Nothing you’ve done, nothing you’ve experienced, and nothing you’ve given your time to is ever a waste. It brought you here. It shaped you. It helped you grow. But that doesn’t mean you’re meant to stay.

We live in an era where everything is instant—instant food, instant information, instant entertainment, instant connection. We are conditioned to believe that effort and reward should be a one-to-one equation.

As an immigrant, leaving my successful corporate job was filled with unique challenges. Society can be unforgiving and harsh toward women like me when we dare to be bold and not conform to the status quo. The cultural expectations and societal pressures often dictated a path of conformity, where stability was valued over entrepreneurial risk.

Just like in our personal lives, the same wounds, fears, and patterns will keep showing up until we finally pay attention, until we choose to break the cycle, until we do the work to heal.

Social media makes self-love a trend that looks like bubble baths, vacations, and treating yourself to nice things. And sure, sometimes it can be that. But real self-love? It’s deeper. Messier. It’s not about aesthetics or indulgence—it’s about the way you meet yourself, every single day.