Recording this episode was really difficult because it’s more personal and sensitive than anything I’ve ever shared publicly. Deciding whether to post it was even harder. I know that by sharing it, I’m opening myself up to scrutiny, and I don’t want to be defined by this story, or for people to assume it explains or justifies who I am and how I show up on social media.

But I shared it anyway because I am not a single story. I am not the sum of my negative experiences. I exist despite them. Still, I can’t ignore the fact that the way my friends showed up for me, and quite literally saved me during that time, shaped how I show up in friendships now.

Somewhere along the way, I became a kind of saviour. And sometimes that role isn’t warranted but it's my own projection. So I’m choosing to step back and be more selfish. To trust that my fr ...