THE PATH THAT LEAD ME HERE

There's a question people often ask me: "If you could go back in time, would you change anything?"

It’s taken years of deep self-reflection and a commitment to healing for me to confidently say, “I wouldn’t change a thing.” My personal healing journey has been long and transformative, shaped by experiences with family, relationships, and the complexities of culture.

Some of that healing has come from understanding what it means to grow up without your emotional needs fully seen or met, and learning how that can shape the relationships you choose as an adult. I also know what it feels like to be in a relationship where your own reality is questioned, where you start to doubt what you know to be true about yourself. Learning to trust myself again has been one of the most important parts of my own path.

Many are surprised to learn that I am a first-generation immigrant in the U.S., as I often seem to blend in effortlessly. But my journey has been far from simple. I've spent much of my life navigating the nuances of belonging, struggling to find my place and grappling with the misunderstandings that can arise from moving between cultures.

As a woman of Korean descent raised in Japan, I was given a unique lens through which to view identity. Racism and discrimination were present and unavoidable, shaped by the history and conflict between the two cultures. Attending an international school further layered that experience, as did moving to the United States as a teenager and having to assimilate as both an immigrant and a minority. Each place and community I’ve been a part of has shaped my understanding of diversity, identity, and connection in profound ways.

When I look back on how I used to feel about myself and the world around me, I see someone who struggled with depression from a young age. I can name it now, but I didn’t quite have words for it until I was in my late teens. It’s hard to believe the kinds of thoughts and rumination I had back then because they are so different from the way I feel and think today. Though at one point I couldn’t quite imagine anything different from what was my norm, I have experienced firsthand that therapy can be life-changing. It helped me to reconnect with a healthier, more grounded version of myself. And that is my hope for you, and the reason I have chosen this path.

I sometimes remind my clients that we can’t change where we came from or the circumstances we were handed, but as adults, we get to choose our path forward. You now hold the power to make different choices and build a life that you desire. You can choose to take the steps to heal, not just for yourself, but for your future self, your loved ones, and the generations to follow. That belief has been one of the most empowering things in my life, and it has kept me moving forward with hope in a world that at times felt hopeless.

That’s the vision behind Better Path Therapy. I wouldn’t change my past, not because it was easy, but because it led me here, to a place where I can now get to walk alongside you as you find your way. If you’re someone who feels pressure to have it all together, even when things aren’t okay, I want you to know you don’t have to.

Because the truth is, your better is already more than enough.