US-based Indian woman quit her five-figure dream job mid-meeting, finds life's ‘single most rewarding thing'

Economic Times

3 days ago

Synopsis
Pooja Tripathi left her corporate fashion job after facing workplace mistreatment, seeking creative fulfillment and financial independence. She transitioned to comedy, creating the satirical web series "Brooklyn Coffee Shop," which gained viral success on social media. Tripathi's journey highlights the potential of social media as a platform for creative careers and the rewards of pursuing meaningful work.
Pooja Tripathi left her fashion job after facing workplace issues. She then started creating comedy videos with a friend. Her web series, 'Brooklyn Coffee Shop', became very popular. (Screenshots: Instagram/ winnie_thepooj) In 2018, Pooja Tripathi was sitting in yet another last-minute meeting at her corporate fashion marketing job when her boss launched into a string of personal insults. It was not the first time she had seen this happen — colleagues had endured the same treatment before — but for her, it was the breaking point. Within minutes, she made a life-altering decision: she quit, right there in the middle of the meeting. Her mid–five-figure salary, the so-called 'dream job' in a glamorous industry, no longer felt worth the emotional toll. As she later told CNBC Make It, 'Having a job everyone thinks sounds cool and then feeling like you can't reach any goals day-to-day is not easy. You feel like a lie.'
That moment of defiance would spark an entirely new career — one where she would not only find creative fulfillment but also double her income. Tripathi's next chapter began far from the glossy fashion runways. With no prior experience in comedy or acting, she partnered with a friend to create short, witty videos for YouTube. The early days were financially tough. She rented out part of her one-bedroom New York apartment, took on part-time marketing jobs, and filmed on a shoestring budget.
Her creative breakthrough came in 2023 with Brooklyn Coffee Shop, a satirical web series she writes, produces, and stars in. The sketches revolve around a disinterested barista — played by Tripathi — navigating absurd drink orders from stereotypical Brooklyn customers, from crypto enthusiasts to wellness influencers demanding 'unsweetened collagen lattes with unpasteurized goat's milk.'
Some episodes now rack up more than three million views on TikTok and Instagram, with one hitting eight million on Instagram alone, according to a Homegrown interview. The humor in Brooklyn Coffee Shop goes beyond quirky caffeine culture. Drawing inspiration from shows like Portlandia and Girls, Tripathi blends observational comedy with sharp cultural critique. The series lampoons how coffee shops in cities like New York have become stages for identity performance — where one's drink order can be as much a statement as one's fashion or politics. 'I've always quietly taken note of the ways Indian cultural practices are referenced, warped, and monetized in Western culture,' she told Homegrown. 'Don't get me wrong, I love turmeric lattes, but I understand how ridiculous it is to take ideas from a culture that has existed for thousands of years, package those ideas differently, and mark up the price 50x.'
Behind the camera, Brooklyn Coffee Shop runs on the energy of a tight-knit creative circle. Cinematographer Eyal Cohen handles lighting, color, and visual effects; director Nitay Dagan shapes the storytelling; sound designer Sagi Shahar fine-tunes every interaction; and a rotating cast of comedians guest stars in the sketches.
Tripathi says collaborating with such a skilled group is 'the single most rewarding thing' in her career so far. It is also the reason the series has landed both personal brand partnerships for her and commercial deals for the show itself — enabling her to leave part-time work behind in December 2024.