zi’s corner E1 the pilot- 2025 wrap 1

The speaker reflects on their year, highlighting career successes and personal growth. They discuss a traumatic car accident, a challenging relationship, and the importance of self-validation. They emphasize the need to let go of toxic relationships, prioritize mental health, and celebrate small victories. The speaker stresses accountability, faith, and movement as anchors in their life. They acknowledge struggles with perfectionism and offer a message of hope and resilience, encouraging listeners to embrace their journey and believe in their ability to rebuild and rise. You know what guys, I am mutinous. I am so mutinous. And honestly, respect to everyone in comms because this little wireless mic in my hand right now has had me in a choke hold. But, we move. We learn. We grow. And today, we podcast. You know when I posted this on LinkedIn that I was starting it, I was expecting tumbleweeds, like people saying who do you think you are? But, I did end up with 60 likes and a lot of moral support, but no questions. So, here we are and we're going to figure this out together. I'm just a girl. I am literally just a girl. Actually, no I'm not. I'm a grown woman entering my womanhood era because I'm turning 24, which is insane to me. But it's also perfect timing because December always puts me in that reflective headspace. So, welcome to my 2025 wrap. And yes, Spotify already does one. No, I do not care. This is my wrap. So, settle in and welcome to these corners. Let's go. So, let's start with the positives because there have been a lot of positives. I had a generational run. This year, I did a madness. Free awards, Apprentice of the Year, CLC Specials, Kicker Awards, Collecting the Mac Infinity Stones. I got a distinction in my apprenticeship. Like, sorry, but who can trust me? After the next 20 seconds, okay, I'm just going to be a bit arrogant right now and then after that I'll go back to being humble. But I led high profile projects. I built my brand from the bottom up. I gained visibility. I became a workshop lead. Amazing. I went to two conferences. I've gone to these bougie dinners. I've learned so much about leadership. I've deepened my relationships at work. I've got a permanent role and a pay rise. So, career-wise, your girl's thriving. I'm absolutely thriving, even on days that I don't feel like it. I still am. And that's really wild because, honestly, the year did not start like that at all. The biggest thing that I guess I've learned, and when I move on to this next section it will make sense, is letting go of people that no longer serve you. It's better to be alone than be in company that isn't good for you. So, the start of the year, I was in a terrible situation. Shit slash masquerading as a relationship with a man. I think man is a bit generous. He just turned 22. And listen, dating your friends? Don't do it. Don't do it. Dating at all? I do not recommend it. Not in this economy. Who has the time? What? Like, there were so many different apps. There's Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, Badoo, Lose. Like, it's rife. It's genuinely rife. And nobody meets organically anymore. Except for me. Because I met my ex at a business party after not seeing him for two years. And it was giving rom-coms, but it was also giving, like, it's a canon event and no one can interfere and you literally just have to go through this. Like, be a better person and come out the other side. But it really hit me at a time when I was already extremely vulnerable. Because the real top twist of my year happened literally, like, a month before him. I had a really traumatic car accident last year. And I talk about this so much. But I don't actually talk about it a lot. I think I've spoken about it once on LinkedIn. And I had an open fracture of my tibia and tibia. And also, trigger warning, the bone was literally out of my skin. Had surgery. I had metal rods. Learning how to walk again. Emotionally rebuilding myself and trying to find my confidence again. The brain fog I would get. And it's like, I'll be so real, if you're 20 to 29, the NHS does not care about you. And so that's such a bold statement. I am so grateful for the NHS. But my god, they don't give a flying beep. Like, bro, I literally, oh, I can't even say it. I had to sit in my own bedpan for, like, two hours because there was no nurse would, like, come and take it off me. And I couldn't move. Bro, I was bedbound. Oh, it was dark. But anyway. In the middle of all of that, boom. This relationship. And I only learned later that I was the other woman the entire time. But there's a reason why I'm bringing this up. Not to, like, feel guilty or, like, be messy. Everything in my life forced me to rebuild. Not bounce back. Okay, I'm going to say that again. Everything that I've gone through in my life has forced me to rebuild. Trauma changes your brain chemistry and it changes who you are. And it forces you to ask yourself, who are, who am I now? Who do I want to be when I heal? And I really have to learn to face myself and sit with it fully. And I guess when we're looking at expectations, there were some that I really did surpass this year. And others, um, not so much. I'll be so real. I thought that after the accident, I'd be doing, like, 5k runs. I'd have my little Lulu lemon. I'd be meal prepping. I'd be doing pilates in the morning. Like, getting up at 5am. That hasn't happened. The only thing that's happened is that I struggle to work a bit more now and I'm meal prepping. So saying that, and what I lacked in growing in that area, it meant that I