What experiences in life helped you grow the most?
The biggest thing that helped me grow? Getting kicked out at 21.
At the time it felt dramatic. A little embarrassing. Very “main character hits rock bottom in act one.” But honestly? It was the push I needed.
I was living at home, comfortable, not saving money, shopping like the economy depended on me. I wasn’t acting my age. I didn’t really have direction. I was in that in-between stage — technically an adult, but still operating on teenage settings. My drive was low. My impulse control was lower.
And my parents? At 21 they were already parents. Responsible. Building a life. Raising a whole human. So there was this quiet tension in the house. Not because we weren’t close — we’ve always been close — but because we were in completely different chapters. They were looking at me like, “It’s time to grow up.” And I was still trying to stretch the “I’m young” excuse as far as it could go.
Getting kicked out forced everything to change.
Suddenly I had rent. Bills. Real consequences. Landlords don’t care about your vibes. I had to budget. I had to think long-term. I had to figure out who I was without the safety net. It was uncomfortable and humbling, but it built something in me that comfort never could: independence.
And the wild part? It actually helped my relationship with my parents.
Space shifted our dynamic. We went from parent-child tension to adult-adult understanding. I started seeing them as people who had once been 21 and scared too — just with way more responsibility. They started seeing me as someone figuring it out instead of someone refusing to.
Distance didn’t weaken our bond. It strengthened it. There was more respect. Less strain. More appreciation on both sides.
Getting kicked out didn’t ruin me. It woke me up. It forced me to step into a version of myself I probably would’ve kept avoiding if I’d stayed comfortable.
Sometimes growth doesn’t look inspirational in the moment. Sometimes it looks like packing your stuff and realizing you can’t go back to who you were.
And honestly? That was the start of everything changing for me.
