DON'T TELL ME I CAN'T…ditch the corporate ladder

After 20 years of living a big-city life, Julie Macken decided to get back to nature

- EMMA ROSSITER

Wearing my lab coat and goggles, I head into the workshop ready to whip up our latest skincare product. Though I look like a mad scientist, our products are 100% natural, and so am I. At 50, my hair isn’t brushed, I’ve not worn make-up in years, and I’ve banished my old suits to the back of my wardrobe – where they’ll stay.

When I was growing up, I was always splashing in rivers, climbing trees or cycling through fields. But once I graduated with a degree in Chemistry and started a management scheme for big pharmaceutical companies in 1991, I became someone else entirely.

I became the stereotypical city girl – my hair always perfectly coiffed, and wearing knee-length skirts with matching blazers. By evening, my feet ached from high heels and I couldn’t wait to wipe off my lipstick. I knew it wasn’t a true reflection of myself but the job required it, so I stuck with it, working up to marketing experts.