grew in others. I outgrew friendships that weren't good for me. I stopped working my second job. And I realised I'd rather be alone than surrounded by people who don't wish well for me. I am too old to be pretending that I want to be around people or giving my energy to people that don't deserve it. And in my culture, we talk about lovers, which is essentially evil eye. Sometimes it's intentional. Sometimes it's not intentional. And I realised that this year, not everyone deserves access to your life. Not everyone needs to know your plans. Protect your peace. Because unless something's secure, unless you've got it 100% patented, like, the job is there, or the engagement's gone through and you've planned the whole wedding, like, don't tell people about it. Just don't. Because that's why, like, whenever I post on social media, I will not post something until it's done. Until it's over. Then they'll be saying nothing. But think of it like stakeholder management before you're sold. Protect your peace. But don't do it to the point where you're closing yourself off and you lose human connection. There is a balance. And that is where accountability comes in. I'm a very firm believer that our parents shape our relationships with twins. And a lot of us walk around seeking validation without realising it. The narrative handed to us as kids becomes a script we follow as adults. And honestly, a lot of my generation lacks accountability. People don't apologise. People avoid difficult conversations. And we find it really hard to confront people and actually move on from it in a healthy way. And I don't know if it's a pandemic, if it's social media, artificial intelligence, vibes, all of the above. But it is something that I would like to see a shift in that. I mean, I have to hold myself accountable too. My relationship, I saw the red flags. I just chose to paint them yellow in my head. And I had to own that. We all do eventually. And since then I've been thriving. I'm not going to lie. I've been doing so much better on my own. And I think that was a signal that I learned to break out of something that took years to grow out of, that seeking validation, especially from other people. I've really learned the only people I need validation from is myself and God. Praise God. But speaking about faith, I want to talk about the two anchors that I have. And I have nothing. I'm uncle Kim, no social life, no mobility, no clarity, just fog and smog in my head. But those two anchors for me were faith and movement. And prayer, you know, I'm a Muslim, I'm not the most perfect Muslim, I'll be real, but I'm trying. And prayer is something that really grounds me and movement is something that frees me. And even on the days that I don't want to move and I just want the ground to swallow me up whole and I'm like, I'm having an existential crisis and I have to like lock in and come into the office, I do something small for myself. Those are the days you really have to celebrate the small wins. That's where the marginal gains matter. It's the little things, drinking water, making your bed, showing up to the gym, even if you don't feel like working out, reading for 10 minutes. The small things that you can do that are in your control. You might have cleaned a little corner of your room today. You might have finished a project or something on your to-do list that was due for ages. Someone once told me that 80% of success is just showing up. It's not perfection, it's not aesthetics, it's not getting it to the perfect point, it's presence. And everything else has fallen into place. This perfectionist mindset that a lot of us have, is something that I am guilty of as well. So detrimental. So detrimental. Like guys, you need to fix up. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to start. It just has to exist. That's the first step. So right now, we're in December. Christmas is approaching. God. Christmas, even though I joke about it, Christmas is always hard for me. Winter triggers memories. Life gets heavy. I've got melanin in my skin, so you know I need the sun, and I ain't getting no sun. And the days are long, they're dark. And I feel like everyone around me right now, we're literally just looking in for December, and we're just waiting until Christmas goes off. Trying to close the loop, trying to wrap up for the end of the year, which I think is really important. But you know what? I will say, this year, I feel hopeful. Even though I'm not feeling the greatest, I'll be real, I do feel hopeful, and I feel shifted. I feel grounded. Really, really grounded and more myself. And the biggest lesson that I learned, and this is, if you don't take anything from this podcast at all, this is what I want you to take. You are exactly where you're meant to be. Even if it doesn't feel like it, even if it's messy, and even if it's not what you imagined it to be. You can rebuild, you can redefine, and you can rise. If I can do it, the young woman who worked two jobs, recovered from a broken leg, broke her heart, nearly lost her apprenticeship, rebuilt from all the trauma, you can do it too. Closed mouths don't get fed, so open yours. Ask, seek, move. Show up for yourself, and everything else will follow. Thank you so much for listening to the pilot episode of Zeev Corner. If anything resonated, if you laughed, if you felt seen, let me know. You can find me on LinkedIn at Aziza Anjum, A-N-J-U-M. Instagram at Zeeva Safia, S-A-F-I-Y-A, or email me at zeevasafia at gmail.com. Have a beautiful day, take care of yourself, and remember, you are exactly where you're supposed to be. Take care.