Y is for You

The other day, it was my daughter’s birthday.

And as I reflected on her journey, I sent her a song — It’s All About You by McFly.

She wouldn’t remember, of course — she was just a baby back then.

But when I used to sing it while breastfeeding, she’d often pause, mid-feed. Mouth still, eyes wide… and smile.

As if, even in her infancy, the music said something she recognised.

You’re safe. You’re seen. You’re loved.

That kind of pause lives in a place deeper than memory. It lives in the body, in the soul.

And that same kind of pause found me again recently — in a completely different way.

On my birthday, two moments stood out.

The first was a voice note from Nneka — a prayer, heartfelt and intentional, sent straight to my soul.

I was out on a run when I listened to it for the first time. I don’t even remember what mile I was on — but I know I slowed down. I know I smiled. I know I felt seen.

I listened to it on repeat, over and over, as if her voice could lace itself around my breath and steady my steps. And somehow, it did.

The second was a long, deeply personal message from Bernie — a love-soaked prayer sent just to me.

No copy-paste. No generic birthday fluff.

It was crafted with thought, layered in care, and received with such immense gratitude that I had to read it slowly, over coffee, with a soft kind of reverence.

Word after word, it reminded me that I am held.

Both moments — years apart, and in different forms — left me feeling the same way.

So my hope is that when you read this, you feel what I felt.

Maybe even what my daughter felt, mid-feed, when that song would quiet her world:

A moment of recognition.

A soft internal pause.

A knowing that you are loved without needing to earn it.

So this is for you.

You — who has carried more than anyone knows.

You — who has smiled through shattered pieces.

You — who has questioned your worth in rooms that never deserved your presence.

You — who’s still healing, still hoping, still holding on.

Let me tell you what no one tells you enough:

You are not too much.

You are not too late.

You are not too broken.

You are not behind.

You are worthy.

You are enough.

You are loved.

You are a good human being, doing your best in a messy world.

You are not the version of yourself you had to become just to survive.

You are not your worst day.

You are not your silence or your shout.

You are not what someone else failed to see in you.

You are not the label, the rumour, the regret.

You are not the unfinished story.

You are still becoming.

So if today feels heavy —

If you’re nursing a quiet ache,

If you’re scrolling for a sign,

If you’re wondering whether anyone really sees you —

I do.

And even if we’ve never met, I’m rooting for you.

With the same softness I gave my daughter in those early days.

With the same weight I felt hearing Nneka’s voice in my ears as I ran.

With the same quiet awe I felt reading Bernie’s message, line by line, heart wide open.

Take this as your reminder.

You matter.

You are seen.

You are enough.

You are #Unshakable.

And if no one tells you that today, let this moment be your proof.

Because this one?

This one is all about you.

‘See’ you next week.