I was trapped in depressing 9-5 after quitting my toxic job – how I turned it all round in two years to make £400k wage

AFTER spending over a decade as a “stage kid”, Zoe Harrison finally graduated in Musical Theatre and Dance – and even got a top agent. She was just 21 and the world was her oyster. But it wasn’t long until the aspiring performer gave up on her dreams – ones that also came with the past trauma of constant criticism and shouting. Zoe Harrison, from Essex, told us how how she went from being stuck at a “depressing” 9-5 to making a fortune Credit: Supplied And in just eighteen months, she has 26 teachers working for her, 700 pupils and her turnover is already around £400,000 Credit: Supplied But fast-forward to 2026 and the Essex-based mum is back in the entertainment business, raking in a staggering £400k aged 28. Here Zoe reveals how she went from being stuck at a “depressing” 9-5 to making a fortune…. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! “Recently, I bumped into an old friend from my stage school days. Instead of it being an opportunity to reminisce fondly about our years training to be professional performers, I felt saddened – but not shocked – to hear that over a decade on, she still feels traumatised by the experience, and her crushed self-confidence has never recovered. Like lots of little girls, Zoe fell in love with performing after taking Saturday dance classes Credit: Supplied While Zoe loved what she was doing at London stage school, it was a very intense, pressurised environment for young kids, she told us Credit: Supplied When Victoria Beckham revealed in her Netflix docu that her life-long issues with her body image began when she was at theatre school and was called ‘fat’, I wasn’t remotely surprised. I grew up in a similar environment, attending stage school from the age of 11, before going on to take a degree in Musical Theatre and Dance at a vocational university. I witnessed and personally experienced the toxicity that still permeates that world, and the lack of care for the emotional wellbeing of little girls and young women. Unlike my old friend, however, I refused to let it ruin and define my future. Instead, I took all the negativity of that world and flipped into a positive, launching my own performing arts business where the focus is on fun and building confidence. Most read in Fabulous And in just eighteen months, I have 26 teachers working for me, 700 pupils and my turnover is already around £400,000 proving there’s a real need for what I offer. Like lots of little girls, I fell in love with performing after taking Saturday dance classes. I soon dropped all my other hobbies and took classes in ballet, street dance, tap and singing, almost every day of the week. When I was nine I successfully auditioned for a part in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, which was running in the West End at that time. That experience sparked my ambition to become a stage performer, in musical theatre, it was all I wanted to do. It was my mum who suggested I auditioned for a full time London stage school when I was eleven. She could see it was my passion and wanted the best opportunities for me. I won a scholarship and in 2009 enrolled. Three days a week, we took academic classes like at a “normal” school but the other two were devoted to performing, with classes in singing, acting and dance. On one hand, I was getting to do what I loved but it was a very intense, pressurised environment for young kids. Long hours, a lot of criticism if mistakes were made and a focus on body shape and size were the norm. I remember having my wrists measured in a ballet class to check I wasn’t getting too ‘big’ and seeing girls in tears after being shouted at for making a mistake. There were great days but also times when I believed I’d never be good enough. It was cut-throat – the teachers were only interested in pushing us to our limits to make us the best performers, our emotional well-being wasn’t a consideration, and our worth was measured by our success and skill only. We didn’t know any different, that was our norm, but I can see now, it wasn’t sowing the seeds for turning us into well-adjusted, confident adults. In 2019, when I was 21, I graduated with a degree in Musical Theatre and Dance and got a top agent, still dreaming of breaking into the musical theatre industry. I lasted just three months on the conveyor belt of auditions. Meeting women who had been in the industry for years, I could see the pressures many were carrying. On stage they were incredibly talented, but behind the scenes some were battling confidence issues, anxiety and unhealthy relationships with their bodies. It made me question whether that was a future I wanted for myself. I decided to take a step away from that world and work out what to do next, getting a job in corporate recruitment. It was a painful decision – I was such a naturally creative person and the thought of a dull 9-5 at a desk was depressing, but I needed an income and time to reflect on where I was going if being a professional performer no longer felt like the right career. In 2024, I began working at the weekends as a freelance teacher at local dance and performance schools. I needed that creative outlet for myself and I found that I loved working with children, their enthusiasm and energy so infectious. However, I felt troubled to witness the same sorts of behaviours from other teachers that I experienced myself as a child and teenager. There was still so much negativity, pressure and judgement and when I saw a child leave a class looking deflated, I saw myself. Nothing had really changed over the years, I realised. In late 2024, I started running my own weekend class, alongside my full time job, determined to offer a more positive, uplifting experience to students. I wasn’t interested in moulding them into future stars, I just wanted them to have fun and believe in themselves. Then in January 2025, I made the leap from employment to opening my own business, ZLH Studios. It was daunting leaving the security of a job to go it alone but I felt sure there was enough demand for what I was offering, a positive spin on performance arts. Fast forward to today and with my team of 26 teachers, I run classes in London, Essex and Surrey for 700 children. Classes include dance, cheerleading, singing, drama and we also run ‘confidence clubs’ in schools, using musical theatre as a vehicle to boost children’s self-esteem and confidence. The emphasis is on having fun, these are not kids planning a career on stage like I was, and that removes the pressure and keeps the envionment positive and gentle. I want our kids to feel inspired and confident, not crushed and lacking. Already, my turnover is around £400,000 which I am ploughing back into the business to continue growing it and reaching more children. For some, the legacy of being a stage school kid can be such a damaging one. I’m glad I’ve been able to channel my experience into something more positive. Follow Zoe on Instagram: @zlhstudios. Comment now