I chose this path because, honestly, my early life and early adulthood were tough, I lived through some pretty dark days. There was no one there for me, no one to listen, support, or understand me when I felt frightened and alone. But from an early age, I just knew deep down there had to be a better way to live, a kinder, more compassionate way to exist. I have felt the pain of being unloved, unwanted, terrified, and alone, but even amidst that, my curiosity burned: Why me? Why do people act the way they do?
I wanted answers. I wanted to understand, I wanted to be in a place where I could forgive and move on, to be respectful of others, accepting of their uniqueness and individuality because that was all I ever craved from others, to accept me for who I am.
Fast forward to adulthood, and I realised that for many years, I kept making the same mistakes, again and again. It was not until I got “the chance” to take a year off work, bullied out of a job, pushed to my breaking point, that everything shifted. Picture me, literally crumpled on the kitchen floor, unable to stand, unable to speak. And then, boom: a light bulb moment. I thought, enough. Not just for me but for anyone else out there struggling like I was. I didn’t want anyone to feel the way I felt ever again.
That’s when the journey began, and I have not looked back since. I started with life coaching and eventually trained as a counsellor and psychotherapist. I learned to own my choices, accept my past, and see it as a gift that shaped me. It taught me what I wanted, what worked, and, maybe more importantly, what didn’t.
The last 12 years have been transformative. Here is a few of the essential life skills I have learnt that have helped me to turn my life around:
- Connecting our emotions to our actions.
- Letting go of the past but carrying its lessons forward.
- Owning our choices and taking full responsibility for our lives.
- Embracing people’s uniqueness without judgment.
- Being true to ourselves, unapologetically.
- Realizing we are the architects of our own lives.
This journey has been hard, often lonely, and painful, but it has been worth it. Now, I want to be that person for others, the one who listens, who accepts, who gets it. I want to help people stand tall, be their authentic selves, flaws and all. Because we are all perfectly imperfect, and that’s the point.
Life is short on this stunning planet, and we all deserve to be happy and make the most of our time here, whatever that looks like for each of us.