New job, new you
At the end of 2024, life threw a curveball at Ming. She’d worked as a claims officer at an insurance company for nearly a decade. It wasn’t glamorous, but it gave her something she valued even more: freedom. Freedom to travel, meet friends for long Saturday brunches, decorating her tiny Albany apartment or working on her new – and very promising – relationship with Luke. She was good at her job too – organised, reliable, always the one people turned to when things got messy. So when the redundancy news came, it wasn’t just surprising. It was gutting.
At first, she stayed positive. “Something better will come along,” she told herself and anyone else who asked. But as summer slipped into autumn and the job rejections piled up, the doubt began to creep in. Was she not as capable as she thought? Had she peaked? Money got tighter. Days felt longer and unfilled. The confidence that she’d once worn like a favourite jacket started to fray at the edges.
But life has a way of rewarding persistence. In yet another late-night recruitment sites-scrolling session, Ming stumbled across a job ad that made her heart skip: a marketing role at a major sportswear company. Advertising, promotions, branding – all the exciting stuff she secretly dreamed about while shuffling through insurance paperwork. Plus, she was a massive fan of anything active – yoga, hiking, tennis, swimming, weekend runs, you name it. It felt like fate.
Fast forward a few nerve-wracking interviews later, and Ming had landed the job! She was ecstatic, not just because she was employed again, but because she was stepping into a career she actually wanted.
And what better way to celebrate a new beginning than with a brand new winter wardrobe?
Which is how Ming found herself at Albany Mega Centre on a wet Autumn Saturday morning, dragging her boyfriend of six months, Luke, from store to store with the kind of single-minded determination usually reserved for Black Friday sales.
“Seriously, M?” Luke asked, standing in North Beach, arms already loaded with bags full of womenswear. “You already have jeans.” “These aren’t just jeans,” Ming said, with a grin. “They’re work jeans. Smart casual. A whole new vibe.”
He looked baffled but supportive. The look of a man who understood he was out of his depth but was willing to soldier on. It was still too early in the relationship for him to push too hard when Ming was determined to do something.
Ming was in heaven. She picked up a couple of stylish dresses perfect for casual Fridays, a pair of smart jeans that hugged in all the right places, cosy cardigans, and a couple of chunky jerseys for those cold mornings heading to the office. Each piece felt like it wasn’t just clothing but a prop for this exciting new chapter she was about to embark on.
Cotton On was next. She scooped up soft blouses and a few relaxed t-shirts, knowing full well that layering was key for Auckland’s unpredictable winters. The bright colours and soft fabrics made her feel lighter, happier, like she was shaking off the heavy coat of worry she’d worn all summer. “And I’ll need new tops for the days I’m working from home.” Ming said. Luke was about to comment on this but quickly realised that he wasn’t there to offer logic but to support whatever made Ming happy.
Finally, a quick dash to Macpac for a proper wet-weather jacket – something stylish enough for the office commute but rugged enough for the weekend hikes she and Luke had started planning. Because after all, she wasn’t just starting a new job. She was starting a new life. And she wanted to be ready for anything.
As they sat down at No.11 Café Eatery with coffees and a mountain of shopping bags around them, Luke gave her a mock-serious look. “Explain this to me again. How do clothes change your life?”
Ming laughed, sipping her flat white. “It’s not just clothes, Luke. It’s a mindset. It’s putting on something new and feeling like anything’s possible.”
He smiled - that big, goofy smile that made her heart melt - and raised his coffee cup in a toast. “To the new Ming.”
“To the new me” she agreed, clinking her cup against his.
Thanks to a few hours at Albany Mega Centre, Ming wasn’t just stepping into a new career next week. She was stepping into her best self - confident, excited, and ready to take on the world.