• Danielle Zavala quit her job as a preschool teacher to become a BBW model on OnlyFans and Curvage.

• She spends around 20 hours a week creating content and has more time for therapy and hobbies.

• Zavala spoke to Insider's Grace Dean about why she doesn't regret leaving her job last summer.

This as-told-to article is based on a conversation with Danielle Zavala, a 36-year-old big-beautiful-women model in the New Orleans area who creates content under the name Devi Thikk. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I spent five years working as a preschool teacher.

But in summer 2021 I quit my job become an OnlyFans model, and I really don't have any regrets.

I will always miss being a preschool teacher, but I feel like there's a time for everything in life. I was ready to move on and I'm enjoying this new phase of my life.

At the school, I worked around 40 hours a week. Now, as a BBW model, I only spend around 20 hours making content and promoting myself. I have a lot more free time, which has given me an opportunity to learn about myself and my interests.

I'm starting to learn the guitar and I learned how to play Magic the Gathering. I can also watch my boyfriend's band perform without worrying about having to be somewhere early the next morning.

I have also had time for therapy and taking care of my mental health, which was impossible during school. Back then I would set up therapist appointments, but it was hard to keep them because they might need me to cover for someone. This has been really life-changing.

My income isn't completely steady, but overall it's reliable. From month to month, I at least have a minimum idea of how much I'll earn. And even that minimum is more than when I was working at the school.

(Insider viewed documentation verifying that Zavala earned about 50% more in October 2022 from OnlyFans, Curvage, ManyVids, Instagram Reels, and Cash App tips than she did in four weeks over April and May 2021 at her school.)