After nearly a decade of teaching English, I hit a wall. Not a soft, subtle pause; the kind of burnout that makes even your passions and day to day life feel heavy. I loved literature, loved the classroom, and loved connecting with students, but somewhere between the endless marking, late nights, early mornings, no time to pee or have a coffee and absolute lack of personal time and energy, I lost myself. The joy was gone, and I knew something had to change, which was hard, because I did also love to teach, and I was good at it... it was also the only job I've ever known.
In the summer of 2024, I made the decision to step away from teaching. It wasn’t easy. In fact, it was one of the hardest choices I’ve ever made, but I knew I was breaking down. Teaching had been more than a job; it was part of my identity. In fact, it was a my main identity to be honest, but so was being creative, imaginative, and deeply in love with books. I loved making resources at school and doing displays. My teacher bestie would always come to my room and ask me to draw her a new research worksheet for her students and my room was known for having vibrant displays (including 100 Macbeth quotes on the ceiling so any day-dreamers would at least be revising...) but I’d let those parts of myself fade under the weight of exhaustion. The love was going, and I felt like a shell of a person who was constantly either on autopilot or always counting down to the next holiday or saying things like "just got to get through this next week and then... and then what exactly? Catch up on the washing and life admin in the holidays? Remind myself what my boyfriend and mum look like? Maybe have the strength to exercise? I just had this huge epiphany- surely this couldn't be it.
After dealing with the loss of my Frenchie, my absolute best friend and rock, my boyfriend and I sat down with a wild idea: what if I quit teaching and we try something new, something small, something bookish? We had always shared a love of reading, especially the kind of stories that sweep you away—classic literature, epic romantasy, slow burns, morally grey love interests, you name it. And from that spark, our little business was born...slowly but surely.
After a Summer of decompressing, we began crafting book-inspired wax melts and accessories for fellow book lovers, but more than that, we poured our love for literature into every piece. We design and make all our own silicone moulds, meaning every wax melt is completely unique. There was SO much to learn...I don't think anyone could've prepared me for the workload (which is hilarious and too ironic really). From learning how to design (I had never used Adobe or Canva) to learning how to use Shopify, educate myself about wax and fragrance, spend a FORTUNE on supplies and machines, learn how to make silicone... start the dreaded "you own a business and therefore you now have to be a content creator" malarkey and this was beyond intense- 2am became the average bedtime for a very long time...but now we do know this stuff, and from Shakespeare to spicy Romantasy, our products are little tributes to the worlds we lose ourselves in, and the ones we long to live in. Like...take me to Velaris, seriously.
What I didn’t expect was how healing the process would be. I'll admit, I cried a lot for months. It was rough. Creating with my hands, working with scent and story, setting my own schedule it gave me room to breathe again. I did struggle with routine...to be so strictly governed by school bells and rigid routine to time sort of becoming irrelevant has been super interesting and dangerous really; it's very easy to become nocturnal if you're not careful. You have to figure out some sort of routine. Now at first, I wont lie, not getting dressed and working in my PJ's was so freeing and so rebellious and comforting, but I soon learnt that it stifled my productivity. Don't get me wrong, I still have these days and it's awesome that I get to choose when they are. I wasn't prepared for how LIFE CHANGING it was to be able to curl up with your laptop in bed at your time of the month and so simple tasks with a brew and the dog- it didn't dawn on me how much I would be able to look after myself and no sickening feeling of having to phone in sick (teaching...the only job where it is easier to go in when you are unwell than stay home and actually get better). No bells ringing, no rush to finish planning, just time to reconnect with myself. Slowly, I began to sleep better. I started reading for pleasure again. I had the headspace to be present with the people I love. I started going swimming with my mum once a week- being able to see her during the week and mix her week up a bit and spend time together has been life-changing for the both of us. I go to pilates, I sit outside when it's sunny (I make sourdough- is that too cliche?) Yes, running your own small business is beyond hard and there are days where I cry, have panic attacks and want to quit, but what I do know, is that life is better since I quit. The little segments of time throughout the day to pause and slow down are priceless to me. I spent 20 minutes today in the sun watering my plants- a simple task to get me away from emails and a very long to-do list.
Starting this bookish business helped me rediscover balance. It allowed me to rebuild a life that honours my creativity, protects my energy, and brings joy not just to me, but to our growing community of readers and makers. It has brought me closer to my boyfriend- more quality time, a more relaxed version of me- we know we made the right decision.
One of the most unexpected blessings has been the connection with customers and book lovers—both personally and through the products we create—has opened the door to a community of kindred spirits. Every message from a fellow reader who relates to a trope or loves our latest wax melt reminds me that there’s magic in this work. We’re not just making products—we’re making joy for people like us. This does wonders for my little friend Anxiety and sometimes you just need to hear that you ARE doing a good job. I'm still learning how to be a bit kinder to myself and speak a little nicer to myself...maybe one day I'll master it, but for now, your kind words mean a lot to me.
So if you're reading this as someone who's burnt out, questioning everything, or dreaming of something different—I want you to know it’s possible. You don’t need to have the whole plan figured out. Sometimes, all it takes is saying “yes” to yourself, to something small and meaningful. For me, it was wax melts and books. For you, it might be something entirely different.
But if you love reading and want bookish wax melts and cute accessories to style your bookshelf, or you simply want to support a new business, check out our gift for book lovers.
