I took a year off to focus on personal growth. 2024 was a very difficult year for me. Was it for you? I struggled in every aspect of my life (except health) and was often on the cusp of a meltdown. Needless to say, I never gave up. Every time I fell down, I managed to find a way to get back up and start again.
Thank you for being patient with me while I was away. I would like to provide more content on Substack full-time. It is still my goal to build a community here. I’ve decided to change a few things tho, which I’ll summarize later.
Here’s a few highlights of what happened in 2024 that kept me away.
ONE. I started a job at the end of 2023 that required my attention. It was a retail, just above minimum wage job that paid the bills but surprisingly required a lot of my time. I learned a lot about myself in that role. For example, I am really good at sales, like exceptionally good. I had no idea as I never saw myself as a salesperson.
My short-term memory was shot before that job. However, I had to cater to a lot of people in a short amount of time such as memorizing their vibe, requests, jewelry style, transactions, and order. My short-term memory is the best it’s ever been in my adult life.
The work environment allowed me to meet so many incredible people who became permanent friends, which I would have not met otherwise.
I learned about the value of fine jewelry, precious metals, diamonds, and gemstones.
This job also allowed me to move to Los Angeles, which I’ll get to later.
TWO: In 2024, I spent a lot of time with my family. I traveled four times that year to many places that were impactful to my growth and development.
February: We visited my dad in Seattle. If you read any of my posts, I have a special relationship with my dad now because he has slow progressing dementia. Here’s one of my favorites about us.
April: One of my closest friends treated me to a trip to South Korea. We both love BTS (K-pop), K-dramas, and the Korean culture. That trip brought us closer, and we were able to get to know each other on a deeper level since I got really bad food poisoning, and she had to take care of me. I believe we were brothers in a past life who lived in South Korea. Going back “home” together felt full circle.
July: My cousin took me to an all-expense paid trip to Ohahu, Hawaii. I felt so lucky to have family like her. It taught me the value of family and understanding the ancestral programming that runs in our families.
October: I attended a wedding in Boston with family. My son’s high school best friend got married to the love of his life. My son was one of the groomsmen. I can tell it was an honor for the both of them to reconnect at such a pivotal life milestone. I was able to see my son witness his best friend on the happiest day of his life. There’s something that heals deep within you when you are able to see that for your children. It opened my heart in a way that I didn’t even realize was closed.
Hawaii is paradise with its beaches, food, and hospitality but it was the mountains that I fell in love with. A heart from the universe.
THREE: I moved to Los Angeles in July, which was an impactful experience on so many levels. I believe it was this move that was the main theme of the year for me. I was living with my parents at the time. For years, I had applied to multiple jobs trying to leave my parents’ home, but nothing was working out. I became frustrated because I had been there since 2022, which was nearing two years, and I was emotionally done living there. I just wanted to leave to anywhere!
A manager, whom I trusted, contacted me to work at her store on Melrose in Los Angeles. I took the offer! I secured housing and made the move in July. It felt good leaving and being independent again, but living in LA was much more difficult than anticipated.
Traffic and commuting. I had never lived in LA before, so I didn’t understand the full extent of what traffic and long commutes meant. In Boston, it took me an hour to get to work but I was either on a bus or train. I didn’t have to drive so the experience was different. In Boston, public transportation is efficient and for the most part reliable, whereas in LA, you never knew what time you were going to actually arrive to your destination. In LA, I had to get used to the late culture. This was difficult for a punctual person like me who had lived on the east coast for a decade where being late was not an option, even amidst a snowstorm. Boston taught me patience and punctuality. LA taught me to prepare for anything, especially being late.
Within 1.5 months of living in LA, I was displaced from my temporary home. I had to scramble to find a place to live in 3 weeks. I had no savings or money for a deposit because I earned minimum wages. I could have asked my family to help me financially, but I was already in so much debt that I couldn’t justify it. Luckily, I found a place to live and was able to stay there rent free. I applied to many jobs in the jewelry company I was working at to get a promotion, but all three roles did not move forward.
In order to survive in LA, you have to have more than one job. I took on another job as a reader/intuitive at a crystal shop. This job changed my life, and I know this is why I moved to LA.
