From Burnout to Breakthrough: Kaja’s Path to Freedom

Welcome to Radhika’s Newsletter “Intent”. This is your 3x/month guide to purposeful living, wealth-building, and personal growth.

I am so so so excited to feature our next Intent in Action hero: Kaja!!!!!

Kaja and I met a few years ago (completely by chance) at a real estate conference. Neither of us knew anyone there, and we both showed up with the simple intention to learn. I kid you not, we literally bumped into each other as she was fixing her name badge. I walked up and asked how the conference was going for her, and that tiny moment sparked a big conversation about life, real estate, and our goals. It ended up being the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

Kaja has been a huge source of inspiration for me in more ways than one. All that being said, I’m so excited to share her own story!! I’m beyond thrilled to finally share her story. Keep reading to hear how she made the bold leap from a government job to becoming a real estate investor!

Can you tell us a bit about who you are and the transition you made in your career or life?

I’m Kaja, a federal employee and a real estate investor.

My foray into real estate investing was, like many people who take massive action in their lives, driven by misery. I was in a job I’d worked half of my 20s to get. I’d checked all the boxes I’d been told to check: good grades, good school, good job, fiancé, house, and finally getting paid for my life’s passion: riding and training horses. 

After a year-long hiring process to enter the federal government, three years in my agency, getting into the unit of my dreams, and finishing a master’s program to further my career, I could finally pull my head from the grind and wonder about the life I was downhill-gliding into. Instead of glorious triumph, I found myself thinking… Is this it? Am I supposed to just do this for another 20+ years? 

What was the turning point that inspired you to make this change or pursue this new direction?

The initial realization didn’t come all at once. Over the course of a couple of years, I began my exploration into self-development, personal finance, business, and investing. I read and listened to everything I could find, looking for some way out of my surprisingly dissatisfying life.

I landed on the pursuit of financial freedom and, in turn, real estate. It seemed the oldest and most reliable way to build wealth. I’d bought my first house and was happily plugging along, saving for the next, when things got ugly.

Over the course of 18 months, my relationship fell apart, and my dream job proved to be the most toxic work environment I’ve ever known. I remember staring into the work bathroom mirror, months into a crisis that had everyone working 18-hour days, 7 days a week, constantly waiting for the next disaster. I remember staring and thinking, “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t leave, but I can’t go on.”

It was one of the lowest moments of my life. I decided afterward that I would never allow myself to be in that position again—too afraid to simply quit a job that had pushed me to a breaking point.

What steps did you take to approach this transition intentionally, and how did you plan for success?

My work experience sent me into overdrive. My newfound hobby of growing wealth became an obsession for financial freedom.

In less than 2.5 years, my boyfriend (now husband) and I bought 5 houses. I consumed information voraciously, set a clear income goal, learned to analyze properties, and found side gigs to save more money. I tracked and recorded everything, from hours worked to weekly and quarterly goals. I said no to most things, even fun things that I feared would distract me from my mission. I was not only obsessed, I intentionally kept myself obsessed.

What challenges or doubts did you face along the way, and how did you overcome them?

In the following few years, 70 to 80-hour workweeks became the norm. I moved across the country to a place I’d never been. The new job was a far healthier workplace, but my sense of panic remained. I was forever running for my life, toward some promised light at the end of a tunnel, watching the door to freedom slowly close before me. Turns out, buying, renovating, and managing properties is anxiety-producing, to say the least. It was sheer grit and desperation that got me through.

I would constantly recall the words of a particular podcaster I followed—something along the lines of, “Your first deal is like your first time on a bike. You will fall. It will suck. Just expect that and know it gets better.”

Over three years in, I realized my anxiety-ridden pace was having real impacts on my health. Around the same time, the market shifted. The incredible rise post-2008 and COVID had finally puttered out. Interest rates had risen, and the financial freedom-through-real-estate dream was shifting from a 5-year sprint to a 10+ year haul.

What impact has this transition had on your life, and how has it shaped your vision for the future?

Like I had years ago, I pulled my head from the grind and realized a few things. I did not love real estate investing and never had. In fact, I kind of hated certain parts of it. I had achieved a base level of financial freedom. While I was nowhere near my ambitious goals in rental profits, I could quit my job tomorrow, work part time, and still pay the bills. My small portfolio was stabilizing and had easily doubled my would-have-been wealth. Also, my new job didn’t suck. On the contrary, I often enjoyed it. Why had it taken me 2 years to realize that? 

If someone in a similar position is reading this, what advice would you give them about taking that first step?

The last decade has taught me two seemingly conflicting lessons. Chasing your passion doesn’t always end in happiness. Neither does strictly chasing what’s practical. Instead, I’ve come to believe the answer is less about knowing exactly what to chase. The answer comes in the sheer act of moving. Set goals, go big, but realize that sometimes they change. That’s ok. Redirect. At some point you’ll find yourself enjoying your work. It might sneak up on you and it might not be quite the thing you planned for. For years I had this bookmark that said, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” Cheesy? Yes, but also true. 

How did staying true to your intentions guide you through this transition, and what role did clarity of purpose play in your journey?

I came to the realization after my most recent end-of-year review that my values and my goals haven’t always been aligned. Over the course of the year, I’d achieved only about half of my goals. Why? I’d been busy pursuing, accidentally or subconsciously, what I valued. The last five years have made me realize just how fixated I was on a destination. It’s a symptom of our culture: I will finally be happy when…

I’d believed achieving my passive income goal would be the beginning of my freedom, the real life I was meant to live. Eventually, I realized two things. First, there is no such thing as “passive income.” There is progressively easier income as properties stabilize and systems are refined, but these things take far longer than anyone on a success story podcast is willing to admit—years, not months. Second, the people who teach financial freedom aren’t out living their alternate fantasy lives. They’re still in real estate, working long hours and actively earning their income because they love it. They love (yes, I know it’s a cliché) the journey.

Life comes in chapters. Goals change. I’ve since moved across the country a second time and will probably do so a third and fourth. I don’t regret the years I spent grinding so hard in real estate, and I’ll continue to invest at a slower pace. It has put my family in a financial position that not many people can enjoy. I will never have to fear leaving a job I hate again. I’ll be able to retire long before most of my peers. That’s all great. But it was never really about the income goal, it was about achieving a life focused on growth, family, financial security, and adventure. That is a process, not a destination.

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Your commitment to living with purpose is exactly why this space exists. Can’t wait to share more in the next edition!

Until next time,
Radhika
Creating a life of purpose, wealth, and growth.