The day after my 32nd birthday I posted on social media a photo from my previous day lunch with a friend.

It came also with some raw honest shares about my story.

Yes, most of the messages were about birthday wishes. But also a big chink of them were people commenting on how much they resonates with my journey.

It broke the record on my stats for all my posts ever, on Linkedin, Facebook or Instagram.

I’m very open about how my panic attacks and anxiety brought me to where I am today. I talk about it in my book, in interviews, on TV, on social media, and yet people relate to this story when they are in the right place and ready to understand what these struggles mean.

My intention was not to create a viral post and follow any strategies. I was just sipping wine after my birthday, reflecting in my journal and I simply posted a part of what I had written down. I didn’t want to do yet another post about “32 lessons I learned by 32” (nothing wrong with those, just not my thing).

My lesson here is: people crave authenticity. They will only open up when they feel someone else has gone through a similar journey. Some will never admit to it, but they will see, read and their heart will just feel a bit better, a bit more healed.

My committment has always been towards authenticity, honesty, transparency, with all the content I share out there, whether free or paid. I renew it.

I leave with you below the text I shared across all platforms:

This is 32!

Yesterday was my birthday. My mom asked me on Saturday if I wanted her to put the candles in reverse on my cake to say 23 and I said “no way”. I’m not longing to be 23 again. I’m too f**ing proud of who I’m BECOMING

You know how at the beginning of the year you are advised to choose a word that illustrates your intention? (well, I always do that)

But this time I want to choose a word for my birthday.

BECOMING

After my darkest moments when I was 26, spending my nights between curling up on my kitchen floor barely breathing from panic attacks and sitting on top of my bed googling “why am I here”, I embarked on the most beautiful journey.

The journey of transformation.

I got to know myself more and more, discover who I am underneath all the layers built in time, I got to build my self esteem and confidence back up and really be proud of myself, the woman I’m becoming.

The journey never ends.

Oh no, no, I’ve signed up for the long ride. With all the uncomfortable bits and parts, with all the hard learning, with all the heartbreaks and disappointments, with all the work and trauma healing, with breaking patterns and setting boundaries.

This is 32. 

I remember when I was in highschool and I would lay in my bed staring at the ceiling at night, I couldn’t even picture myself beyond the age of university. Like I was going to be 20… then my parents’ age. No idea what was in between, what my work was going to be, how my life would unfold.

Well, there are a lot of shadows and dark corners in between, but there’s also a lot of light.

There is success, and there is messing up.

There are decisions and lessons.

There is the beauty of contrasts that makes it all worth it and I wouldn’t change anything.

I don’t have it all figured out, not in life and not in business. I’m far from the ideal vision, but I’m on my way.

Stepping with gratitude.

Enjoying the journey.

Becoming.

*This is a letter to myself from my journaling session this morning