- She had the dream job and financial security, but when Jane Onoka read heartbreaking letters written by her children, everything felt hollow
- In that moment, the success and enviable global lifestyle she thought mattered suddenly no longer made sense
- What followed was a bold decision that would completely redefine her life and priorities, one she does not regret
For years, Jane Onoka had what many would call a dream life: a prestigious role at the World Bank, a generous salary, and a passport stamped with destinations across the globe.
Source: Facebook
But behind the success, something was quietly unravelling. Despite her professional achievements, Jane recalls a lingering sense of emptiness.
Why Jane felt empty
In a YouTube interview on Dialogues With Jagero, she disclosed that her career, though enviable, left her feeling disconnected and increasingly unhappy.
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The mother of two blames the discontent on a lack of alignment between her and the job, a period she now describes as emotionally draining.
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Her demanding schedule, which included constant travelling across the world, took a toll not only on her well-being but also on her family life.
She experienced long stretches away from home, and even when she tried to maintain connection through phone calls, the distance created strain between her and her family.
How Covid helped Jane find herself
After years of trying to make it work across continents, she eventually relocated to the Ivory Coast while her husband made the difficult decision to resign from his job and join her.
Then came the Covid-19 pandemic, an unexpected pause that would change everything.
For the first time in years, the family found themselves in one place, forced by circumstance to slow down. It was during this period that Jane stumbled upon something that would deeply shake her.
While going through her children’s school application materials, she found letters they had written as part of their admission process. What she read stopped her in her tracks.
Letters from Jane’s daughters
Her younger daughter wrote about having a large bedroom filled with toys, yet feeling alone, with only dolls for company.
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Her teenage sister, in her own letter, spoke of growing up too quickly, taking on a parental role because their parents were often away.
Those words pierced through Jane’s carefully built world.
“They made tears well in my eyes,” she recalled. “It made me wonder what we were working towards if not for our children.”
Source: Facebook
In that moment, the weight of her choices became clear. Despite the success, she felt she had failed in the place that mattered most.
The realisation marked a turning point. Already feeling out of sync with her career, Jane made the bold decision to step away from her high-powered role.
Drawing inspiration from a money management course she had previously taken in the US, she chose to pause, reflect, and redefine her priorities.
She resigned from her job and began a journey to rebuild her life, this time, with intention.
What does Jane do now?
Today, Jane has redirected her energy towards a new purpose: helping corporate women gain financial clarity and chart their own paths to freedom.
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Her work is grounded in the lessons she learned firsthand: that success without alignment can come at a steep personal cost.
Back home, her life looks very different. She now spends more time with her children, nurturing the relationships that once struggled under the weight of her career demands.
In a symbolic move, the family even let go of their expansive home in Karen, a place that once represented success, but no longer aligned with their values.
In choosing presence over prestige, she found something her former life could not offer: a sense of wholeness.
Kenyan nurse quits KSh 1.8m salary job in US
Jane followed in the footsteps of Faith Mbori, who quit a lucrative job in the US and returned to Homa Bay.
Faith was earning a KSh 1.8 million salary and building what many would call a dream career, but peace remained elusive.
Behind the success story, she was silently battling overwhelming stress and anxiety that eventually forced her to quit.
Source: NgGossips
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