Finding your North Star: Sourcing change from Traumas
We all have a story to tell. Whether it’s about our last achievement or the hardship we’ve been through. Our lives are made out of experiences that shape us — highly influencing who we are today. All the wisdom collected along the way can help us shape our future and who we will be tomorrow. Deep diving into our traumas can help us understand our past to better approach the present.
Here is my personal story. My early life journey has been a real asset in paving the way for my current path.
My journey started at 13. My parents were in the midst of a tumultuous divorce which ultimately led me to adopt a more parental role, as I protected my younger siblings from the conflict and turmoil.
I was left with the feeling of being abandoned and betrayed. Looking back, this was an extremely painful journey, as my little world collapsed.
The trauma was so profound, that all of my childhood memories have since been erased, leaving me as an adult with a blank canvas.
This was the opening of a new chapter. As my life was reset, I felt a profound sense of serving others. Although I was aware of the need to focus on my own happiness, my brothers’ wellbeing remained a key priority for years — and is still today.
I was attending secondary school in a disadvantaged area. I was immersed in a world where verbal and physical violence was often the norm for students. It was another factor for my discomfort and worries isolating me even more the young adult I was. I had to repeat my first year of high school after spending a full year being unmotivated and left without any life meaning.
Perceiving things differently from people of my age, I often felt lonely and had difficulties building strong relationships.
I needed a breakthrough that could make me feel fully alive. I was afraid and scared about how this could look like.
I knew this burning energy was a call to make the dream a reality. I had the desire to explore differences, learn from others, and foster positive change. Therefore, I decided to leave the place I called “home” to explore what all the world had to offer with its beauty of cultural diversity, deep connections, nature, and life learning experiences. I struggled to find opportunities and spent hours reaching out to hundreds of leaders proposing ideas and asking for their guidance. 95% of the time, I wasn’t getting any answer. I was “young and inexperienced”.
Fully determined, I made my way — when you have strong convictions, don’t give up on them. I ended up spending time studying and working on projects empowering minorities, refugees, youth, and women in various regions of the world, with multilateral organizations including the United Nations, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, International NGOs, grassroots initiatives.
This brought me to refugee camps in Greece, deprived communities across Europe, informal schools in Ethiopia, or local communities in Ghana. Beyond all the incredible insights I had, people were always the highlight of my experiences.
This was a revelation — I came to realize that being in service of others was profoundly nourishing and inspiring. Drawing on my personal experience, and the comfort I feel when helping others, I was able to dedicate my full energy, attention, and care to others in need. It confirmed my intuition that my role was bigger than I had previously imagined.
My passion was about leading change and positively impacting the lives of others.
Deeply invested in serving others, I now strive to drive change by holding a space for vulnerability, diversity, open dialogue, understanding, cooperation, radical collaboration and ultimately empowering others to realize their fullest potential. The past has taught me how to approach challenges, by transforming them into opportunities for personal growth, change, and collective success.
My North Star is about EMPOWERING OTHERS.
I believe it is never too late to start the process.
What have been the experiences that have shaped the person you are today?
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I highly recommend you to watch the ‘Wisdom of Trauma’. This movie depicts the work we all need to do identifying the underlying causes of who we are today. It highlights the importance of honoring people’s differences. It invites us to meet others where they are at.
