How a finance executive discovered that the best ROI is Return on Inner peace
For 26 years, Ma. Angelica “Angge” Valencia lived by the numbers. Finance spreadsheets, performance metrics, back-to-back meetings that stretched from dawn to dusk. Success meant climbing higher, earning more, proving herself in a world that measured worth in promotions and profit margins.
Today, you're more likely to find her spending hours in a museum, completing an intricate jigsaw puzzle, or building Lego masterpieces with the same focus she once reserved for quarterly reports. Her transformation from corporate climber to creative explorer isn't just about career change—it's about reclaiming a part of herself she thought was lost forever.
A Surprise in London
I was living in Dublin at the time and I'll never forget the weekend I flew over to London, thinking I was catching up with Angge during what I assumed was just another vacation. We've been friends for years, so when I heard she was spending a month in London with another good friend, a quick weekend visit seemed like the perfect opportunity to reconnect even as I anticipated a hectic, pre-scheduled itinerary.
What I discovered instead left me astounded.
At 49, Angge had taken early retirement from Unilever—the company she'd been with since graduating from university. Even more surprising? She had no concrete plans beyond being in London at that moment. For someone who lived by strategic planning and quarterly forecasts, this level of uncertainty was completely out of character.
Or so I thought.
As it turns out, this wasn’t a spontaneous decision. Angge had always envisioned retiring at 50 so she could be “free to be herself.” She had quietly been working toward this goal, even as the rest of us were still sprinting up our respective corporate ladders.
The Pivot Point: When Menopause Became a Muse
"Coincidentally, menopause hit me when I was in my early retirement phase,” Angge shares. “I saw the shift from having a hectic calendar and multi-tasking as a way of life to being comfortable with spontaneity, more quiet reflection time, and delving into creative activities."
Angge's Second Spring began at the intersection of two major life transitions. While many women dread menopause as an ending, she discovered it was actually a beginning—a biological and psychological reset that gave her permission to redefine everything.
The woman who once found fulfilment in surviving days packed with meetings began to discover something revolutionary: "Days of 'doing nothing' can be quite fulfilling, too. It allows me more time to reflect = inner calm, have better sleep quality and in general, a relaxed, happier me."
Rekindling Her Artistic Soul
Perhaps the most beautiful part of Angge's story is the rediscovery of her artistic side.
"During my elementary days, I could say I had a talent for art but eventually I set this aside as I shifted towards my love for math/logic and hence, had a finance career for 26 years."
Her Second Spring reawakened that dormant creative spark. Now, she delights in:
- Completing intricate jigsaw puzzles
- Building detailed Lego creations
- Creating art with beads
- Exploring museums (more in the past couple of years than all previous years combined)
- Playing online games that challenge her creativity
"I find joy in re-engaging more of my right brain again."
Redefining Success: From Salary to Serenity
Gone are the metrics of her corporate years—salary size, promotions, project completions. In their place: a gentler, truer definition of success.
"I used to measure success by the size of my salary, getting a promotion, landing projects/deliverables, gaining recognition. Now, having retired from corporate life, I no longer have these and yet, I actually feel more successful."
Her new definition of success?
"Memories created, personal connections deepened which comes from spending more of my time with people who matter."
Embracing Spontaneity
"I have become comfortable with a day of having no agenda and embracing spontaneity. Social engagements can be a spur of the moment (no longer has to be in the calendar way in advance just to be accommodated in my then busy life)."
For someone who lived by calendar invites and carefully scheduled efficiency, learning to embrace spontaneity was perhaps the biggest shift of all. Angge now starts each day with possibility rather than predetermined productivity goals.
She's adopted a daily reflection practice, answering questions from a Deepak Chopra journal, allowing for the kind of introspection that busy corporate life never permitted.
Navigating Menopause with Wisdom and Humor
Rather than seeing menopause as something to endure, Angge approaches it with practical wisdom and delightful humor. Joint pains led to more walking (combined with shopping and travel, she notes with a laugh). Brain fog inspired brain exercises. Hot flashes? She's armed with a "shirt cool spray from Japan" and her trusty Jisu life.
"Menopause brings so much more than just respite from monthly flows. It brings wisdom (built from years), stronger clarity on what matters most, what you want and don't want. New possibilities in this life stage should be explored and celebrated."
The Gift of Deeper Connections
One of the most profound changes in Angge's Second Spring has been the evolution of her relationships.
"Definitely it has become more meaningful and connections are deeper with the people who matter to me."
With the gift of time she never had in her corporate days, she can now invest in the relationships that truly matter, creating the kind of lasting memories that no quarterly report could ever provide.
Hard-Won Wisdom for the Next Generation
I asked her what advice she wished she'd shared earlier in our friendship, and her response was both honest and liberating:
"There is more to life than becoming part of the C-suite. Sometimes it is just not worth it, putting up with the stress, politics at that level."
To her younger self, she would say: "It will be a bumpy ride but enjoy the journey. Know that the best is yet to come! Do what you are passionate about and remember to take care of yourself first so you can have the energy to do what you enjoy doing and perhaps, even to discover a new passion."
What's Next: Still Discovering
Angge's journey is far from over. "I am still in the process of discovering what else is there to come in this chapter of my life," she admits. But what she knows for certain is that her current joy comes from "being able to share the gift of time with family and friends" and "creating personal memories and hopefully, leaving a positive impact on family and friends."
A Message to Women in Midlife
For women approaching or experiencing their own Second Spring, Angge's message is one of preparation and possibility:
"I hope more women become aware and get equipped with more knowledge about menopause (from peri to post). A more deliberate understanding of the whys and whats of navigating menopause helps make the symptoms bearable and allows for a new and better chapter to evolve."
Her transformation from performance metrics to joy metrics isn't just inspiring—it's proof that our most creative, fulfilling chapters might just be waiting for us on the other side of what we think is an ending.
Angge’s Second Spring story is a gentle reminder that sometimes the best investment isn't in climbing higher—it's in digging deeper into who we were always meant to be.
Angge Valencia spent 26 years in a corporate career in finance before embracing early retirement and discovering her Second Spring. She currently divides her time between travel, creative pursuits, and deepening connections with family and friends. You can follow more Second Act stories at [Blog.SecondSpringPH.com]