I Left the Bay Area and Moved to Barcelona After Layoff, Much Happier

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Steph Kumar, the 41-year-old founder of Two Cents, a research agency based in Barcelona. It’s been edited for length and clarity.

When I was laid off from Twitter at the end of 2022, I quickly realized that my career was my social currency in the Bay Area, and I had lost it.

I’ve worked in research and insights for a little over 15 years now, and I spent about 13 of those years working at Google, Twitter, Pinterest, and Yahoo.

It was normal for the conversation at a children’s birthday party to be about where we worked, what department we worked in, and who our manager was. Once I didn’t have that identity marker of working at Twitter or Google, the tone shifted, and it became awkward in those moments.

My family and I started reflecting, and we realized that the way we were living in the Bay Area wasn’t how we wanted to live in our next chapter. I registered my own company at the end of 2022, and in 2024, my family and I moved to Barcelona.

Since stepping away from our old environment and redefining life on our own terms, happiness has become what we consider to be success.

I never planned on working in tech, but that’s where I found my path

When I earned my master’s degree in public policy, I thought I would work in the public sector. This was around 2009, when the economy was bad, so I started looking for roles anywhere I could use my research background. Through my network, I landed a role at Yahoo, analyzing advertising campaigns, and I spent four years there in various roles.

After having my daughter, I wanted a new chapter. I joined Pinterest during its startup phase, but the work-life balance wasn’t what I wanted as a new mother. In 2017, I moved to Google, leading a team in brand research, a role I truly loved.

In 2021, I took a director-level position at Twitter, now X. I became senior director of user research and remained in that role until my layoff at the end of 2022.

After my layoff, I realized my relationships felt very transactional in the Bay Area, and it was time to move

At social gatherings like holiday parties or cultural events, it was common that a quick introduction would end with a LinkedIn connection.

Once I was laid off, I had to reflect on who I was without this job, title, and status. I was mourning for an identity that was no longer relevant.

I registered my LLC before I even knew what the business would look like. Business coaches and very dear friends helped me figure out what to offer, what clients would value, and what actually brought me joy. We saw a way I could earn income through my research agency, which provides custom research plans for companies.

This led my family to believe that we could work and live anywhere in the world.

We tested a few European cities to see which would be the best fit, and learned that Barcelona has a great tech startup scene

In the summer of 2023, we spent a month traveling through Europe to try out different cities we might want to live in. When we arrived in Barcelona, we immediately fell in love with it. We loved the beach, the weather, the people, and the food. We saw schools we liked for our daughter here.

Barcelona also has a great tech startup scene. Before we even arrived, we would message people on LinkedIn in Barcelona and ask if they would be up for a 20-minute call. We came back and put our house on the market, and I planned a trip to tour living spaces for us in October of that year.

We hired a relocation service to help us make the move smoother

The type of visa we’re on is the investor visa, which is no longer an option. Our visa is valid for around five years, which is why we chose it.

We worked with a relocation service that had agents who helped us decide whether to rent or buy a home. They also have lawyers who handled all of our visa processing, which was very helpful because we had to go to the police department to get fingerprinted, and they sent a translator with us.

The company also assisted us with small tasks, such as setting up a bank account, utilities, phone, and internet.

The hardest part was the mindset and leaving behind what I knew

Once we moved to Barcelona, it felt like deprogramming myself. I was taught success in life meant to climb the ladder and make as much money as I could, get the house, get the car, and wear the best brands.

When you have that kind of reinforcement for 40 years, it takes a while to start thinking about what community looks like without a work identity and what friendship looks like when there’s no value exchange.

Now that we’re settled, we’re hitting this high point of happiness to know life without that value placement.

I don’t care about making the same money I made in tech because I’m so much happier

I walked in with eyes wide open, knowing that my business’s first year would be a learning and experimental year. Fortunately, our savings and my husband’s support enabled that.

At Twitter, my base was north of $300,000. I’m willing to forgo that level of financial wealth for happiness. I feel like I’m not sacrificing anything by not having the salary I used to have.

I’m waking up every day, not afraid of my inbox or calendar. I’m happy about what’s coming, hearing the church bells outside our window every 15 minutes, being able to walk outside and have people smile and engage with no intent other than just to say hello — this is the definition of success for me today.

Do you have a relocation story to share? Contact this reporter, Agnes Applegate, at aapplegate@businessinsider.com.