I Left a High-Paying NYC Fashion Job to Teach Ballet in Cambodia—My Family Thought I Was Mad!

A corporate fashion designer boards a plane to Cambodia for a one month holiday. She's not running from anything. She's not chasing a man. She just Googled "best places for solo female travelers" and Cambodia was number three. Eight years later, she's still here. Teaching fashion to the next generation of Cambodian designers, dancing, modeling, freelancing, and building a life she never could have built in New York. Ray is a multidisciplinary creative who traded her New York cubicle for a $70 tuk tuk ride with a driver who became family, a kindergarten teaching gig she never wanted, and a fashion job she manifested into existence. She grew up in California, moved to Portland, studied in LA, landed in New York working corporate fashion, and hated every second of the cubicle life. So she took a break, Googled Cambodia, and never looked back. This isn't a story about escaping. It's about choosing discomfort over safety, challenge over convenience, and building a life that feeds your soul even when it doesn't make sense on paper. 🔥 What we cover: Why she left New York's corporate fashion scene for a country she'd never been to The $70 tuk tuk driver who took her to meet his family and changed everything Nerd Night and the moment she realized she could actually live here New York summers with no sea breeze and winters that lie to you with sunshine Why she prefers New York bluntness over LA's fake chill energy The racism of teaching: when your skin color affects your qualifications Applying to teach kindergarten and being rejected for a month while a TA taught Two students leaving her class because their parents didn't want a Black teacher How easy it is to get a teaching job in Cambodia if you're white The fashion job she manifested finally calling her after one year of survival jobs Teaching kindergarten seven days a week and ballet on weekends just to stay afloat COVID in Cambodia: lockdown with a different vibe Why she never considered going home during the pandemic The workaholic mentality and learning to stop making herself small Dating for six years straight and losing herself in relationships Trying to find a husband instead of finding herself The year she finally went single and sat with her own thoughts Affirmations, journaling, and learning to speak kindly to herself Redefining success: it's not about money or fame, it's about community and art Why she doesn't agree with what society thinks success looks like Female friendships and learning to let people in Why Cambodia made her the woman she is today Teaching fashion at a Cambodian university and molding the next generation Why most of her students end up working for Chinese owned factories How she switched the curriculum to prepare them for real jobs Doing everything: dancing, modeling, teaching, freelancing, and creating Why you can do everything in Cambodia but you can't in New York Living with intention and learning to say no to opportunities that don't align The year of no and how it changed her entire life Finding your community or leaving because there's nothing else here for you Why she still doesn't speak Khmer after eight years The hardest thing about living here: missing museums, parks, and shopping ⏱️ CHAPTERS: Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: A Multidisciplinary Creative's Journey to Phnom Penh 00:00:27 Corporate Fashion and the Cubicle Life in New York 00:01:00 West Coast Girl Meets East Coast Energy 00:03:36 New York Summers, Brutal Winters, and Learning to Survive 00:06:27 Why Cambodia? A Solo Travel Decision That Changed Everything 00:07:12 First Impressions: Heat, Humidity, and the $70 Tuk-Tuk Man 00:11:08 Nerd Night and Meeting the Expat Community 00:12:08 The Fashion Question: Can I Actually Work Here? 00:12:35 Following Your Gut: The Decision to Move 00:14:16 Leaving New York: When the Fantasy Becomes Reality 00:21:44 Teaching Kindergarten and Ballet: The Survival Jobs 00:23:47 The Racism of Teaching: When Your Skin Color Affects Your Qualifications 00:27:11 The Fashion Job Comes Through: Manifesting Your Dreams 00:29:28 COVID in Cambodia: Lockdown with a Different Vibe 00:37:23 The Workaholic Mentality and Its Double-Edged Sword 00:44:36 Female Friendships and Learning to Let People In 00:50:20 Making Yourself Small in Relationships 00:53:14 Redefining Success: Art, Community, and Intentional Living 00:49:09 Cambodia Made Me Who I Am Today 01:12:09 Teaching Fashion: Molding the Next Generation of Cambodian Designers 01:15:24 Doing Everything: Dance, Model, Teach, and Create 01:16:41 It's the People: Why Cambodia is Home 01:20:43 Living with Intention: Saying No to Say Yes to Yourself #Cambodia #PhnomPenh #NewYork #ExpatLife #FashionDesigner #TeachingAbroad #BlackWomen #SoloTravel #CorporateEscape #LivingAbroad #Workaholic #FemaleFreindships #Relationships #RedefiningSuccess #Community #IntentionalLiving #COVID19 #Lockdown #SelfDiscovery #Podcast #AprilJackson #BabesHowDidYouGetHere #FindingHome #BuildingCommunity #ChoosingYourself