“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” — Kahlil Gibran

 The Phoenix and the Fire

In ancient myth, the phoenix is a radiant bird that lives for centuries before building its own funeral pyre. It burns in the flames, only ...

“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we’ll ever do.” — Brené Brown

Tonight, I had a panic attack in martial arts class.

Sweating. Shaking. Breathless. The room spun. I had to sit down while everyone looked on, asking if I was okay. I wasn’t. And I...

A few years ago, someone I worked with told me — months after we’d become friends — that they used to think I was snobby and unfriendly. It caught me off guard. I remember laughing awkwardly, then admitting, “I’m actually just shy. I’ve always been that way.”

It wasn’t the first time I’d heard s...

I hate looking at the news lately.

Every headline feels like a gut punch — war, inflation, climate chaos, political tension. I want to stay informed, but I also want to stay sane. It’s a daily tightrope walk: balancing awareness with emotional survival.

Some days I scroll with dread. Other d...

In the documentary The Wisdom of Trauma, Dr. Gabor Maté reframes trauma not as a rare affliction, but as a universal experience — one that disconnects us from our true selves. He doesn’t offer a cure. He offers something more radical: the idea that healing is possible, not by erasing pain, but...

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

We all remember the wicked queen in Snow White — obsessed with being the most admired. But beneath her vanity was something deeper: insecurity, comparison, and a desperate need for external validation.

She didn’t love herself. She ...

Last night in martial arts class, I watched a young boy take his belt test. Every week leading up to it, he asked the same question: “Am I ready yet?” His eyes sparkled with hope, his body moved with determination, and his heart was wide open. He wanted it so badly. And I saw him work—really work...

I used to think I was just chill. But emotionally? I was like a phone with 3% battery and no charger in sight. Functional, barely. Available? Not really.

If someone offered help, I’d say, “Oh no, I’ve got it!” while juggling flaming swords, a broken heart, and three overdue therapy sessions. ...

There’s a moment after a relationship ends when everything feels louder. The silence in your home, the absence of texts, the empty space beside you in bed—it all echoes. And in that echo, it’s easy to believe the grass must be greener somewhere else. That maybe if you just found someone new, you’...

Last week, I went to dinner with a dear friend who’s been navigating life after a long-term relationship ended six months ago. Between bites of pasta and sips of wine, she looked up and asked, “How do I let go?”

Her voice was steady, but her eyes carried the weight of something deeper—grief. Not...