring a huge part of who she was. Here's how she got back in touch with what she loved  (and what she knew deep down she needed to be doing).