The Blue Print of My Path

I was born in Jakarta, Indonesia. From the standard of a developed country, the place I grew up in would be considered a slum. An urban 'kampung,' people called it, a high-density area with irregular laneway patterns and narrow alleys. In my tween years, my favorite adventure was venturing out through the alleys I never explored before. I felt the thrill when I discovered new paths that connected back to my childhood home.

I didn't realize my fascination with discovering new paths, and connecting the dots between what I know, and the unknown became the blueprint of my mission in life.

The Call for Adventure

I had a dream to live abroad since I was 16. I stayed true to the vision and finally moved to Canada in my 20s, leaving my parents and siblings behind. Looking for a job and starting a new life in a new country alone was not easy. I experienced depression and loneliness like never before. My life was so uncertain. There was a time I had only $3.25 in my bank account and food left in my fridge. But I determined that I would never quit. I finally got a job and built my career in user experience design.

I shared my call to adventure and what I've learned from it in this podcast.

A Journey of Self Discovery – Body, Mind, Spirit

An autoimmune disease that started in my early 30's was a wake-up call. I didn't realize I suffered from high functioning anxiety. Beneath the seemingly perfect calm exterior, I was living in constant stress. For a long time, my body had given me the sign through a chronic tension in my neck, shoulders, and back, but I was too disconnected from my body to be aware of it.

That became the turning point in my life where I began a journey inward.

I discovered my childhood developmental trauma. With a growing deep self-awareness, empathy, and compassion, I faced my trauma and eliminated the root cause of my high functioning anxiety. Through the experience, I can relate to people in a constant battle with their inner critics, and I feel called to support others to create the inner peace and clarity they long for.

Looking for a creative outlet, I went back to my childhood passion for dance. Through training in East Classical Indian Dance, I started listening to my body. Building awareness through movements helped me realized the importance of mindfulness and somatic awareness for our mental health and wellbeing. As Brown Landone wrote, "Our body is beyond bones and flesh; it is the living spirit of our self-expression."

The determination to heal the autoimmune disease naturally led me to study many books on alternative medicines. I started a Yoga practice, took Ayurveda courses, and applying them along with traditional Chinese medicine principles to my diets and daily self-care routine. As a result, my immune system is back to normal, the chronic tension in my neck, shoulder, and back disappeared.