An Indian woman who once held a high-paying leadership role in London has opened up about the identity crisis she faced after moving to Australia and taking up work cleaning Airbnb apartments in Melbourne.Shweta Desai spoke about the importance of financial independence for women in an Instagram video that has resonated widely online. The 37-year-old said the experience taught her that no job is “big or small” and that personal worth cannot be tied only to titles or salaries.From corporate leadership to cleaning apartmentsBorn and raised in Mumbai, Shweta moved to London in 2008 for higher studies and spent nearly 15 years building her career there. She eventually became Head of Product for a commercial business website and was reportedly earning close to £100,000 a year, nearly Rs 1 crore annually.However, in late 2023, she relocated to Melbourne with her husband and two children after her husband secured a job there.Unable to land a role similar to the one she held in London, she accepted the first opportunity she received — managing Airbnb apartments. The work involved cleaning rooms, handling laundry and responding to guest queries.“I went from Head of Product in London to cleaning apartments in Melbourne,” she said in her Instagram post. “And for a long time I thought I’d lost myself completely. The title. The salary. Gone.”‘The person who remained was like a shell’Shweta said the transition forced her to downgrade her lifestyle significantly. In London, she enjoyed financial freedom, designer handbags, branded makeup and what she described as a “queen size” lifestyle.“The title. The salary. The wardrobe. It was all gone,” she said.The sudden shift deeply affected her emotionally and triggered an identity crisis.“The person who remained was like a shell,” she recalled. “She was bending over backwards for everyone, making sure that any needs that she had didn’t really get done, were not prioritised.”Despite the difficult adjustment, Shweta said the experience eventually changed her perspective on work, dignity and self-worth. She said she realised that her identity extended beyond professional labels and salaries and stressed the importance of women maintaining financial independence regardless of circumstances.