"I retired aged 54 due to burnout - I still refuse to lie in and love the 5am wake up"

A woman who ditched her job for early retirement aged 54 due to "burnout" refuses to lie in and still wakes up at 5am every day. Jeanne Thompson, 56, quit her six figure corporate job as a senior vice president at a financial service in December 2021 - as she was struggling with being on zoom for seven hours a day. She was experiencing burn out - a state of complete mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion - and after working full-time from home during the pandemic she didn't want to go back to the office. The mum-of-two decided to ditch corporate life for early retirement - six years before she was due to retire - but felt "lost" in her first year jobless as she had no hobbies and lost her daily structure. But Jeanne soon realised the possibilities and has now travelled to South East Asia and plans to travel to the Caribbean and Mediterranean too. She has joined sports clubs and picked up part-time work as a consultant for 10 hours a week. Despite no longer needing to wake up early for her commute, Jeanne continues to rise at 5am.