On a rainy evening not long ago, I found myself quietly sitting in my apartment, finishing up dinner and flipping through the pages of How Yoga Works. The wind had been howling for minutes before the skies finally opened up. As I washed my dishes and listened to the steady rhythm of the rain, I […]
Most mornings, before the world wakes up and my phone starts buzzing, I sit in stillness. It’s just me, my breath, and a few quiet minutes to connect. Over time, this small practice has become the most important part of my day. I used to think I needed something dramatic to feel better—green juices, intense […]
Dear Younger Me, You’re probably lying awake in your little room, staring at the ceiling, wondering—what am I supposed to do with my life? You think everyone else seems to know. You scroll through your social media feed and see peers with straight-A grades, polished resumes, confident smiles, and dream schools. And there you are—still […]
Ironman training isn’t just about endurance. It’s about transformation. When I first signed up for my first Ironman 70.3 more than 2 years ago, I thought I was preparing for a triathlon. What I didn’t realize was that I was about to undergo a complete mindset shift. This journey became more than just swimming, cycling, […]
A Valley That Didn’t Exist—So I Created It Some journeys don’t begin with a bold announcement. They begin quietly—with a question, a moment of pause, a longing we don’t yet have words for. For me, Sunny Valley began like that. I was sitting with a cup of green tea one morning, as the soft hum […]
Introduction When people ask me what experience changed my life the most, I always go back to the same memory: the day I boarded a plane at 17 years old and flew across the world from Vietnam to Canada. I was heading to Pearson College UWC, one of the schools in the United World Colleges […]
I still remember the first time I created a vision board. It was during my secondary school years, in my hometown in Vietnam. I had a big dream—to study abroad. That dream felt far away, but something in me believed it could be possible. So I gathered old magazines, cut out inspiring words and images […]
The Power of Pen and Paper I love writing. In an age of constant noise, swiping, and scrolling, journaling has become my way of pausing—of listening inwards instead of outwards. It’s a practice of returning to myself. Over the years, I’ve experimented with many types of journal prompts. Some were simple reflection questions, others were […]
It’s always peaceful about waking up early on a Saturday morning, especially when you know most of the world is still under the covers. That quiet moment before the city stirs feels like a small victory, like you’ve overcome the temptation to snooze and gifted yourself the day before it even begins. I cherish Saturdays […]
When I look back on the journey that brought me from a small town in Vietnam to studying and living in different countries, I can trace much of it back to a simple but powerful tool: a vision board. It may sound like magic, but it isn’t. A vision board is a mirror of your […]