All I could ever ask for, right? But although I had followed ‘the’ path to success (in the eyes of our society), I still felt there was so much missing. Not necessarily more achievements or accolades, but I felt I lacked the inner work I needed to fully bloom into the next chapter of life.

Even with all the external markers of success checked off my list, I felt something major was missing.  I didn’t feel at home with my body and myself. Even though I looked happy and healthy on the outside, I was burnt out. 

So I quit my job and began the long windy path of entrepreneurship, hoping to find myself and my purpose in the process. But starting from “scratch” was hard. I felt like the new kid on the block constantly trying to understand what the popular, cool kids were doing. 

I followed the masculine bro-marketing frameworks, and listened to the White coach gurus for advice. But none of it worked for me.

I wondered “What was I missing? What was wrong with me??”

I spiraled back into not feeling enough.

But after tons of trial and error, countless hours of questioning and doubting my own worth, it finally hit me: the answers were tucked inside me all along. Turns out I was looking externally, while ignoring my own story and truth. 

I delved into the rich history of my own South Asian background, heritage, and motivation, learning what mattered to ME along the way.

I reclaimed myself after trauma, and the healing happened (and continues to happen) in layers. I rediscovered my feminine power and my intuition. I renounced stereotypes and found a deeper love for my culture. With a newfound appreciation for it, I started owning and expressing my story from the most heartfelt, genuine place.

From here, everything began to slowly shift. My business, my relationships (with others but also myself), and my capacity for joy and pleasure.

I felt lighter on my feet, I felt more confident with my voice and opinion. I allowed myself to make mistakes and be wrong. I learned to love myself and show so much more compassion to who I am. To all sides of who I am: the introvert, the sensual, the sensitive, the type A, the achiever. 

If my story feels familiar or resonates in any way: know that this is all possible for you, too. Big shifts can happen when you look within yourself, not necessarily to ‘fix’ or ‘change’, but to heal and cultivate what is already there, so you can shine brighter than before.