I met a group of women who became my community. I started a Think Tank with them, which was a dream come true. I met so many incredible clients at the crystal shop. This helped me get back into my spiritual side. It helped me open a practice in LA, which is what I wanted to do. I met a couple who later became my business partners for a podcast we started together. I know they are the main reason I moved to LA, to meet them.
In December, I wasn’t making any progress financially to sustain myself in LA. I was even putting myself in further debt being there. My intuition was urging me to move out of LA days before the Palisades fire broke out. Looking back, I see now that I was safely guided back to San Diego to avoid that natural disaster. The full story is in my podcast.
A few weeks after I left LA, I was offered a promotion at the jewelry store in Venice but because of the fires, I couldn’t find housing. Everything had tripled in price. I believe that this was the universe’s way of getting me to leave that job and start my own business again. Once I did that, clients started contacting me again. I’ve been working on a few projects that I’ll list below.
Needless to say, 2024 was tough year for me. I was so out of my comfort zone physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally that I grew exponentially. This was expected but it still surprised me. Expected because Pluto was ending its 15-year cycle in my sign (Capricorn) in 2024. Everything that I had to release and expel was forced at a faster rate in 2024. I had no choice but to face myself before Pluto left. Pluto is the planet of death, destruction, transformation, and rebirth. Pluto’s energy forces you to release all the bullshit, masks, and coping mechanisms that don’t serve you. Pluto doesn’t let you get away with anything. Most people don’t have Pluto in their sign because it’s not an easy lifetime, but I signed up for this on a soul level. I wanted this and it was SERVED to me.
I started 2025 with fresh eyes, a new sense of confidence and belief in myself that I haven’t felt before. I survived so much hardship in 2024 that I feel like anything that comes up now, I can handle.
The most important lesson that 2024 taught me was a deeper sense of self love and appreciation for myself. I started dating again in 2024 and I spent a year learning self-love through the reflection of the people I dated. Their rejection was a reflection of my own rejection. Their love and admiration were a reflection of the love and admiration I held for me. If I wanted the relationship to change, I had to change first. If I wanted to be treated a certain way, I had to treat myself that way first. I discovered that the relationship I was actually seeking and longing for was the relationship with myself. I found it on a deeper level.
It’s still a work in progress but I’m loving it and having the time of my life. I am having so much fun!
LA has also opened my creativity. Oh yes, LA is very good at this. I see why people live there. I see that no matter how many earthquakes or fires happen or how much traffic or smog one has to endure, they stay to catch that glimpse of genius, to partake in the creative energy that abundantly flows through the city. You can smell it everywhere. It permeates tree lined streets, sidewalks, and black asphalt on the freeways.
Looking back at 2024, I feel so lucky to have experienced such hardship. It has literally changed my DNA to make me a better person. I don’t control anything as much. I don’t worry about what’s going to happen next. I have so much love and compassion for myself, that no matter what the future brings, I’m ready for it. I somehow know that I get to co-create with the universe what I want my life to feel like in 2025. It feels fresh, new, and exciting.
I’m so happy to be back on Substack again. Thanks for patiently waiting for me. I hope you enjoy the projects I’ve been working on. Bonus are the photos from my trips!
Changes I’ve made to Substack:
All posts are still free because I know what it’s like to not have the luxury to pay for a subscription.
Comments are no longer for paid subscribers.
For those who can pay and contribute, monthly subscriptions are changed from $9/month to $5.00/month. It’s my way of saying “I love you, I’m happy you’re here.”
For the generous humanitarians, you can be a founding member, or you can contribute a one-time donation. My favorite form of payment is just reading my work. I know how valuable your time is. Thank you.
Projects!
Art. I love painting with oils on canvas, but digital art has been more convenient. Once I started, I fell in love with the medium.
Podcast. I started a podcast with amazing people. We talk about spirituality, being authentic, and what it means to cocreate with the universe.
Practice. I’m taking on more clients these days and offering mentorship programs. I offer Reiki, Hypnotherapy, Past Life Regression, Medium, and Meeting your Spiritual Team. Email me or DM me for more information. You can also find more of my vibe on IG.
Until next time, I hope you find something that brings you joy!
Correction to original post: Monthly subscription changed from $9 to $2.50, however the minimum allowed is $5.00/month. I apologize for this error.
A special thank you to a new paid subscriber! You made me tear when I received notification of your gift. Thank you!