If you’ve ever wondered how someone becomes who they are—how they think, how they feel, how they love—it’s usually not just one thing. It’s a collection of people. A handful of moments. A lifetime of being shaped, nudged, challenged, and held.
When I look at my life, I know exactly why I care so deeply. Why I feel things so strongly. Why connection means everything to me. It’s the people in my corner, yes—but it also starts earlier than that. It starts with what was normalized.
I was raised to believe I could be anyone. That I could dream big and wear basketball shorts and get dirty in the yard and still be whole and loved. That being close to the earth and to people mattered. That emotions weren’t something to run from, but to sit with and learn from. I wasn’t molded into a version of someone else’s idea of success—I was encouraged to just be me. And that might be the biggest gift of all.
From a young age, I was taught that love shows up in a million ways—through sleepovers, belly laughs, late-night talks, scraped knees, and people who let you be loud, messy, emotional, curious, and free. It’s no wonder I’m so drawn to people now. No wonder I write about relationships and passion and growth. Because I’ve always been surrounded by the kind of people who made me feel safe to be all of me.
That upbringing, that permission to exist fully, is something I’ll never take for granted. And now, even in adulthood, I keep meeting people who keep me open. Who share their stories, show me new ways to look at the world, and remind me that being soft isn’t a weakness—it’s the point.
This blog? It’s not just mine. It belongs to everyone who has ever shaped me. My parents, my sisters, my cousins, my friends. My aunt, my teachers, the coaches I have had, the people who stayed, and even the ones who didn’t. Everyone has played a part. Everyone has given me something worth holding onto.
What a weird, wonderful life this is. To be here. To be shaped by others. To get the chance to shape someone else just by showing up honestly. We don’t talk about it enough, but what we normalize matters. What we praise. What we allow. What we believe in. I was lucky enough to grow up with belief all around me—and that belief turned into freedom.
And freedom turned into love. Love for writing. Love for people. Love for life itself.
So if you’re reading this and wondering where it all begins—it’s there. In the way you were loved. In the way you were told you could dream. In the people who showed you what connection really feels like.
The goal has always been the same: to be exactly who we’re meant to be—and to love as hard as we can while we’re here.
So thank you, to all of you.
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