Life doesn’t have to be a struggle.

As I embraced mindfulness, I realized I was living a life that didn’t align with who I truly was.

I wanted to create an intentional life that would work for me. So, I started to let go of what I thought would make me happy and focused on what actually brought me peace and joy. This led me to say goodbye to my photography biz.

I felt inspired to go to the USA for a few months, while I figured out my next steps – my own version of Eat, Pray, Love (sadly, minus the pasta and gelato).

The universe rewarded me for my courage: within a week, I met my dream guy. And then a friend suggested a web development boot camp, and I thought, "Why not?" Fast forward a year, I moved to Portland, Oregon, and became a web developer — working with big brands like Nike and Adobe.

I had majorly upleveled my life by following my inner guidance and choosing a more aligned path of ease and flow.

I now had a dream partner, tripled income, a beautiful apartment, and much more balance in my life – without feeling like I was constantly struggling or hustling.

BUT, this is not where the story ends.

Despite all these external wins, I still felt unfulfilled on some level. And I started to wonder, “Was I even capable of being TRULY HAPPY?”

And as the years went by, the exhaustion and burnout slowly crept back in until eventually… I got really sick with a chronic illness. This was a major wake-up call, and it initiated a second personal development journey.

With the help of a life coach and therapist, I dove deep to do the inner work as part of my healing journey. I learned how to slow down, reconnect with my body, and prioritize my well-being through self-care.

During this time I also discovered I was highly sensitive, which helped explain why I often felt so overwhelmed.

As I deepened the connection with myself, I finally felt that sense of true inner peace and freedom I‘d been looking for all this time.

I felt like I’d found the missing piece of the puzzle: true happiness is an inside job.

My inner voice told me to share what I’d learned with the world. And because I realized that staying at my fast-paced corporate job would not be conducive to my long-term health, I decided to take another big leap of faith.

I quit my web development job, became a certified life coach, and created Bloem –  an intentional lifestyle guide for conscious high achievers.

Now, I'm truly living my purpose. I’m excited to wake up every day and help others with what I learned on this wild journey: how to reconnect with your authentic self and create a life you love.

I hope you'll come along for the ride!

xoxo Annie