I gave it all up … to dive in the Seychelles

I used to joke about quitting my job in Leeds and moving to the Seychelles. Then one day I thought, why not?

I loved my job for 15 years - really loved it - until one day I didn't. I ran the pop music degree at Leeds College of Music and it was a great creative environment. But one day it occurred to me that I had to wait 16 years until I got my pension, and the idea of sitting around waiting felt like no way to live.

I was 45, and this coincided with the breakdown of my 20-year relationship. It was a classic mid-life crisis. I let it be known that I didn't want to stay on at work, and when they restructured there was no longer a position for me. At that moment I thought, "Oh shit, what have I done?"