When I was growing up, I used to dream of working in a massive corporate building, with windows and a corner office on Wall Street. That dream quickly crumbled when I became a 16-year-old high school student carrying a backpack and a baby.

Raising a baby and working two jobs meant saying no to friends, skipping downtime, and missing the little joys that make life feel full. I was proud of my resilience, but it came at a cost. Watching my mother work tirelessly as a single mom, along with society’s constant message that more work and more money define success, I believed financial freedom would bring lasting happiness. I worked my way up the corporate ladder chasing that version of success, but it left me exhausted and so focused on doing it all that I forgot to look after myself.