This notion that I had to "just make it work" became "unhappiness management."

And "unhappiness management," alcohol and drugs are a perfect match. I knew I was in too deep, deeper than I was willing to admit.

I knew I needed to change — I wanted to change. I wanted to change who I was, how I felt, how I looked at life, but I didn't know how.

So what did I do?

I first took up meditation and became vegan. (Insert kindly laugh here.)

Shocker — it didn't solve anything, not at first.

I realized my life needed renovating, not feng shui. The unhappy truth was that I was holding on to a life I couldn't keep living.

I took a deep breath and decided to let it all go. I was terrified. I thought I was crazy. But I did it — I began the journey of starting over.

What this means for you

If you're reading this and that story landed a little too close to home — the feeling of "grasping for threads" despite checking every box, or building a life that looks right but doesn't feel right — maybe you've also felt that quiet tug toward something softer and truer.

I spend every day now creating spaces, words, and practices that make facing what's not working feel possible, gentle, and stubbornly doable — even for the quiet souls who've been told they're "too much" or "not enough."