Randomly came upon this article through seeing someone interact with it on LinkedIn. Happy I did because I think I needed to read it today. Really appreciate this honest and open perspective. As a parent, introvert, and a UX practitioner, a lot of what you said resonated with me. Being able to merge my "Past Me's" reality with the clarity I have now... boy... that would be amazing! Keep at it and best of luck in your journey! FYI, our family was just in Aotearoa (North Island) for a couple of weeks in December and we fell in love with the people and culture!