The third stage of personal transformation is Preparation/Determination. In this stage, individuals may commit to change by setting specific goals and creating a developmental plan.

“Awareness doesn’t arrive as a thunderclap. Sometimes it arrives in birdsong, or a shared meal, or a conversation you didn’t expect to change you.”

Between wild mountains and creative minds, I began to see how far I’d drifted from the life I wanted. Nature quieted the noise. Deep conversations gave me perspective. I started to see what I needed — even if I wasn’t quite sure how to get there.

“Sometimes clarity doesn’t come in answers — it comes in better questions.”

In the whirlwind of reconnection and professional inspiration, I found myself unknowingly narrating the cracks in my life. Repeating frustrations. Masking exhaustion. I wasn’t ready to change — but I was starting to hear myself more clearly. And that, in hindsight, was the first sign.

Like many people, I have been through several life transitions including leaving home, moving and living in different countries, studying, working in different careers, becoming a wife, becoming a parent then becoming an “empty nester” etc. Some of these changes were somewhat planned, and others kind of just happened; some were good and some were bad…

My childhood dream was to compete at the Olympics in gymnastics. My idol was Nadia Comaneci (and my Aunty, who was a dancer and an actor). I trained hard to fulfill my dream, but a sudden growth spurt and injury to both my elbows requiring surgery when I was 16, forced me to change direction. I switched to rhythmic gymnastics and spent more time in the dance studio doing ballet and jazz classes.