Every experience we have in life, every emotion we feel, every moment we stand in is governed by the story we tell ourselves. How we perceive our circumstances dictates whether we feel happy and engaged in our lives or held hostage to our environments. After years of people pleasing and fulfilling the roles I was taught to believe were expected of my gender, I came to realize the connection we feel to our authentic being is what brings about the feelings of wholeness and well-being so many of us are desperately chasing. Giving myself the gift of time to forge this connection with myself was the greatest act of love I have ever shown myself. I believe all gifts are expressions of love that are meant to be shared with others. This is what this book represents: my gift to every woman who has ever needed to lock herself in the bathroom or go for a drive by herself so she could cry without anyone knowing how sad or overwhelmed she was feeling. It does not have to be this way. In fact, you already have the power to change your experience. You just need to know how to own your self-worth. Every one of us has a beautiful light inside that fades over time under the weight of cultural and self-expectation, the pursuit of perfection, trying to be everything to everyone and attempting to validate our worth through doing for others. The root of happiness is in discovering the great love you have for yourself. When we show ourselves unconditional love and acceptance, we love everyone in our lives with greater ease and satisfaction. When we are miserable, we find misery waiting for us around every corner and in every person. This is why changing jobs, houses, partners, cities and (sadly) haircuts is always a temporary fix. Everywhere you go, there you are. The only way to effect true change is to focus on your emotional well-being, not the circumstances of your life. That is how you change the story you tell yourself and allow feelings of happiness to flow. My book is not only about how I changed my story, it’s also about giving you the tools to re-write your own story so you can experience the joy of creating a life that has you standing bold and happy in the center of it, claiming the space and freedom you were meant to occupy.