There was a time when a minor inconvenience could ruin my whole day. A snarky comment, a missed deadline, a plan that didn’t go exactly as expected—it was enough to spiral into frustration. I used to think resilience was about gritting my teeth and pushing through, but that’s not quite it. Resilience is when the storm doesn’t even register as a storm anymore. I didn’t wake up one morning unshaken by life. It happened slowly, over years of being knocked around, making choices no one understood, and standing alone in rooms where I didn’t …
The Last Trapeze Swing
The apartment still smelled like him. Not in an obvious way—not like cologne or coffee—but in the way spaces hold memories, lingering in the air long after someone is gone. Mira stood by the window, staring at the city below, her fingers curled around a chipped mug that she hadn't realized was still his. She was supposed to be at work. Or at the gym. Or anywhere other than here, drowning in the ghosts of what used to be. But leaving was harder than she thought. Not just the apartment, but the life she'd spent years trying to convince herself …
Loving Someone Who’s Gone and Still Here
Safe, Wanted, and Loved is a story of resilience, love, and the quiet, brutal battle of living alongside mental illness. It doesn’t preach, it doesn’t dramatize—it simply lays bare what happens when the mind of someone you love turns into a stranger’s. One morning, everything in their home was normal. By the end of the day, nothing was. That’s how fast life turned for this family. What follows is not just a story of a woman battling psychosis but of a husband trying to hold onto the woman he knew while the illness ripped through her mind, of …
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The Fear of Falling: When Independence Becomes a Cage
The cold glow of her laptop screen flickered in the dimly lit apartment. Maya sat cross-legged on the couch, skimming through yet another article on relationships. She was good at this—studying, analyzing, dissecting emotions like a scientist in a sterile lab. But real connection? That was another matter entirely. She prided herself on her independence, on her ability to keep people at arm’s length. It had worked for years. Relationships, to her, had always felt like a game she didn’t quite understand. She could follow the rules, mimic the …
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All of Me: Claiming My True Self
I learned that when I ignore the quiet parts of myself that need care, I end up feeling anxious and mixed up inside. I saw how much I had been losing of my true thoughts, real feelings, and honest wishes when I stopped trying hard to get praise from others. Each time I pushed aside what mattered, I hurt myself deeply. For many years, I moved to a beat that wasn’t really mine. I took on roles that seemed safe but left me feeling empty, and I tried to fill that emptiness with short-lived comforts that only made things worse. The parts of me …
Why No One Wants to Lead Your Design Team—And Why That’s Not Entirely Your Fault
A founder recently told me their "dream hire" for a Head of Design had slipped away. They had found the perfect candidate. Seasoned. Visionary. A leader who could transform their product and brand. They threw in a great salary, equity, and all the right perks. The candidate nodded, asked thoughtful questions, seemed engaged. And then? They disappeared. Not a rejection. Just silence. It wasn’t an isolated incident. I’ve heard this from multiple founders, and from design leaders on the other side who say they’re tired—tired of fighting for …