It turns out I had been living with invisible iron bars tucked behind my knees for years. I only realized this when those bars began to melt.

From the outside, I stood tall. I was walking, getting things done, fulfilling my responsibilities like clockwork. But deep down, I knew... This was not actually walking; it was a state of "lockdown."

Our nervous system is a true master of survival. When your body screams "Run!" in the face of danger, but life’s circumstances tell you "You must stay," do you know what the body does? It slams on the brakes. Just as when you press the gas and the brake at the same time the car doesn't move, but the engine roars the body traps that immense energy right inside your muscles.

My battle was behind my knees.

That iron hardness was actually my shield that kept me standing during my stormiest years, under the heaviest burdens, and in those dark moments when I said, "there is no way out of here." It protected me from falling apart. That is why I do not get angry at that stiffness today. On the contrary, I thank it. It did its duty.

But the storm has subsided. And let’s admit it; you cannot plant flowers in a garden while clad in a warrior’s armor. You cannot dance in that heavy armor; you cannot freely construct your own life.

The other day, in the midst of a deep somatic practice, I felt those irons liquefy and literally flow into the earth. That warm flow spreading down my legs, that tingling sensation in the soles of my feet... It was not just blood circulation. It was the return of my life energy, my own power, which had been "on hold" for years.

At that moment, I understood this clearly: You cannot take a new step in life without unlocking the knees. While your body says "Stop," you cannot tell it to "Come on, walk" with your mind. No matter how much strategy you build, no matter how much you plan; if your nervous system is in that "freeze" mode, you are just spinning your wheels.

Today, I am no longer just trying to "survive." I am living.

I feel the ground beneath my feet, and that ground is solid. And most importantly; if I want to go, I go; if I want to stay, I stay. The steering wheel is no longer in the hands of my fears, but in mine.

This is exactly why I placed not just "business management" but this "body management" at the center when building Yosomind and the Deep Touch Mentorship. Because true leadership is not just about managing turnover; it is about being the captain of your own nervous system even in the most chaotic moments.

We are not just building a brand here. We are transforming those irons into gold; it is a kind of alchemy.

So, where does your burden accumulate? Is it on your shoulders, in your clenched teeth, or like me, in your knees?

Perhaps the time has come to lay that burden on the ground and start your own dance. I have started.

And believe me, the road is beautiful.

With love,

Elif Gökçe