Ep. 4: A Shared Becoming with Tanya

What if the most radical thing you could do when facing the unknown was to assume positive intent? In the first-ever guest episode of Still Becoming, Anish is joined by writer and storyteller Tanya for a deeply honest and wonderfully practical conversation about the frameworks we build to navigate life's messiness.

Tanya shares her personal "operating system" forged through moving 19 times across different cities—a system built on resilience, authenticity, and a liberating approach to validation. This is a conversation packed with hard-won wisdom about what it truly means to show up as yourself, find your people, and make peace with the beautiful imperfection of your own journey.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Assuming Positive Intent: Tanya’s powerful framework for navigating new people, places, and challenges.
• The 80/20 Rule: A liberating mental model for letting go of the need for universal approval.
• A Process for Failure: Moving through disappointment by feeling fully, finding your "3 AM friends," and trusting that clarity will come later.
• The Art of Adaptation: How genuine interest in language and food can be the fastest way to build connection in unfamiliar environments.
• The Journey to Authenticity: What it takes to be the same person at work and at home, and the freedom that comes with it.
• Plus: The power of a good "adda," why "bookish knowledge" isn't everything, and what we lose when our shared spaces become too sanitized.

Follow the Podcast:

• Instagram: @iamstillbecoming
• Substack: iamstillbecoming.substack.com

If this conversation resonated with you, please share it with a friend who might need to hear it. And be sure to subscribe to Still Becoming so you never miss a moment of our journey together.

In this raw and revealing episode, we explore the hidden scripts that shape our lives – those unwritten rules and expectations we inherited from our families, cultures, and faith traditions. Through personal stories of growing up in a Syrian Catholic family and navigating cultural expectations, we unpack how these scripts continue to influence our choices, even when we think we've outgrown them.

From a childhood moment of agreeing to join the seminary to recent professional situations where old patterns of self-minimizing emerge, we examine how deeply these scripts run and what it takes to begin writing our own story. We'll share moments of both struggle and triumph, including small acts of resistance that feel like quiet revolutions.

Key Topics:

• Cultural and religious expectations
• Inherited patterns of behavior
• The tension between tradition and authenticity
• Breaking patterns of self-minimizing
• The journey from obligation to choice
• Small acts of resistance
• Redefining humility and success

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" - Rabbi Hillel

As you listen to this episode, we invite you to reflect:

• What scripts are you living by that you never chose?
• Where in your life are you performing rather than living?
• What would it look like to write your own story?

Share your thoughts with us using #StillBecoming or join our community discussions at [platform]. Your story matters, and your voice deserves to be heard.

Perfect for:

• Anyone questioning inherited beliefs or patterns
• Those navigating cultural or religious expectations
• People working through religious trauma or spiritual transformation
• Anyone feeling stuck in patterns they didn't choose
• Listeners interested in authentic personal growth
• Those seeking to balance tradition with personal truth

Next Steps: Listen to Episode 2 for more context on the Rabbi Hillel quote and our ongoing exploration of faith and personal growth. Subscribe to ensure you don't miss future episodes where we'll continue exploring these themes of authenticity, healing, and growth.

Remember: Breaking free from old scripts isn't about rejecting everything we've learned – it's about consciously choosing which stories we want to keep telling.

Join us as we sit with the hard things, together.

https://substack.com/@iamstillbecoming

https://www.youtube.com/@i-am-still-becoming

https://instagram.com/iamstill_becoming

#MentalHealth #Faith #PersonalGrowth #CulturalIdentity #Authenticity #Healing #SelfDiscovery #Trauma #Recovery #Spirituality #MentalHealthJourney #ReligiousTrauma #CulturalExpectations

Music Courtesy

• serenit.free.fr/sons/bruits/coeur.wav - heartbeat
• Haven, Enigma, Dawn, Double Take, Harmonic drift, Silent Reverie and Ascend - Created on Riffusion AI

Are you the one everyone leans on—but no one checks in on?

This episode dives into the quiet ache of being the steady one. The rock. The 3 AM friend. Through personal stories, spiritual reflection, and the tender weight of responsibility, we explore what it costs to carry others without letting yourself crumble.

We’ll unpack: • The emotional toll of being “the strong one” • How childhood survival becomes adult exhaustion • Why even lighthouses need someone to tend their light • A framework for rebuilding trust and finding your own 3 AM friendWhether you’re a caregiver, a quiet leader, or the friend who always shows up—this is your invitation to pause, breathe, and ask: Who’s there for me?

Music in this episode:

• 'Adrift Among Infinite Stars'
• 'Meanwhile'
• 'Tears In Rain'

All tracks by Scott Buckley, released under CC-BY 4.0

Find more at www.scottbuckley.com.au

"What if your failures aren't problems to fix, but doorways to who you're becoming?"