It’s funny how life never takes a straight path. I started my career in business, working hard to earn the next promotion and increase my responsibility, blindly climbing what looked like a corporate ladder without questioning if it was really what I wanted.

Over time, I did realize my life and inner voice were misaligned, but I didn’t know what to do about it. I felt that my path had already been decided, that I was too far down the road to turn around now.

But the universe had other plans. I suddenly found everything I had built my professional life on ripped from under me when I was laid off at 6 months pregnant, and I had to reevaluate everything.

What seemed like the worst thing to happen at the time ended up being the best, and it’s led to where I am today: a writer, a mental health advocate, and a creator.