Nearly two decades ago I was standing in front of a big heavy door, in the middle of the capital city of Romania. It was the entrance to the University of Bucharest. It was my first day as a public relations student. I was about to start on my second path of choice. The first one I hadn’t even had the courage to go near, because I was afraid of the overwhelming responsibility I felt I would have to carry.

So that was the start… And I advanced on my path with great dedication for more than a decade, and had many accomplishments and successes that nourished my confidence in myself. Till one day when I felt that my path was approaching a dead end: there was nowhere to advance in a way that would continue to nourish me as it did before. I had reached professional maturity, yet felt less challenged than I would have liked. Except for one aspect. I still very much enjoyed working closely with my team and helping each one of them grow and develop what they were best at. Once I became aware of this, I took a right turn and there I was standing at the beginning of a new path. And it struck me that my new path was not new at all: At the end of my second path, along with my personal and professional maturity, I found my first path of choice: to help people become their better selves. Not as a psychologist as I had initially pictured, but as a Professional Coach.

I have learnt that paths in life meander, especially as one tends to start very young. And it feels great. Actually, I would not have it any other way. A straight line to where I was supposed to go would have stripped my journey of the beautiful experiences along the way; the experiences that later, once I found my calling, started to make total sense to me. All of them – even my heartbreaks and my challenges – started suddenly to grow extensions like the pieces of a puzzle to combine in what I feel is a more purposeful life. And of course, there is always room to build on and on.

This is what I am doing now and help others do through coaching.

Finally, the switch of paths and me embracing my true self has also unlocked my way to a more contented personal life. I have started a beautiful love story with the man who is now my husband and with whom I am discovering a new culture, as we established base in his homeland, Turkey. And for just over a year we are both once again redefining life, this time in three, as we joyfully welcomed our daughter Alara into our lives.