When Life Reroutes You: A Story About Trust, and Finding Your Deeper Why

Joanne Genoza

06 Jun 2025 — 5 min read

So much can happen in a year.

Right now, I’m sitting in a coffee shop I used to frequent last year right after I returned to Manila, fresh from being happily locked down in the north of Thailand, in Chiang Mai, where I had spent three beautiful years.

The transition was a shock. I had gone from living near the wild almost in the forest to a bustling city. Chiang Mai was a small city nestled in nature, where I could drive less than 10 minutes, go on a two-hour hike, and return home to continue my day. Back in the big city of Manila, I found myself yearning for soul-to-soul human connection the kind I often experienced in Chiang Mai and the closeness to nature.

I felt pressure from every direction physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It was overwhelming. I got sick twice. Life hit me hard. So I went back to Chiang Mai, hoping to find the peace I had once known. But instead, I found myself returning to Manila again this time with a deeper sense of purpose, a bigger why.

I sold everything and left the Philippines in 2016 with no plan, just five one-way flight tickets and the intention to follow the whisper of my heart. I had just started my meditation practice back then. I trusted my inner compass and fully stepped into the unknown.

That leap led me from one personal development path to another, from one silent retreat to the next. I explored every healing modality I could find from Reiki energy healing to receiving plant medicine. I went to India to deepen my yoga practice and completed teacher training there. I traveled across Asia, teaching yoga and meditation, and hosting retreats.

What a journey. None of it could have been planned.

It all began one night while I was lying on my bed, when the idea of traveling around Asia came to me. I felt an urge to sell everything, start fresh, and follow the whisper of my heart a whisper I barely understood at the time.

I share this story to remind you: you can trust your personal journey.

Many of us were raised to believe in a linear path school, work, marriage, kids, repeat. But the world has changed drastically in the past decade. AI and robotics are reshaping our everyday lives. We are navigating this life in brand new ways.

So trust yourself to figure things out.

Even on days when it feels like you’re alone in the process, you’re not. We may walk different timelines and tell different stories, but on a heart level, we are deeply connected. The sensations of worry and courage feel almost identical in the body.

We all wish for life to feel easier, for clarity, and for less suffering. But when you hit a wall, it doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong. It’s an invitation an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to discover more of yourself. You’re being shaped into something even greater.

Yes, you are designed for greatness.

And that greatness requires self-belief, the courage to learn, and the willingness to try again thousands of times, if needed.

I love to offer you a new way of understanding life.

Especially on the hard days, I love for you to remember:

Life is always supporting you.

Even when it takes people or things away things you thought were meant for you it’s part of a divine reordering. Yes, it can be painful. That’s part of being human. And that’s why it’s essential to nurture your emotional intelligence.

Feel it all. Even when it gets intense.

When your heart starts to tighten, breathe deeper.

Be honest with yourself. Stay clear on the kind of life you’re creating. Then let go. Trust that life is always moving and providing for you.

Especially if you’re walking the path of your soul purpose that deeper why behind your existence know that you will be supported. The Universe will send the right people and the right opportunities at the right time.

Trust.