Before leaving Beijing this January (and suffering a heart that was carefully torn in two like a scrap of rice paper), I penned a post for City Weekend called Caring for Tai Tai – about how important it is for female spouses and mums in Beijing to make the most of this amazing town.

It was about something you already know – how there is magic afoot in the capital and although shopping is certainly heart-palpitatingly rewarding, there are even greater opportunities afoot… yes, dear tai tai, even greater than snatching a major bargain at Ya Show.

There have been many expat mums in Beijing who have cottoned onto this fact and are doing arguably better for themselves than they could have even dreamed in their home town. One such mum is Sarah Cooper, who came to Beijing with little more than a three month old baby and no clue where her life was leading.

Hopefully Sarah’s story will inspire you to dream big, dear tai tai – not just big, but hen da!

Who is this woman? Sarah Cooper

What is her passion called? Cows From My Window

Where can you take a squiz at her stuff? www.cowsfrommywindow.com

How did she find herself in Beijing? I came to Beijing on November 20th 2005 – just over three and a half years ago now, and three months to the day after my daughter Elsa was born. Child rearing expert Gina Ford (The Contented Little Baby books) said that babies were capable of sleeping through the night at three months. So I assumed my little darling would conform and booked the flight accordingly. I had no idea!

I came because, frankly, I was in a pretty miserable place both professionally and personally, and I knew I had to do something drastic. The job I’d been in for the past two years wasn’t a good fit and had sucked all the confidence out of me. Then I found out I was pregnant, and I was no longer with the father, who did not want to be involved.

It was one of those turning points in life when you cave in or somehow dredge up some guts. I’d always dreamed of living overseas but never plucked up the courage.

Becoming a single mother was one of my biggest fears and somehow facing this gave me strength. I moved to Beijing whilst still on maternity leave, found a job, re-trained as a coach and finally launched my own career coaching business.

What is this woman’s pre-Jing story? I’m from the UK – I grew up not far from London, where I worked for many years, first as a solicitor and then in fundraising marketing for a cancer research charity and then the British Red Cross. So until moving to Beijing, most of my professional background was in the voluntary sector.

How long has she been doing her thing? It will be two years in August.

What does she actually do? I help people who want to find or create work they love. I’m drawn particularly to people who want to make a living from a passion, express their creativity or help people or society in some way.

Most of my clients are in their mid to late thirties, disillusioned from long years spent in the corporate sector doing work they do not find fulfilling. Many want to be self-employed and nearly all are looking for a better balance between their work and home lives.

Why does she do it all? It’s a tragedy to live your life wishing you were doing something else. I want to encourage people not to settle – to believe that they both deserve and are capable of leading a life they really love.

What pesky obstacles has she experienced running a business in Beijing? One of my key challenges has been to think strategically. I love coming up with new ideas but plunging into every one that comes along isn’t always a good use of time or energy.

Now I take the time first to assess whether a new idea meets my key criteria: is it something which I can offer globally (many of my clients are based in the UK or elsewhere in the world); does it have the potential to generate significant income (sounds daft but it’s too easy to get sidetracked into small stuff), and above all – do I think it would be fun.

How does she balance her work with family? I stop work at 3pm every day to do something fun with Elsa, like swimming or a trip to Ritan Park. In the early days, I would sometimes work with clients at the weekends but I felt terrible about it. Finally I made it a rule that I wouldn’t, and I’ve found I haven’t lost business – clients miraculously found time in the week! I think it’s important to be firm about what you are and are not prepared to do. People do respect you for it.