As women, we are raised to believe that giving is our greatest virtue—that being a daughter, a wife, a mother, a leader means constantly pouring into others while rarely stopping to refill our own cup.
Meenaakshi Jalan Todi
Meenaakshi Jalan Todi is the Founder of Lumifiee, a transformational leader in image mastery, leadership empowerment, and personal branding. With over 18 years of experience, she has helped professionals, entrepreneurs, and women rediscover their identity, refine their presence, and build legacies. A recipient of the IMPA Max Empower Award, Meenaakshi has transformed her own struggles into strength, and today, she helps others do the same.
This Women’s Day, she shares an intimate and heartfelt letter—a letter to her younger self and to every woman who has ever questioned her worth, felt unseen, or given so much that she forgot to give to herself.
Reaching where you are today wasn’t just about strength and resilience—it was about survival, sacrifices, and silent battles fought within.
As women, we are raised to believe that giving is our greatest virtue—that being a daughter, a wife, a mother, a leader means constantly pouring into others while rarely stopping to refill our own cup.
But what happens to the girl who existed before all these roles?
We often forget her.
We move through life proving, pleasing, and pushing ourselves beyond limits—until one day, we look in the mirror and wonder,
“Where did she go?”
But the truth is, she never left.
She’s still waiting—for you to acknowledge her, to choose her, to love her back.
This Women’s Day, I write to her—
To my younger self,
To the girl I once was,
And to every woman who needs to hear this today.
Dear Younger Me
I see you.
I see the way you light up at the smallest joys, the way you dream with no boundaries, the way you trust so easily.
I see the little girl who loved with an open heart. Who thought that if she just gave enough, proved enough, loved enough, she would be enough.
But life had other plans, didn’t it?
I see the way you shrank yourself to fit into spaces where you were not valued. I see the way you stayed quiet to make others comfortable. I see the times you bent, adjusted, and gave everything—until you had nothing left for yourself.
I see the tears you hid, the dreams you buried, the voice you silenced just to be accepted, loved, and seen.
You learned, far too young, that love can be conditional, that strength is a necessity, not a choice. You learned to become what the world needed you to be—the good girl, the responsible one, the strong one, the achiever.
You carried burdens that weren’t yours to carry. You stayed when you should have left.
You gave when you had nothing left to give. You kept waiting for someone to see you, love you, choose you—but every time, it felt like you had to fight for a space that should have been yours all along.
And in the process, you lost yourself.
I Should Have Chosen You First
I look back at you now, and my heart aches.
Because the one person you needed the most—the one who should have loved you, protected you, chosen you—Was You.
I should have told you that you didn’t have to prove your worth to be loved. That you were already enough—even when you weren’t achieving, giving, or fixing things for others.
That love isn’t about how much of yourself you sacrifice—but how much of yourself you allow to thrive.
I should have fought for you the way I fought for everyone else. And for that, I am sorry.
I’m sorry for not protecting you when I should have. I’m sorry for making you believe that love had to be earned. I’m sorry for not choosing you first—before the roles, before the expectations, before the world made you believe you had to prove your worth.
But here’s the truth, my love: I see you now.
I see you in the way my heart still longs for freedom.
I see you in the moments I catch myself smiling at something silly.
I see you in the way I fight for other women—because I know what it feels like to be unseen.
And from today, I promise you this: I will never abandon you again.
The Power in Reclaiming Yourself
You see, my love, the world teaches women that strength means carrying more, enduring more, sacrificing more.
But real strength? Real strength is in knowing when to say enough.
It is in knowing that:
You don’t have to prove your worth—you already have it.
You don’t have to wait for permission to be happy—you can choose yourself now.
You don’t have to pour endlessly into others—you are worthy of receiving, too.
There is something beautiful about a woman who reclaims herself—who stops living for the approval of others, who steps into her own power without apology.
And, my love, that is exactly what we have done:
We learned that strength isn’t in suffering—it’s in knowing when to walk away.
We found our voice, and we used it—not to please, but to lead.
n We built something from nothing, turned pain into purpose, and created a life where we finally belong to ourselves.
But we are not done yet. Because even after all the success, the resilience, the transformation—I owe you something more:
I owe you love.
I owe you joy.
I owe you the time, the care, the forgiveness I never gave you.
Just as I nurture Jay, my son, I now promise to nurture you. Because you, too, deserve to be held, to be heard, to be loved.
From today, I Am Committed to Loving You More Than Ever.
Hugs and Love, Me.
To Every Woman Reading This
If you have ever put yourself last,
If you have ever felt unseen,
If you have ever given so much that you lost yourself in the process,
This letter is for you.
I want you to pause for a moment. Close your eyes.
See her.
The little girl inside you.
The one who once had dreams bigger than the sky.
The one who didn’t worry about being too much or not enough.
The one who only ever wanted to be loved as she was.
And today, on Women’s Day, I ask you:
What does she need from you now?
How can you nurture her, love her, and finally give her the space to exist?
Because she’s still waiting.
And you are the only one who can bring her home by nurturing yourself. You can start with giving yourself a letter of reflection and commitment today to be her shield and love first.
Conclusion: The Lumifiee Way –
Women Leading with Wholeness
At Lumifiee, we don’t just teach transformation—we live it. We believe that the greatest act of self-love is self-reclamation. That the strongest women are not those who sacrifice endlessly, but those who know when to pause, when to receive, and when to choose themselves.
So this Women’s Day, let’s not just celebrate our achievements.
Let’s celebrate our wholeness.
Let’s embrace the girl we once were and the woman we have become.
Let’s choose her.
Happy Women’s Day from Lumifiee.
