“Your career or your relationship? Your income or your family? Pick one.”

Ever heard that? If you are a married woman or about to start a family, this question has probably crossed your mind, whether or not anyone actually said it to you out loud.

For a long time, I wondered how I would answer it myself. And then, my life took a beautiful turn when I met my husband.

To give you a little backstory: the younger Nazurah always prayed to marry a foreign man just so she could move abroad LOL 😂

I even made sure to tell all my family members and close friends so they would pray for me (and to lowkey get my family's blessings in advance) 😆

Alhamdulillah, Allah answered my prayer, even though it was weirdly specific. (A beautiful reminder that you can ask Him for absolutely anything, no matter how big or small! ❤️)

Fast forward to the present...

I moved to the Middle East to join my husband, who grew up here and is now working in the region.

But when the time came to leave my life in Malaysia behind, reality hit. A lot of questions flooded my mind:

"What about my job?"

"What’s going to happen to my career if I move countries?"

"I don't even speak the local language here!"

My biggest fear was: "Do I have to leave my career behind completely?"

Now, let me pause and be more clear here ❤️

There is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing to be a full-time homemaker. It is a noble, vital role, and so many women thrive in it.

But personally (heavy emphasis on personally), I knew deep down what kind of life I wanted.

I never wanted to stop seeking knowledge, using that knowledge to impact others, and building multiple streams of income (inshaAllah). That has always been my ambition.

My dream life looked like this: enjoying fulfilling, impactful work from the comfort of my home, and then taking a peaceful break to cook lunch for my family.

I wanted both.

But logically... how do you keep a career alive when you are constantly crossing borders? 🤔

Fortunately, for the past 3 years, I have been working as a remote copywriter for various clients and companies.

I told myself I wanted to keep doing that, no matter where I followed my husband.

And that’s when I realized that, all this time, I had actually built a portable career that could follow me no matter where I go in the world.

That realization made me feel super grateful for what I’ve built and the mindset I’ve adopted all these years.

I don’t mean to sound like a know-it-all, as these things didn’t just something I know naturally.

I had to go out there and seek this knowledge.

I asked and learned from many women who managed to build opportunities and a career outside the traditional 9-5.
I learned how they make money while working remotely from the comfort of their home.
I spent thousands of hours (and dollars learning the skills they learned.

So, this is what I’m going to share with you today 🫶

1. Learn a skill that can be paid for and actually apply it

This sounds obvious, but so many of us just end up accumulating certificates, watching endless tutorials, and buying courses without ever building the actual skills.

When I chose to work as a copywriter back then, I didn’t just study how to write copy.

I started small, writing social media captions for local businesses at ridiculously low rates.

Sure, it wasn’t glamorous, but it got my hands dirty. Later, taking a full-time digital marketing agency job helped me learn properly before I made the leap to full-time freelancing.

You might choose content creation skills, writing skills, or maybe coding, bookkeeping, or virtual assistance.

👉 What matters is that you pick a high-value skill, go deep on it, and actually use it.

2. Monetize before you feel ready

This is the step most of us delay, and it is what costs us the most time.

I know exactly how comfortable it feels to stay in “learning mode.”

We tell ourselves we’ll pitch our very first client once we finish just one more course, read one more book, or magically wake up feeling 100% confident.

👉 But confidence doesn’t come before you take action. It only comes after you’ve done the thing.

Start small, start imperfect, and pitch your services before you feel completely polished. No matter what skills you choose to monetize.

3. Build your network before you actually need it

When I first started building my personal brand and connecting with people online, I didn’t even think about “networking”,

I was just showing up on social media, sharing my thoughts, and trying to make some friends in the industry.

Years later, those casual connections became the absolute foundation of my client base.

Here is the cold, hard truth:

When life gets busy, whether you are dealing with a newborn, unpacking moving boxes in a new country (like me), or navigating any personal transition like homesickness etc, you will not have the physical or mental energy to do “networking”.

👉 You want work to come to you.

But that only happens if you dug the well before you were thirsty.

🎀 Join communities, chat with people, and engage genuinely with other people’s work. Be a giver first.

The relationships you build today are the safety net that will sustain you tomorrow.

4. Accumulate resources in every form

When we hear the word “resources,” we almost always think of money.

And yes, having your own savings is incredibly important!

👉 But resources also look like knowledge, software tools, systems, and skills you’ve mastered.

Think of it as building your own personal business infrastructure.

5. Build your reputation consistently

Your reputation is the compounding interest of everything we just talked about.

It is the client who refers you to their founder friends.
It is the colleague who brings you onto a project because they remember how reliable you were years ago.
It is your name being mentioned in conversations and rooms you aren’t even in.

You cannot manufacture a reputation overnight, and you definitely cannot fake it.

👉 You build it slowly by delivering good work, communicating honestly, keeping your promises, and showing up even when no one is watching.

All the 5 things I mentioned above are things you need to build before you need them.

You might feel like “Ah, I still have time”, “I’m not even married yet”, “I don’t plan to have kids yet”, but you never know what life is going to throw at you.

👉 We build our safety net before we need it.

Because when you wait until life forces you to figure out an income under pressure, your options narrow down.

You end up taking whatever clients will have you because you need money immediately. You become desperate.

Smart, capable women find themselves in this position every day simply because no one gave them the advice to start early.

In the end, what does freedom look like to you? 🕊️

For me, it meant not having to choose between my marriage, my career and my identity.

For me, it meant landing in a new country, opening my laptop the next day/week/month, and continuing my work without having to frantically send my resume everywhere just so I didn’t remain “jobless”.

For you, it might mean something else.

It might mean choosing to take a longer, self-funded maternity leave to spend more time with your newborn.

OR having the financial leverage to hire a helper so you can focus on tasks you actually enjoy doing.

Start with one small step today.

I know this feels like a lot to figure out on your own, especially when you're already busy balancing so many aspects of your life.

That’s exactly why I'm building something special for you...

A step-by-step workbook designed to help you map out your own portable career👇

It’s launching very soon, so keep an eye on your inbox next week.

You don't want to miss it! 😉

Unsubscribe | Manage your subscription