From Miserably Comfortable to Deeply Fulfilled.

The Beginning

I woke up feeling a very familiar feeling…. empty. It felt like I had no reason to get out of bed. This feeling has been growing for weeks, months now, maybe even close to a year. I lost track. 

It didn’t make sense. I had all I needed, nothing bad was happening. I had no reason to feel sad.

I didn't know what to do with myself.  On top of that, I had moments when I just would burst out in tears, out of nowhere, for no reason that I was aware of. I’m also not a cryer, people wouldn’t describe me as someone sensitive or emotional. Putting on a mask and pretending like everything is okay, smiling and being jolly, that was me. It was so easy. But, I found myself randomly rushing to the bathroom to cry in hiding. I’d cry in the showers. I'd spend nights driving out to a park and just sat in my car and cried.

But I didn't know what I was crying for.

In Hindsight, ...

I realized I was comfortably miserable and miserably comfortable. 

I was doing things because this is what I was told life should be. I was doing things that society, my culture, my community told me I should be doing. I had a great corporate job, paid me to travel, I learnt so much, I had my partner, lots of friends, we were active and did so many things. My family was all doing great.  I had no reason to feel sad, and so many reasons to be grateful ...but it didn't matter. I was torn inside.

The Turning Point

I started looking for answers. Something inside me knew that the life I was living wasn’t it. My long-term relationship was going nowhere, my corporate job looked impressive on paper but felt empty. I was helping the rich get richer without creating real connection or impact. Deep down, I knew I had to let it go if I wanted space for answers. So, I ended my relationship and resigned from my job. I told myself, “Six months. You have six months to figure out your life and your next steps.”

Little did I know, I wasn’t just taking time off — I was beginning my second life. And it would take far more than just six months.

The Journey Within

I dove into personal development programs, where the questions were always the same: “What do you want?” and “What’s your why?” They were powerful questions, but they left me more lost than before, because I didn’t know the answers.

This searching eventually led me onto a spiritual path: the journey of going within and discovering who we truly are.

I began meditating to quiet my mind and fears. I read spiritual books, followed thought leaders, and wrestled with life’s biggest questions: Why are we here? What’s our purpose? My seeking led me back to the Buddhist roots I grew up with, and eventually to a Vipassana retreat (ten days of complete silence meditating 10 hrs a day, no electronics, no reading or writing, no eye contact, and no talking).

On day seven, something shifted. I felt deeply connected to my body, my environment, and everything in between: energy. I experienced oneness. This was when I understood the truth behind the words: “We are all connected. We are all one.” 

One of the programs I completed during this spiritual journey was to discover my Sacred Gifts, the natural ways I was meant to help others. And I knew: I had to find a way to share them.

My Gifts Guided Me

I had many ideas and desires, and I knew I didn’t want to return to the corporate world. The book The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer gave me the final push to follow the flow of life. I decided to return to my roots, my motherland, Vietnam, and I was determined to use my gifts to give back to the community.

My first year in Vietnam felt like a life retreat. I lived in a small beach town, selling lifestyle investment properties by the beach. I needed this time to detach from the life I knew back home.

After the this year, I was ready for more. I moved to the biggest city in Vietnam, HCMC and eventually became Head of Sales & Consulting for an international startup. I took everything I had learned: my education, my corporate experience, my gifts and poured it into a team of young professionals with little to no experience. Together, we thrived. In two years, the startup grew from 8 to 50 people and was acquired by a strategic investor.

But my greatest prize wasn’t the acquisition, it was the people. I watched young professionals grow into confident consultants, helping multinational companies expand into Vietnam. I wasn’t just building a business; I was helping people step into their potential while contributing to the economic growth of our country. A country that was once so plagued by war and poverty, my parents and I had to flee and came to Canada as refugees. Now it feels like a full circle. For the first time, I felt deeply on purpose.

Knowing my gifts helped me tremendously as it guided me every step, from attracting opportunities to knowing what to do in the most crucial moments. I wanted to help others discover theirs. While scaling the startup, I became a certified Sacred Gifts Guide and began helping others discover their own gifts on the side. The great thing about your Gifts is the more you used them, the more energized you feel. I didn’t feel tired or drained, I felt alive and driven by meaning.  By the time the company was acquired, I knew it was time to realign and dedicate myself to this calling.

Today, as a Career and Business Alignment Coach, I help people pivot out of unfulfilling, soul-sucking work into careers and businesses that feel aligned, abundant and purposeful. My mission is simple: to help you discover your gifts and use them to walk a career path that energizes you while making an impact in the world.