The Awakening
Dear Friend,
There was a season of my life where I was doing everything I thought I was supposed to do. I was achieving, smiling, showing up, crossing the boxes off the list. On the outside, I looked like someone who had it together. But if you would have asked me if I felt alive, I probably would’ve hesitated.
Because the truth was, I didn’t. I felt small. I felt confined. And I felt like I was walking through a dream that didn’t belong to me. Maybe you know what I mean. It’s the quiet ache that lives in your chest, the whisper that says, something isn’t right. It’s that moment you look around and realize so much of your life was designed for you before you ever got to ask what you really wanted.
We are told from the beginning how to think, how to act, what to believe, and who to become. Schools shape us into one mold. Media floods us with images of what we should look like. Governments set rules for what we should value. And slowly, piece by piece, the true self gets buried under layers of expectations, labels, and stories that aren’t ours.
For years, I played that game. I worked hard to be the good daughter, the achiever, the one who didn’t make waves. I wore the smile. I checked the boxes. And yet inside, there was this pull, this whisper: Is this really who I am? Is this really what life is supposed to feel like?
The whisper never went away.
There came a point where pretending became heavier than the truth. I realized that no amount of external validation could cover up the fact that I felt disconnected from myself. I was tired of the stories telling me I wasn’t enough, tired of trying to mold myself into a shape that would be “acceptable,” tired of living in a dream spell I hadn’t chosen. And it wasn’t some dramatic breakdown moment, it was quieter than that. It was sitting with myself in stillness and finally admitting: I don’t recognize the woman in the mirror anymore.
That was the scariest realization, but also the most liberating. Because when you can finally admit that something doesn’t feel right, you’ve already taken the first step toward freedom. Off I went to Peru. Peeling back those layers wasn’t easy. When you begin questioning the narratives you’ve lived under, it can feel like you’re losing everything. You grieve the version of yourself that people praised, the one who fit the mold, the one who was “easy to understand.”
But you also start rediscovering something far more precious: YOUR TRUTH.
And here’s what I’ve learned, truth is never loud or forceful. Truth is steady. It’s been there all along, waiting beneath the noise. And the more you strip away what doesn’t belong to you, the clearer it becomes. For me, that meant facing the voices of self-criticism, releasing the weight of judgments I carried, both from others and from myself, and letting go of the story that I needed to be smaller in order to be loved or accepted. Every layer I released created space for something new: self-belief, gratitude, acceptance, and courage. And slowly, I began to feel more like me again.
Maybe as you read this, something inside you is nodding. Maybe you’ve felt that same sense of confinement, the quiet knowing that the life you’ve been told to live isn’t the one your soul came here for. Maybe you’ve been questioning, wondering why you feel like there’s more, why you feel heavy, why you feel like you’re holding your breath in your own body.
If so, I want you to hear me clearly:
You are not broken.
There is nothing wrong with you.
You are simply awakening.
You are peeling away illusions that were never yours. You are remembering the truth of who you’ve always been, sovereign, empowered, and free. And yes, it’s messy. Yes, it can be uncomfortable. Yes, people may not understand when you start choosing differently. But on the other side of that discomfort is liberation.
I don’t share this story because I’ve “arrived” or because I have it all figured out. I share it because I know how it feels to live under the weight of conditioning that makes you feel small, and I know how it feels to finally taste freedom on the other side.
I know how heavy and confusing this process can feel, and sometimes it helps to have a little guidance along the way. That’s why we havea specific journey and class called The Awakening. It’s the space that truly helped me step into my own freedom, find clarity, and reconnect with myself.
If you feel like you need support through your own awakening, I’d love for you to join us. Think of it as a safe place to explore, reflect, and remember the empowered, sovereign version of yourself that’s been waiting all along.
Sometimes we just need someone to walk beside us for a while, and that’s exactly what this space is designed to do.
If something in this story stirred something in you, if you feel the pull, the resonance, the whisper, you’re not alone. That whisper is your invitation. The Awakening is your mirror. And maybe, just maybe, it’s time.
Love Always,
Dr. Rachel Sims
