Priya’s Story

My reason for creating Awakened Heart was simple. To show people who are in pain a roadmap to being truly alive, and to make their journey shorter than my own.

I was 38 when I buried my husband. He was 39. He was my childhood sweetheart, the love of my life and the father of my two children who were too young to fully grasp all that was going on. Despite the immense loss and the intense grief that came with it, my pain turned out to be my biggest teacher. I can confidently say that the woman I am today is a version of herself that would not have been possible had I not gone through what I did.

The loss of my husband brought about a world of change. I did not have the luxury of waiting for the pain to subside. I changed careers from writer to corporate, went from start-up specialist to entrepreneur, lost my job, failed at business, re-climbed the corporate ladder, opened my heart again, got heartbroken, bought my first house, then a second, started a widows support group, produced an inspirational podcast, wrote a book and got certified as a Life Coach, all this while bringing up two amazing kids whose life stories will surely be more interesting and impactful than my own.

Along the way I realised that pain is not a punishment, but an opportunity. Simply because it can help us realise who we are at the deepest level. It was equally eye-opening to realise that so many around me were living in pain, which they had normalised and made part of their lives, and which stripped their lives of joy and prevented them from living their fullest potential.

It is difficult for me to accept the things I did just to survive, let alone speak about them. But by sharing all that I learned with other widows and friends, I saw lives transform before my eyes. And I knew that I had found my purpose.

We have been given one beautiful life. We all deserve to heal and truly come alive.