I met my younger self for tea, and she reminded me of something I had forgotten—how to be instead of prove. She sat across from me, wide-eyed and curious, asking the questions I had once buried under responsibility and perfectionism. In her, I saw the raw, untamed essence of my inner child—the part of me that never needed fixing, only remembering.

Tea with her wasn’t about changing the past. It was about reclaiming the pieces of myself I had set aside to fit into a world that asked me to be smaller, quieter, more “acceptable.” But the truth is, feminine leadership begins with meeting yourself fully—past, present, and future—and choosing to integrate, not abandon.

In her innocence, I saw my wisdom. In her wonder, I found my softness. In our meeting, I remembered: I was always whole…