I felt unfulfilled as a stay-at-home mom. Now I run a travel business from my bedroom and enjoy the best of both worlds.

I felt unfulfilled as a stay-at-home mom. Now I run a travel business from my bedroom and enjoy the best of both worlds. Nicola Lewis runs her travel company from home. Courtesy of Nicola Lewis This story is based on an interview with Nicola Lewis, 44, the owner of an online travel business from Essex, England. It has been edited for length and clarity.It had been a long, uphill struggle to become a mom in my late 30s.I'd had a series of miscarriages before I finally gave birth to my son, Harry, almost seven years ago, and he was the center of my universe.Still, after two years of staying at home with him, I felt lost and confused. I was approaching 40, had been out of the workplace for a while, and my confidence was at rock bottom. My confidence was so low, I honestly didn't know if I had a place in the world of work.Before I had my son, I'd been employed my whole adult life, including as a holiday rep in Spain and for wedding venues in Essex. I started off as a sales assistant and, at 26, ended up on the board as sales and marketing director. Lewis and her husband, Ross, and son, Harry, on vacation. Courtesy of Nicola Lewis After leaving the job to travel to Asia and Australia for 18 months, I rejoined the company and stayed for five more years. Next, I bought a bridal shop in 2017.It was a year after I married my husband, Ross, 47, an electrician, and he supported my venture as I threw myself into running my own small business.Our son was our No.1 priorityI'd suffered three miscarriages since our wedding. It looked as if we had to try IVF, so I sold the shop in 2019, planning to use the money to pay for treatment. As if by a miracle, we didn't need the intervention. I got pregnant naturally with Harry. I was closely monitored throughout, and he was born safely in December, 2019.For months beforehand, Ross and I discussed what to do next. At that time, I thought, "Forget the career, our son is our No. 1 priority, and I want to concentrate on him." Lewis relaxing with her son, Harry. Courtesy of Nicola Lewis We decided to tighten our belts and live off Ross's wages. We downsized to a smaller house, stopped going to restaurants and eating takeout, and didn't go on vacations.Then, in February 2022, I noticed a lack of direction. I loved Harry so much and didn't want him to come second, but I felt unfulfilled.I couldn't figure out how to be his primary carer while expanding my own horizons. I'd begun to lose my identity.I researched my career optionsAfter a while, I realized the only person who could change the situation was myself. There must be something that I could do from home, I thought.I researched the options, speaking to moms who'd already taken the leap. It led me to decide to become an independent travel agent.By February 2023, I'd put aside enough money to launch my own business under the licensing of an established online travel firm. Lewis enjoys working from home — often out of her bedroom. Courtesy of Nicola Lewis It meant being able to be home for Harry, who didn't have to go to day care, while scheduling my working hours around his needs.My desk is in my living room, and I often operate from my bedroom, sitting on the bed.Over the last three years, I've booked lots of luxury travel, specializing in honeymoons and bucket-list destinations like The Maldives and Africa for safaris.I hope to inspire other womenThe commission and the perks, such as discounted stays in five-star hotels, have made a world of difference to our family life. We've visited exotic places like Thailand, and hope to take Harry, now in school, to Disneyland soon.We can afford the pleasures in life again. One of my missions is to inspire and help other women to build internet travel businesses like mine. I give my mentoring tips on social media.There's nothing wrong with being a stay-at-home mom or a career woman. I feel like I've found the perfect in-between. Read next Jane Ridley is a correspondent on Business Insider’s Life team, where she tackles parenting, health, careers, and real estate with a reporter’s edge and a storyteller’s instinct.She’s known for her signature As Told To narratives — raw, first‑person accounts shaped from intimate, revealing interviews.Before Business Insider, Ridley spent a decade at the New York Post and six years at the New York Daily News, where she wrote exclusive, standout features.Born and raised in the UK, she moved to the US in 2005 after seven years at The Daily Mirror in London. Her reporting has taken her everywhere from Tokyo and Beijing to Sydney, Bangkok, Athens, and Madrid. as told to Careers Parenting More Travel Small Business work from home side hustles