“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” — Cicero What Gratitude Is—and What It’s Not Gratitude is often packaged as a neat solution to messy emotions. “Be grateful and move on,” we’re told. But the kind of gratitude we’re talking about here doesn’t bypass reality—it bears witness to […]

You will fall. It’s what you do when you rise that shapes your story. — Safiyyah What a Brief Illness Taught Me About Powerlessness and Perspective This past week, life slowed me down in the most unexpected and humbling way.From delivering empowering work in boardrooms to being powerless in a hospital bed, I found myself stripped […]

We cannot selectively numb emotions. When we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions. – Brené Brown What Are Emotions, Really? Emotions are not weaknesses. They are messengers.They are energy in motion (e-motion), designed to move through us, to inform us, to reveal where we are aligned—or misaligned—with ourselves and the world. Each […]

We don’t often think of ourselves as prisoners.

But in so many ways, we are. The walls are made of self-judgment, the locks are fear, and the guards? That’s our inner critic whispering, You’re not enough. You must be perfect. You must earn love.
Here’s the truth: We incarcerate ourselves. And we do it in every space of our lives—personally, professionally, socially.

The good news? We also hold the key.

Where Are Your Boundaries Leaking? Ever felt like no matter how much you do, there’s never enough of you to go around? That’s a boundary leak—those invisible gaps where your energy, time, and power slip away, often unnoticed. Unlike blatant boundary violations, leaks are subtle, self-inflicted, and socially reinforced. They leave you feeling drained, resentful, […]

“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. – Viktor E. Frankl Boundaries are the architecture of our lives, shaping where we begin and where others end. Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored what makes […]

If setting boundaries were easy, we’d all be doing it effortlessly. But for many of us, boundaries feel hard. They stir up anxiety, self-doubt, and even guilt. We fear rejection, conflict, or being seen as unkind. And for good reason—our nervous systems are wired for connection, and sometimes, boundaries can feel like disconnection, even when […]

Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others. – Brené Brown Boundaries are not barriers. They are not rules we impose on others. They are not acts of selfishness or rejection. Boundaries are self-respect made visible. They are how we care for ourselves, honour what matters, and […]

The Invisible Barrier to Rest Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to simply give yourself permission—to slow down, to say no, to take up space, or to rest? Even when no one is stopping us, an invisible force holds us back. That force is our own conditioning. From childhood, we learn that permission […]

Some of us were born rebels, fists in the air, pushing back against rules and expectations. Others, though—many of us—found another way to survive. We learned to be good. Not just polite or well-behaved, but compliant in a way that kept us safe. It wasn’t weakness. It wasn’t a failure of strength. It was, in […]