Apoorva Mukhija, popularly known as The Rebel Kid, has opened up about the emotional reasons behind her decision to leave India and move to New York to pursue an MBA.
In a recent Instagram video, the influencer reflected on a period when, despite having fame, money, relationships and professional success, she felt “empty, demotivated, stuck, useless, and ugly”.
Why did Apoorva Mukhija move to New York?
Mukhija said that, on paper, her life appeared to be exactly what many people would want.
“Imagine, you get everything you’ve ever wanted – a nice house, great friends, amazing boyfriend, you look pretty, you make money, you travel the world, you’re famous, and you have arguably the best job in the world,” she said.
However, she said she did not feel fulfilled despite those achievements.
“I felt like I was living that same day over and over again,” Mukhija said, adding that she felt as though life was constantly happening to her while she was merely “playing defence”.
She said she felt she had no control over her own life and believed that something needed to change.
‘I changed everything in my life’
Mukhija also referred to the trolling she faced on social media, particularly following the India’s Got Latent controversy.
According to the influencer, some people had already decided that she was the villain and would not allow her to “win”. She said this contributed to her decision to make a drastic change.
“I decided that I would leave the only thing that has ever felt like home, say goodbye to everyone I have ever loved, pack my entire existence into three suitcases, and book a one-way flight to New York City, a city where I know no one,” she said.
She described the move as something that felt like a turning point in a movie.
Apoorva Mukhija says she was scared after moving
While people around her described the decision as brave, Mukhija said the reality was much more difficult.
“I felt scared, I felt like a loser,” she said, revealing that she spent her last 10 days in India crying and the following 10 days crying in New York.
She admitted that she repeatedly questioned whether moving across the world without a clear plan had been the right decision.
Mukhija said she had left her career at what she considered its peak and moved without a backup plan, but believed she had to take the risk.
From Haryana village to New York
Mukhija also spoke about her background and how she built her career without industry connections.
“I come from a small village in Haryana called Shahabad Markanda,” she said, adding that she had no industry connections or family friends when she started out.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding her latest decision, Mukhija said she trusted herself to figure things out.
She acknowledged that moving to New York and pursuing a new path might not be the wisest decision, but said she believed the experience would eventually become “a great story to tell one day”.
Apoorva Mukhija is pursuing an MBA
Mukhija recently moved to New York to pursue an MBA at New York University.
She has previously said that she wants to build a business in the beauty space. While she understands how to market products, she said she wanted to learn other aspects of running a business, which influenced her decision to pursue an MBA.
For now, Mukhija is navigating a new city, education and career direction while relying on her belief that she will eventually figure things out.