Most people bite into a croissant without giving much thought to the layers of precision, patience, and relentless trial and error that go into creating that perfect, buttery, flaky masterpiece.
But Kate Reid, the mastermind behind Lune, one of the most revered croissanteries in the world, sees things differently.
Kate didn’t start out as a baker. She was an aerospace engineer who landed her dream job in Formula 1. She had made it. She was working in one of the most elite, high-pressure environments in the world, surrounded by speed, innovation, and cutting-edge technology. On paper, it was everything she had worked for. In reality, it was destroying her. Physically, mentally, emotionally. She was unravelling. And so, she did something most people wouldn’t dare to do.
She walked away.
Not because she had a plan. Not because she had something better lined up. She left because staying was no longer an option.
At her lowest, Kate didn’t go searching for a new career. She was searching for herself. For something that would bring her even the smallest sense of joy. That search led her to France, where she immersed herself in the world of pastry. It wasn’t a calculated career move. It was survival.
But something happened in that kitchen.
She found comfort in the precision of baking. The process. The structure. The problem-solving. It reminded her of engineering, but without the pressure of perfection at every turn.
She became obsessed with the idea of making the perfect croissant, not by following traditional methods but by applying the precision and problem-solving of an engineer to the art of pastry.
She tested, refined, failed, and tried again. She pushed the limits of what was possible, rethinking everything about how croissants were made.
She didn’t just learn to bake. She re-engineered the croissant – to something heavenly!
Kate could have kept this brilliance to herself, but instead, she evolved Lune not just as a business, but as a culture of innovation.
She didn’t demand perfection from her team. She empowered them to experiment, to take risks, to challenge tradition, just as she had. She created a space where failure wasn’t feared, but part of the process
That is leadership.
And that is why her story is about so much more than croissants.
Kate’s story isn’t just about changing careers. It is about having the courage to walk away from something that is breaking you
And it is about reinventing yourself not once, but over and over again, until you create something that truly fulfills you
She didn’t follow a plan. She followed what made her feel alive
This is only part of her incredible story. Lune is now a global name, drawing in queues of customers willing to wait for hours just for a taste of what she has created. Not because she followed the “smart” path, but because she followed the right one for her.
Kate Reid’s story is a reminder that:
So, the question is, where in your life or leadership do you need to make a different choice?
What is the thing that is breaking you? And what is the choice that could bring you back to life?
The best leaders—the ones who create real impact—are the ones who refuse to sacrifice themselves to do it.
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