Leaving L7 role in big tech

I’ve decided to take the jump and leave my L7 role in big tech. Late thirties with a young kid, aging parents, and I just want some time to focus on family and my own creative pursuits. It’s scary leaving at this time with the AI craze (especially if you work at a big company where they’re hard pivoting to AI everywhere, raising expectations etc).

While I do plan to just rest after years of pretty serious burnout, I also plan to seriously think about what an alternative career might look like. There’s definitely a non-zero chance I go back into tech (but hopefully a smaller company more aligned with my values), but I’m also curious about hard pivoting to something else entirely. I’ve thought about things as broad as interior design to real estate to starting a pillow importing business, lol. I know it all comes with a large pay cut.

Does anyone here have success stories of finding a second career after tech? I know they’re out there and would love some inspiration and encouragement 💜