During my young adulthood, I was a bundle of ambition and drive, but I was also plagued by uncertainties. I had these grand aspirations, but my plans were meager at best, and I possessed no special skills to speak of. My superpower, however, was the unwavering love of my family—they had my back, no questions asked.

Like many of you, I was raised on the promise that a "good education" and "hard work" would secure mY "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Yet, after six grueling years of college, a bachelor's degree, and a graduate degree, I was still struggling to make ends meet. I entered survival mode, juggling three jobs with hardly any time for a personal life.

By my mid-30s, I found myself divorced and dealing with wage garnishment and a disgraceful credit score. I survived two life-threatening hospitalizations brought on by stress-induced illnesses. After leaving the family home I'd helped build and adapting to a new routine with my four young children, I hit rock bottom.

I felt utterly worthless, consumed by depression, anger, and a sense of displacement. I ended up moving in with a college friend, residing in his mother's dingy basement apartment under deplorable conditions. But it was during one of my darkest moments, as I contemplated how to escape the grip of shame and pain...