How I Found My Way Back and Why I Help Others Do the Same
Most people don’t lose joy all at once.
They lose it gradually.
In responsibility.
In expectation.
In being “practical”.
In doing what makes sense instead of what feels alive.
I know this because I lived it.
I grew up across cultures, continents, and identities.
I learned early how to adapt, how to be responsible, how to keep going.
And like many people who are good at adapting, I got very good at surviving –and very quiet about what I needed.
For a long time, life looked successful from the outside.
Career. Family. Stability.
All the things you’re supposed to want.
But inside, something essential was thinning out.
Not gone.
Just –unattended.
The Slow Fade
Burnout doesn’t arrive dramatically.
It doesn’t kick down the door.
It shows up as:
- long days that all feel the same
- creativity postponed until later
- laughter that feels a little forced
- joy that feels conditional
You tell yourself you’ll rest once things calm down.
You’ll reconnect once the next milestone passes.
You’ll come back to yourself eventually.
Eventually keeps moving.
The Moment of Return
My turning point didn’t come as a grand revelation.
It came as a quiet, honest question:
Is this how I want the rest of my life to feel?
That question changed everything.
I didn’t quit life.
I didn’t abandon responsibility.
I didn’t escape.
I re-learned how to create joy instead of waiting for it.
Through movement.
Through creativity.
Through play.
Through saying yes when it felt uncomfortable and no when it mattered.
I remembered something simple and powerful:
Joy isn’t a reward. It’s a practice.
What I Believe Now
I believe:
- Joy is not childish –it’s sustaining
- Creativity is not talent –it’s permission
- Burnout is not failure –it’s feedback
- Play is not optional –it’s how humans reset
I believe people don’t need fixing.
They need space, safety, and permission to reconnect with themselves.
And I believe that connection happens best when we don’t take ourselves too seriously –but we take being human very seriously.
Why I Do This Work
Everything I create comes from the same place.
I perform because stories help us recognize ourselves.
I speak because workplaces are full of brilliant people running on empty.
I write for children because joy should never be something we have to recover.
I host conversations because healing doesn’t happen alone.
I build tools and games because awareness should be accessible, not heavy.
These aren’t separate projects.
They’re different ways of asking the same question:
What would your life feel like if you felt more like yourself again?
How This Shows Up
Sometimes that looks like:
- a keynote that makes a room breathe differently
- a performance that makes people laugh and quietly reflect
- a children’s book that gives language to feelings early
- a group conversation that reminds someone they’re not broken
- a playful tool that helps people notice their inner weather
Different doors.
Same room.
An Invitation
You don’t need to be burned out to belong here.
You don’t need to be lost.
You don’t need to have answers.
You just need to be willing to pause.
If something on this site resonates –a story, a laugh, a question you didn’t expect–
That’s not an accident.
That’s you noticing yourself.
And that’s where everything begins.
Welcome.
I’m glad you’re here.
—Chih Sang